Forge of Empires: Build a City vs its rivals

Side-by-side comparison against Forge of Empires: Build a City's closest competitors — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel.

Evony
Contender
Core Identity
DeveloperInnoGamesLilith GamesTOP GAMES INC.IGG SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.SupercellChengDu Starunion Interactive Entertainment Technology Co., Ltd.FunPlus International AGRiver Game HK LimitedCentury Games Pte. Ltd.
CategoryGamesGamesGamesGamesGamesGamesGamesGamesGames
PlatformAndroid, iOSiOS, AndroidiOS, AndroidAndroid, iOSiOS, AndroidiOS, AndroidiOS, AndroidiOS, AndroidiOS, Android
Store Metrics
Rating4.6 / 54.5 / 54.0 / 54.4 / 54.8 / 54.5 / 54.6 / 54.1 / 54.6 / 5
Ratings Count167,851184,875178,258154,6432,746,67623,226381,543101,530418,231
PriceFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFree
Release DateJan 31, 2014Sep 20, 2018Apr 27, 2016Mar 31, 2016Aug 2, 2012Jun 23, 2021Aug 30, 2019Dec 31, 2019Feb 12, 2023
Last UpdatedApr 23, 2026Apr 10, 2026Apr 14, 2026May 19, 2026May 6, 2026Apr 22, 2026Apr 16, 2026Apr 23, 2026Apr 15, 2026
Sentiment & Reviews
Sentimentmixedpositivenegativemixedmixedmixedmixedmixedmixed
Score65/10064/10032/10075/10045/10035/10045/10048/10045/100
Praises
  • Long-term strategic depth keeps veteran players engaged across multiple years of city building
  • Social & Strategic Depth
  • Longevity and Content
  • Social Camaraderie
  • Long-term Engagement
  • Diverse gameplay modes and content variety keep long-term players engaged across multiple years
  • Core gameplay loop provides long-term entertainment value for players across multiple years of engagement
  • Immersive underground world design with detailed visuals keeps players engaged for long sessions
  • Social alliance features provide a strong sense of community and cooperative gameplay
  • Consistent event updates provide fresh content for dedicated long-term players
  • Engaging Gameplay
  • Social/Alliance Features
  • Addictive Gameplay
  • Free-to-Play Viability
  • Engaging Strategy Gameplay
  • Social & Alliance Mechanics
Complaints
  • Aggressive monetization and pay-to-win mechanics create significant friction for mid-game progression
  • Pay-to-Win Imbalance
  • Misleading Advertising
  • Deceptive Advertising
  • Aggressive Monetization
  • Technical Instability
  • Aggressive monetization and pay-to-win mechanics create significant barriers for free-to-play users
  • Technical instability and server errors following the latest update disrupt active multiplayer matches
  • Aggressive pay-to-win mechanics force spending to remain competitive in battle modes
  • Poor account management and login issues lead to total progress loss
  • Toxic player behavior and harassment in global chat remain unaddressed by support
  • Aggressive Pay-to-Win Mechanics
  • Poor Customer Support
  • Misleading Advertising
  • Unwanted Base Building
  • Misleading Advertising
  • Pay-to-Win Monetization
  • Technical & Update Issues
Requests
  • Manual building rotation feature requested to improve city layout and space efficiency
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  • Improved account recovery and direct support channels for lost progress issues
  • Implementation of a practice mode to allow rematches against previous opponents without resource loss
  • Improved account recovery and cross-platform login options for existing players
  • More effective moderation tools to report and remove abusive players
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Strategic Intel
Strengths
  • Cross-platform synchronization reduces friction for legacy browser users
  • Age-based progression creates high switching costs for veteran players
  • Proprietary Infinite Zoom map technology
  • Real-time, non-instanced RTS combat mechanics
  • Deep historical IP and RPG commander talent trees
  • Top-tier revenue generation (#2 Grossing in category)
  • High social retention with multi-year player relationships
  • Broad historical appeal with 7 distinct civilizations
  • Guild Expedition social mechanics drive high-retention guild coordination
  • Mirage Realm subscription converts manual grind into recurring revenue
  • Social-pressure loops in Clan Wars drive high daily active usage
  • Deep base-building mechanics create long-term retention
  • High-fidelity visual depth of the ant hill environment sustains player immersion
  • Social alliance network effects reduce churn via community-driven goals
  • Recurring subscription model secures predictable revenue streams
  • High-profile IP partnerships (Rambo, Resident Evil)
  • Massive active user base (2.6M+ ratings)
  • Diverse gameplay modes (Survival Royale, Puzzle Party)
  • Tactile 'Merge' mechanic lowers entry barrier
  • Distinct sci-fi military aesthetic
  • Strong monetization efficiency (#13 Grossing)
  • Strong thematic differentiator (Winter Survival) in a crowded military/zombie market.
  • Hero level-sharing system reduces player friction and grind.
  • High revenue efficiency with top-tier grossing chart positions.
Weaknesses
  • Premium currency monetization creates mid-game progression friction
  • Inconsistent account synchronization causes permanent data loss
  • Technical instability post-update disrupts daily sessions
  • Aggressive P2W monetization causing F2P churn
  • Misalignment between marketing ads and actual gameplay
  • High-friction onboarding with a 'very long' tutorial
  • High 'bait-and-switch' sentiment from deceptive UA
  • Significant technical lag and performance issues
  • Poorly rated customer support response times
  • Aggressive monetization creates pay-to-win barriers for free-to-play users
  • Automated support channels fail to resolve account recovery friction
  • Technical instability post-update causes frequent crashes
  • Ineffective automated support bots fail to resolve account access issues
  • Total progress loss during device transitions drives significant churn
  • Lack of account binding options creates high-friction user experience
  • Aggressive monetization gating progression alienates non-spending players
  • Extreme P2W perception among long-term players
  • Poor customer support responsiveness
  • Polarizing sexualized character content
  • High churn from misleading ad reputation
  • Static grid-based unit movement
  • High-friction monetization for late-game errors
  • High Day-1 churn due to 'bait and switch' advertising sentiment.
  • Massive update sizes (2GB+) creating technical barriers for users.
  • Aggressive P2W gap alienating the F2P player base.
Pricingfreemiumfreemiumfreemiumsubscriptionfreemiumfreemiumfreemiumfreemiumfreemium
MomentumActiveActiveMaintenanceActiveActiveActiveIntenseIntenseActive
Update Cadence5 versions, 2 majors/6mo, ~3d avg4 versions, 2 majors/6mo, ~11d avg3 versions, ~16d avg5 versions, 5 majors/6mo, ~14d avg5 versions, 5 majors/6mo, ~12d avg5 versions, 5 majors/6mo, ~9d avg5 versions, 3 majors/6mo, ~4d avg5 versions, 1 majors/6mo, ~2d avg3 versions, 2 majors/6mo, ~24d avg

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AI-powered analysis with editorial review, built from publicly available sources. Marlvel.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Forge of Empires: Build a City, its developer, the app publisher, Apple, or Google Play. All trademarks, logos, and screenshots referenced remain the property of their respective owners.

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