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

Castle Clash vs Rise of Castles

Castle Clash 4.2★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner Castle Clash
Rise of Castles 4.2★ · Free + IAP 60

While both games suffer from significant 'pay-to-win' issues and technical problems, Castle Clash appears to have a more established player base and offers a slightly better overall experience despite its flaws.

Full reviews: Castle Clash · Rise of Castles

Castle Clash and Rise of Castles are both free-to-play strategy games with in-app purchases, drawing comparisons to Clash of Clans. Both are heavily criticized for their 'pay-to-win' mechanics and frequent bugs, but Castle Clash benefits from a longer history and a more dedicated, albeit frustrated, player community.

Head to head

Features & Gameplay edge: Castle ClashR5R16R20R22
Castle Clash Castle Clash is praised for being addictive and having a lot of different modes, with some long-time players enjoying the constant updates and new heroes R5R20. However, many older players feel the game has become 'over-bloated with mechanics and UI' and has 'too many heroes and slop,' making it less fun and removing the grind they once enjoyed R16R22R24. Some users suggest new features like troops or a hero ranking system .
Rise of Castles Rise of Castles offers strategy gameplay that some find enjoyable and addictive, allowing players to progress at their own pace . However, many users report that the game's actual gameplay does not match the misleading ads and screenshots . Some players find the game repetitive and note that it consumes a significant amount of storage .
Ease of Use & User Experience tieR1R10R18R24
Castle Clash Castle Clash users report frequent crashes, especially after updates, making the game unplayable for some R1R33. There are also issues with heroes not loading or appearing as silhouettes R18. Some iPhone users experience layout problems where buttons are covered by screen elements . The game is also criticized for endless pop-ups and a cluttered UI R10R24.
Rise of Castles Rise of Castles also suffers from frequent crashes and loading issues, with some users unable to play for extended periods after updates R61R71. Players report various glitches, such as inability to tap tiles or build structures . The game is criticized for being complicated and requiring a lot of time . Some users also note the game's large storage footprint .
Reliability & Performance tieR1R4R7R33
Castle Clash Castle Clash has significant reliability issues, with users reporting the app crashing on loading screens, especially after updates R1R33. Some players lose all their progress or have heroes disappear after updates R7. Account access problems are also common, with users unable to retrieve old accounts R4R46.
Rise of Castles Rise of Castles is plagued by system crashes and loading problems, often preventing users from playing the game or accessing events R61R71. Players frequently encounter glitches, such as issues with building roads or collecting daily rewards R106. Many users report being unable to retrieve bound accounts after switching phones R70.
Price & Value (Free + IAP) tieR3R9R10R12
Castle Clash Castle Clash is widely criticized as 'extremely pay to win,' with many users stating that it's impossible to compete or get good heroes without spending significant money R3R9R12R13. The game is described as 'money hungry' with 'endless pop ups to buy stuff' R9R10. Some players feel that the game 'lost the plot' by making progress too fast for paying users, ruining the grind for free players .
Rise of Castles Rise of Castles is overwhelmingly described as a 'pay to win' game and a 'money pit,' where players need to spend 'thousands of dollars' or even '$1000/month' to be competitive R70. Users feel that without spending, they are 'left in the dust' or are simply 'a farm for large castles' . While some claim it's possible to progress without spending with patience, it's a slow process .
Support & Community edge: Castle ClashR2R8R11R17
Castle Clash Castle Clash players report difficulty getting help with account issues R46. There are requests for more language options, specifically Arabic and Vietnamese R2R11. A serious concern is raised about child predators thriving in the game's all-chat . The community includes many long-term players, some playing for 10+ years R8R17.
Rise of Castles Rise of Castles receives strong criticism for its 'worst customer service,' with developers being unresponsive, closing issues without resolution, and not correcting glitches R67R106. Players report being unable to contact support outside the game . The game's chat is noted for not being clean and containing inappropriate content . There are also reports of scammers and alliance leaders pushing players to download other apps or use Discord . The inability to move accounts between devices or servers is a major frustration R70R79.
Pick Castle Clash if

You are looking for a long-standing strategy game with a large, active community, and you are prepared to deal with 'pay-to-win' elements and occasional technical glitches R8R17.

