Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
The verdict on

Ancient Battle

30
User verdict / 100 High confidence In trouble

Ancient Battle is a fun and addictive strategy game with good graphics, but it is severely hampered by an overwhelming number of forced ads, game-breaking bugs, and an abandoned development status.

⚠ Not updated in 58 months, this app may be abandoned
4.6★ lifetime (14,688) Free + in-app purchases since 2020 by Lion Studios LLC recent negative 67% 120 reviews across 4 regions
Ads Bugs & Glitches Energy System Game Balance & Fairness Abandoned Development
5★49
4★34
3★54
2★74
1★205
recent reviews across 4 regions, vs the 4.6★ lifetime average

Ancient Battle is a real-time strategy game praised for its engaging gameplay and graphics, but recent user reviews highlight a significant increase in forced advertisements, making the game nearly unplayable. Players also report numerous bugs, including progress loss, purchase issues, and game freezes, with many believing the game has been abandoned by its developers.

What users like

What users complain about

  • Excessive and forced ads disrupt gameplay significantlyR2R4R7R8
  • Numerous bugs and glitches, including game freezes, progress loss, and issues with purchases or rewardsR1R3R4R5
  • Energy system severely limits playtime, requiring long waits or in-app purchasesR26R39R75R80
  • Game balance issues, including unfair matchmaking, 'pay-to-win' mechanics, and AI behaviorR12R26R38R39
  • Lack of an option to remove ads through purchase, despite in-app purchases being availableR18R23R24R35
  • Game appears abandoned, with no significant updates or bug fixes, and some users experiencing language changesR4R6R20R104

Latest update · v4.0.5

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

- Bug Fixes

Recurring themes

Ads negative
The most prevalent complaint is the overwhelming number of forced ads. Users report ads before and after every battle, after every upgrade, and even after simply navigating menus. Many state the ads make the game unplayable and that more time is spent watching ads than actually playing. The lack of a 'no ads' purchase option is a major frustration.R2R4R7R8
Bugs & Glitches negative
Users frequently report bugs such as ads freezing the game, requiring a restart, in-app purchases not delivering items, game progress being lost, inability to connect to Facebook for saving, and rewards not being received. The developer's notes mention 'Bug Fixes' but recent reviews contradict this, indicating these issues persist.R1R3R4R5
Energy System negative
The energy system is a significant point of contention. Players are limited to a few games (e.g., 4-5 games for 20-25 energy, with each game costing 5 energy) before needing to wait long periods (e.g., 10 minutes per 1 energy) or watch ads for a single game's worth of energy, which is often limited to once per day after certain levels. This severely restricts playtime.R26R39R75R80
Game Balance & Fairness negative
Many users feel the game is unbalanced and unfair. Complaints include 'pay-to-win' mechanics where paying players gain significant advantages, AI opponents having disproportionately high power levels, and frustrating 'kill stealing' where another player gets credit for a weakened opponent. Some also suspect the multiplayer is fake and players are mostly bots.R11R12R26R38
Abandoned Development negative
Several reviews suggest the game has been abandoned by its developers. This is supported by the last update being 58.3 months ago, and users reporting issues like the game changing to a different language or a general lack of support and updates for persistent bugs.R4R6R20R104

Who it's for

This game is for players who enjoy real-time strategy games with simple mechanics and good graphics, and who are willing to tolerate an extremely high volume of forced advertisements and potential game-breaking bugs R177. It is NOT for players who want a fair, balanced, or ad-free experience, or who expect ongoing developer support and bug fixes R18R23.

Evidence note: The recent reviews overwhelmingly focus on the negative aspects, particularly the excessive ads and bugs. While the lifetime rating is high, the recent sentiment is strongly negative, indicating a significant decline in user experience over time, likely due to increased monetization and lack of updates. The developer's 'Bug Fixes' note is directly contradicted by numerous recent reports of persistent and new bugs.

Frequently asked

Can you remove ads in Ancient Battle?
No, there is no option to pay to remove ads in Ancient Battle, despite the game offering other in-app purchases R18R23R24R35.
Why are there so many ads in Ancient Battle?
Users report that Ancient Battle has an excessive number of forced ads that play before/after battles, during upgrades, and when navigating menus, leading many to believe the developers are prioritizing ad revenue over player experience R7R9R14R32.
Does Ancient Battle have an energy system?
Yes, Ancient Battle uses an energy system that limits gameplay, with each battle costing 5 energy and energy regenerating slowly (e.g., 1 energy every 10 minutes), or available via limited ad views or in-app purchases R26R39R75R231.
Is Ancient Battle still being updated?
Based on user reviews and the last update date (58.3 months ago), the game appears to be abandoned by its developers, with users reporting persistent bugs and a lack of new content or fixes R4R6R20R104.

