Report updated Apr 16, 2026

TL;DR:Makeover Merge is a casual mobile game by Lion Studios Plus that combines merge-2 puzzle mechanics with fashion and interior design themes. Users feel Frustrated, praising engaging gameplay but frustrated by lack of content updates.|TL;DR:Makeover Merge is a casual mobile game by Lion Studios Plus that combines merge-2 puzzle mechanics with fashion and interior design themes. Users feel Frustrated, praising engaging gameplay but frustrated by lack of content updates.

Makeover Merge is a challenged games app that is free with in-app purchases. With a 4.3/5 rating from 60.5K reviews, it faces significant user friction. Users particularly appreciate engaging gameplay, though lack of content updates remains a common concern.

What is Makeover Merge?

Makeover Merge is a casual mobile game by Lion Studios Plus that combines merge-2 puzzle mechanics with fashion and interior design themes. It differentiates itself through a dramatic, career-focused narrative involving a rivalry with an ex-director. Despite a strong historical rating and a large user base, the game is currently suffering from a severe content drought and negative user sentiment due to a lack of updates and misleading advertisements.

Current Momentum

v2.25

Episode 25 - renovated character & location

AI-powered deep analysis surfacing high-signal insights. Still in beta, accuracy improves daily. For informational purposes only.

Active Nemesis

Merge Studio: Fashion Makeover

Merge Studio: Fashion Makeover

By Paxie Games

Other Rivals

Travel Town - Merge Adventure
Merge Mansion: Puzzles & Story
Merge Manor : Sunny House
Merge Design
Project Makeover
Seaside Escape®: Merge & Story
Design Home™: House Makeover
Covet Fashion: Dress Up Game

7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸

Games

No ranking data

GamesPuzzleGrossing

Rating Pulse 🇺🇸

Recent User MoodAI-powered deep analysis surfacing high-signal insights. Still in beta, accuracy improves daily. For informational purposes only.

What makes this app unique?

What Does It Look Like?

How Is The App's Momentum Right Now?

Loading...

What Are The Key Features?

Merge Puzzle MechanicsStandard

Core gameplay loop involving merging items on a board to fulfill orders and unlock new elements.

Makeover & StylingStandard

Customization of character appearances including hair, makeup, and fashion choices.

Interior DesignStandard

Renovating and redecorating spaces for various nominees to suit their tastes.

Narrative ProgressionDifferentiator

Story-driven gameplay featuring a career-focused plot with an antagonist (ex-director) to overcome.

Choice-Based GameplayStandard

Allows players to make aesthetic decisions (e.g., wallpaper, hairstyles) for their clients.

How much does it cost?

Freemium
  • Free to play
  • In-app purchases for currency, items, or progression boosts

Monetization relies on a free-to-play model driven by in-app purchases, typical for casual merge-and-decorate games, likely utilizing energy systems or time-savers.

Who Built It?

Lion Studios Plus app icon 1
Lion Studios Plus app icon 2
Lion Studios Plus app icon 3
Lion Studios Plus app icon 4

Lion Studios Plus

(4M)

Scaling casual mobile games through data-driven publishing and high-velocity iteration to provide accessible mental breaks for global audiences.

Portfolio

13

Apps

Free 12
Games100%

Who is Lion Studios Plus?

Lion Studios Plus operates as a high-velocity publishing arm within the AppLovin ecosystem, specializing in the rapid scaling of casual and hyper-casual titles. Their strategic moat is built on vertically integrated access to proprietary user acquisition and monetization data, allowing them to identify and dominate emerging mechanics like 3D sorting and directional logic. The portfolio is currently transitioning toward 'hybrid-casual' models, attempting to solve the retention challenges of hyper-casual games by layering deeper progression and social mechanics onto simple, tactile core loops.

Who is Lion Studios Plus for?

  • Casual mobile gamers seeking short-session entertainment
  • Brain training
  • Or stress relief through tactile puzzle
  • Simulation mechanics
Intense

Portfolio momentum

Extremely high development cadence with 82 releases across the portfolio in the last 6 months and 100% of the 28-app catalog currently active.

Last release · 4d agoActive apps · 28

What do users think recently?

