Shiny but missing polish

Carcassonne functions, but it missing some features that hold it back from being truly great. 1) There really isn’t a simple way to play with your friends. Currently without a turn based option/notification system you’d all have to be available at the same to play a game together. Which isn’t ideal since people are busy. 2) The interface isn’t as intuitive as it should be. I had to stumble around all sorts of menus to try and find out how to change my color. 3) When waiting for your turn, you can’t plan ahead, since the interface is showing the AI’s tile. I suppose that’s the way the rules are written, but it’s a shame that you sometimes think it’s your turn and you have a great tile, only for you to realize that it was just showing you the computers instead. Finishing with some positives: The game plays smoothly and the placement options for where to put a tile are made to be obvious which I appreciate. I like the graphics and the animations. Options for playing with and without farmers is appreciated as are the toggle switches for being able to glance and see how the fields are currently owned/shaped. Carcassonne is a great game with nice new look that is lacking some features that keep it from giving you more value for your purchase.

Good improvements lately

Finally downloaded this new version now that some of the “issues” earlier reviews had have been fixed (zoom and 2d mode). Overall my family feels this plays well and we have not gone back to the old version, except for the main reason we are giving it 4 stars and not 5.... My wife LOVED the solitaire mode of the old app which is missing in this new version. The only other issue is when we play as a family, the player color does not seem to stick. For example, I am always green, my wife is always yellow, and my son is always blue. If I start the game I am green but the two of them end up being some random color. If my wife starts the game she is always yellow but then my son and I end up being a random color. Not a huge deal but after playing the physical version that way for almost a decade it’s a little hard to remember that you were a different color. Other than that, we are really enjoying the game and think the app is worth the time and money.

Terrible graphics, clunky gameplay

My old iPad recently died and took the old version of Carcassonne (by the coding monkeys) with it. I could have cried. It was my favourite app of all time. In comparison this version looks cheap. The design and colours are unappealing. The tile design lacks the charm and interest of the old version and so is just less pleasant to play overall. The gameplay is clunky and further slowed by unnecessary and painfully slow zooms at each turn (seriously, just let me pick a size for the board and zoom in as needed to place game pieces...this is excruciating). It’s impossible to play at a brisk pace because the board is constantly zooming and moving unnecessarily, to the point that it gives you a headache. But then perversely you can’t zoom out far enough to see the whole board the larger it gets. The animations are distracting and again slow down gameplay. I haven’t yet tried to play online, as I can barely get through a standard game it’s so clunky...but from what I hear from friends it’s a disaster. I bought every single expansion on the the old app and loved what they added to the gameplay, but I won’t be spending another cent on this until things are significantly improved. In fact, I might even try to get my money back as this game is so frustrating as to be almost unplayable. Seriously, learn from the old app. It’s not about nostalgia, it’s about good design and better gameplay. It’s sad. I really, REALLY wanted to like this version...

Getting too harsh of reviews

Lots of reviews are pretty harsh for a game that works pretty well, is a good adaptation, and looks decent. I’ve been playing single player and online with family and enjoyed both. Yes there is room for improvement but give them a chance to address the issues. Pros - good adaptation of actual game, intuitive interface, overall good art, AI keeps single player interesting, you can play with your friends online, you can set time limits such that playing with friends can essentially be turn based so games can go over many days, features like showing fields and tiles left is fun, seems only host of online game needs expansions for everyone to play expansion Cons - needs a recap feature because if you aren’t online at the end you can’t see how an online game ended, the chat in online play disappears every time you leave so you can’t have a dialogue, sometimes takes a moment to connect or disconnects but not terribly so, wish you could turn specific features in expansions on and off (e.g. use builder but not pig or just use tiles from expansions but not other mechanics), can only add friends to friends list if they are online. Overall I’ve enjoyed both the single and online play. Absolutely worth the cost if you enjoy the board game.

Give the license back to The Coding Monkeys!

