Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Tower War vs Total Battle

Tower War 4.6★ · Free + IAP 45
Winner Total Battle
Total Battle 4.6★ · Free + IAP 60

Total Battle is the better choice for players seeking a strategic empire-building game with a social component, despite its pay-to-win elements, while Tower War is plagued by an overwhelming number of ads and aggressive monetization.

Full reviews: Tower War · Total Battle

Tower War and Total Battle both offer free-to-play strategy experiences with in-app purchases, but Tower War is heavily criticized for its excessive ads and paywalls. Total Battle, while also having pay-to-win aspects, provides a more engaging empire-building gameplay loop and a social community, making it a more tolerable experience for many players.

Head to head

Gameplay Experience edge: Total BattleR2R11R13R14
Tower War Tower War offers a fun and strategic tower defense experience that many users enjoy, with some finding it addictive and a good way to pass the time R2R11R14. However, many players report that the game becomes repetitive and tedious over time R2R13. Some users also feel the game's modules become overly complicated R13.
Total Battle Total Battle is described as a fun, addictive, and challenging strategy game, particularly for those who enjoy PvP and meeting people globally . However, a significant number of players are disappointed that the actual gameplay differs greatly from the ads, often turning into a world-building or farming game rather than the advertised combat R51R59R64R68. Some find the UI confusing and the storyline difficult to follow .
Monetization and Ads edge: Total BattleR1R3R4R5
Tower War Tower War is heavily criticized for its excessive and intrusive ads, with many users reporting an ad after every level or round, often lasting 30-90 seconds R1R3R4. Even after purchasing an 'ad-free' option for $7, players still encounter ads for progression or are prompted for in-app purchases R3R33R35. Users feel pressured to spend money to level up or acquire necessary items, hitting paywalls where progression without purchases becomes impossible R1R5.
Total Battle Total Battle is widely described as a 'pay-to-win' or 'pay-to-play' game where significant spending is necessary to progress or be competitive R51. Players often hit resource walls or timers that force them to wait days or spend real money R51R66. While some users appreciate the absence of third-party ads , the game's core monetization strategy is seen as aggressive and a 'cash grab' .
Reliability and Support tieR12R31R51R54
Tower War Tower War reviews do not extensively cover reliability or support issues. One user reported an issue with a paid female avatar being converted to free after multiple emails and a bad review, suggesting some developer responsiveness R12. Another user mentions issues with 'PvP' not being against real players and rigged reward spins/summon rates, indicating potential deceptive practices R31.
Total Battle Total Battle users report significant issues with customer support, with multiple questions going unanswered and problems unsolved R54. One user was locked out of their account after spending hundreds of dollars with no explanation R54. The game is also criticized for 'dark patterns' and misleading advertising that doesn't reflect actual gameplay R51R59R64R66. There are also concerns about an 'unacceptable privacy policy' .
Community and Social Features edge: Total BattleR2R6R12R65
Tower War Tower War users mention the lack of a functional PvP mode with friends and no offline play as drawbacks R2. One review suggests that many 'other players' are likely bots, which detracts from the social aspect R6. There's also a complaint about the lack of diverse free avatars, specifically for women R12.
Total Battle Total Battle fosters a sense of community, with users describing it as feeling like a 'second family' where people help each other R65. The game is praised for its PvP play and the opportunity to meet people from around the world . However, some users report bullying within the game and pressure from 'tribes' .
Pick Tower War if

you are looking for a simple, quick tower defense game to pass the time and are willing to tolerate (or pay to reduce) a high volume of ads R2R14.

Pick Total Battle if

you enjoy complex, strategic empire-building games with social interaction and are prepared to invest significant time or money to progress R65.

Evidence note: Both apps have a free-to-play model with in-app purchases, and both receive significant criticism for their monetization strategies. Tower War's negativity is heavily skewed towards excessive ads and forced purchases, while Total Battle's criticism focuses on its 'pay-to-win' nature and misleading advertising about core gameplay. The lifetime ratings are very similar, but recent reviews for Tower War are overwhelmingly negative due to the ad experience.

Frequently asked

Is Tower War truly ad-free if I pay?
No, even after paying for the 'ad-free' option (around $7), users report still encountering ads for progression or frequent prompts for in-app purchases R3R33R35.
Does Total Battle's gameplay match its advertisements?
No, many users report that Total Battle's actual gameplay is significantly different from its advertisements, which often show direct combat, while the game is primarily an empire-building or farming simulation R51R59R64R68.
Is it possible to progress in Total Battle without spending money?
While possible, many users state that progression in Total Battle becomes extremely slow or hits a 'dead-end' without spending money, as resources are limited and timers can extend for days R51R62R66R72.

