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

Block City Wars vs City of Crime

Block City Wars 4.2★ · Free + IAP · ⚠ stale 65
Winner Block City Wars
City of Crime 4.7★ · Free + IAP 30

Block City Wars is the better choice for players seeking a nostalgic, open-world block-style GTA experience, despite recent updates disappointing long-time fans, while City of Crime is plagued by false advertising and pay-to-win mechanics.

Full reviews: Block City Wars · City of Crime

Block City Wars, despite recent updates alienating many long-time players who miss the original version, still offers a block-style open-world experience. City of Crime, on the other hand, faces significant criticism for false advertising, misleading gameplay, and being heavily pay-to-win.

Head to head

Features and Gameplay edge: Block City WarsR1R3R5R6
Block City Wars Many Block City Wars players express strong nostalgia for the original game, lamenting the removal of beloved features like specific weapons (bow, robot guns), vehicles (helicopters, jetpacks, tanks), game modes (car soccer, jailbreak, infection, zombie area), and map elements (military base, ice palace, luxury building with pool) in recent updates R1R3R14. The new leveling system for acquiring items is also criticized as less fun than the old money-based system R6. However, some newer players or those returning after a long time find the current version enjoyable, appreciating improved graphics and smoother gameplay R5.
City of Crime City of Crime is heavily criticized for false advertising, with many users stating the actual gameplay is nothing like the advertised third-person shooter or GTA-style experience R75R103R105. Instead, it's described as an 'interactive story' or a tap-only game with minimal player interaction R70. Users also report numerous bugs and glitches R63R76. The game is also seen as repetitive and boring .
Reliability and Updates tieR1R2R3R4
Block City Wars Block City Wars has undergone significant updates that have drastically changed the game, leading to a feeling of loss for many long-time players R1R2R3R4. Some users report their progress being reset after updates .
City of Crime City of Crime suffers from frequent and significant update delays, especially for iOS users, causing them to miss events and rewards . Players also report constant glitches R76 and issues with customer service being unresponsive or unhelpful R63R66R76R81. There are also concerns that the game has been abandoned by developers, with no new updates or graphic changes for months R76.
Price and Value (Free vs Paid) edge: Block City WarsR35R58R66R73
Block City Wars Block City Wars is a free game with in-app purchases. Some users feel the game has become 'pay to win' in its current iteration R58. Others mention that the game takes a lot of data R35.
City of Crime City of Crime is free to play but is widely criticized for being heavily 'pay to win' R73. Players report spending significant amounts of money on gear and investments with little impact, especially against elite heroes R73. There are also reports of packages being purchased but not usable, leading to accusations of scams and theft by developers R66R73.
User Experience and Support edge: Block City WarsR1R2R4R7
Block City Wars Many Block City Wars players express deep emotional attachment and nostalgia for the old version of the game, often begging for its return or a 'legacy' mode R1R2R4R7. There are complaints about the lack of controller support . One user reported being banned without explanation .
City of Crime City of Crime users report poor customer service, with developers being unresponsive or unhelpful when issues are reported R63R66R76R81. The game is also criticized for its use of AI-generated voices and sprites, which users find emotionless, cringy, and lazy R70. Some users experience long login times . There are also requests for controller support and more diverse avatar options .
Pick Block City Wars if

you are looking for a block-style open-world game reminiscent of GTA, even if it's a newer version than what some long-time fans prefer R5. You appreciate improved graphics and smoother gameplay .

Pick City of Crime if

you are interested in a game with a good storyboard, despite dull gameplay and AI voice acting . You are willing to overlook significant issues with false advertising, pay-to-win mechanics, and poor customer support .

Evidence note: Reviews for Block City Wars are heavily skewed towards nostalgia and disappointment with recent updates, making it challenging to assess the current game's standalone quality without this historical context. City of Crime reviews are overwhelmingly negative regarding false advertising and pay-to-win aspects, with positive reviews often being very general or focusing on the 'addictive' nature despite the flaws.

Frequently asked

What happened to the old version of Block City Wars?
The developers of Block City Wars updated the game, drastically changing the map, removing many beloved weapons, vehicles, game modes, and character customization options, which has led to widespread disappointment among long-time players who miss the original experience R1R3R14R21.
Is City of Crime a free-roam shooter like GTA?
No, City of Crime is not a free-roam shooter like GTA, despite being advertised as such; users report it is an 'interactive story' or a tap-only game with minimal player interaction and does not feature the advertised third-person shooter gameplay R70R75R103R105.
Does City of Crime have good customer support?
City of Crime has poor customer support, with users reporting that developers are unresponsive, take days to reply, and do not resolve gameplay issues or reimburse for lost event time or troubles R63R66R76R81.

