Report updated May 7, 2026
Dig This! is an established games app that is free with in-app purchases. With a 4.6/5 rating from 1.2M reviews, it shows polarized user reception. Users particularly appreciate challenging physics-based puzzle mechanics provide long-term mental stimulation for dedicated players, though aggressive ad frequency post-update disrupts the core gameplay flow and causes frustration remains a common concern.
What is Dig This!?
Dig This! is a physics-based puzzle game for casual mobile users, featuring touch-controlled terrain manipulation across 10,000+ handcrafted levels.
Users hire the app for meditative, short-session mental stimulation, but the current ad-heavy monetization model conflicts with the core job of providing a satisfying, flow-state experience.
Current Momentum
v1.6 · 1w ago
Active- Ships weekly level content updates.
- Released performance improvements in latest update.
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
What Are The Key Features?
Touch-controlled terrain manipulation to guide balls into cups using gravity and momentum
10,000+ unique puzzle stages with weekly content updates
On-demand solutions for difficult puzzles
How much does it cost?
- Free-to-play with ad support
- In-app purchases for hints and solutions
Freemium model relies on ad-supported gameplay with IAP-based progression assistance.
Who Built It?
Raketspel AB
Delivering accessible, physics-based puzzle and racing experiences for casual mobile players. Focused on intuitive, one-handed gameplay mechanics.
Portfolio
6
Apps
What other apps does Raketspel AB make?
Explore the full Raketspel AB report
Portfolio breakdown, audience, momentum, and every app published by Raketspel AB.
What do users think recently?
High confidence · Latest 100 of 101 total reviews analyzed · Based on 101 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 challenging physics-based puzzle mechanics provide long-term mental stimulation for dedicated players and high replay value keeps long-term users engaged over several years of play, but report aggressive ad frequency post-update disrupts the core gameplay flow and causes frustration and forced ad interactions and technical glitches during ad playback prevent level progression.
What Users Love
What Frustrates Users
What Users Want
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 Dig This!?
How's The Games Market?
How does it evolve in the Games market?
The app maintains a strong rating of 4.6 across over 1 million total ratings, yet the high-frequency ad complaints post-update signal a risk to long-term retention compared to lighter, ad-balanced competitors.
Rank progression
17 active rankings tracked — 30-day window
The rivals identified
Nemeses(1)
Directly competes in the physics-based ball-rolling niche with massive scale and a high-velocity release cadence.
Differentiators
- Utilizes a high-frequency release cycle of 19 updates in six months to maintain constant content freshness.
- Focuses on dynamic obstacle-course navigation rather than the static puzzle-solving mechanics found in the target app.
- Aggressive monetization strategy leverages high-traffic ad placements integrated directly into the core gameplay loop.
Head to head
The target app should lean into its 'clever puzzle' identity to differentiate from the arcade-reflex dominance of Going Balls.
Contenders(2)
A major player in the casual physics-based genre that competes for the same 'quick-session' user intent.
Differentiators
- Integrates color-matching mechanics into a rolling-ball core, adding a layer of visual processing to the physics.
- Leverages Voodoo's hyper-casual distribution engine to maintain high visibility despite a lower update frequency.
Shares the minimalist, physics-based puzzle DNA that defines the target app's core user experience.
Differentiators
- Focuses on timing-based loop mechanics rather than the path-building, digging-based physics of the target app.
- Employs a highly simplified, abstract visual style that reduces cognitive load compared to the target's environment.
Same space(4)
Adjacent rhythm-based physics platformer that shares the 'skill-based' appeal of the target app.
Differentiators
- Requires precise rhythmic input and high-speed reaction times, contrasting with the target's slower, thoughtful pace.
- Features a legendary level-editor community that provides infinite user-generated content beyond the developer's own levels.
Adjacent puzzle category that competes for the same 'daily mental workout' user segment.
Differentiators
- Structured around thematic crossword journeys rather than isolated physics-based level completion.
- Builds long-term retention through a narrative-driven progression system that rewards consistent daily play.
Captures the same 'brain-teaser' demographic with a focus on logic puzzles and cognitive challenges.
Differentiators
- Incorporates character-based narrative elements into puzzles, providing more context than the target's abstract physics levels.
- Uses a more frequent update cadence to introduce seasonal and thematic puzzle packs to drive retention.
Dominates the 'tricky puzzle' category, serving the same audience looking for clever, non-obvious solutions.
Differentiators
- Relies on lateral thinking and 'trick' questions rather than the physics-based simulation used by the target.
- Features a massive, community-driven content library that encourages social sharing of solutions to difficult riddles.
New entrants(1)
High-velocity development with 21 releases in six months indicates a rapid iteration approach to puzzle design.
Differentiators
- Combines word-search mechanics with grid-clearing physics, bridging the gap between word games and block-breakers.
- Optimizes for short, high-intensity sessions that mirror the target app's 'quick-solve' appeal.
Compare Dig This! against every rival
All rivals in one side-by-side table — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel — plus a head-to-head page for each.
The outtake for Dig This!
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- 10,000+ level library sustains long-term retention
- Tactile digging mechanic provides unique meditative experience
- Weekly content cadence prevents user stagnation
Critical Frictions
- Aggressive ad frequency post-update drives negative sentiment
- Technical glitches during ad playback prevent progression
- High difficulty spikes create pay-to-win perception
Growth Levers
- Cross-platform progress sync improves multi-device retention
- Landscape orientation support improves tablet usability
Market Threats
- High-velocity competitors like Going Balls erode share
- Ad-stuck bugs cause immediate session abandonment
- Progression walls drive users to lighter alternatives
What are the next best moves?
Audit ad-playback logic because stuck ads are a top complaint → reduce churn
Users report being unable to close stuck ads, which prevents level progression and forces app restarts.
Trade-off: Pause the development of new puzzle mechanics — stability is the immediate retention priority.
Rebalance ad frequency because post-update complaints cite unacceptable ad-to-gameplay ratios → improve sentiment
High-frequency ad complaints are the primary driver of the current mixed sentiment score.
Trade-off: Accept lower short-term ad revenue per user to stabilize the active user base.
A counter-intuitive read
The app's massive 10,000+ level library is a liability, not a strength, as it creates a content-bloat perception that discourages new users compared to the high-velocity, reflex-heavy arcade experience of Going Balls.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Cross-platform progress synchronization (available in adjacent puzzle titles but missing here)
- Landscape orientation support (requested by tablet users)
Key Takeaways
The app maintains a strong core loop through its unique digging mechanic, but the recent increase in ad frequency and technical bugs threatens to alienate the user base, so the PM must prioritize ad-playback stability to prevent further churn.
Where Is It Heading?
Declining
The casual puzzle market is consolidating around high-velocity, reflex-heavy titles, leaving the target app's slower, thoughtful pace exposed to churn. Unless the team addresses the ad-playback stability and frequency, the current sentiment decline will erode the user base before the next major content drop.
Aggressive ad frequency post-update disrupts gameplay flow, leading to increased frustration and potential uninstalls.
Technical glitches during ad playback prevent level progression, creating a direct barrier to user retention.