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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Castle Raid! vs Hero Castle Wars

Castle Raid! 4.4★ · Free + IAP 60
Winner Hero Castle Wars
Hero Castle Wars 4.5★ · Free + IAP 65

Hero Castle Wars has a slight edge due to fewer critical bugs and a slightly better user experience, despite both games suffering from excessive ads and repetitive gameplay.

Full reviews: Castle Raid! · Hero Castle Wars

Both Castle Raid! and Hero Castle Wars are free-to-play mobile games plagued by frequent ads and recurring bugs. While Castle Raid! offers a simple, mindless experience, it's severely hampered by game-breaking glitches and issues with paid ad removal. Hero Castle Wars, though also ad-heavy and repetitive, seems to have fewer critical bugs that prevent progression.

Head to head

Features and Gameplay tieR2R5R6R21
Castle Raid! Castle Raid! is described as a 'mindless game' that is fun for passing time, but levels can become repetitive R2R6R21. Some users enjoy the 'rush' and find it a 'great game' R5. However, the 'castle raids' mode is criticized for requiring the game to be active for extended periods and a recent update made it worse by requiring constant finger-holding R21. Users also wish for more variety in levels and army evolution R6.
Hero Castle Wars Hero Castle Wars is also seen as a simple time-waster . Users appreciate the ability to play offline . However, many find the levels repetitive and some feel the game needs more animation and character evolution . There's also a complaint about not being able to change the character . Some users were drawn in by misleading ads that depicted a different style of gameplay .
Ease of Use and Progression tieR1R9R12R13
Castle Raid! Castle Raid! is generally easy to pick up, described as 'mindless fun' R12. However, progression is severely hindered by game-breaking bugs on specific levels (e.g., level 119, 792) that prevent users from advancing R1R9R12R22. Some users also report issues with not receiving coins for building their own area, implying a forced real-money purchase R13.
Hero Castle Wars Hero Castle Wars starts out fun but becomes 'impossible to play' without watching ads or spending money at higher levels R57R68R72. Users report that certain levels are 'mathematically impossible' or require constant revives via ads R57R68R72. There are also complaints about a lack of guidance on what to do or how moves work .
Reliability and Bugs edge: Hero Castle WarsR1R6R8R9
Castle Raid! Castle Raid! suffers from significant and frequent bugs. Specific levels (119, 792) are reported as broken, leading to automatic failures or inability to see troops R1R9R12R22. Users also experience sound stopping R6, general glitches R8, and the game being 'completely broken' or not working after updates . Some report the app crashing .
Hero Castle Wars Hero Castle Wars also has reliability issues, with users reporting the character freezing and requiring a level restart . The game crashes immediately upon opening for some users . There are also bugs with merging items , chests freezing the game , and progress in 'maze mode' resetting .
Price and Value (Free vs. Paid) tieR3R4R7R10
Castle Raid! Castle Raid! is free with in-app purchases, but users are bombarded with ads, often after every 15-20 second level R3R4R7R10. Crucially, many users who paid for the 'NO ads' option report that they were still subjected to ads and could not get a refund or contact support R34. There are also complaints about having to buy coins with real money instead of earning them R13 and a bug where survival mode doesn't reward gems .
Hero Castle Wars Hero Castle Wars is also free with in-app purchases, and users frequently complain about 'rampant ads' . Ads are often forced, sometimes after every screen or even to progress through levels, making the game feel like 2.5 hours of ads for every 3 hours of play R57R68. The game is described as 'pay to win' or 'impossible' without watching ads or spending money R57R68R72.
Support and Updates tieR6R12R22R34
Castle Raid! Users of Castle Raid! have reported difficulty contacting support R34. There are requests for fixes for glitched levels and more variety in levels R6R12. Some issues, like the level 119 bug, persist for days R22. The developer's website was reported to return a 404 error .
Hero Castle Wars Hero Castle Wars users frequently ask for bug fixes, including freezing characters, crashing, and issues with merging items . Some users note that there are 'tons of stuff “coming”' but no actual updates beyond bug fixes . There are also requests for better graphics and character evolution .
Pick Castle Raid! if

You want a simple, mindless game to pass the time and are willing to tolerate a high volume of ads, or if you are lucky enough to avoid the reported game-breaking bugs R2R5.

Pick Hero Castle Wars if

You prefer a game that can be played offline and are prepared for a 'pay-to-win' structure or frequent ad-watching to progress, but want to avoid the specific critical level bugs reported in Castle Raid! R57R68.

Evidence note: Both apps have a high volume of negative reviews centered on ads and bugs, which is common for free-to-play games. The paid-only aspect of ad removal in Castle Raid! is particularly problematic given reports of it not working. Hero Castle Wars's issues with progression often tie into its 'pay-to-win' model.

