Comparison

Trouble With Robots vs Star Realms

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Trouble With Robots

A collectible card game blending action and strategy. Build powerful decks, customize your strategy for each level, and collect over 40 unique cards to conquer challenges and dominate the battlefield.

Highlights
  • Collectible card game
  • Deck building and customization
  • Direct damage and buffs
  • Adventure through 26 storyline levels
  • Collect over 40 unique cards
  • Unlock new levels and modes
Features
Read full description

Richard Garfield, Game Designer (Magic: The Gathering, King Of Tokyo) says, "It is terrific to be able to play Trouble With Robots again - it is overdue for iOS. It surprised me that it still feels unlike anything else I have played, I would have expected some other game developers to use this obviously good game formula to make a bunch of exciting new games. I hope that it gets the success and attention it deserves - and inspires the new games which >I< deserve!" Shaun Musgrave, Toucharcade.com says, "I enjoyed it just on its cheeky attitude alone, with the surprising depth of the gameplay at higher levels proving to be the icing on the cake. If you give it a try, it will probably win you over the same way." Introducing TROUBLE WITH ROBOTS, a classic fusion between action and strategy! Build the perfect deck in this collectible card game! Apply direct damage, buff your allies, weaken your foes, and come up with your own strategies as you earn stronger cards! --------------------- ADVENTURE through 26 storyline levels and 6 very difficult challenge levels CUSTOMIZE your deck for each unique level COLLECT over 40 cards consisting of creature summon, healing, strengthening, direct damage, and other spells UNLOCK levels and modes to add a new experiences and tons of replay value CONQUER challenges and reap the rewards Collect the most powerful cards and create the ultimate deck to dominate on the battlefield. Become a part of our simultaneously epic and hilarious tale as two opposing forces clash in all out war! We'd like to thank you for playing our game! Keep up to date on all things Trouble With Robots and Art Castle: Website: www.TroubleWithRobots.com Twitter: @ArtCastleHK Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArtCastleHK YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/ArtCastleHK www.Play-Asia.com

About

Star Realms

Engage in thrilling space combat with this popular deckbuilding game. Build your deck, outmaneuver opponents, and conquer the galaxy. Offers both single-player campaigns and multiplayer battles.

Highlights
  • Deckbuilding gameplay
  • Player vs Player combat
  • AI battles
  • Campaign mode
  • Online multiplayer
  • Pass and Play mode
Features
Read full description

Star Realms is a hugely popular space combat deckbuilding game. Download and play today to find out why Star Realms is the winner of SXSW 2014 Board Game of the Year, 7 Golden Geek Awards from BoardGameGeek, including Best Mobile Game, and 2 Dice Tower awards! Reviews: "My readers are going to have a seizure about how good Star Realms is." -Owen Faraday, pockettactics.com “Good on all levels, thumbs up!” -Tom Vasel, The Dice Tower “This game is superb! I think it’s a brilliant game. Beautiful artwork, second to none.” -Tim Norris, Grey Elephant Gaming “What can I say? Star Realms is excellent.” - Lenny, ISlaytheDragon.com “I desperately wanted to play again and again. It's just consistently fun every time.” -The Critical Boardgamer Star Realms combines addictive deck building game play with exciting Trading Card Game (TCG) style combat! Designed by Magic the Gathering Hall of Famers Darwin Kastle and Rob Dougherty (of the Ascension Deckbuilding Game), Star Realms provides tons of playability for free, and a one-time upgrade to be able play with your friends and more on any device. Free Version •Universal Application: Play on iPhone, iPod, iPad, iPad Mini, and Ipad Air. •Addictive Deckbuilding Game with Player VS Player Combat. •Tutorial teaches you to play in minutes. •Stunning visuals. •Play VS the AI. •6 mission campaign mode. Full Game Additional Features •Play the AI on 3 different difficulty settings. •9 additional campaign missions. •Battle friends face to face with Pass and Play. •Online play with global rankings. •Challenge a friend online.

