Report updated Apr 20, 2026
Criminal Case
For casual mobile gamers who enjoy mystery, narrative-driven storytelling, and realistic police procedural themes.
Criminal Case is an established games app that is free with in-app purchases. With a 4.6/5 rating from 4.3M reviews, it shows polarized user reception. Users particularly appreciate engaging investigative gameplay, though facebook login & sync failure remains a common concern.
What is Criminal Case?
Current Momentum
v1.43 · 7mo ago
MaintenanceThe app is currently in maintenance mode, with the last major update occurring in September 2024. Recent activity is limited to routine stability and system compatibility patches.
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
What Are The Key Features?
Hidden object gameplay focused on searching crime scenes for clues in a corrupt city setting
Interactive mini-games to analyze samples and process evidence collected from scenes
Questioning witnesses and suspects to piece together the narrative and identify the killer
How much does it cost?
- Free to play (ad-supported)
- Pizza Subscription: $2.99/week
Monetization is heavily reliant on the 'Pizza' subscription which removes ads and expands the energy bar, addressing the two primary friction points reported by users.
Who Built It?
Pretty Simple
Delivering narrative-driven hidden object mysteries to casual gamers worldwide. Focused on episodic storytelling and forensic puzzle mechanics.
Portfolio
9
Apps
What other apps does Pretty Simple make?
Criminal Case: Pacific Bay
Criminal Case: Save the World!
Criminal Case: Mysteries
Criminal Case: The Conspiracy
Criminal Case: Supernatural
Criminal Case: Paris
Explore the full Pretty Simple report
Portfolio breakdown, audience, momentum, and every app published by Pretty Simple.
What do users think recently?
High confidence · Latest 100 of 153 total reviews analyzed · Based on 153 reviews. Signal may be noisy.
How did the latest release land?
What is the recent mood?
Recent user voice shows a mixed sentiment. Users appreciate engaging investigative gameplay, but report facebook login & sync failure.
What Users Love
What Frustrates Users
View the full user-sentiment analysis
Mood gauge, ratings & review-volume history, every praise / complaint / request, and sentiment over time.
What is the competitive landscape for Criminal Case?
How's The Games Market?
How does it evolve in the Games market?
Rank progression
180 active rankings tracked — 30-day window
The rivals identified
The outtake for Criminal Case
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- Authentic forensic mini-games (DNA, autopsy) provide unique immersion
- Massive legacy user base with over 4.3M ratings on Android
- Strong 'CSI' style narrative hook that stands out from supernatural peers
Critical Frictions
- Critical Facebook API failure preventing progress recovery
- Restrictive energy economy (20 cap) limiting session length
- Lack of a meta-game progression sink (e.g., building or customization)
Growth Levers
- Develop a 'Precinct' meta-game to compete with June's Journey's estate building
- Modernize narrative with branching dialogue choices
- Re-engage churned legacy users by resolving the Facebook sync issue
Market Threats
- June's Journey's superior live-ops and social club features
- Murder by Choice's modernized interactive narrative mechanics
- High-velocity peers like Coastal Hill (17 updates in 6 months)
What are the next best moves?
Resolve Facebook API 'App not active' status immediately
This is the #1 complaint theme and a critical technical failure causing permanent churn of long-term players.
Evaluate a 'Precinct' or 'Police Station' meta-game
Competitor analysis shows Nemesis (June's Journey) wins on long-term retention via its estate-building progression sink.
Rebalance energy economy or ad frequency for non-subscribers
Sentiment data shows 'Frustrated' users citing 10-minute play sessions as a primary reason for negative reviews.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Estate/Building meta-game (available in June's Journey and Manor Matters)
- Branching dialogue/Choice system (available in Murder by Choice)
- Multi-theme story hub (available in Unsolved)
- Detective Clubs/Social competitions (available in June's Journey)
Key Takeaways
Criminal Case is a genre classic currently being strangled by technical debt and an aging progression model. While its forensic investigation remains a best-in-class differentiator, the PM must prioritize fixing the Facebook sync failure to stop the bleeding of legacy users before attempting to close the meta-game gap with rivals like June's Journey.
Where Is It Heading?
Declining
Critical Facebook API failure ('App not active') causing high-frequency complaints and data loss.
Recent updates (Aug/Sept 2025) are limited to maintenance, indicating a lack of active feature investment.
Core investigative gameplay continues to receive high praise for immersion and narrative quality.