Comparison

Star Realms vs Root Board Game

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

Head to head
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.

About

Root Board Game

Experience a digital adaptation of a popular tabletop board game. Engage in strategic woodland warfare as 2 to 4 players vie for control of a vast wilderness, leading diverse factions to victory.

Highlights
  • Digital board game adaptation
  • Adventure and war gameplay
  • 2-4 player battles
  • Faction control mechanics
  • Wilderness exploration
Features
Read full description

Play the digital adaptation of the beloved tabletop board game. Root is a game of adventure and war where 2 to 4 players battle for control of a vast wilderness. The nefarious Marquise de Cat has seized the great woodland, intent on harvesting its riches. Under her rule, the many creatures of the forest have banded together. This Alliance will seek to strengthen its resources and subvert the rule of Cats. In this effort, the Alliance may enlist the help of the wandering Vagabonds who are able to move through the more dangerous woodland paths. Though some may sympathize with the Alliance’s hopes and dreams, these wanderers are old enough to remember the great birds of prey who once controlled the woods. Meanwhile, at the edge of the region, the proud, squabbling Eyrie have found a new commander who they hope will lead their faction to resume their ancient birthright. The stage is set for a contest that will decide the fate of the great woodland. It is up to the players to decide which group will ultimately take root.

Screenshots

Star Realms3 screens
Root Board Game4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Star Realms at Free against Root Board Game's $9.99. Root Board Game's advantage is review sentiment (77% vs 57%) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Star Realms is free to download; Root Board Game costs $9.99 up front. Star Realms sells 12 one-off in-app purchases and Root Board Game sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Root Board Game holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4.5K and 5.9K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Star Realms's written reviews are positive against 77% of Root Board Game's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Star Realms ships an update every 11 days, Root Board Game every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Star Realms versus Root Board Game: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStar RealmsRoot Board Game
PriceFree — better$9.99
Rating4.6 (4.5K ratings)4.9 (5.9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.0% of reviews77.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4.5K5.9K — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#11 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size505 MB505 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperWhite Wizard GamesDire Wolf Digital

Customer experience

Star Realms

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

Root Board Game

All ratings5,424 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral1.1%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews397 reviews
Positive77.1%
Neutral8.6%
Negative14.4%

User reviews

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

Root Board Game

From 5.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Faithful adaptation of the board game
  • 🎨 Charming visuals and animations
  • 🕹️ Smooth gameplay
  • 🧠 Helpful tutorials for learning the game
  • 🕹️ Great way to practice and learn the game

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 🕹️ AI could be improved, makes questionable decisions
  • 🕹️ Lack of undo button frustrating
  • 🕹️ Replaying opponent moves can be tedious
  • 🕹️ Animations can be slow, need option to speed up

Bugs and requests

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

Root Board Game

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes and freezes during gameplay
  • Issues with async game notifications and state
  • Bugs with specific faction mechanics (e.g. Vagabond)

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add undo button
  • Implement option to skip/speed up opponent moves
  • Include expansion factions and maps
  • Add match history and player stats tracking
  • Improve async game notifications and stability
Show 1 more
  • Add more customization options for game setup

In-app purchases

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
6 purchases

Root Board Game

One-time6
  • The Clockwork Expansion$5.99
  • Exiles & Partisans & Vagabonds$7.99
  • The Riverfolk Expansion$9.99
Show 3 more
  • Root: The Underworld Expansion$9.99
  • Root: The Marauder Expansion$9.99
  • Hirelings & Landmarks$9.99

Questions

Is Star Realms free?
Star Realms is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Root Board Game free?
Root Board Game costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Star Realms or Root Board Game?
Root Board Game is rated higher. Star Realms averages 4.6 out of 5 from 4.5K ratings, while Root Board Game averages 4.9 from 5.9K ratings.
Do Star Realms or Root Board Game have ads?
Neither Star Realms nor Root Board Game shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Star Realms or Root Board Game?
Star Realms ships an update every 11 days, and Root Board Game every 4 days. Most recently, Star Realms was updated on October 26, 2026 and Root Board Game on October 26, 2026.

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