Star Realms vs Dawncaster
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Deckbuilding gameplay
- Player vs Player combat
- AI battles
- Campaign mode
- Online multiplayer
- Pass and Play mode
Read full descriptionHide 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.
Dawncaster
Embark on a tactical deck-building adventure with over 900 illustrated cards. Explore a mysterious world, master unique class abilities, and forge your own path through a rich narrative. Enjoy a complete premium experience with no ads or microtransactions.
- Over 900 hand-illustrated cards
- Unique class abilities
- Innovative energy system
- Richly illustrated world
- Randomized encounters
- Unlockable content
Read full descriptionHide full description
Dawncaster: Epic Deck-Building Adventure Dive into a world of strategy and magic in Dawncaster, the ultimate deck-building experience with over 900 stunning hand-illustrated cards. Will you become a shadow-dancing rogue, an indomitable warrior, a mysterious Seeker, or forge your own path? Unravel the dark secrets of Aethos in this tactical masterpiece that revolutionizes mobile card gaming. Redefining Card Games - Experience groundbreaking mechanics that seasoned players will love - Blend unique class abilities with powerful weapons and enchantments - Master an innovative energy system, freeing you from traditional deckbuilder constraints A World Shrouded in Mystery - Embark on a quest to find the legendary 'Dawnbringer' lost in the corrupted realm of Umbris - Immerse yourself in a richly illustrated world with compelling dialogue and meaningful choices - Shape the fate of a desperate world through your actions Complete Gaming Experience - Unlock all cards and classes with your purchase - no microtransactions! - Open up new exciting area's with optional expansion packs for even more content - Enjoy a premium game free from ads, timers, or pay-to-win mechanics Endless Replayability - Every run is unique with randomized encounters and battles - Unlock new starting cards, portraits, and challenges - Test your skills with increasing difficulty levels Join the Dawncaster Community - Connect with fellow players and developers on the Discord server - Share strategies, get the latest updates, and influence the game's future - Be part of a passionate community that's shaping the future of Dawncaster Ready to answer the call? Download Dawncaster now and begin your legendary journey! Discord: https://discord.gg/pfeMG9c Website: https://dawncaster.wanderlost.games
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Star Realms at Free against Dawncaster's $4.99. Star Realms also leads on ratings volume (4.5K vs 929). Dawncaster's advantage is review sentiment (80% vs 57%) and chart position (#8 vs unranked). On rating, update cadence, 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
Star Realms is free to download; Dawncaster costs $4.99 up front. Star Realms sells 12 one-off in-app purchases and Dawncaster sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Star Realms against 4.7 for Dawncaster. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4.5K and 929 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of Star Realms's written reviews are positive against 80% of Dawncaster's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Star Realms | Dawncaster |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.6 (4.5K ratings) | 4.7 (929 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 57.0% of reviews | 80.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4.5K — better | 929 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #8 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 509 MB | 1.4 GB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | White Wizard Games | Rick van der Wal |
Customer experience
Star Realms
Dawncaster
User reviews
Star Realms
From 4.5K App Store ratingsWhat 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
Dawncaster
From 929 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Constant updates
- 🔥 Addictive gameplay loop
- 🔍 Discovering new secrets
- 💎 Excellent value for money
- 🎨 Beautiful art and visuals
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🔍 Steep learning curve
- 🔁 Repetitive enemy and boss encounters
- 🕰️ Slow progression and unlock system
- 🔧 Unbalanced difficulty spikes
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
Dawncaster
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes after certain card interactions
- Incorrect card behavior or descriptions
- Progression loss after updates
- Compatibility issues on newer devices
Requested features
5 requests- Endless or challenge mode
- More language support (e.g. Chinese, Spanish, Russian)
- Improved tutorial and onboarding
- Ability to toggle DLC content on/off
- Checkpoints or save states during runs
In-app purchases
Star Realms
- High Alert: Invasion$1.99
- Crisis: Bases and Battleships Set$1.99
- Crisis: Events Set$1.99
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- 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
Dawncaster
- Vaul of the Void Promo PackFree
- Synthesis Support Pack$3.99
- Infinitum Support Banner$3.99
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- Eclypse Supporter Pack$3.99
- Buy the devs a coffee$4.99
- Tribes of Twilight$4.99
- Death of Divinity$4.99
- Masks of Misery$4.99
- Siege of Shadows$4.99
- Dawncaster Origins Bundle$4.99
- Nexus of Nightmares$5.99
- Infernal Invasions$5.99
- Dawncaster Mega Bundle$12.99