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] Tower War 5/5 · US Personal classic: I go back and forth on this game all the time. Really fun. Hits that strategy edge of my brain. Only things that stop me from being on it all day: 1. PVP with friends (can’t figure out how to make this work) 2. No offline play (especially a bummer) 3. Gets repetitive after a while, especially when having to grind just to pass the next level. Other than that, the ads were pretty c
  2. [R11] Tower War 5/5 · US All: Like all the fighting and how you get to switch and how you have to get rid of all the towers and turn them into your own in like opponents. I think it’s really fun so far you should definitely update it.
  3. [R13] Tower War 1/5 · US Fun at First, But Ruined by Ads and Overcomplicated Modules: I genuinely enjoyed playing Tower War. As I progressed, the game kept unlocking new modules, but they eventually became so interconnected that they were more confusing than fun. I made it all the way to level 147 before finally giving up. The biggest problem, however, is the constant advertising and endless attempts to sell something. Th
  4. [R14] Tower War 5/5 · US Fun: Cool
  5. [R1] Tower War 2/5 · US $$$$: It seems the only way to level up is to purchase your way to power. Earning the required items in game play doesn’t happen. You get to the point where you have to watch a ad in order to boost your production before every match.
  6. [R3] Tower War 3/5 · US Fun but frustrating: The game is very fun. But the adds after every level (they start with a bunch of levels and no adds, then ask you to rate the game. Then it’s an add after every round) are just too much. So you buy add free. Only 7 bucks. And yet you still have to watch adds to progress. I understand they have to make money, but man do they gouge. It’s too bad, cuz I would play this game a
  7. [R4] Tower War 1/5 · US An infuriating amount of ads: We all live playing a 30 second game and then being forced to watch three minutes of ads. Absolute trash behavior for a sad repetitive game.
  8. [R5] Tower War 4/5 · US Ok but: This game is a good way to pass the time-but it becomes impossible to level up the equipment without evolve pieces, which take months to accumulate. I do spend money on VIP-which should be monthly, not bi weekly. But the asks for spending are astronomical. It’s like $50 is nothing to these people when it’s like 2-3 hours of work. Overall I continue to play and will VIP-but I can’t do mor
  9. [R12] Tower War 3/5 · US No representation: Update: the newest update converted one of the paid female avatars to free. Still needs improvement but 3 emails and one bad review later they did technically make one avatar accessible without a fee. No free avatars depicting women. A dozen for men but the only avatars depicting women require a purchase. I really want to keep playing this game but the devs sincerely don’t see
  10. [R31] Tower War 1/5 · US Scummy game: There are many parts of this game where the developers have been intentionally deceptive. The “PvP” mode is not against real players. Reward “spins” are not random, you can predict your reward with 100% accuracy after noticing the pattern. The listed summon rates are fake, where you are less likely to summon the better units that what is listed (says 3.25% for gold when it’s closer to
  11. [R51] Total Battle 1/5 · US Not as advertised: It’s fun for a little while but the game you see isn’t really the game you’re going to play. After 30 to 45 minutes you find yourself in a world building game in which you don’t have enough resources to continue. So you have to spend real money or wait. At this point, I’m supposed to upgrade a building three levels and just to get to the first level, I have to wait five days to
  12. [R54] Total Battle 1/5 · US Support: Game is fun but the support team is lacking. I’ve had multiple questions that I’ve submitted over the last few days and none of them have been answered. In addition, have spent hundreds of dollars on this game and have just been locked out with no explanation as to why. Due to the time sensitivity of events can’t help but feel like they just stole my money.
  13. [R6] Tower War 3/5 · US Fun to play, but ads are nonstop!: Same over same, but is fun to play. A lot of the other players are most likely bots, PvP makes up for the excessive amount of ads.
  14. [R65] Total Battle 5/5 · US Feels like a second family: Everybody around here is extremely nice. He wants to help each other. There’s a few out there that are evil. Just just like everywhere else this game is awesome.
  15. [R33] Tower War 1/5 · US Ad rip off: Paid 2.99 to remove ads but they still appear.
  16. [R35] Tower War 1/5 · US Aggressive advertising: I paid for ad free. Now after every single level I’m prompted to make an in app purchase. Absurdly aggressive push for ads and in app purchases. Almost impossible to level up without making lots on in app purchases.
  17. [R59] Total Battle 3/5 · US Misleading advertising: While the game is fun, and offers this specific playing mode, it is very limited, and hasn’t been revisited since I started playing a few years ago. It is largely a pay to play game and is designed to make you heavily rely on paid resources to be competitive.
  18. [R64] Total Battle 1/5 · US Scam: Not the game shown on ads or screenshots
  19. [R68] Total Battle 1/5 · US Fake ad: Another fake game trying to mimic last war survival. Ad is nothing like gameplay. Download last war instead, much better layout
  20. [R62] Total Battle 1/5 · US Pay to play: This game is fun for the first couple of days and then quickly gets to a point where the only way you can play for more than 5 or 10 minutes at a time is to start spending real money on it.
  21. [R66] Total Battle 1/5 · US Dark Pattern mania: Don’t play this garbage. They put all these timers on you to make you think you will miss something to try and force you into spending money. The grind is so slow that in order to progress the chapter, it would take multiple days playing for more than 3h a day or you can pay money.
  22. [R72] Total Battle 2/5 · US Fun But A Dead-end: Fun to play but it doesn’t take long to hit a wall where it you don’t pay, there ain’t much to do. Disappointed.

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