Frequently asked

Are these games playable without ads?
No, both Castle Raid! and Hero Castle Wars are heavily criticized for an overwhelming number of ads, with users reporting ads after almost every short level or even every few seconds of gameplay R4R7R24R26. For Castle Raid!, some users who paid to remove ads reported the purchase did not work R34.
Do these games have persistent bugs?
Yes, both games are reported to have persistent and game-breaking bugs. Castle Raid! has specific levels (e.g., 119, 792) that are glitched and prevent progression R1R9R12R22. Hero Castle Wars users report frequent freezing, crashing upon opening, and issues with characters or chests getting stuck .
Are these games 'pay-to-win'?
Hero Castle Wars is explicitly described as having a 'definite pay to win element' R68 and becoming 'impossible to play without watching ads or spending money' at higher levels R57R72. Castle Raid! has complaints about needing to buy coins with real money to build areas, rather than earning them R13.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 100 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] Castle Raid! 5/5 · US The game: I love this it ENILETLATE my boredom
  2. [R5] Castle Raid! 5/5 · US Thank you you’re great: Thank you for making this game and making it like this it is a great game😀
  3. [R6] Castle Raid! 3/5 · US Needs updates: This is a great game but the sound stops working all the time and some levels are glitched and I want more variety in the levels because they feel repetitive after awhile and too easy
  4. [R21] Castle Raid! 3/5 · US Fun game, BUT: This I pretty fun mindless game. The levels are a little repetitive and it’s still ok. The castle raids however are the worst! It takes just under a minute per 1000 troops to attack. So with 80,000 troops it’s way over an hour to complete it. And you must keep the game active, you can’t start an attack and go do something else. Now with the update, you actually have to hold a
  5. [R1] Castle Raid! 2/5 · US Level 119 is broke: I love playing this game, but level 119 is broken, it starts at the end of the level, and is an automatic “fail”. please fix it and I’ll leave a 5 star review. That or refund my $ since I can not play any further.
  6. [R9] Castle Raid! 3/5 · US Fun but: Fun game but level 119 won’t let me do anything. I can’t see the soldiers nothing
  7. [R12] Castle Raid! 3/5 · US Need tech support: I really enjoy this mindless game! But, level 792 is glitched to the point that I can’t beat the level. Doesn’t show my troops at start up and when you tap the screen to start it immediately kicks up a failure message.
  8. [R13] Castle Raid! 1/5 · US Have to BUY coins with real money: I was enjoying the game, building up gems. But I could not build my own area. I needed coins to do that, and it kept saying to raid other players to get coins. Unless it meant something different that I couldn't find, I was raiding and moving up levels, winning gems, not coins. Apparently, I had to BUY coins, not with the gems I was winning, but with real money. I
  9. [R8] Castle Raid! 4/5 · US Glitch: When I get into the castle the little guys stack up first then when the big guy comes it only sometimes sends the little guys up.🙁
  10. [R3] Castle Raid! 3/5 · US I hate ads: God Game but i hate ads
  11. [R4] Castle Raid! 1/5 · US To many ads.: Can't even play game because adsevery two seconds
  12. [R7] Castle Raid! 1/5 · US Too many ads: Ads after every level which only last 20 seconds. Play 20 seconds for a 30 second ad
  13. [R10] Castle Raid! 2/5 · US Review: Having to watch an ad after every game is getting old real quick.
  14. [R22] Castle Raid! 2/5 · US Lvl 119 bugged: Been bugged for a few days.
  15. [R34] Castle Raid! 1/5 · US They ripped me off: I paid extra for NO ads and it charged me, but the ads didn’t go away at all. There’s no way to contact support either. I want a refund or for the ads to ACTUALLY be removed.
  16. [R24] Castle Raid! 2/5 · US To many ads: 30 second ad after a 15 second level bad game design
  17. [R26] Castle Raid! 1/5 · US Ads ads ads: Can’t even play the game 45sec without having to watch an add…..NOT COOL
  18. [R57] Hero Castle Wars 1/5 · US Fun at first but then impossible to play: The game was fun at first, however it is now impossible to play without watching ads or spending money. I worked my way up to level 5-1 but no matter what I do, I have to revive to advance. The orcs are way overpowered and you cannot defeat them without reviving. Sad to say I’ll be deleting the app because of this.
  19. [R68] Hero Castle Wars 3/5 · US Fun but definite pay to win element: I enjoy it as a time waster but there are several key levels periodically that are mathematically impossible to win without spending a lot if time watching ads (still with luck) or spending gems ($$) to beat. So only 3 stars for that. Example: level 3-11 and a impossible without spending money or getting very lucky after being forced to watch at least 4-5 ads
  20. [R72] Hero Castle Wars 1/5 · US Good at first: I’ve played up to stage 5 but once getting there the levels don’t get hard, but basically impossible. The Orc characters resistance to physical damage doesn’t allow you to beat even the first part of the level. The only way to progress is to constantly revive yourself by watching ads (which still doesn’t always work) or to buy the purple gems. I enjoyed the first couple of stages bu

Synthesized from 100 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store