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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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The verdict on

Cooking Madness-Kitchen Frenzy

45
User verdict / 100 High confidence Divided

Cooking Madness is a highly addictive and fun time-management game that unfortunately suffers from an overwhelming number of ads and an aggressive pay-to-progress model, especially in later levels, which contradicts the developer's claims of quality-of-life changes.

4.9★ lifetime (780,132) Free + in-app purchases since 2017 by ZenLife Games Pte. Ltd. updated 0.7 mo ago recent negative 35% 120 reviews across 3 regions
Ads Difficulty & Paywall Gameplay Enjoyment Glitches & Bugs
5★109
4★26
3★27
2★25
1★63
recent reviews across 3 regions, vs the 4.9★ lifetime average

Cooking Madness is a popular and engaging cooking game, praised for its fast-paced gameplay and challenging levels. However, recent reviews highlight a significant increase in forced ads, even for paid users, and a growing difficulty that pushes players towards in-app purchases to advance.

What users like

  • Engaging and fun time-management gameplay, testing speed and focus.R2R4R5R8
  • Offers many levels and new restaurants, providing long-term playability.R14R42R50
  • Some players find it relaxing and a good way to unwind.R7R18R41R45

What users complain about

  • Excessive and frequent ads, often appearing after every level and for claiming rewards, even for users who paid to remove ads.R3R10R15R23
  • Levels become increasingly difficult, often requiring in-app purchases of boosters or diamonds to progress.R1R13R20R28
  • Some players report glitches, such as missing ingredients for orders or issues with rewards and ads.R13R56R76R82
  • The game forces the immediate use of unlimited energy rewards, preventing players from saving them for later.R36
  • Long download times are reported by some users.R6

Latest update · v3.1.3

What the developer says changed (the verdict above weighs this against what reviewers report):

A new update is available for Cooking Madness! A brand-new restaurant is opening in Serene Switzerland! - Wander through the streets of Geneva, and enjoy Swiss jam cookies, carrot cakes, and other delicious treats! Quality-of-life changes: - Enhanced system performance and gameplay mechanics. Have fun cooking, Chefs!

Recurring themes

Ads negative
Many users complain about the overwhelming number of ads, which appear after almost every level, for claiming rewards, and are often long. This issue is particularly frustrating for players who have paid to remove ads, as they still encounter them for reward redemption. The developer's notes mention 'quality-of-life changes' but do not address the ad situation, which seems to have worsened recently.R3R10R15R23
Difficulty & Paywall negative
As players advance, levels become extremely difficult, often designed to be unbeatable without purchasing in-game currency (diamonds) or boosters. This creates a 'pay-to-win' or 'pay-to-progress' dynamic, frustrating many users who feel forced to spend money to continue enjoying the game. Some users report that even with full upgrades, certain levels are impossible without real money.R1R13R20R28
Gameplay Enjoyment positive
Despite the issues, many users genuinely love the core gameplay, finding it fun, addictive, challenging, and a good test of speed and focus. The game is often praised for its engaging mechanics and variety of levels. Some users consider it their favorite cooking game.R2R4R5R7
Glitches & Bugs negative
Some players report specific bugs, such as missing ingredients for orders, rewards not being granted, or being knocked back many levels. These issues detract from the gameplay experience.R13R56R76R82

Who it's for

This game is for players who enjoy fast-paced, challenging time-management cooking games and are willing to tolerate frequent ads or make in-app purchases to progress R2R4R8. It's suitable for those who find the core gameplay engaging enough to overlook monetization strategies . It is NOT for players who dislike ads, refuse to spend money on mobile games, or get easily frustrated by difficult levels designed to encourage spending R10R23R33.

Evidence note: The recent reviews skew heavily negative, primarily focusing on the increased ad frequency and aggressive monetization. While some older positive reviews exist, the current sentiment indicates a significant decline in user satisfaction due to these issues. The developer's notes mention 'enhanced system performance and gameplay mechanics' but do not address the ad or difficulty concerns, which are prominent in recent feedback.

Frequently asked

Are there too many ads in Cooking Madness?
Yes, recent reviews indicate there are too many ads, often appearing after every level, for claiming rewards, and sometimes being long R15R23R85. This is a significant point of frustration for many players, including those who previously paid to remove ads R10.
Do you need to spend money to progress in Cooking Madness?
Many players report that as they advance, levels become extremely difficult and often require purchasing boosters or diamonds to progress, making it feel like a 'pay-to-win' game R20R28R33R121.
Does paying for no ads actually remove all ads?
No, several users who paid to remove ads report that they still have to watch ads to redeem weekly pass rewards or other challenge rewards, which they consider a 'scam' or 'greedy' R10R26R69R77.
Are there any known glitches in Cooking Madness?
Yes, some players have reported glitches such as missing ingredients for orders R13, issues with rewards not being granted after watching ads R56R76R82, or being unexpectedly reset to earlier levels .

