# Crostics — Fun, challenging word puzzles

> Word puzzle game combining quote deciphering and crossword-style clues. (iPhone/iPad app by John Blackburn.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crostics/id1204549053 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [John Blackburn](https://appshunter.io/developer/1637339755)
- Category: Games, Puzzle, Word
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.80/5 from 628 App Store ratings · 25 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 12.0 · 25 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2017-11-06
- Data updated: 2026-08-18
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crostics/id1204549053/reviews.md

## What is Crostics?

Like word games? Crossword puzzles? Then you’ll love Crostics, the new word game where you reveal a hidden quote by answering clues, and decipher clues by filling in the quote! Letter in the answers are linked to letters in the quote—answer the clues, and you uncover more and more of the quote, or fill in more of the quote to decipher the clues.

Beautifully designed for iPhone and iPad, Crostics puts engaging puzzles at your fingertips without the pain of erasing pencil marks from paper. The result is more fun with less distraction. And no ads!

Crostics includes a free book of 24 puzzles and you can buy more right in the app. There are a wide range of difficultly levels, so whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned player you’ll find a good challenge to stretch your brain!

If you like word games, you’re going to love Crostics!

Features
- Unlimited hints
- Undo
- Play in portrait (and in landscape on iPad)
- Play in Light or Dark mode
- Learn how to play with the included help

## Key features

- Reveal hidden quotes
- Decipher clues using quote
- Unlimited hints
- Undo functionality
- Light and Dark mode
- Help section

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Book | $1.99 | one-time |
| 1 Book | $1.99 | one-time |
| 1 Book | $1.99 | one-time |
| 1 Book | $1.99 | one-time |
| 1 Book | $1.99 | one-time |
| 2 Books | $3.99 | one-time |
| 2 Books | $3.99 | one-time |
| 4 Books | $5.99 | one-time |
| 4 Books | $5.99 | one-time |
| 8 Books | $9.99 | one-time |
| 1 Book | $1.99 | one-time |
| 2 Books | $3.99 | one-time |
| 1 Book | $1.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of Crostics?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 👍 Clean, intuitive, and modern interface
- 🎮 Fun and engaging gameplay mechanics
- 💡 Custom keyboard for faster input
- 🔇 Minimal, delightful sound effects
- ⭐ High-quality puzzle content
- 🎯 Smart navigation between clues and quote grid
- 🏆 Best crostics game available on mobile
- 💰 No forced ads or aggressive monetization
- 📱 Easy to jump in and out of puzzles
- 🌙 Night mode support

**Cons**

- 🐛 Occasional freezing and resizing issues
- 😴 Repetitive content across 100 levels
- ⚠️ Very easy difficulty level
- 📏 Shorter puzzles than traditional magazines
- 🔤 Unclear multi-word answer formatting
- 🎯 Immediate feedback on correct answers (spoils challenge)
- 📊 Uneven letter distribution in puzzles
- 💸 Expensive puzzle packs ($1.99 for 24 puzzles)

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App freezes occasionally
- Unexpected resizing of interface elements
- Delete function requires multiple presses (workaround: long press available)

**Most requested features**

- More puzzle books and content
- Word count indicators in clues (e.g., '2 words', '3 words')
- Spaces in clues for multi-word answers
- Author attribution guessing feature
- Ability to view solved puzzles after completion
- Toggle option to disable correct answer notifications
- Automatic dark/light mode switching
- First letters of clues spelling author names
- More challenging and scholarly clues
- Bulk delete function for clue answers
- Lower pricing for puzzle packs

## Recent user reviews (10 of 25)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crostics/id1204549053/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Repetitive 2024

*2024-04-22, version 1.3*

100 levels nothing changes. Very easy questions.

### 5/5 — Good, not great

*2024-03-25*

A lot of fun, definitely the best version of this game I’ve found for mobile. I would like the ability to turn on spaces in the clues instead of having some of the answers be a few words all mashed together. Also it would be fun to get to guess the authors of each quote. More levels would be great too. Good game overall.

**Developer response:** Those are two great suggestions! Believe it or not, you're the first to suggest them. Optionally adding spaces between multi-word clues sounds fun, but guessing the authors before seeing their names would *definitely* be fun—thanks!

### 5/5 — Thank you for the simple app!

*2023-08-19*

Challenging enough, simple platform with no ads to “force” someone to purchase for relief. I never purchase, but did on this one :) why? Because I wanted to due to the fact I enjoyed myself and the app. Thank you. Hopefully more books after the 8 packs of 24 I bought. If not, I’m satisfied with my experience. Kudos to the developer!

### 4/5 — Good, not great

*2023-05-08*

A lot of fun, definitely the best version of this game I’ve found for mobile. I would like the ability to turn on spaces in the clues instead of having some of the answers be a few words all mashed together. Also it would be fun to get to guess the authors of each quote. More levels would be great too. Good game overall.

**Developer response:** Those are two great suggestions! Believe it or not, you're the first to suggest them. Optionally adding spaces between multi-word clues sounds fun, but guessing the authors before seeing their names would *definitely* be fun—thanks!

