# Real Estate Tycoon: Simulator — user reviews > 56 indexed App Store user reviews of Real Estate Tycoon by Hidden Lake Games LLC, rated 4.10/5 from 384 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/real-estate-tycoon-simulator/id6477774274/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/real-estate-tycoon-simulator/id6477774274.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 280 · 4★ 20 · 3★ 8 · 2★ 9 · 1★ 67 ## What do users think of Real Estate Tycoon? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 🎮 Game concept has potential appeal - 🎨 Visually appealing interface design **Cons** - 💰 Excessive monetization and pay-to-win mechanics - ⏰ Long wait times between gameplay sessions (40-45 minutes) - 📺 Intrusive and excessive ads throughout gameplay - 💸 Insufficient starting currency to progress - 🔐 Paywall blocking progression at early stages - 🎯 Forced subscription requirements to continue playing - ⚙️ Clunky and unresponsive controls - 🚫 Ad-watching feature not functioning properly - 💔 Misleading game advertising and false 5-star ratings - 🔄 No ability to undo or change early decisions - 📊 Unclear pricing information for in-game purchases - 🎮 Unbalanced game economy making free play impossible - 📱 Orientation issues (no landscape mode on iPad) - 🐛 Game crashes and freezes at startup **Commonly reported bugs** - Ad-watching option non-functional (clicking does nothing) - Game progression locked even after selecting watch ads option - iPad landscape orientation not supported - Game freezes or crashes at startup - In-game currency disappearing after level completion - Unable to collect earnings properly - Game resets progress unexpectedly **Most requested features** - Optional ads only for cosmetic upgrades, not progression - Ability to undo or change initial character/building selections - Transparent pricing display before purchases - Landscape mode support for tablets - Earn-to-progress system without mandatory real money spending - Shorter wait times between gameplay sessions - Ability to replay levels and buildings - Higher starting currency or better earning potential - Refund system for in-game purchases ## Newest reviews (18 of 56) ### 1/5 — PAY TO PLAY *2024-09-03, version 1.3* Have to pay to play, not worth it ### 1/5 — Do not download *2024-08-18* The gameplay is ok but the game doesn’t let you play after a point without making in game purchases Waste of my life’s 15 mins time ### 1/5 — Too expensive *2024-08-13, version 1.3* This game would be better if you didn’t have to spend so much money to do thing just started the game not even 5 min in out $20 delete delete ### 1/5 — Obligé de payer *2024-08-10* Il est impossible de jouer sans payer. ### 1/5 — Kind of disappointing *2024-08-05, version 1.3* Looks like it would be a great game but a few minutes into starting, it tells you to purchase a subscription. Games like this just put me off completely. Doesn’t even give you a chance to enjoy it. Disappointed, would of been a good game if it didn’t try get money out of you 5 mins in :/ ### 1/5 — Can Barely Play *2024-07-29, version 1.2.0* It starts you off with picking people and choosing a building to start with but before it lets you continue on it has a buy now or watch 5 ads option and it doesn’t even let you watch the ads. There’s no point in having the game if you can’t play. ### 1/5 — Cant play game *2024-07-29, version 1.2.0* First, this is for ipad, but doesnt landscape!! I start playing it anyway, and then i get a screen that says i can pay to not get ads, OR choose to watch ads, you can click on buy, but you cant get past the page unless you pay, if you click on watch ads nothing happens, and you cant go back to the game, so i cant play game. ### 1/5 — Not good *2024-07-19* 👎🏾 ### 1/5 — Deleted almost immediately *2024-07-17, version 1.2.0* I never leave reviews on here but this game was so bad that I had to. Hardly enough money when starting to do anything and then after choosing the characters and first building (took 5 mins) it makes you wait 45 minutes before you are allowed to do anything else and basically locks you out of the game unless you watch 5 ads to skip. ### 1/5 — Rubbish *2024-07-15, version 1.2.0* Don’t waste your time ### 1/5 — Yep deleted this one real quick. *2024-07-10, version 1.2.0* Couldn’t even get past picking the interiors of the first level before it required payment. Total cash grab not worth the money. Then just to pick the exterior to move forward you have to either subscribe to premium or watch 5 ads! Yeah that’s a no for me. ### 1/5 — Definitely a money grab *2024-07-10, version 1.2.0* You can barely progress without real money put into the game and have to wait 45 minutes after buying a property which you can skip by watching 5 ads which wouldn’t even work for me was fun at the start but you can’t fully enjoy the game with how much you have to come back and fourth every hour or so just to do one tiny little thing. ### 1/5 — Cash grab *2024-07-07, version 1.2.0* Cant pass first level without paying irl $$ ### 1/5 — Unable to level up without real money *2024-06-26, version 1.1.1* This game is pay to win I’m on the second / third episode and in court it asks to pay a fine, instead of the game money they try to force you to pay with real money ### 1/5 — Awful! *2024-06-22, version 1.1.1* I really wanted to like