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R2] 5/5 · US Fun Serving Customers Food Items - Promptly: I have played many Merge games, but this one is different - and more fun. Carefully noticing if customers’ order include a beer, lettuce and/or sauce on meat. Also Deciding when/if I need to upgrade for more stove eyes, salad, etc. as the customers/ crowd increases. stressfully-FUN. Through Level 6, no ads!!!! I don’t know if ads will come later.
  2. [R4] 5/5 · US Exactly what the name is: It makes me cook like mad I am madly inlove with this game
  3. [R5] 4/5 · US E: Amo el juego solo que es muy rápido tienen que hacer todo muy rápido y hay mucha adrenalina
  4. [R8] 4/5 · US Cooking madness kitchen frenzy: I love this game it test your speed and focus. Good for adults and kids. 10 out of 10 definitely recommend
  5. [R14] 5/5 · US Many levels: Good game but super cheaters
  6. [R42] 5/5 · US Easy to pace: Love the game overall offers so many levels and smooth operation
  7. [R50] 5/5 · US Challenging to a Fault: Love this game, been playing for years. One thing I would improve is the progression of difficulty with each new restaurant. I feel the game is the funnest when the level is challenging but not over challenging. The new restaurants usually start very slow, in a boring way, but progress to levels of difficulty quickly to the point that you get stuck in the same stage and lev
  8. [R7] 5/5 · US Great game: I love this game . It’s easy and fun and very relaxing. Would recommend.
  9. [R18] 5/5 · US rate: i genuinely love this game it’s just like the ad and it’s so relaxing
  10. [R41] 5/5 · US Yay: Sooooo fun and relaxing
  11. [R45] 5/5 · US Love it: Great game for quiet time
  12. [R3] 4/5 · US Pretty fun game just has a whole lot of ads.: 4/5
  13. [R10] 1/5 · US Ads, Ads, and More Ads!!!!: I have been playing cooking madness for years. I played so frequently that I PAID to remove ads from the game so I could keep playing as much as I wanted. Now when I log on, I see that in order to redeem the Weekly Pass rewards or other challenge rewards, I have to watch ADS??? For something I accomplished?????? So what was the point of me paying for no ads if now I hav
  14. [R15] 3/5 · US Fun… at first.: This was fun at first, until the ads hit. Then you can only do one level at a time before you are hit with ads. Not just 1 but 2. Once 1 ad is over the next one starts. LONG ads too. Not 15-30 but 60-90 seconds each one. It killed it for me. Too many options of games out there to stick with a full on ad game.
  15. [R23] 1/5 · US Too many ads: The game is great, but the sheer volume of ads you are forced to watch on this game is not worth the trouble. Nobody should be having to pay to not have to see ads after EVERY level and then some. Do better.
  16. [R1] 4/5 · US Expensive: The game is good, but why do prices increase so much when the money for levels doesn't? · translated
  17. [R13] 3/5 · US Great start: I really really love this game I play 3 somewhat similar. I have lost interest lately For one some of the side games have a glitch. It’s asking for whip cream on desserts yet there isn’t any. So it’s impossible to play. Also it’s impossible to play some levels without xtra help and spending more a more $. But like I said it was fun at first .
  18. [R20] 1/5 · US Expensive game: Yes, it’s technically free, if you ever want to pass a level or palsy for a side event, have to pay. I’m so frustrated that I bought the weekly pass, but since there wasn’t a new “restaurant” ready yet, the only to earn points for the pass is in side 3 restaurants, which for some is ridiculously difficult! I have played this game long time and it’s never been out of new restaurants
  19. [R28] 1/5 · US Scam: Fun until the game introduces levels that are impossible to beat without paying for extras. Scam.
  20. [R56] 1/5 · US Fun game but pay to win: I’ve been playing for two to three weeks. Game is fun but you can only get through higher levels by buying stuff. They give you “ rewards” by completing levels but have to watch ads to get them , but the ads are never there. Says preparing to look for ads but there never are any. Ever. In 15 days. Fun game but not worth the aggravation
  21. [R76] 3/5 · US You've become completely brazen: There's already an ad every second in the game; as soon as you tap anything, there's an ad. Now, when you double a reward, the ad is just a black screen that won't close. You have to restart the game, meaning you watch an ad for nothing again, or the reward isn't given and the button to increase the reward doesn't work. Haven't you already made enough money from these ads? · translated
  22. [R82] 1/5 · US Having to watch ads to earn an already earned reward..?: Missing out on countless rewards now that they require to watch an ad, and on top of that sometimes the ads aren’t “available yet” to even watch to earn the reward a second time. Deleting the app.
  23. [R36] 4/5 · US forcing me to use unlimited energy: love the game been playing for awhile and i think the in app purchases are affordable, and the harder levels are perfect challenges. the only thing i really dislike about the game is that when you win a contest or buy packages, and get a certain amount of minutes of unlimited energy, it automatically starts the timer and i wish we could hang on to some of them t
  24. [R6] 1/5 · US Take too long to download like 1 hour: Take too long to download
  25. [R85] 3/5 · US Dudeeee the ads are insane!! Such a waste of a good game: After every freakin level like cmon now. I remember now why I deleted this game originally. It’s such a fun game but it’s so annoying get an ad after every level.
  26. [R33] 1/5 · US Eventually You’ll Have to Pay $$$: As you move through the progress of the game, the levels become unbeatable without purchasing boosters and extra time. They draw you in, then stop your progress until you pay up.
  27. [R121] 1/5 · CA Horrible: Love the gameplay but nasty, at many points you are forced to pay for in game upgrades to beat levels and continue, NO MATTER how good you are! Also paid to not have adds, but still many at different points and some are unnecessarily LONG. Been playing for some time, again like the game but nasty technique to get your money and toooo many adds!!
  28. [R26] 1/5 · US Ads added to weekly pass: The recent update that forces you to watch an ad for every reward you’d like to claim for the weekly free pass is hilariously greedy.
  29. [R69] 2/5 · US Horrible now: So you pay for no ads but now they put them on the things you can win. It’s just so many ads now. Good game horrible ads.
  30. [R77] 1/5 · US Gold pass purchase $4.99: Please HELP! I’m still getting ads the gold pass purchase was to remove ads

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store