Pick Rise of Castles if

You enjoy base-building strategy games and are willing to invest significant time or money to progress, and you don't mind potentially misleading ads .

Evidence note: Both apps have a strong negative skew in recent reviews, primarily due to 'pay-to-win' mechanics and technical issues. The 'free vs paid' asymmetry is very pronounced, with free players expressing deep frustration about being unable to compete with paying users in both games. The lifetime ratings are similar, but the recent sentiment is much harsher.

Frequently asked

Are Castle Clash and Rise of Castles 'pay-to-win' games?
Yes, both Castle Clash and Rise of Castles are heavily criticized by users for being 'pay-to-win,' with many stating that significant spending is required to compete effectively or acquire powerful heroes R9R13R100R105.
Do these games have technical issues like crashing or bugs?
Yes, both games frequently experience technical issues, including app crashes, loading problems, and various in-game bugs that disrupt gameplay for many users R1R33R61R71.
Can I transfer my game progress between devices or operating systems?
Castle Clash users report that cross-platform transfers (e.g., Android to iOS) are not supported, leading to loss of progress R57R60. Rise of Castles players also struggle to retrieve bound accounts on new devices or move between servers R70R79.
How is customer support for these games?
Customer support for Rise of Castles is widely criticized as unresponsive and unhelpful, with developers reportedly closing issues without resolution R67R106. Castle Clash users also report difficulties in getting help with account issues R46.