this game. I tried multiple times to complete the first scenario and move on but each time even with the lowest cost stuff I would not have enough money and would need to PURCHASE money. Haven’t even played the game for a couple minutes. Then constant ads and waiting 40 minutes between each objective. I don’t mind some ads and waiting but it’s just ridiculous when you can’t get anywhere in the game because they want you to purchase stuff. ### 1/5 — Don’t bother *2024-06-20, version 1.1.1* I’ve played loads of games and very rarely do I write a review, never has a game tried to get me to buy a subscription or watch 5 ads, get lost ### 1/5 — Geld abzocke *2024-06-06* Echt geiles spiel, nach 4 Entscheidungen kommt man nicht mehr weiter und muss mit echtgeld bezahlen ### 1/5 — Scam *2024-06-02, version 1.1.1* This game is a scam. Bought $100 worth of money for the game. At the end of level 1 it was taken from me. Wrote an email to the developer with no response. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Horrible Game *2026-04-16, version 1.3.27* User interface is horrid. Played for about five minutes and got told I had to wait 45 minutes or pay for the game/watch 5 ads. If I can attach an image I will. Story is nonexistent however design elements are to par. If it weren’t for that I’d say it deserves less than five stars. ### 1/5 — Clunky controls, continue ads, pay to play *2026-03-27, version 1.3.27* The title says it ### 1/5 — Hard to Play *2025-12-21, version 1.3.27* The controls in the game are very clunky and they make you pay to play or wait 5 minutes in between projects. ### 1/5 — CASH GRAB *2025-07-08, version 1.3.27* You can’t get past the first level with having to pay real money. Stupid cash grab ### 1/5 — So Bad *2025-05-31, version 1.3.27* This game is so bad. They have the team be so high priced that even if you get the lowest team you still don’t have enough money to complete the first project. They also make you wait 45 minutes if you want to buy unlimited or watch 5 ads. That’s stupid! Some people just want to play a fun game. This game is not fun at all! Fix the game! ### 1/5 — Fake 5 star ratings *2025-05-15, version 1.3.27* Nobody actually enjoys this game. Scammers. ### 1/5 — Scam *2025-02-19, version 1.3.6* This game is a scam. Don’t bother. ### 1/5 — Not even worth 1 star! *2025-01-27, version 1.3.6* Was excited to play this and not even 1 minute into game play, had to deal with 3 ads! These tycoon games are actually super fun but all these developers making the games with an ad every 30 seconds just make them annoying! Making ads optional for players only if they want a special upgrade and do not want to pay real money would be better and it would probably get more people downloading! Developers are so money hungry that they don’t realise that the ads are what are making people not want to play! Do not waste your time! Better off finding a game like this that you have to actually pay to download cause chances are you won’t have to deal with annoying ads for similar games that also are full of ads or games that want you to pay real money to “win real money”!!!! ### 1/5 — Terrible *2024-10-10, version 1.3* I never even got to start playing the game by the time I paid out all the money that was given I did not have enough to even start playing and I refuse to come out of my personal pocket to play a game. This is an awful game. I thought it would be nice to play, it looked very inviting ### 1/5 — Waste of time *2024-10-03, version 1.3* Worst game ever can’t go any further in the game unless you spend money rubbish ## Most praised reviews (4 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Bryan white life on earth Experience as a Paid $Billionaire Real Estate Tycoon *2025-05-01, version 1.3.27* This game changed my life on earth experience to be everything I want it to be and more. All the money that I want I have been able to receive as this game changed my life experience creating my own world I want to experience in my life experience. I love it. Living the dream life I want to live and it is everything I want it be. Love this game and love my life experience on earth. ### 2/5 — Just wants your money *2024-07-10, version 1.2.0* I restarted and chose the best options numerous times, spent money for no ads and bought diamonds to further myself along. Nothing else unlocks, so I’m stuck where I have the best workers and can’t redo the buildings and also can’t advance to a bigger city without leveling up I assume but you literally can’t get your level any higher (14). I’d love to keep playing because it seems like it could be could but I honestly just lost $15 🙄 so I likely won’t continue playing. ### 2/5 — Profit vor allem *2024-03-15* Es wäre ein echt nettes Spiel, doch schon nach nur ein paar Minuten Spielzeit kommt man nur noch weiter indem man echtes Geld investiert. Schade… ### 2/5 — Doesn’t start with a enough money *2024-02-29, version 1.0.1* This game looked really cool but it starts you off with so little money I had to restart the first part because I ran out of cash so it was either spend real money or restart. The game seems cool but now I have to wait 45min to do more. Seems kinda like a cash grab! I’ll keep it incase they update and make better but seems lacking currently --- *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 2026-09-07.*