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

They Are Coming! vs Stick War

They Are Coming! 4.5★ · Free + IAP 40
Winner Stick War
Stick War 4.8★ · Free + IAP 85

Stick War is the clear winner, offering a more complete and less frustrating gameplay experience with significantly fewer ads and more engaging content, despite some pay-to-win concerns.

Full reviews: They Are Coming! · Stick War

Stick War is a highly-rated, nostalgic strategy game praised for its engaging gameplay and variety of modes, though some users express concerns about pay-to-win elements and chest timers. They Are Coming! suffers from an overwhelming number of ads, frequent crashes, and a lack of new content, leading to a frustrating and short-lived experience for many players.

Head to head

Features and Content edge: Stick WarR4R6R15R21
They Are Coming! Users find 'They Are Coming!' fun initially but report that content quickly maxes out, leaving nothing left to buy or work for after about 50 levels R6R21. Many complain about a lack of updates, with new levels or quests promised but never delivered, leading to a 'dead game' feeling R4R15R36R52.
Stick War Stick War is praised as a 'timeless classic' with more things to buy and different modes that enhance gameplay . Users appreciate the strategic thinking required and the variety of game types . However, some wish for more campaign levels, a sandbox mode, or more units and upgrade points .
Ease of Use and Reliability edge: Stick WarR3R18R22R26
They Are Coming! They Are Coming! is plagued by frequent crashes and freezes, often occurring every other level or during upgrades R3R18R22R26. Users also report issues with the game lagging, causing phones to heat up, and losing progress R33. There are also significant bugs preventing weapon unlocks and town advancement .
Stick War Stick War is generally considered reliable, with many users playing it for years without major issues . Some users report minor bugs like bonus levels not appearing or tournament rerouting . A few users mention losing VIP status or purchased items after reinstalling .
Price/Value (Free vs. Paid) edge: Stick WarR7R10R12R16
They Are Coming! They Are Coming! is heavily criticized for an overwhelming number of ads, with users reporting spending more time watching ads than playing R7R10R12R16. Many are frustrated that the option to remove ads is either greyed out or doesn't work, with ads still appearing even after purchasing ad-free R25.
Stick War Stick War is a free game with in-app purchases, but users express concerns about it being 'pay-to-win' due to expensive skins and unit costs R64R87. There are also complaints about having to wait hours to open chests and the presence of ads, especially after recent updates . Some users report being forced into Apple Pay for purchases .
Pick They Are Coming! if

you want a very casual, short-term game to 'kill some time' offline and are willing to tolerate a high volume of ads and potential bugs R4R33.

Pick Stick War if

you enjoy strategic stick-figure games, appreciate a classic with nostalgic value, and want a game with more content and generally better reliability, even if it has some pay-to-win elements and chest timers .

Evidence note: Reviews for They Are Coming! are heavily skewed negative due to pervasive ad issues and lack of updates, despite its lifetime rating. Stick War has a much higher lifetime rating, and while it has some complaints about monetization and updates, they are less severe and frequent than those for They Are Coming!.

Frequently asked

Does They Are Coming! have too many ads?
Yes, many users report that They Are Coming! has an overwhelming number of ads, with some claiming they spend more time watching ads than playing the game, even after attempting to purchase an ad-free experience R7R10R16R25.
Is Stick War a pay-to-win game?
Some users describe Stick War as 'pay-to-win' due to the high cost of certain skins and units, which they feel are necessary to progress, particularly in harder modes R64R87.
Do either of these games require an internet connection?
They Are Coming! can be played without an internet connection, which some users do to avoid ads R4R33R45. Stick War is also noted for being playable without internet, though some features like chest opening may be affected R89.
Are there frequent updates for They Are Coming!?
No, many users report that They Are Coming! has not received significant updates in over a year, with promised new levels and content never arriving, leading to a feeling that the game is 'dead' R4R15R36R52.