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. [R1] Block City Wars 2/5 · US Miss the original: The new game isn’t that good, I was trying to look back on my childhood and found this. Make a mode to be the original version or re release a Block City Wars Classic, I’d actually pay money for that.
  2. [R3] Block City Wars 3/5 · US Game is too different now: I came back to this game after several years might be a decade. I remember this game having so much more content than it has now. I had to confirm i was playing the same game from so long ago. There are none of the same weapons. My favorite weapon the bow and my car are not there. Also the car soccer game mode was also nowhere to be found. I’m on a different phone now so
  3. [R5] Block City Wars 5/5 · US Love this one so much: I wanted a gta game but not inappropriate since i’m 12, and I can’t say I felt this one wasn’t the right one. I love all of the game it’s so good. One thing I really wish they put in first person mode in the cars. Overall it’s the best game I’ve played in a long time
  4. [R6] Block City Wars 3/5 · US Oh player here: I just to play it when I was around 7, but now the game fills a lot different, I don’t like the new way to get stuff like just leveling up ? That’s boring it was cool to earn money and buy it you own like what do you mean I have to level up I don’t know how much levels to get a car I want, that’s just but fun anymore, I wish they could go back to when you could buy your stuff and l
  5. [R2] Block City Wars 5/5 · US needs more updated: “Its an amazing game, I love it i would play it when I was 10; the only thing is it gets no updates. If i would get updated every 1-2 months it would be 5 stars.” wrote this around 5 years ago now i miss the old version, the new versions cool and all but shouldve been made a seperate game or game mode, or you should be able to choose which map, like calling the old version lega
  6. [R4] Block City Wars 1/5 · US Bring back og version: Nobody cares about your updates, bring back what we all want
  7. [R35] Block City Wars 4/5 · US It’s great: I love it as just a small on the side game. But it takes a lot of data from u so be careful
  8. [R58] Block City Wars 1/5 · US Used to be the most awesome gta 5 clone ever: Now it’s just pay to win
  9. [R66] City of Crime 3/5 · US Warning … these developers are thief’s: My account I was trying to put it on another device after spending tons of hard earned money on it. There system is so flawed that you have to unbind a account to move it. I did that and bound it again once I had it moved. In the process the account was lost . I contacted the developer and explained to them were the account was and they pulled me a two day o
  10. [R73] City of Crime 1/5 · US Play something else!: After playing several games like this, this one has to be one of the most ridiculous as far as the way combat goes no matter how much money you put into gear, investments (research), troop lvls, nothing seems to make much difference when going up against elite heroes which will cost you a ton of money in order to level them up. Then I purchased something that was tied to two
  11. [R7] Block City Wars 1/5 · US Old vs new: I really miss the old game, so much. This change kinda ruined it. It was a 5 star game and now I cant play that game I can only remember it.
  12. [R14] Block City Wars 5/5 · US What I miss: Hey KADEXO LIMITED, I’ve played Block City Wars for multiple years and I really love the game. The new update that made the map bigger looks cool, but it removed almost everything that made me stick around. You took out helicopters, jetpacks, the military base, tanks, and the robot guns. Those were huge parts of how I played and what made the game unique compared to other block sho
  13. [R21] Block City Wars 3/5 · US What the heck happened to the vehicles and animations: Why did you remove the elevator animation it was my favorite part about going to that building and now it’s gone. What happened to all of the old cars tanks boats and mechs and you need to at least add back the zombie area it was one of my favorite areas to go to I liked the thrill of always being at risk of getting cornered by a horde of the
  14. [R70] City of Crime 1/5 · US Should be 0/5.: From the gameplay to the AI voice acting, it’s really hard to say this is anything more than an interactive story. This game feels like one of those 15-30 second advertisements you get on mobile games.
  15. [R75] City of Crime 3/5 · US It’s not like the ad: Game is interesting but game play it’s not what’s advertise. I would love for this to be a first person shooter.
  16. [R103] City of Crime 1/5 · US Fraudulent Advertising: This game is literally a fraud. The moment I saw the ads I instantly knew the clips were either of Max Payne and another indie game called Door Kickers 2. DO NOT DOWNLOAD this game.
  17. [R105] City of Crime 1/5 · US Not as advertised: Nothing like advertisment
  18. [R63] City of Crime 3/5 · US Disappointing: I’ve been playing for a year but I’m now quitting. The game is full of bugs and Customer service is useless when reporting gameplay issues.
  19. [R76] City of Crime 1/5 · US Don’t waste your time.: Save yourself the time. They took all the money they made and ran. Game is done. For months, I have seen so many players leave, complain on discord and on their fake customer service game chat and nobody is responding. Apple has not allowed them to update their game in months which is clearly a red flag. Same old events for the past year with no new updates or graphic cha
  20. [R81] City of Crime 1/5 · US Updates for iOS devices get delayed: Been playing this game for almost two years but getting tired of the same issues that never get resolved. Whenever you try to reach out to customer service they always respond days later and never look into any issues the gamer is experiencing. If there’s something wrong with the server and an event can’t be played they don’t reimburse you for your time or trou

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