Comparison

Hardwood Backgammon vs The Backgammon

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

Head to head
About

Hardwood Backgammon

Experience the classic board game with this digital adaptation. Play against a strong AI, challenge friends locally, or compete with players worldwide. Features include full match play, a doubling cube, and engaging achievements.

Highlights
  • Single player vs AI
  • Online multiplayer
  • 2 player local mode
  • Full match play
  • Doubling cube
  • Achievements
Features
Read full description

Pull up a chair at the Hardwood Inn. Backgammon is one of the oldest games in the world -- and Hardwood Backgammon has been bringing players together for over 20 years. Whether you're a seasoned player or just learning the board, you'll find a welcoming atmosphere, good company, and a great game. Free to play, always. If you're tired of board games dressed up as casinos, you've found your Hardwood Inn. Play online with players worldwide, challenge a friend sitting next to you, or test yourself against our world-class Neural Net AI. For the ultimate face-to-face experience, our exclusive Tablet Board Mode lets you place your device flat on the table like a real backgammon board -- the UI flips automatically between players on each turn. Why Players Keep Coming Back: • A Mature Community: Moderated and friendly -- sportsmanship comes first • World-Class AI: Neural Net engine plays like a real opponent, not a pushover • Play Anywhere: Solo, online, or local multiplayer -- no internet required for solo • Tablet Board Mode: Place your device flat and play face-to-face just like a real board • Full Match Play with doubling cube support • Competitive Edge: Online tournaments and global leaderboards • Immersive Experience: Stunning environments and high-quality audio • Total Customization: Unique boards, checkers, dice, and backgrounds -- available with tokens, purchasable anytime Sign in with your Hardwood account across all our games and your cosmetics come with you. One collection, every game. Want chat, rated games, an ad-free experience, and 200 tokens every month? Plus membership is optional and affordable. More Hardwood Games: • Hardwood Spades -- the classic trick taking game • Hardwood Euchre -- Jacks are Trump • Hardwood Hearts -- avoid the points • Video Poker Duel -- competitive video poker for two Prefer a quiet game alone? All of our games can be played solo -- but for the ultimate single player experience, check out Hardwood Solitaire IV, also available on the App Store. Questions, suggestions, or found an issue? We love hearing from our players at support@silvercrk.com ____________________ Hardwood Games Subscriptions are optional and available at a rate of 1 month for $4.99, 3 months for $14.99 or 1 year for $29.99. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions will auto-renew unless turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your iTunes account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Your subscriptions can be managed from your iTunes account settings. Cancellation of subscriptions is not allowed. Our privacy policy may be viewed at http://www.hardwoodgames.com/about/privacy/ Our terms of service may be viewed at http://www.hardwoodgames.com/about/terms/

About

The Backgammon

Engage in classic backgammon matches online against players worldwide or offline against an AI with adjustable difficulty. Enhance your skills with detailed game analysis and practice tools. Enjoy a free, feature-rich experience with customizable rules and visually appealing boards.

Highlights
  • Online multiplayer games
  • Offline AI opponent
  • 5 difficulty levels
  • Rating and ranking system
  • Match replay and review
  • Customizable rules
  • Hint facility
Features
Read full description

Play online games against players all over the world! Play against the offline AI to improve your skills! Enjoy the classic board game completely Free with The Backgammon. *Online Games - The Backgammon Quest* You can play online games against backgammon players all over the world completely free! The Backgammon Quest provides the features below to make your online games more exciting and competitive: -Rating system -Ranking table -Watch other player's live games -Match against your friend using a keyword -View replays of previous games If you make a Quest account you will be able to enjoy other boardgames such as Go, Chess, Shogi, Othello and Gomoku with the same account. *Offline Games* There are 5 levels of difficulty which should be challenging for everyone. Also we have provided very useful features for beginners to learn and improve your game. Please select the match length and the rules as you want, and enjoy this game of skill and strategy. Collect medals by defeating computer in the 'Challenge mode'. We have provided a more challenging and thrilling game mode to test your skills. The Backgammon offers you the following features that makes the game more enjoyable and challenging: -- Strong Backgammon AI -- 5 Difficulty levels -- Human vs Computer, Human vs Human (sharing a single device) -- 6 types of match length -- Doubling cube (ON/OFF) -- Crawford rule (ON/OFF) -- Beautiful boards and piece sets -- Hint facility -- Review mode during a game -- Save/Load game records -- Autosaves your current game -- Saves history of your matches -- Dice Statistics -- Manual dice input (ON/OFF) -- Show possible moves (ON/OFF) -- Show PIP count (ON/OFF) -- Background music (ON/OFF) -- Auto-move when forced (ON/OFF) -- Animation speed (Normal/ Fast) -- Music and sound effects (ON/OFF)

