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

Bloons TD Battles

65
User verdict / 100 High confidence Divided

Bloons TD Battles remains a fun and addictive tower defense game for many long-time players, but recent issues with matchmaking, a perceived 'pay-to-win' structure, frequent ads, and technical bugs are significantly impacting the experience for new and returning users.

4.8★ lifetime (368,018) Free + in-app purchases since 2013 by Ninja Kiwi Limited updated 1.5 mo ago recent negative 22% 120 reviews across 3 regions
Matchmaking Pay-to-Win Ads Technical Issues Cheating/Hackers Repetitive Gameplay Community/Toxicity
5★184
4★31
3★19
2★16
1★50
recent reviews across 3 regions, vs the 4.8★ lifetime average

Bloons TD Battles is a free-to-play player-versus-player tower defense game where users deploy monkey towers to defend against waves of bloons while simultaneously sending bloons to their opponent. While many players praise its strategic depth and competitive gameplay, recent reviews highlight significant frustrations with unfair matchmaking, excessive ads, and various technical problems like crashes and connection issues.

What users like

  • Engaging and competitive PvP gameplay with strategic depthR8R6R59
  • Long-standing appeal, with many users enjoying it for yearsR46R35R16
  • Considered by some to be superior to newer Bloons titlesR1R40
  • Offers a good free-to-play experience despite adsR11R35

What users complain about

  • Matchmaking is frequently unbalanced, pairing new players against highly experienced, maxed-out opponentsR31R38R87R118
  • Perceived as 'pay-to-win' due to the advantage of purchased upgrades and powersR18R33R85R145
  • Excessive and intrusive ads disrupt gameplay, sometimes causing damage or lossesR15R72R108R124
  • Frequent disconnections and internet stability issues lead to lost matches and medallionsR54R45R139R144
  • Accounts are sometimes reset, causing loss of progress for long-time playersR20R121R138R88
  • Cheaters and hackers are prevalent, negatively impacting fair playR21R114R123R70
  • Game can become repetitive, especially for experienced playersR5R34R152R162
  • Bugs exist, including issues with rewards, placing towers, and soundR15R19R56R177
  • Difficulty finding matches, especially for new playersR89R151

Latest update · v6.24

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

Experience tranquillity and pop 'til you hop on the all new map: Lily Pads! With plenty of space for both land and water towers, build up your defences to protect this peaceful pond from the Bloons!

Recurring themes

Matchmaking negative
Many players, especially new ones, report being consistently matched against opponents with significantly higher levels, maxed-out towers, and more medallions, leading to unfair and frustrating gameplay experiences. This makes progression difficult without paying for upgrades.R31R38R87R118
Pay-to-Win negative
A strong sentiment among recent reviews is that the game has become 'pay-to-win,' where players who spend money on tower upgrades and powers have an insurmountable advantage over those who don't. This makes it hard for new players to compete and enjoy the game.R18R33R85R98
Ads negative
Users are highly frustrated by the frequency and intrusiveness of ads, which often appear after every game, when opening tabs, or even during gameplay, sometimes causing players to take damage or lose matches. Some ads are also reported to loop or not provide promised rewards.R15R22R72R108
Technical Issues negative
Players frequently report various technical problems, including crashes, the game not loading, disconnections during matches leading to losses, and issues with internet stability even on strong Wi-Fi. Some users also report losing account progress or having bugs with specific game modes or rewards.R2R20R45R54
Cheating/Hackers negative
A significant number of players report encountering cheaters and hackers who unfairly level up monkeys quickly or use unauthorized abilities, ruining the competitive integrity of the game.R21R70R114R123
Repetitive Gameplay negative
Some players find the game becomes repetitive after acquiring all monkeys or powers, or due to facing the same 'meta' strategies repeatedly, leading to a less enjoyable experience over time.R5R34R112R152
Community/Toxicity mixed
While some enjoy playing with friends, others mention a toxic community or players who frequently leave matches, making it difficult to find and complete games.R3R24R112

Who it's for

Bloons TD Battles is for players who enjoy competitive tower defense games and are looking for a strategic PvP experience, especially those who have a nostalgic connection to the Bloons TD series R8R16R46. It might appeal to those who don't mind a grind or potentially making in-app purchases to stay competitive . It is not for new players seeking a balanced competitive environment without significant investment, those easily frustrated by frequent ads, or users who expect stable online connectivity and bug-free gameplay R33R87R108.