The game’s timer has caused me to lose twice! The first time, it subtracted way more time than I’d actually spent, and it timed me out even though I hadn’t run out the full 15 minutes! The next time, the game was in the middle of scoring, but it hadn’t stopped my clock (which again, was running too fast), and the clock ran out in the middle of scoring so it automatically recorded a loss for me. The camera always pans away from the full board when someone places a tile. I’m constantly adjusting the camera so I can see the board after I’ve placed my tile. Why do I want to stare at my just-placed tile until the other player places theirs? I don’t. This interpretation of the game is just not as clean and nice and simple and functional as the previous version. As a side note, I bought this game on Nintendo Switch as well. I was excited to play Carcassonne online there ... but, no dice! There is no online!

The AI cheats, it’s rigged

So maddening! I want to play the AI both to get better and I prefer it to playing online. I’ve played a couple dozen games and the “aggressive AI” is so blatantly cheating it’s laughable. Once the game gets going I’m actually able to guess with about 80% accuracy what the next tile type will be. The last game I played it was obvious what the computer was setting up, I knew what the next 3 tiles would draw would be . It makes no sense. Why can’t the tile draw be random? I play this game in person weekly, and it’s very different from the unpredictability of live play. How is it fun to play if you know it’s rigged against you and “lets” you win 1 game in 10? I’m not opposed to losing and I think it makes you a stronger player. But I am opposed to cheating. I re-wrote this because I typed it all out earlier and the review is nowhere to be found.

Such a let down

The previous license holders had it right. Perfect async play. My friends and I would have casual games that lasted months sometimes. Can’t do that with the game timer. And notifications? Forget that. Completely unreliable causing missed moves and games to timeout. What about the badging? Glad you asked. Mine has been stuck at “1” since I played a game online. All my games are done and I can’t find anything in the app to read or view but nope - always at “1” - which also leads to missing when it’s your turn because you never know if the badge is “real” or not. I know this version is nicer looking but for a “big” studio I expected more. How did a small dev shop do such a great job for years and them this version come in with a head start from other platforms and fall so flat at what made the existing version great?

Works great. Lots of fun. Pretty layout.

I think many reviews here are bitter about a previous app which no longer exists. I started playing table top Carcassone last week for the first time. Then bought the app a day later. I don’t know the old app. But this one is good and worth paying a couple of dollars for. You can play against a very good AI, the last one of the four is very tough (at least for me) - the others easier. You can play online against other players which also worked well for me. I didn’t notice any lag as some complained about. A brief tutorial for the first time player might be helpful when facing other humans. I’m still not sure what the icons in the game selection menu really mean and I have no idea what the ranking points are and how to gain or lose them. I’m also not sure if those games or with abbot and river or just standard. I didn’t buy any of the other expansions yet. In sum, I like it. I almost wouldn’t have bought it because of the reviews. But they seem to be more about other stuff than the app itself.

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Pixelkin Sat Aug 02 2025

The game layers tile dropping onto worker placement, and stacks up nicely.

Ars Technica Mon Jun 02 2025

I unwrapped the board game Carcassonne at university. My girlfriend gave it to me for my birthday and I think it's fair to say,...

The Critic Sun Feb 02 2025

Carcassonne is currently on sale. But the 20th Anniversary Edition, available here [SOLD OUT] has updated visuals and enhanced gameplay.

Bell of Lost Souls Mon Jun 02 2025

Down from $35, you can get Carcassonne for $31 right now, squeaking out a modest deal even amid tariffs beginning to shift pricing in the toys and games market.

CNET Wed Jul 02 2025

Drop Duchy is a delight to play. It's the ultimate “just one more turn” kind of game that is very easy to learn but challenging to fully master.

Gameindustry.com Mon Jun 02 2025

Looking for a strategic family game? Gnome Hollow could be just that board game. Thematic and fun, this is one we recommend.

Tabletop Gaming Mon Jun 02 2025

Carcassonne is essentially medieval Dominoes, only with pretty pictures and a novel layer of area control mechanics.

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Carcassonne is ideal for folks who aren't into board games, or find the family room staples of Monopoly and Scrabble monotonous. ... This...

Business Insider Tue Nov 02 2021

It combines the block-dropping mechanics of Tetris with the tile-based puzzle gameplay of Carcassonne and elements reminiscent of Sid Meier's Civilization...

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