Blocky XMAS vs Close Cities
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Blocky XMAS
A festive block puzzle game where players guide a magnetic star block to arrange Christmas tree blocks. Swipe to move the star, and watch other blocks magnetically follow. Conquer 40 challenging levels to complete the holiday puzzles.
- Christmas-themed block puzzles
- Magnetic block mechanics
- 40 challenging levels
- Swipe-to-move gameplay
- Intuitive puzzle solving
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A Christmas themed blocky puzzle game with 40 levels. Can you get all the Christmas tree blocks into place in this blocky puzzle game for you? How to play? When you swipe anywhere on the screen, you move the star block. But the star block is magnetic, so all other blocks will stick to the star block. Now try to get all the blocks into place! @BartBonte
Close Cities
Build beautiful cities on diverse worlds by solving unique puzzles. This relaxing game guides you through 160 levels with a simple tap or drag interface, requiring no architectural knowledge. Conquer each world's challenges and travel through time with its calming soundtrack.
- Build cities on empty maps
- Solve 160 unique puzzle levels
- Intuitive tap and drag controls
- No architectural knowledge needed
- Travel through different worlds
- Relaxing music and pace
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Close Cities is a relaxing puzzle game in which you will have to build cities in different worlds over time. Find a road and start there. Solve all 160 levels and become a Close Cities legend! UNIQUE PUZZLES You will start each level with an empty map that you will have to fill with beautiful cities. Choose the right road, choose the area and tap or drag with your fingers! DOES NOT REQUIRE KNOWLEDGE OF ARCHITECTURE Close Cities offers a fun experience even if you don't know the difference between a square and a bevel. The game's tutorial will show you everything you need to know at a relaxed pace. CONQUER ITS 160 LEVELS Each world has its king and 16 levels that you must solve to build his empire. TRAVEL THROUGH TIME During the course of the game you will discover different worlds over time with relaxed music to let you go.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Blocky XMAS at 100% against Close Cities's 69%. Blocky XMAS also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Close Cities's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (356 vs 34). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Blocky XMAS sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Close Cities sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Blocky XMAS holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Close Cities has 356 ratings behind it against 34, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Blocky XMAS's written reviews are positive against 69% of Close Cities's.
Blocky XMAS ships an update every 7 months, Close Cities every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on August 18, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Blocky XMAS | Close Cities |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (34 ratings) — better | 4.8 (356 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 69.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 34 | 356 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 20 MB | 158 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bart BONTE | Juan Manuel Altamirano Argudo |
Customer experience
Blocky XMAS
Close Cities
In-app purchases
Blocky XMAS
- premium unlock$2.49
Close Cities
- Hints - Small Pack$0.99
- Hints - Medium Pack$2.99
- Remove Ads + Hints$2.99
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- Hints - Big Pack$5.99