High confidence · 99 reviews analyzed · Based on 99 reviews. Signal may be noisy.

How did the latest release land?

Overall
4.3/ 5
(60.5K)
Current version
4.5/ 5
+0.2 vs overall
(15.2K)
Main signal post-update: engaging Gameplay.

What is the recent mood?

Frustrated

Recent user voice shows a frustrated sentiment. Users appreciate engaging gameplay and relaxing experience, but report lack of content updates and misleading advertising.

What Users Love

Engaging Gameplay
Relaxing Experience

What Frustrates Users

Lack of Content Updates
Misleading Advertising
Excessive Ads

What is the competitive landscape for Makeover Merge?

How's The Games Market?

How does it evolve in the Games market?

ChartRankChange
AndroidGrossing#189NEW

The rivals identified

The Nemesis

Merge Studio: Fashion Makeover

Merge Studio: Fashion Makeover

4.3 (149.4K)

Paxie Games

The most direct competitor, mirroring the exact loop of merge-2 puzzles to fund fashion makeovers and character transformations.

Head-to-head analysis pending — refresh this report for a detailed comparison.

Contenders

Town Restoration

Narrative-Driven Renovation

Narrative-Driven Mystery

Cooking Mini-Games

Merge Design

Merge Design

4.5 (35.8K)

Mossa Games, LLC

Focuses heavily on the interior design aspect of the merge-2 loop, directly competing with the decorating features of Makeover Merge.

Peers

Hybrid Makeover & Decorating

Narrative-Driven Drama

Narrative-Driven Restoration

Weekly Content Updates

Real-Brand Integration

Real-World Brand Integration

New Kids on the Block

Taylor's Secret: Merge Story

Taylor's Secret: Merge Story

Merge story

A rising narrative-heavy merge-2 game focusing on drama and secrets, similar to the antagonist plot in Makeover Merge.

Longleaf Valley: Merge Game

Longleaf Valley: Merge Game

TreesPlease Games Ltd

A fast-growing merge-2 title that innovates by linking in-game progress to real-world environmental impact.

The outtake for Makeover Merge

Strengths to defend, gaps to attack

Core Strengths

  • Unique narrative antagonist hook
  • Strong historical ratings and brand recognition
  • Polished core merge-2 mechanics
  • Backed by a major studio (Lion Studios)

Critical Frictions

  • Severe lack of new content/levels
  • Misalignment between ads and gameplay
  • High ad frequency disrupting play
  • Technical freezes in daily rewards

Growth Levers

  • Introduce Live-Ops to engage maxed-out players
  • Align marketing creative with actual gameplay
  • Expand choice-based mechanics for deeper immersion
  • Leverage social features to build community

Market Threats

  • Competitors with faster update cycles (Merge Studio)
  • Declining sentiment affecting store visibility
  • User churn to newer narrative merge titles
  • Brand damage from 'scam' perceptions in reviews

Key Takeaways

Makeover Merge is a challenged games app that is free with in-app purchases. With a 4.3/5 rating from 60.5K reviews, it faces significant user friction. Users particularly appreciate engaging gameplay, though lack of content updates remains a common concern.

Where Is It Heading?

Declining

The app is facing a declining trend characterized by increased user frustration regarding ad frequency and a slight drop in ratings, despite the addition of minor choice-based gameplay features.

Disclosure

Independent intel to help builders create better apps.

AI-powered analysis with editorial review, built from publicly available sources. See methodology.

Marlvel.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Makeover Merge, its developer, the app publisher, Apple, or Google Play. All trademarks, logos, and screenshots referenced remain the property of their respective owners.

Hope this helps & keep building! · Found an error?

What's new in this report

The app is facing a declining trend characterized by increased user frustration regarding ad frequency and a slight drop in ratings, despite the addition of minor choice-based gameplay features.

declined

Increased Ad-Related Complaints

declined

Rating Decrease

added

Choice-Based Gameplay

added

Competitive Threat Identification

improved

Pricing Tier Clarification

Cite this report

Marlvel.ai. “Makeover Merge Intelligence Report.” Updated Apr 16, 2026. https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/games/makeover-merge

Agent Markdown (.md)·

Data licensed under CC-BY-NC 4.0