Gems of War is a match-three puzzle-RPG hybrid for mobile users that combines hero collection with strategic combat.
Product velocity
Maintenance
Daily rank 🇺🇸
—
Games
Sentiment
4.7
10k reviews
Nemesis
Empires & Puzzles: Match-3 RPG
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
Users hire the app for long-form, non-stamina-gated progression that rewards deep strategic team building over casual, session-limited play.
For Puzzle-RPG fans and strategy gamers who prefer long-form progression over casual, session-limited match-3 games.
What does it look like?
Key features
Skill tree system for character customization; acts as a progression-gated retention lever for long-term users.
Core loop matching gems to trigger spells; drives daily active usage and ad-impression inventory.
Gacha-style system with 300+ units; primary driver for in-app purchases of resources.
How much does it cost?
The freemium model avoids stamina or timer-based gates, favoring long-form session engagement to drive monetization through troop collection.
Velocity
Maintenance developmentnew contentUX improvementsShow more...
The app currently ships at a cadence of approximately one release per month, placing it in the maintenance tier based on the observed data. Development is focused on core progression systems and new feature implementation rather than high-frequency live operations. The latest release represents a significant content update, though the overall release frequency suggests a stable, long-term support model rather than an intense or active development cycle.
Who built it?
505 Games (US)
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Drawn to Life: Two RealmsUser Sentiment
What do users think recently?
Fresh user feedback skews mixed. Users appreciate the core match-three and troop collection loop provides deep strategic engagement for long-term players and guild participation allows players to earn substantial rewards without needing to spend real money, but report post-update stability issues including frequent crashes and frozen screens disrupt the core gameplay experience.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
What users say, by theme
- The core match-three and troop collection loop provides deep strategic engagement for long-term players
- Guild participation allows players to earn substantial rewards without needing to spend real money
- Post-update stability issues including frequent crashes and frozen screens disrupt the core gameplay experience
71 of 606 recent reviews analyzed · high confidence · Mixed overall
Read the full review analysisUnlock 2 more frustration themes and 1 user request, each backed by review evidence.
Access the full report for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for Gems of War: Match 3 Strategy
How's the Games market?
Gems of War maintains a presence in the global puzzle-RPG market with recent grossing entries in CZ (#70) and PH (#88). The gap between its established IP and the retention-heavy alliance mechanics of market leaders signals a need for social-feature parity.
Read the market outlookThe rivals identified
By Small Giant Games
Dominates the Match-3 RPG category with massive scale and a highly refined meta-game loop that directly competes for the same core audience.
- Features a robust base-building meta-game that provides long-term progression beyond simple puzzle board mechanics.
- High-frequency live operations and seasonal events create a persistent sense of urgency for daily active users.
- Deep alliance-based social systems incentivize collaborative play and long-term retention through guild-based competition.
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Access the full report for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for Gems of War: Match 3 Strategy
Where is it heading?
The puzzle-RPG market is consolidating around live-service titles with high-frequency social events, leaving Gems of War exposed to churn. Unless the team stabilizes the core experience and addresses the migration gap, the current retention lead will erode against more aggressive competitors.
- Stability regressions in the latest update (crashes, freezes) disrupt the core loop, which compounds the rating drag already visible on Android.
- The latest release introduced the Astral Spire feature, showing active development, but the overall cadence remains at approximately one release per month.
The SWOT
- Deep strategic engagement via 300+ troop collection system
- Guild-based resource economy reduces non-paying user churn
- Expand social-alliance features to neutralize market leader retention advantages
Next best moves
Rebuild stability pipeline because post-update crashes are the top frustration theme → improve rating baseline
+ 1 more prioritized moveThe counter-intuitive read
The game's lack of stamina-based session gates is a retention risk…
Read the full takeFeature gaps
Advanced alliance-based social systems (available in Empires & Puzzles but missing here)
Since the last report: The competitive outlook has declined due to persistent stability regressions and a widening gap in social-alliance features compared to market leaders.
Bottom line
Gems of War retains core players through deep RPG mechanics, but stability regressions and the lack of cross-platform migration are driving churn, so the PM must prioritize technical hygiene before scaling new features to avoid losing the long-term base.
Unlock 2 critical frictions, 1 market threat, 1 more prioritized move and the analyst’s take.
Access the full report for freeSources
Report last updated