Screenshots

Hardwood Backgammon4 screens
The Backgammon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Hardwood Backgammon at 63% against The Backgammon's 8%. Hardwood Backgammon also leads on rating (4.3 vs 2.3). The Backgammon's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 16). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Hardwood Backgammon sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. The Backgammon asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hardwood Backgammon holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 166 and 64 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Hardwood Backgammon's written reviews are positive against 8% of The Backgammon's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Hardwood Backgammon versus The Backgammon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHardwood BackgammonThe Backgammon
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (166 ratings) — better2.3 (64 ratings)
Positive reviews62.5% of reviews — better8.1% of reviews
Number of ratings166 — better64
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size105 MB324 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperSilver Creek EntertainmentUNBALANCE Corporation

Customer experience

Hardwood Backgammon

All ratings166 ratings
Positive82.5%
Neutral5.4%
Negative12.0%
Written reviews80 reviews
Positive62.5%
Neutral8.8%
Negative28.7%

The Backgammon

All ratings64 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral10.9%
Negative64.1%
Written reviews111 reviews
Positive8.1%
Neutral6.3%
Negative85.6%

User reviews

Hardwood Backgammon

From 166 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 High-quality graphics and visual design
  • 🎵 Relaxing sound effects and audio
  • 👍 Clean, intuitive interface
  • 🎮 Multiple game modes (single and multiplayer)
  • ⚡ Minimal ads and non-intrusive monetization

Room to improve

  • 🎲 Perceived unfair/rigged dice rolls favoring AI
  • 😤 Computer gets excessive doubles and perfect rolls
  • 🔒 Paywall features and token-based progression
  • 📱 Game board too small on large screens
  • 🐢 Game performance issues and slowness

The Backgammon

From 64 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Good for learning the game
  • 👍 Pleasant interface and display
  • 👍 Efficient matching
  • 👍 Good for casual players
  • 👍 Can be played for free

Room to improve

  • 😠 Overwhelmingly negative sentiment due to rigged dice
  • 😠 Excessive and intrusive ads
  • 😠 Dice rolls are not random
  • 😠 AI favors the computer
  • 😠 Unfair advantage for higher-rated players

Bugs and requests

Hardwood Backgammon

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App fails to load on some devices
  • Apple TV version blocks legal moves
  • Controls unresponsive on Apple TV
  • Unclear how to enable local multiplayer between devices
  • Game becomes unresponsive during gameplay

Requested features

8 requests
  • Acey-Deucey game variant
  • Larger, scalable game board for tablets
  • Better difficulty settings based on strategy, not just dice manipulation
  • More multiplayer players available
  • Customizable game rules and settings
Show 3 more
  • Ability to select teammates in multiplayer
  • Penalty system for players who quit mid-game
  • Improved Apple TV compatibility and local multiplayer

The Backgammon

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Ads block the game board
  • Ads won't go away, requiring app restart
  • Game freezes frequently
  • App crashes and closes unexpectedly
  • Game rolls back after restart
Show 5 more
  • Timer issues (losing time when not on turn, clock resetting)
  • Videos play in the background and cannot be exited
  • Disconnection results in a loss
  • Cannot move pieces that should be movable
  • Count is sometimes off

Requested features

6 requests
  • Option to buy a version with no ads
  • Improve sound settings (separate BGM and SFX)
  • Add a chat option for online play
  • Improve controls and piece manipulation
  • Option to choose dice button position
Show 1 more
  • More frequent updates based on user feedback

In-app purchases

16 purchases

Hardwood Backgammon

Subscriptions6
  • Plus Membership$4.991 Month
  • 1 Month Plus Membership$4.991 Month
  • Plus Membership$14.993 Months
Show 3 more
  • 3 Month Plus Membership$14.993 Months
  • Plus Membership$29.991 Year
  • 12 Month Plus Membership$29.991 Year
One-time10
  • Pack of 80 Tokens$0.99
  • Pack of 165 Tokens$1.99
  • Plus Membership$2.99
Show 7 more
  • Pack of 425 Tokens$4.99
  • 1 Month Plus Membership$4.99
  • Plus Membership$4.99
  • Pack of 865 Tokens$9.99
  • Plus Membership$14.99
  • Plus Membership$19.99
  • Pack of 1800 Tokens$19.99
None

The Backgammon

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hardwood Backgammon free?
Hardwood Backgammon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Backgammon free?
The Backgammon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Hardwood Backgammon or The Backgammon?
Hardwood Backgammon is rated higher. Hardwood Backgammon averages 4.3 out of 5 from 166 ratings, while The Backgammon averages 2.3 from 64 ratings.
Do Hardwood Backgammon or The Backgammon have ads?
Both Hardwood Backgammon and The Backgammon show ads.
Which is updated more often, Hardwood Backgammon or The Backgammon?
Hardwood Backgammon ships an update every 2 months, and The Backgammon every 2 months. Most recently, Hardwood Backgammon was updated on September 19, 2026 and The Backgammon on September 2, 2026.

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