Evidence note: The recent reviews skew significantly negative, with a 0.22 recent-negative ratio, which contrasts sharply with the lifetime 4.75-star rating. This suggests a downward trajectory in user satisfaction, with many long-time players expressing disappointment with recent changes or persistent issues. The developer notes mention a new map, "Lily Pads," but no reviews specifically comment on this new content, nor do they address any of the major pain points like ads, matchmaking, or bugs.

Frequently asked

Is Bloons TD Battles a pay-to-win game?
Many recent reviews indicate that Bloons TD Battles has become a 'pay-to-win' game, where players who spend money on tower upgrades and powers gain a significant advantage, making it difficult for free-to-play users to compete R18R33R85R145.
Are there many ads in Bloons TD Battles?
Yes, many players report that Bloons TD Battles has an excessive number of ads, which appear frequently after games, when navigating menus, and sometimes even during matches, often disrupting gameplay and causing frustration R15R72R108R124.
Does Bloons TD Battles have matchmaking issues?
Yes, a common complaint is that the matchmaking in Bloons TD Battles is unbalanced, frequently pitting new or lower-level players against highly experienced opponents with maxed-out towers and high medallion counts R31R38R87R118.
Can I play Bloons TD Battles with friends?
Yes, the game allows you to play with friends, which some users enjoy for practice or competitive play R27R47. However, some modes like custom games may require a membership R165.

