# Gem Defense > Tower defense game with gem-based tower upgrades and maze construction. (iPhone/iPad app by Peter Holko.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gem-defense/id879954175 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Peter Holko](https://appshunter.io/developer/879954178) - Category: Games - Price: Free - Rating: 2.14/5 from 7 App Store ratings · 11 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 11.0 · 20 MB - Languages: English - Released: 2014-06-11 - Data updated: 2026-09-04 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gem-defense/id879954175/reviews.md ## What is Gem Defense? Build Gem towers and fight off the sneaky dwarves from escaping. Combine Gems to construct secret special Gems and construct mazes to make escaping difficult for the dwarves! Beware the flying bats that fly over your maze! High Scores are uploaded and available at https://gemdefensegame.com ## Key features - Build and combine gem towers - Construct defensive mazes - Fight off escaping dwarves - Defend against flying bats - Global high score uploads ## Recent user reviews (10 of 11) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gem-defense/id879954175/reviews.md ### 1/5 — bugs *2020-03-05* bugs I’ve seen: Uranium stops all enemies, permanently. Cannot lose with even one uranium. After upgrading chances a few times, it puts chipped gens at 100%, forever. No ability to remove gems diring gem placement phase. No repick gems option. ### 1/5 — Please fix Rock placement bugs!! *2019-05-27* This is by far my favorite game to play and has always been such since I was a little kid playing online games, however it dose me great sorrow to see such a good replica have so many glitches! Please fix the map size so that it fits in the screen, also simply placing gems down on the board is so frustrating I’ve nearly thrown my phone on the ground in anger. Also one should be able to remove rocks during play, when the miners or flying animals are making the routes. ALSO please please please add in a fast forward button because it it’s very time wasting to sit and wait all that time for the round to end. Also! Please add in a pull down menu of the recipe for the special gems. Other than all of those points very good game.... just needs a lot of fixes and attention. ### 3/5 — Frustrating *2018-12-08* When it works, it’s great, other than the maze being too big for the screen and it’s not always moveable. Unfortunately it crashes half way into the game which is beyond frustrating. Please update the game and fix the bugs! ### 3/5 — I’m such an avid consumer of this game on PC, but this is atrocious. *2018-11-09* Ported badly. The map is movable which interferes with rock placement, it’s so troublesome just to place a round of rocks in a specific order because of how tedious it is to move the rocks. Needs polishing, but I know that this game is a real gem. ### 1/5 — Poor controls *2015-03-07* Needs update... ### 1/5 — supper buggy *2015-02-16* Original review: July 16th 2014. Great start on a remake of this amazing game - but this isn't even alpha, gems sometimes get unselectable during placement, reset game doesn't work at all and some gems fail to actually do damage. UPDATE PLEASE!!! FIX PLEASE!!! Update: February 15th 2015. love the desktop version, however this app is so buggy it's almost unplayable and hasn't been updated in over 6 months. If you have abandoned work on it please consider open sourcing it so your fans may work on it! (I've reduced from two stars to one star due to lack of updates) ### 3/5 — Needs updates *2014-09-12* Love the internet version, but this version needs some critical updates. The gold has been nerfed so you cant increase your chances of getting better gems, let alone upgrade your special towers. You cant get gems strong enough to deal with the increasingly stronger waves of enemies. Navigation is a bit clunky, but i can live with it considering its a touch screen. Game definitely has potential, but needs to be updated. ### 1/5 — Broken *2014-08-24* I want my $ back...... It does NOT work... ### 1/5 — Should be no stars. *2014-06-30* I love the online version, but the functionality for the iPhone app is awful. I want my money back. ### 2/5 — Frustrating *2014-06-20* It's the same game but differences between the web & app versions are confusing/annoying. Imprecise touch controls keep dropping gems in the wrong spot & won't let me select on the one I want to keep. Probably won't bother trying to play it again until an update or 2 comes out. ## Frequently asked questions about Gem Defense ### What is the main objective in Gem Defense? The main objective in Gem Defense is to strategically place and combine gem towers to prevent sneaky dwarves from escaping. You'll build mazes and defend against various enemies, including flying bats. ### How does Gem Defense handle upgrades and special abilities? Players can combine Gems to construct secret special Gems, which likely offer enhanced defensive capabilities or unique effects to aid in repelling the dwarves. ### Can I play Gem Defense offline? The description mentions high scores are uploaded to a website, suggesting an online component for leaderboards. However, core gameplay mechanics for building towers and defending might be playable offline. ### What platforms is Gem Defense available on? Gem Defense is available on mobile devices. It was released on June 11, 2014, and its latest version is 1.6, last updated on October 15, 2018. ### How often is Gem Defense updated? Gem Defense was last updated on October 15, 2018, with version 1.6. This indicates infrequent updates in recent years. ### What is the age rating for Gem Defense? Gem Defense has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for younger players and families. ### Does Gem Defense have ads? The provided data does not specify if Gem Defense contains advertisements. The monetization model is listed as 'free'. ### What do users think of Gem Defense? Gem Defense has a rating of 2.1 stars from 7 ratings, suggesting a mixed to negative user reception based on the available data. ## Version history (last 1 release) ### 1.6 — 2018-10-15 New Swift version with new secure high score upload mechanism available at https://gemdefensegame.com --- *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 2026-09-04.*