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. [R5] Castle Clash 5/5 · US Castle clash is the best: I’ve played clash of clans back in 2012 to now in 2026 but I always hear about castle clash. I finally decided to try this game out and wow it is literally 10 times better than clash of clans. Literally addicted to this game lol
  2. [R16] Castle Clash 1/5 · US The game is ruined: I started playing this game back when I was 11 years old, I’m 23 now… the game completely got destroyed when the changed to the UI were made and too much started to get added in. It’s sad that my childhood game got ruined. Bring back the old castle clash.
  3. [R20] Castle Clash 5/5 · US Great game: Game has changed a lot over the years stupid easy to progress now don’t change it for the crybaby’s cause they can’t roll good hero’s
  4. [R22] Castle Clash 1/5 · US Game lost the plot: This game use to be amazing and fun with the regular hero’s they had, they just added too much for no reason and ruined the game in the process. Sad to see how this game is sooo outdated. Pay to win and power creep killed this GAME!!!!!
  5. [R1] Castle Clash 2/5 · US Bug fix: Anyone else not able to open the app without it closing on itself ?? I was playing fine before the update and then it just started crashing as it gets to 100% on loading screen. Love the game but this should be fixed .
  6. [R10] Castle Clash 1/5 · US X X X X X X X X X X: anymore pop ups? jesus christ PET THIS EGG THIS SPAWN THIS LET ME PLAY BRUH
  7. [R18] Castle Clash 3/5 · US Bug: I really like this game because of the infinite amount of hero’s they have but I cannot see them but the same shadow knight silhouetted of every hero and the game is not really enjoyable , please fix this
  8. [R24] Castle Clash 3/5 · US Thoughts: Been playing this since Siren came out. I like this game, but in terms of balance it’s eh. I mean blue and green heros become obsolete once you actually play the game. Edit: in 2024 the game is over-bloated with mechanics and UI.
  9. [R4] Castle Clash 1/5 · US Kamiar###: What happend to my acount?😨
  10. [R7] Castle Clash 1/5 · US Updating the game erased all of my progress: Spent over a dozen hours on a save and then updated the game to fix a quest board glitch, only to have my save wiped.
  11. [R33] Castle Clash 3/5 · US Game stuck: Three stars because my game keeps crashing and I had to uninstall and reinstall it and it isn’t working it keeps closing
  12. [R3] Castle Clash 3/5 · US Honest review: I will give it 1 star I would give it 1 star atthe same time 5 star but there are ups and downs to the game. First of all they should kind of balce the pay to win and free to play so that free to play ayera can compete with pay to win players. Secondly serratica and dynamica the OG hero should stay the strongest and more rare. You guys can add more heroes but balance the power sys
  13. [R9] Castle Clash 3/5 · US Pay to win: I loved this game and been playing it for a long time I’m almost at peak but let me tell you something this game has become all about pay pay pay just to get anything cool you don’t even have to grind for anything anymore, it’s become bland and boring I miss the old version. Were you had to grind to get what you wanted not be hit with endless pop ups to buy stuff.
  14. [R12] Castle Clash 3/5 · US Pay to Win: I played this game for years since I believe when Cupid came out and since then it’s not the same it’s pay to win and it makes it to easy I enjoyed it before when you only could get heroes by gems or by special events now it’s eww if there is somehow a castle clash 2 and they took out pay to win it would be amazing
  15. [R2] Castle Clash 5/5 · US Note: I wish Arabic language was added. · translated
  16. [R8] Castle Clash 5/5 · US A love story since 2015😍😍: Since 2015, not a day has passed without me playing this game. It's one of the best games I've ever played😘 · translated
  17. [R11] Castle Clash 5/5 · US Mong game có tiếng việt: Mong game sớm có tiếng việt
  18. [R17] Castle Clash 5/5 · US Long time player: Been playing this game for about 10 years with 6.5 years on my current account
  19. [R13] Castle Clash 1/5 · US Cant play and collect: Can’t collect things needed by playing game, most things u will need aren’t available without spending money, no purpose or anything to play for because they only care about ppl that spend not play
  20. [R100] Rise of Castles 1/5 · US Pay to win: This game is just a huge money grab. Just like every game, the beginning is very easy and once you learn how to play they start spamming you with packages to buy and the gap between free to play and pay to win is INCREDIBLY big. Literally a waste of time if you can’t spend thousands of dollars. Save yourself the time.
  21. [R105] Rise of Castles 3/5 · US Addictive Game which is a money sink: This is an addictive game. But beware it’s a money sink. You cannot succeed without spending a ton of money. The game is set up to make you gamble and spend money. If you don’t spend money you don’t stand a chance.
  22. [R61] Rise of Castles 1/5 · US System crash: Go to the game and it crashes all the time
  23. [R71] Rise of Castles 5/5 · US Update in game: it's a awesome game and i like it but my main problem is that i hate updating inside game every single day because i can't download it , now more than one month that i can't enjoy the game events because my game not downloading them inside game plz remove it and just update in app store plz fix this best regards.
  24. [R57] Castle Clash 3/5 · US Cambio: Es un juego muy bueno y entretenido, llevo jugándolo casi 6 años, pero me parece muy malo que al cambiar de android a iPhone, no puedas seguir con tu anterior, simplemente perdí todo mi tiempo jugándolo
  25. [R60] Castle Clash 3/5 · US No Cross-platform: I wanted to come back to this game after not playing for a couple of years. Didn’t know you can’t transfer from android to iOS or vice versa and I don’t feel like completely restarting my base on iOS when I stopped playing at a good spot. It’s not like other similar games can’t do this either, right?
  26. [R70] Rise of Castles 1/5 · US Got a new phone and cannot retrieve my bound account.: Been playing for years. Have switched phones several times. Game will only let me replay the stupid long tutorial on my new device. Honestly it may be a good thing. I’ve spent enough money on this pay 2 win black hole. And it has only been getting worse each year.
  27. [R79] Rise of Castles 1/5 · US RippoffCANNOT move to another Serve: Buyer beware: cannot Mover server.If you get blackballed in providence... The. You are struck.. As in any game. Come play with online friends…After investing money and time into the game. Their are disagreements. When the game is disabled you are unable to move to a different server. Then you are struck with money and time. If you can move a smaller account
  28. [R46] Castle Clash 1/5 · US No help: Try to get help in regaining access to account and receive no help
  29. [R67] Rise of Castles 1/5 · US NO CUSTOMER SERVICE: Developers are not responsive, they request SS then can’t even be bothered to look at them. The reply and close out your issue without even giving you a chance to reply to them. If you chose to play this game be prepared to screen shot every aspect. Don’t hold your breath waiting for the developers to correct anything. They do not care but will take your money and do noth
  30. [R106] Rise of Castles 1/5 · US The WORST customer service: I have multiple castles, my main castle deals with bugs I can’t collect daily event rewards. Provided screenshots & clips to customer service they claim “tech saying game is normal”. After years of playing spent over $50K this is how you are treated? Now AI is “processing” my report but am blocked from replying. FYI: I am the R5 of the main alliance in my kingdom. P

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