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. [R8] 5/5 · US Amazing Strategy Game!: I really enjoy playing Bloons TD Battles. The gameplay is fun and competitive, and the strategy keeps the game exciting. The towers, maps, and upgrades make every match different. I hope the developers continue updating the game with new maps, balance changes, and improvements to matchmaking. Thank you to the team at Ninja Kiwi for creating such a great game!
  2. [R6] 4/5 · US PvP rules: I love playing this gam with a good battle 👍
  3. [R59] 5/5 · US Great game: Really fun. Does have advertisements but very minimal. Love it. You place towers and fight against other players and you can send enemies to the opponent.
  4. [R46] 3/5 · US Reliable: I’ve been coming back to this game time and time again for almost a decade now (half my life literally) and it has never once disappointed. Always choose to go late game your win percent doesn’t help you just play to have fun and reach the highest round possible. Thank you ninja kiwi!
  5. [R35] 5/5 · US One of the best games on the App Store.: Been playing this game since I was a wee lad and it’s still fun. This game is genuinely so good it shouldn’t be free.
  6. [R16] 5/5 · US Yardy: Fire game been playing for like eight years or something idk
  7. [R1] 5/5 · US Rfcc: BTD battles 6 sucks old one is better
  8. [R40] 5/5 · US Most Fun Game: This is by far the best Bloons game out there. Far better than Bloons TD Battles 2
  9. [R11] 5/5 · US Great game: This is a great game overall and the fact that it is free is nice the only thing I dislike is ADDS but you need to get paid somehow 👍
  10. [R31] 3/5 · US Balance the game: The game i good and all but the match making is trash like you could have 50 medals and go agaist someone with 2.5m like if it was more balance a fair match ups i would play the game more and if the game did atual updates
  11. [R38] 3/5 · US Rigged: Need to have it where people over a certain medallion can’t do a certian arena I’m newish and going against people with maxed towers and over 90,000 medallions on the first arena.
  12. [R87] 1/5 · US HORRENDOUS MATCHMAKING GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER: Re Downloaded the game after what, 8 years? Had to restart progress and every single match I was paired with someone with max upgrades while my puny level 2 ninja and wizard can’t kill anything. Ridiculous, I just played 6 games in a row and all players were high win percentage players with max upgrades spamming banana farms while I inevitably fall beh
  13. [R118] 1/5 · US Success is gate kept: Love BTD5 and thought I would play battles for a more competitive experience. Was rewarded with the lower arenas being gatekept by players with thousands of medallions who have higher tier towers and refined strategies. You can’t win and get more medallions to challenge them and thus cannot progress without buying medallions (of course). Don’t play unless you are certain that
  14. [R18] 1/5 · US 100% ruined the game: so pay to win and unfair its funny
  15. [R33] 2/5 · US Pay to win: I don't know how people could have fun playing this game on a new account. The grind just to be level with competitive players is unreal
  16. [R85] 1/5 · US Pay to win: Game use to be good played it back then but now it more of a pay to win if you just starting off getting ready to lose every match because of bad match making you have to LvL up your moneys by winning coins you will never win because they match you agains high lvl people so you only option it to pay for them to lvl up so like I said pay to win good game if your have money to waste
  17. [R145] 1/5 · US It’s a pay to win game now: Played for years when it first came out, now there are power ups that you can pay for that are almost impossible to counter. There is no point in playing if every game the other person pays for power up’s and wins.
  18. [R15] 1/5 · US Ads: Makes you watch ads for rewards then doesn’t give a reward or makes the ads loop. Trash game with a ton of bugs.
  19. [R72] 3/5 · US Forced ads: Repeatedly experiencing forced ads as I join a game then once I can finally skip the ad I’ve taken damage because I couldn’t place characters to pop the balloons. One ad wouldn’t let me skip for almost a full minute and once I finally joined the battle I had 26 health left
  20. [R108] 1/5 · US Ads ads ads: Guys, the ads have gotten egregious. Everytime you play it’s a one minute ad. I got disconnected for a bad connection (of course the ad had no problem playing), came back 2 minutes later and had to sit through another ad. It’s getting ridiculous
  21. [R124] 2/5 · US TOOO MANY ADS: I have never played a game that has an ad after almost every game. I understand that they need to make money someway but this is crazy work
  22. [R54] 3/5 · US Good but internet never stable: Super fun and entertaining but man yall internet connection be so bad
  23. [R45] 1/5 · US Bug: Pls fix the damn bug cuz I was playing the game and I didn’t loss my connection and my internet didn’t slow and ur game pop the board that tell me to reconnecting and I don’t know what to do cuz my internet doesn’t slow and I lose the game. Pls fix ur bug! Thanks.
  24. [R139] 1/5 · US Mid: This game is ok but you cannot play unless you have full Wi-Fi. I have gotten kicked out the game beaucuse of that that is why is is bad
  25. [R144] 1/5 · US Stupid: Every time I try to play a match it says I lost connection even tho I have really strong WiFi
