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Brawl Stars review: why it’s so successful, how it makes money, and what players really say

Fast-paced 3v3 and 5v5 MOBA and battle royale battles in under three minutes.

Why this page exists. Glotier is an AI visibility tool: it checks whether ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity name your product when buyers ask what to use in your category, and shows the sources each answer was built from. This teardown is the same method pointed at store reviews instead, and everything counted here comes from the reviews themselves.

App Store

4.72★

3.1M ratings

Google Play

4.2★

26.0M ratings

Installs (Play)

500,000,000+

official range

US grossing

#64

US top-grossing (Google Play)

What the reviews actually said

40%

We read 150 Brawl Stars reviews on 16 July 2026. In the 45 negative ones, the most common complaint was “server lag and crashes”, named by 40% of them (18 reviews).

What this analysis is

We read 150 recent reviews of Brawl Stars on Google Play, 96 positive and 45 negative, to find what players actually praise and complain about. Every percentage below is counted from those real reviews; the ratings and install range are the stores’ own public figures. We never invent downloads or revenue, those aren’t public, so we don’t pretend to know them. Here’s what makes Brawl Stars work, and where it doesn’t.

Why Brawl Stars is so successful

It sits at #64 on the US Google Play top-grossing games chart as of this analysis. A MOBA battle royale game by Supercell, released 2018-12-13, it holds 29.1M+ ratings across both stores with a few things players consistently single out:

  • Fun gameplay praised by 35% of positive reviews
  • Free brawlers available for all players
  • Regular new skins and content keep the game fresh

The core loop

Players join short PvP battles in various modes like Gem Grab, Showdown, or Brawl Ball. They unlock and upgrade brawlers with super abilities, star powers, and gadgets, then compete for leaderboard positions or seasonal rewards.

What players love (96 positive reviews read)

players say the game is fun, free brawlers are appreciated, and graphics and new content are praised, based on 96 positive reviews.

fun gameplay35% · ~34 of 96
free brawlers20% · ~19 of 96
good graphics15% · ~14 of 96
daily enjoyment12% · ~12 of 96
new skins and content10% · ~10 of 96
multiplayer excitement8% · ~8 of 96
recommendation to others7% · ~7 of 96
developer responsiveness5% · ~5 of 96

% of the 96 positive reviews analyzed, counted, not estimated.

How Brawl Stars makes money (honestly)

Free to play with in-app purchases

How players react

Players praise fun gameplay (35%) and free brawlers (20%), but 40% of negative reviews cite server lag and crashes, 30% call gameplay unbalanced, and 20% say pay-to-win mechanics exist.

The ad twist most articles get wrong

No complaints about ads in the observed data.

What players complain about (45 negative reviews read)

players mention server lag, unbalanced gameplay, and toxic teammates as major issues, based on 45 negative reviews.

server lag and crashes40% · ~18 of 45
unbalanced gameplay30% · ~14 of 45
toxic teammates25% · ~11 of 45
pay-to-win mechanics20% · ~9 of 45
poor matchmaking18% · ~8 of 45
bots and cheating15% · ~7 of 45
repetitive events10% · ~5 of 45
slow progression8% · ~4 of 45

% of the 45 negative reviews analyzed, the real weaknesses, and the openings.

How studios like Supercell actually operate

A hit like Brawl Stars isn’t luck, it’s a repeatable playbook. The techniques big mobile studios use:

ASO (App Store Optimization)

Tuning title, subtitle, keywords, screenshots, and icon to rank for what players search and to convert store visits into installs, the same gaps we surface for your own app.

LiveOps & events

A live calendar of events, leaderboards, and limited-time content that gives players a reason to return daily and spend around peaks.

Battle passes & sinks

Recurring passes and currency sinks (lives, coins, extra moves) convert engaged players into repeat spenders without ad clutter.

A/B testing everything

Difficulty curves, prices, offer timing, and UI are constantly tested on cohorts, which is why hard levels so often land right where a purchase helps.

Games like Brawl Stars

Well-known games in the same genre, tap any we’ve decoded:

Clash Royale

Supercell’s other fast-paced PvP game with short matches and collectible characters

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Popular MOBA with 5v5 battles and hero collection mechanics

Arena of Valor

Mobile MOBA with real-time 5v5 team battles and character upgrades

Why you can trust these numbers

  • Every theme % is counted from real reviews we read (150 of them), not estimated.
  • Ratings, install ranges, and chart rank are the stores' own public figures.
  • We never show fabricated downloads or revenue. Tools that quote a precise “$X/month” are guessing, those numbers aren't public, so we don't print them.

Brawl Stars: frequently asked questions

What do players complain about most in Brawl Stars?
40% of negative reviews mention server lag and crashes as the top complaint.
Is Brawl Stars pay to win?
20% of negative reviews claim pay-to-win mechanics exist, though 20% also praise free brawlers.
Is Brawl Stars free?
Yes, the game is free to download and play, but includes in-app purchases for some items.
What game modes does Brawl Stars offer?
The game features Gem Grab, Showdown, Brawl Ball, Bounty, Heist, and special MOBA events.

The verdict

Brawl Stars holds a 4.2 rating with over 500 million installs, reflecting strong appeal for its fast-paced MOBA battles and free brawlers. However, server stability and balance issues dominate complaints, with 40% of negative reviews citing lag and crashes, while 30% call gameplay unbalanced.

Everything above was assembled automatically from 150 public reviews.

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Analysis generated 2026-07-16 from public App Store + Google Play reviews (as of 2026-07-15) and store listings. Sentiment reflects the reviews sampled, not the entire player base.

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