Report updated May 4, 2026
Dig This 2 is an established puzzle app that is free with in-app purchases. With a 4.6/5 rating from 16K reviews, it shows polarized user reception. Users particularly appreciate physics-based puzzle mechanics provide a challenging and addictive experience for casual players, though excessive ad frequency disrupts the core gameplay loop and frustrates active users remains a common concern.
What is Dig This 2?
Dig This 2 is a physics-based puzzle game for iOS and Android where users create paths in sand to guide balls into cups.
Users hire the game for short, logic-based sessions that provide immediate tactile satisfaction, but the current monetization and update cadence fail to sustain long-term engagement.
Current Momentum
v1.0 · 4mo ago
Maintenance- Ships only performance and bug fixes
- No new content releases in 2025
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
What Are The Key Features?
Users draw paths in sand to guide a ball into a cup using touch input
Environmental mechanics that alter ball trajectory and path accessibility
Provides visual guides for completing levels when the user is stuck
How much does it cost?
- Free to play with ad support
- In-app purchases available
Freemium model relies on ad-supported gameplay and in-app purchases to monetize a 1,000,000+ install base.
Who Built It?
Voodoo
Providing casual gamers with instant, satisfying entertainment through high-velocity, physics-based arcade and puzzle experiences.
Portfolio
13
Apps
What other apps does Voodoo make?
Explore the full Voodoo report
Portfolio breakdown, audience, momentum, and every app published by Voodoo.
What do users think recently?
High confidence · Latest 100 of 121 total reviews analyzed · Based on 121 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 physics-based puzzle mechanics provide a challenging and addictive experience for casual players and one-time purchase option for ad removal significantly improves the overall user experience, but report excessive ad frequency disrupts the core gameplay loop and frustrates active users and lack of consistent content updates leaves long-term players waiting months for new levels.
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 2?
How's The Puzzle Market?
How does it evolve in the Puzzle market?
Dig This 2 maintains a high rating of 4.46 on Android and 4.67 on iOS, but the lack of content updates since the 2022 release date signals a shift toward maintenance-mode status.
Rank progression
11 active rankings tracked — 30-day window
The rivals identified
Nemeses(1)
SayGames Ltd
The definitive rival in the sand-digging sub-genre, maintaining the core mechanic of carving paths through terrain to guide physics-based objects.
Differentiators
- Extensive level library with significantly higher content volume than Dig This 2
- Advanced meta-game featuring vehicle collection and city-building elements
- Highly optimized physics engine for low-end device performance
Head to head
To close the gap, Dig This 2 should prioritize a meta-game layer (e.g., collection or construction) to increase session depth, as current gameplay is technically superior but lacks the long-term retention loops of the nemesis.
Contenders(1)
Lion Studios
A major competitor in the physics-drawing space that targets the same logic-seeking casual audience.
Differentiators
- Focuses on drawing lines to support or guide objects rather than digging
- Minimalist 2D aesthetic compared to the 3D environment of Dig This 2
Same space(3)
The definitive 'digging' physics puzzle that established the genre, offering high-quality level design and fluid dynamics.
Differentiators
- Uses fluid dynamics (water, steam, poison) instead of solid balls
- Stronger narrative elements and recognizable IP characters
ZeptoLab UK Limited
A classic physics puzzle peer that competes for the same 'short-session logic challenge' user base.
Differentiators
- Timing-based rope cutting mechanics
- Highly charismatic protagonist (Om Nom) driving long-term brand loyalty
Popcore GmbH
Shares the core objective of guiding colored balls into a container using physics and logic.
Differentiators
- Mechanic revolves around sequence-based pin pulling rather than path creation
- Heavier focus on color-mixing logic and obstacle avoidance
Compare Dig This 2 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 2
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- Tactile physics engine provides a more realistic sand simulation than competitors
- 3D environment offers a more modern visual experience than 2D rivals
Critical Frictions
- Excessive ad frequency after every level completion
- Stagnant content pipeline with months between level releases
- Technical bugs causing loss of purchased items
Growth Levers
- Implement a meta-game layer like collection or construction to increase session depth
- Introduce optional ad-watching for hints to reduce real-money friction
Market Threats
- Sand Balls' meta-game progression (city-building) siphons long-term users
- Lack of updates causes players to perceive the game as abandoned
What are the next best moves?
Ship a consistent monthly content update cadence because the lack of levels is the #1 churn driver → increase long-term retention.
Sentiment analysis identifies the lack of consistent content updates as a high-frequency complaint.
Trade-off: Pause new feature development for the core physics engine — content volume is the higher priority for retention.
Pivot the ad-monetization strategy to include optional ad-watching for hints because forced ads after every level disrupt the gameplay loop → improve sentiment.
Users report being forced to watch advertisements after every single level completion, causing high frustration.
Trade-off: Reduce immediate ad-impression revenue in exchange for higher daily active user retention.
A counter-intuitive read
The game's high rating is a deceptive metric because it masks the churn of long-term players who have exhausted the content, meaning the current user base is skewed toward new, transient players.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Meta-game progression (available in Sand Balls but missing here)
- Extensive level library (available in Sand Balls but missing here)
Key Takeaways
Dig This 2 holds its audience through satisfying physics, but the aggressive ad-monetization and lack of content updates drive churn, so the PM should prioritize a predictable level-release schedule to stabilize the player base.
Where Is It Heading?
Declining
The casual puzzle market is consolidating around titles with deep meta-game loops, leaving Dig This 2 exposed due to its stagnant content pipeline. Unless the team shifts from maintenance to a consistent release cadence, the game will continue to lose market share to rivals that offer higher long-term engagement.
The lack of content updates since the initial release causes players to perceive the game as abandoned, which accelerates churn among long-term users.
Aggressive ad frequency after every level completion disrupts the core gameplay loop, leading to negative sentiment and reduced session depth for active players.