  26. [R20] 3/5 · US Why did it restart my account?!!!!!😥😥😥: Why did my account get reset I had such good stuff all the monkeys full upgrades and I love this game, but I may not play it again if It’s do, this. I really want my account back. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
  27. [R121] 3/5 · US Not starting over again!: Well, it’s been fun. I’ve been playing this game for years. My file has been deleted and I had to start completely over. I just decided to uninstall it.
  28. [R138] 3/5 · US They really are trying to force you to get the second game: So to start it reset my account I was a little unhappy about that since I’ve gotten really high on the leaderboards before but I just thought so what I’ll get up there again but for some reason the game decided I want ads after literally almost every tab I open it is getting unbearable also side note it kept my balloon decals but nothing
  29. [R88] 2/5 · US Soy Emo: I lost all my progress when I literally have the achievements for all the games I played and I’ve no idea how to get it back
  30. [R21] 1/5 · US Filled with cheater: You can’t play a single game without running into a person that’s not cheating, they’re completely leveling up their monkeys within the first couple of rounds. I enjoyed this game but the amount of cheaters on this app is ridiculous.
  31. [R114] 1/5 · US Use to be my favorite: I use to love this game, now most of my matches are with cheaters and hackers. Disappointed honestly. I spend MONEY on the game but its starting become ridiculous with cheaters.
  32. [R123] 1/5 · US Hackers: Games full of hackers
  33. [R70] 4/5 · US Hi: This game fun and is very addictive but there is hackers
  34. [R5] 4/5 · US Its basic: I feel its really fun starting but as you get all the monkeys or powers it gets really repetitive but overall its a sweet game
  35. [R34] 1/5 · US I love this game but it’s not fun anymore: I’ve been playing this game for about 10 years but I’m going to have to stop playing. Every single match is just a race to see who can send the most bloons and it’s just not fun to play like that. Why not at least have an option to play without sending bloons? To see who has the best towers and strategies and who is actually the best PLAYER instead of who
  36. [R152] 2/5 · GB Gets repetetive: Gets repetetive
  37. [R162] 2/5 · GB Disappointing: This game has nothing on the original. Very repetitive and the games are too short. Always over in 20 rounds or less.
  38. [R19] 2/5 · US Fix this: Whenever I’m in a stacked end game and I want to place a temple the same distance the opponent placed there’s, my temple goes away from it being to close to the other one. I don’t understand how the other person gets to do that but I can’t. Please fix this.
  39. [R56] 1/5 · US Help: I won a ticket while spinning the wheel. Upon join a challenge the opponent leaves I lose my ticket, reward and there is nowhere to report a loss. Can someone help fix this bug, it’s happened to me 4+ times I know it’s happened to many other players too.
  40. [R177] 3/5 · GB Sound stopped working: The sound stopped working even though it was enabled and I reset the game as well.
  41. [R89] 1/5 · US Won’t find me a match: I’m a new player to this game so I didn’t really know what to expect. After completing the tutorial, I was prompted to make a loadout so I did then I was able to find a game. After that, every time I try to find a match it just keeps loading until it tells me that it wasn’t able to find a match in the allottedd time and if I want to try again. Even if I tap yes, to try again
  42. [R151] 3/5 · GB it’s been so long: it takes so long to find a match. Other than that the game is awsome.
  43. [R98] 1/5 · US Pay to win: I’ve long since proclaimed that I am the greatest balloons player in the entire world, and I do have a valid claim as I’ve beaten every single possible level ever when I was in high school. I’ve seen this trending on TikTok and I wanted to give it a try and while I do admit the concept of this game is incredibly good. It’s only a concept and reality is much different downloading. This
  44. [R22] 5/5 · US too many adds: Too many adds bruh like cmon now
  45. [R2] 4/5 · US Wont Load: So a while back i was trying to open the game and when i opened it, it immediately crashed and kicked me out. There was no screen, just a black screen for half a second and the game stopped loading. Please fix this if possible, or is it just my device?
  46. [R112] 3/5 · US Three Words: Regen Rainbow Rush: I love this game. Truly. However, I do not love the players. I am getting so sick of facing the same meta every single match. They eat all of round one and use lightning ability as a crutch so they can farm immediately. The second that regen rainbow bloons are available I get swamped because I like to play casually. It’s just not a fun experience and I remember now
  47. [R3] 4/5 · US It’s ok: People just leave so I can’t play I HAD 3 PEOPLE LEAVE 3 TIMES IN A ROW!
  48. [R24] 4/5 · US Toxic Community: Amazing game. Toxic players
  49. [R27] 5/5 · US Very and super fun: This is a very fun game to play with friends I like to play with my friend on my bus when we go to school so we can practice I wish in practice mode the player can either start with extra eco or have a ai play against them because it’s not fun without a challenge ❤️
  50. [R47] 5/5 · US Great game: You should try it it’s fun you can Evan play with friends ,and there’s competitions for tokens!
  51. [R165] 1/5 · GB Friends phone died while playing: Tho it is a good game y can’t everyone w/out the membership can still play custom

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