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. [R4] They Are Coming! 1/5 · US Dead Game: It’s a good way to kill some time when necessary and doesn’t require an internet connection. Unfortunately, the developers have fallen off the map. There hasn’t been a significant update aside from the app icon in over a year. Parts of the game are still bugged. There is no communication provided by the developers. If you’re looking for a game to waste time, this is it. Don’t expect any
  2. [R6] They Are Coming! 3/5 · US Fun ends quickly: It’s fun until you reach the point where there’s no point in earning medals because everything is maxed out and there’s nothing left to buy. You literally do the same level over and over again. After about the first 50 levels, it’s pointless.
  3. [R15] They Are Coming! 3/5 · US Only 4 levels ?: It doesn't take long to get through four levels and now it says "Stay tuned more levels are coming soon". But it has said that for a very long time. When will there be more levels? They never arrive.
  4. [R21] They Are Coming! 3/5 · US Loved it, UNTIL: Things max out pretty quick. Then there’s nothing left to work for. And the “hero townland” stops working after level 3. Tells me to upgrade everything to level 3, but there’s nothing left to upgrade. For being as popular as it is, figured it’d be more advanced.
  5. [R3] They Are Coming! 3/5 · US Would love to give more stars: Game crashes a lot Ads were expected and ok to deal with. Issue is every other lvl the game would freeze and crash. And every other upgrade or attempt to watch a video game would freeze Might want to address issue.
  6. [R18] They Are Coming! 3/5 · US Fix it please: This game always crash on me
  7. [R22] They Are Coming! 1/5 · US Yea….nah…: Keeps crashing and an AD plays after every attempt. :( Has a good idea tho needs a diff developer.
  8. [R26] They Are Coming! 4/5 · US Crashing: The game crashes a lot. Its a great game but theres nothing else for me to by with the dog tags. The weapons damage doesnt work and it does different damage on different levels.
  9. [R7] They Are Coming! 1/5 · US Ads are overwhelming: This game would be fun but it is so bloated with ads it’s almost unplayable, more than half of your time is watching ads even when you try to avoid ads as much as possible.
  10. [R10] They Are Coming! 1/5 · US Toxic: 2 minutes of game time for seven of ads. And you get through one add game menus loads and another add. Don’t waste your time. The reviews of this game are fake.
  11. [R12] They Are Coming! 3/5 · US Ok: Fun game but spent more time watching ads than playing the game.
  12. [R16] They Are Coming! 1/5 · US Total Ad Trap: Played through first three levels. Each one was less than 20 seconds long followed by a minute+ of ads for Royal Match. Deleted after having this game for less than 5 minutes.
  13. [R25] They Are Coming! 1/5 · US Ads!: This is just a way to make you watch ads. Finish a run? Ad. Free boost? Ad. Earned boost? Still ad. Upgrade? Ad. Want to play the boss level and advance? You guessed it- ad! It says you can purchase ad free, but it’s greyed out and can’t be clicked, so that’s just a lie.
  14. [R64] Stick War 1/5 · US this is too dang P2W: I really want the all the vamp skins but guess what, ALL COMBINED IS 18000, LIKE WHY THIS GAME IS SO P2W NOW I CAN'T EVEN BEAT THE GAME EVEN WITH MAX LEVEL UNITS >:(
  15. [R87] Stick War 3/5 · GB Good but: It’s fun but the dead skin is an absolute SCAM I controlled a swords man with my skin which was worth 1k gems And then used it to kill FOUR undead skins that cost twice as much and the spell in the game that cost 1000 gems the giant IS WAY TO EXPENSIVE you literally have to win hard capain to get one which only wins back one level after the entire campaign you spent on it
  16. [R33] They Are Coming! 3/5 · GB Mediocre: The game is fun but you have to play without internet as there are way too many ads. The game can’t handle itself and therefore crashes after every 5-7 rounds, sometimes loosing progress previously made. There is also now no further progress and needs a proper update in user experience and game story development. Hopefully this can get done as soon as possible
  17. [R45] They Are Coming! 3/5 · GB My view on things: The game is great I love it but there are loads of ads so I’m always having to put my phone on aeroplane mode to stop them
  18. [R89] Stick War 5/5 · US W game: Bro w game and it requires no internet
  19. [R36] They Are Coming! 3/5 · GB Fun!: Game is fun but there hasn’t been a new level in months. Been saying level 4 coming for ages
  20. [R52] They Are Coming! 2/5 · US Incomplete game: I liked this game and then apparently bumped up against the last of the levels they had. Harland says new levels are coming (for at least 6 months) but have never come. I can keep playing the same levels but the fact is the game has an ending and has reached peak boredom.

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