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. [R6] 5/5 · US This game was Super Fun , it changed from English to a Different Language: I was wondering What do I use as my Username and Password now that the game changed from English to another language ? All my Progress is on the one called this one , how do I log into it? > 兵多多
  2. [R3] 3/5 · US Games good: But it will not let me use Facebook to save my account it also won’t let me change my guys name I keep going into the setting but after clicking done and leaving then when you reenter the settings menu it goes back to just what name you had before!?!!?? But I played this game allot on my android but now that I got Apple seems this version on the game is so very clogged with forced adds
  3. [R114] 5/5 · US was skeptical at first but this game is so much fun: better then anything i’ve downloaded besides COD in the past few months
  4. [R170] 5/5 · US Awesome game: Honestly I wasn’t expecting much but this game surprisingly wasn’t a bad game. Not a let down. Very entertaining, with goals to accomplish and what not, surely will keep you coming back over and over.kudos to the developers!
  5. [R124] 5/5 · US Super fun and easy to play: The title said it all. Just hard to stop.
  6. [R126] 5/5 · US Easy to learn quickly: Easy to learn but they need alliances/squads for more interaction.
  7. [R139] 5/5 · US Addictive!!!: I love this game style! It’s so fun!
  8. [R168] 4/5 · US Obsessed with this Game... But the Energy Kills: Love, love, love this game. Super addicting and fun to play! Would give 5 stars, but having to wait 25 minutes or watch an ad to refill energy kills momentum.
  9. [R62] 4/5 · US Great game, too many adds: Love this game. Awesome real time strategy and fun combat with a growing army and abilities. But every time I click to upgrade a unit or either before or after a round of combat, it’s an add… really should consider reducing the frequency as it gets tiring fast. Also after a couple battles my phone gets very hot, and it’s a new phone… Had to uninstall.
  10. [R157] 4/5 · US Outperforms the Ads: This game is probably one of my higher tier time killers. It outperforms the ads, which show it in a much worse light and it’s not your usual cash grab. I’ve advanced to a point, without spending any real life coin, that I’m comfortable with the challenge and not catching too many L’s. There is a fair bit of strategy in this game! It’s no Age of Empires, but it’s a solid RTSis
  11. [R177] 5/5 · US A breathe of fresh air to the strategy genre: This game is exceptional it adds many layers to a typically unpopular genre of games on the App Store not to mention it’s something most people could pick up and learn how to play in minutes it’s very easy to get into but also has a learning curve for people who want to master the game I’m also glad that a good amount of thought was put into the develo
  12. [R2] 1/5 · US So many ads: Haven’t installed this game in years and reinstalled it to find out there’s 10 minute ads in it now
  13. [R4] 1/5 · US Too many ads, and game freezes: Used to be fun once upon a time. But now you’re forced to watch ads, and often times the ads freeze requiring you to close the game and reopen then you have to watch another ad which 50/50 freezes again. It’s like the devs set the game up and then abandoned it to whatever happens
  14. [R7] 1/5 · US Ads, ads, ads: I've had the game for a few years now. I used to enjoy it but stopped playing for a while. Just tried to restart playing, and the number of ads they now use is absurd. Beyond the ads to claim items, they now play an ad before and after every battle. They've made it impossible to enjoy. Won't be back.
  15. [R8] 2/5 · US Ads: This game was fun till they added all the ads. An advertisement after each button you press, practically.
  16. [R1] 1/5 · US Not good: Every time I tried to make a purchase it didn't give me the gems but charged me money! 😡
  17. [R5] 3/5 · US Love the game but: I love the game but it seems when I get up to the higher levels the game wants to restart me at the beginning does the game need an update? Is there something on my end that I can do so that it doesn’t do that? My game also won’t let me connect to my FB I have deleted it and redownloaded it and it just put me back at the beginning so idk I love the game it’s a great game I just
  18. [R26] 2/5 · US Could’ve Been Great: At first I had a lot of fun with this game and actually found the concept really fun. But 3 major flaws quickly became apparent. 1. This game is not optimized at all. It lags and glitches and makes my phone hot to the touch. I use a iPhone XS and every other game is fine, so it’s not my phone. 2. Energy based games are ridiculous because you can barely play and this game is
  19. [R39] 2/5 · US Great game major flaws: Great game really fun to play but two major flaws the developers should look into is you only get 20 energy and every fight costs 5, then it takes forever just to regain 1 energy point you might as well play the game for 10 min in the morning and don’t bother till lunch and then again dinner it can not and will not hold your attention unless you want to unburden your wallet