Screenshots

Trouble With Robots4 screens
Star Realms3 screens

Verdict

The call

Trouble With Robots and Star Realms both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 94% of Trouble With Robots's written reviews are positive against 57% of Star Realms's. Trouble With Robots also leads on iOS requirement (6.0 vs 15.0). Star Realms's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (4.5K vs 63). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Trouble With Robots sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Star Realms sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Trouble With Robots holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Star Realms has 4.5K ratings behind it against 63, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of Trouble With Robots's written reviews are positive against 57% of Star Realms's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Trouble With Robots ships an update every 3 months, Star Realms every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Trouble With Robots versus Star Realms: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTrouble With RobotsStar Realms
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (63 ratings) — better4.6 (4.5K ratings)
Positive reviews94.3% of reviews — better57.0% of reviews
Number of ratings634.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS6.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB505 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperPlay-Asia.comWhite Wizard Games

Customer experience

Trouble With Robots

All ratings62 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral3.2%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews140 reviews
Positive94.3%
Neutral1.4%
Negative4.3%

Star Realms

All ratings4,448 ratings
Positive91.3%
Neutral2.1%
Negative6.6%
Written reviews405 reviews
Positive57.0%
Neutral10.9%
Negative32.1%

User reviews

Trouble With Robots

From 63 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great strategy and tactics
  • 💰 Free to play, no ads
  • 😂 Humorous storyline and dialogue
  • 💎 Deep and challenging gameplay
  • 💡 Unique CCG/RTS hybrid

Room to improve

  • 🙄 Annoying review prompts
  • 🐛 App crashes
  • 📉 Limited content/levels
  • 🤔 AI logic issues
  • ⏳ Game can be short

Star Realms

From 4.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great game
  • 👍 Excellent implementation
  • 💡 Lots of content and features
  • 🚀 Fast and smooth gameplay
  • 👍 Challenging AI

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🐛 Issues with online play and connectivity
  • 🐛 Unbalanced AI difficulty
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🐛 Confusing UI and navigation

Bugs and requests

Trouble With Robots

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App closes on phone call
  • Crashes in the middle of a battle
  • App crashes about every 3rd game

Requested features

10 requests
  • More levels/enemies
  • Card enhancement system
  • Sequel to the game
  • More content
  • Multiplayer mode
Show 5 more
  • Option to buy cards
  • More achievements
  • Multiplayer
  • More cards and levels
  • Option to save to iCloud

Star Realms

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game freezes and crashes on launch
  • Online games getting stuck or timing out
  • Inability to scrap or play certain cards
  • Incorrect card behavior and interactions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add undo/rewind functionality
  • Improve offline/single-player experience
  • Implement better matchmaking and player communication
  • Provide more detailed game statistics and analytics

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Trouble With Robots

One-time3
  • Chapter 3$0.99
  • Chapter 2$0.99
  • Chapter 2 & 3 Bundle$0.99
12 purchases

Star Realms

One-time12
  • High Alert: Invasion$1.99
  • Crisis: Bases and Battleships Set$1.99
  • Crisis: Events Set$1.99
Show 9 more
  • Crisis: Heroes Set$1.99
  • Crisis: Fleets and Fortresses$1.99
  • Command$1.99
  • Gambit Set$3.99
  • Cosmic Gambit$3.99
  • High Alert: First Strike$3.99
  • Full Version$4.99
  • Colony Wars$4.99
  • Frontiers$4.99

Questions

Is Trouble With Robots free?
Trouble With Robots is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Star Realms free?
Star Realms is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Trouble With Robots or Star Realms?
Trouble With Robots is rated higher. Trouble With Robots averages 4.8 out of 5 from 63 ratings, while Star Realms averages 4.6 from 4.5K ratings.
Do Trouble With Robots or Star Realms have ads?
Neither Trouble With Robots nor Star Realms shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Trouble With Robots or Star Realms?
Trouble With Robots ships an update every 3 months, and Star Realms every 11 days. Most recently, Trouble With Robots was updated on October 24, 2026 and Star Realms on October 26, 2026.

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