### 5/5 — Old mate

*2021-11-25, version 1.3*

What a surprise ! I find this game a hidden gem. Call it trivia, general knowledge, what ever. For me, it keeps you thinking with questions that are sometimes unknown but it keeps you on your toes. Well done to the developers but don’t rest on your laurels - thanks

### 5/5 — Wish there were more

*2021-04-17*

I greatly enjoy doing these puzzles. I wish there were more to buy.

**Developer response:** Glad you're enjoying the game. Shorter quotes are sometimes harder to make into puzzles, so perhaps we end up making them too hard. We'll keep this in mind when making future (shorter) puzzles, thank you!

### 4/5 — Fast Fun

*2021-02-09*

I found these puzzles easier than others but I really like them.  The app has a few quirks, e.g. freezing occasionally, strangely resizing occasionally, but overall I like the way it navigates, especially through the quotation part of puzzle where it automatically moves to the next open square instead of just the next square.  I wish it had options, e.g. I'd like to turn off the feature that lets you know you got a clue answer right. For me, it's part of the challenge to let the quotation confirm the accuracy of the clue answers.

### 5/5 — Will there be Book10?

*2020-11-18*

More books, please!  Very easy to read.  I use night mode.  This app is best and my favorite.  Looking forward to getting more new books.

**Developer response:** Just released four new books this week!

### 4/5 — Suggestion

*2020-08-18, version 1.2*

I really enjoy this, however, it would be helpful to indicate the number of words that are in the answer.

### 5/5 — Custom keyboard is great, could use auto light/dark mode switch

*2020-07-14*

Custom keyboard is great.  I can type faster with fewer mistakes with author’s custom keyboard than Apple’s original keyboard.  

Author John is responsive and polite.  

Clues are a good mix of easy and hard.

Interface is a joy to use: both modern and easy to tap.

Sound effects are minimal and delightful - never getting old.

Happily paid the $9.99 for the additional 192 puzzles.  What a great game.

Only nitpick: could use automatic dark/light mode switcher.

## Frequently asked questions about Crostics

### What is Crostics?

Crostics is a word game that blends elements of crosswords and quote deciphering. You solve clues to reveal a hidden quote, and conversely, filling in parts of the quote helps you decipher the clues. It offers a unique and engaging puzzle experience.

### How does the gameplay work?

The core mechanic involves a grid of letters that form a hidden quote. You answer clues, and the letters from your answers are placed into the quote. As more letters are revealed in the quote, they can help you decipher more clues, creating a satisfying feedback loop.

### Is the app free to play?

Yes, the app includes a free book of 24 puzzles to get you started. Additional puzzle packs can be purchased within the app if you wish to continue playing more challenging content.

### What devices is Crostics compatible with?

Crostics is beautifully designed for both iPhone and iPad. It supports portrait mode on iPhones and iPads, and also offers landscape play on iPads for an optimized experience.

### What are the main features of Crostics?

Key features include unlimited hints to help you when you're stuck, an undo option to correct mistakes, playability in both Light and Dark modes, and a built-in help section to guide new players.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.3 — 2020-11-17

Added four new books, plus a few minor improvements.

### 1.2 — 2018-10-11

• Long-press the Delete key to clear your guess for the currently selected clue.
• You can now view the solution for a puzzle you've already completed.
• You can now tell the app to confirm only when you've correctly solved the entire puzzle.

### 1.1.1 — 2018-02-18

Corrected an issue with book purchasing.

### 1.1 — 2018-02-14

Added 4 new books!
Improved game play

If you enjoy the game, please rate/review the app. It really helps!

### 1.0 — 2017-11-06

No release notes.

## Apps similar to Crostics

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Cryptogram IQ: Word Master!](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cryptogram-iq-word-master/id6480098884) | 4.6 (216) | Free | Games |
| [Astraware CodeWords](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astraware-codewords/id592704252) | 4.7 (162) | Free | Games |
| [Word Combo: Words & Puzzle](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/word-combo-words-and-puzzle/id1642683541) | 4.8 (414) | Free | Games |
| [Astraware Acrostic](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astraware-acrostic/id1133591036) | 4.5 (53) | Free | Games |
| [Cryptogram Tale](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cryptogram-tale/id966436749) | 4.6 (1,588) | Free | Games |
| [DECODiT - Decrypt Crossword](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/decodit-decrypt-crossword/id6476165996) | 5.0 (8) | Free | Games |

## More apps by John Blackburn

- [Art Scrambles](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/art-scrambles/id776050667)
- [Wordsearch Galore!](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wordsearch-galore/id1100108242)
- [Laddergrams](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/laddergrams/id1133768652)
- [Farm Rummy](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/farm-rummy/id1478421648)
- [Karen's List](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/karens-list/id1592850738)

All apps by John Blackburn: https://appshunter.io/developer/1637339755

## Related topics

[acrostic](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/acrostic) · [acrostic crossword puzzles](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/acrostic-crossword-puzzles)

---

*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-18.*