  20. [R75] 3/5 · US One of the Funnest Games I’ve ever played or found!!: One of the best games i ever played or found on the app store honestly and i play alot of games on my phone this would have gotten 5 stars but I’ll explain why im going giving 3 stars 1st it takes to long to refill your energy and u only get 20-25 energy and each time u play the game it takes 5 energy i think that’s unfair for me finding this
  21. [R80] 3/5 · US Too many ads: Now before I begin, I understand the purpose for ads. I truly enjoy this game and would give it more stars if it weren’t for a couple things. First, the game doesn’t seem to develop or progress and I see myself getting bored eventually but im still having fun with it. Secondly, energy takes too long to refresh. Or you can get watching ads or spend a huge amount of gems to replenish…
  22. [R12] 5/5 · US Do not get this game: Have to put 5 stars for obvious reasons but if you want a game that’s fair then this game is not for you. They pop up ads in the MIDDLE of matches that make it impossible to play and they do not level it. In 5 seconds of the match starting someone will have 27K power without ever defeating an opponent and its near impossible to claim a victory when you first start playing. An
  23. [R38] 1/5 · US Horrible greed.: Want to play a match? Watch an ad first. Finish a match? Watch an ad. Want a free chest? Watch an ad. Don’t like playing a three minute match, but having there be no reasonable way to win? This game is not for you. They intentionally milk you on ad revenue. If you want to stick it to them and help me prove how truly greedy they are? When an ad plays, totally close the app and reop
  24. [R18] 1/5 · US Way too many ads and no way to remove them.: This game has been a whole lot of fun for me. However, the ads are becoming a problem. There’s no way to remove them that I’ve been able to find and there is more time spent on ads viewed than is spent in the game itself. I think it’s about time to move on.
  25. [R23] 3/5 · US STOP WITH THE ADS: Like others have said this game is amazing but I have tow watch an ad at the BEGINNING AND END IF EACH BATTLE and it’s not watch ad to get some this, the ad just plays. I would have paid to get rid of the ads but there’s no option for it. Great game ruined by greed.
  26. [R24] 2/5 · US Cool but…: Can the game not show an ad after every upgrade?…. Or at least add a “pay for no ads” cause this is ridiculous. 15 ads in a row after upgrade my troops fully. And that was just spearmen and archers I was way too annoyed to upgrade anyone else since I couldn’t just spam click upgrade. No instead I’m bombarded with ads on a decently fun game that offers to sell you brute upgrades even tho
  27. [R35] 2/5 · US Too Many Ads: There’s too many ads and no “ad-free” option to buy. Otherwise this game is great, but with the continuous ads I can’t pursue this game further despite how much I want to.
  28. [R20] 1/5 · US Chinese update?!?!?: I was level 76 spent a lot of time playing now it’s a total different app I still have the other app and can see my level but is locked behind a game I’d number I translated the pop up but everything else is still English
  29. [R104] 4/5 · US 41 lvl but random Japanese update: I’ve had this game a while, recently it switched all my text to Japanese and I had to redownload it in the English version… It was fun but not enough to start from square one
  30. [R11] 4/5 · US ….: These better not be bots …..
  31. [R9] 2/5 · US Excessive amounts of Ads!!!: Dear developers. Graphics are very good and Gameplay is also fun. Once you are actually able to play. EVERY action requires you to watch an ad. Please scale back on the amount of required Ads. When you have to spend more time watching Ads, than time of game play simply = no fun.
  32. [R14] 1/5 · US Crushing volume of ads: Good concept, great gameplay, better than necessary graphics. So why is this game off my phone? Incredible number of ads. Ads before each battle. Ads if you want to upgrade. Ads during any loading period. These aren’t ads in exchange for bonuses (understandable) but rather ads for every step of the game. It makes the entire thing unplayable, and disappointing to see an ot
  33. [R32] 1/5 · US Horrible….the game…great: This game is so poorly managed. I realize that your money is coming from the ads but my word….. try to upgrade a unit AD! Try to start a game AD! Win a game AD! It’s absolutely atrocious! Keep the ads on the ad chest and get rid of them from all the in between stuff and maybe you might actually retain some players because the game itself is great. Me personally, I’m unins
  34. [R231] 3/5 · US Fix the energy: Good game but the whole waiting for the energy to fill up is ridiculous, you gotta wait 10min for 1 energy at a time and it take 5 to play. Watch a 30second video and you only get enough to play 1game and you are only allowed to watch 1video to load get more, horrible programming.

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