Report updated Apr 3, 2026
Heads Up!
v5.1.129Social groups, families, and friends looking for high-energy, easy-to-learn party games for gatherings or remote virtual hangouts.
What Is Heads Up!?
Launched May 2, 2013
Updated Mar 2026
What users think iIndependent intel reports to help builders create better apps or enhance existing ones. Still in beta, accuracy and relevancy get better every day. For informational purposes only.
What does it look like?
What are the key features?
Intuitive gesture-based control where tilting the phone down answers correctly and tilting up skips the card.
Automatically records video of the gameplay for personal amusement or social media sharing.
Allows users to play with friends and family globally via Zoom or FaceTime.
Users can create their own categories and card sets for personalized game nights.
Access to over 40+ themed decks including pop culture, movies, and celebrity trivia.
What's new?
Mixed SignalsThe app's competitive position remains hampered by critical technical and monetization issues, while the competitive landscape analysis has been significantly expanded to reflect growing market pressure.
Persistent Critical Technical Failures
Users continue to report severe loading loops and broken purchase restoration, maintaining a negative sentiment despite a slight numerical score increase.
Expanded Competitive Landscape
Added a detailed classification of market rivals, including direct nemeses like GuessUp and social gaming platforms like Bunch and Plato.
Updated SWOT Analysis
Added specific threats regarding high-polish competitors and the potential decline of celebrity IP relevance.
Sentiment Score Recovery
The sentiment score increased slightly from 25 to 28, though the overall sentiment classification remains negative.
What do users think? iIndependent intel reports to help builders create better apps or enhance existing ones. Still in beta, accuracy and relevancy get better every day. For informational purposes only.
“Recent user voice shows a frustrated sentiment. Users appreciate core gameplay enjoyment, but report app loading and stability issues and failed in-app purchases.”
What Users Love
very good game for game ,fun and study
I love playing this games with friends it makes long car trips feel SUPER short
Pain Points
The app would not start no matter how long you waited. It would get stuck on 99.37%
App stopped opening, gets stuck at "Have fun!" while loading.
I purchased a pack of playing decks for $12.99 and never received the decks in the app.
bought all the packs only to now have none of them, restore purchases button at the bottom doesnt work
High confidence · 162 reviews available
How is it ranked?
| Category | Chart | Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word | Paid | #1 | |
| Card | Paid | #1 | |
| Games | Paid | #3 | |
| Overall | Paid | #3 | |
| Word | Grossing | #8 | ▲2 |
| Card | Grossing | #59 | ▲9 |
What are the pros and cons?
Pros
- Strong celebrity branding (Ellen DeGeneres) and Warner Bros. backing
- Intuitive gesture-based UI/UX that defines the category
- Automatic gameplay recording for high social shareability
- Extensive library of licensed IP (Marvel, Harry Potter, etc.)
Cons
- Critical loading bugs (99.37% stall) preventing app usage
- Broken IAP restoration and fulfillment systems
- Perception of aggressive monetization for a paid app
- Inconsistent pricing model across mobile platforms
What is the market outlook?
Growth Opportunities
- Capture market share from users frustrated by technical bugs in the leading app
- Expand remote play features to integrate with more social platforms like Discord
- Introduce a subscription model to provide better value for heavy users
- Leverage user-generated content (UGC) more effectively within the app
Market Threats
- High-polish direct competitors like GuessUp offering better stability
- Social gaming platforms (Bunch, Plato) integrating party games into chat
- Platform-level changes to camera/sensor permissions affecting core mechanics
- Declining brand relevance of the associated celebrity IP
Who competes with Heads Up!?
The Nemesis
Charades!™
★4.3 (8K)FatChicken Studios
The most direct competitor, mirroring the phone-on-forehead mechanic and tilt-to-play controls with a massive library of decks.
The most direct competitor, mirroring the phone-on-forehead mechanic and tilt-to-play controls with a massive library of decks.
Contenders
What Am I? Tricky Riddles
Lahana Games
A long-standing direct competitor in the forehead-guessing sub-genre with a focus on simplicity and diverse categories.
A long-standing direct competitor in the forehead-guessing sub-genre with a focus on simplicity and diverse categories.
CHARADES: Guess word on heads
Alisa Potapova
Directly competes for the same 'party night' user base with a nearly identical interface and gameplay loop.
Directly competes for the same 'party night' user base with a nearly identical interface and gameplay loop.
A highly-rated indie alternative that focuses on the core 'heads up' mechanic with a clean, ad-light experience.
Rhyme-based Riddles
Alias party: игра Алиас Элиас
Alisa Potapova
A popular word-guessing party game that serves as a primary alternative for group social gatherings.
A popular word-guessing party game that serves as a primary alternative for group social gatherings.
Peers
A drawing-based party game that utilizes mobile devices as controllers, targeting the same local multiplayer user base.
TV-based Drawing Game
A fast-paced competitive drawing game that captures the high-energy 'guessing' vibe of Heads Up.
Machine Learning Integration
Evil Apples: Funny as ____
★4.8 (213K)Super Massive Ventures Inc.
While using a different mechanic, it competes for the same adult party game audience during social gatherings.
While using a different mechanic, it competes for the same adult party game audience during social gatherings.
Kahoot! Play & Create Quizzes
Kahoot ASA
A dominant social interaction app used in the same family and party settings for group entertainment.
A dominant social interaction app used in the same family and party settings for group entertainment.
New Kids on the Block
Plato: Fun Multiplayer Games
Plato Team Inc
A rapidly growing social app that combines group messaging with a variety of party games, capturing the remote-play audience.
A rapidly growing social app that combines group messaging with a variety of party games, capturing the remote-play audience.
What are the key takeaways?
Heads Up! is a frustrating games app that is free with in-app purchases. With a 4.6/5 rating from 513.3K reviews, it frustrates many users from users. Users particularly appreciate core gameplay enjoyment, though app loading and stability issues remains a common concern.
Best for: Social groups, families, and friends looking for high-energy, easy-to-learn party games for gatherings or remote virtual hangouts.
How much does it cost?
Model: freemium
Uses a hybrid model with a low-barrier entry price on iOS and a free-to-play model on Android, heavily monetizing through content expansion via IAPs.
iOS Version
5.1.129
Android Version
4.15.6
Release Date
May 2, 2013
iOS Price
$1.99
Android Price
Free
Developer
Warner Bros.