Comparison

Sparkle the Game vs Mahjong by Microsoft

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Sparkle the Game

Engage in a thrilling marble shooter adventure to banish dark orbs and save the land. Match three or more orbs of the same color to make them disappear, earning power-ups and utilizing mystical amulets to overcome challenges. Explore diverse levels and game modes in this polished action puzzler.

Highlights
  • Match-three orb popping gameplay
  • Over ten powerful amulets
  • Dozens of power-ups
  • Multiple game modes (Quest, Challenges, Survival)
  • Hand-crafted levels
  • Game Center Achievements
  • Colorblind mode
Features
Read full description

Pop the Orbs and Save the World! REVIEWS "Highly polished and easily recommended action puzzler." toucharcade.com (5/5) "It's a blast." gamepro.com (5/5) "Sparkle has wonderful details and exciting gameplay." appsafari.com (4.5/5) "Sparkle has taken over the throne as best marble shooter in the App Store. MUST BUY." appadvice.com DESCRIPTION Get ready to save the Crowberry Woods in this marble shooter hit! Banish the Orbs of Darkness with your Orb Slinger by tapping where you want your orb to land. Match three same color orbs to make them disappear. Match more to earn amazing Powerups! Don't let the Orbs of Darkness fall into the abyss! Discover more than ten powerful Amulets like Firebolt throughout your journey. Use the Amulets to clear some of the trickier challenges. Embark on an extraordinary journey and reclaim your land! FEATURES - Enjoy hours of top quality action puzzling - Travel through Crowberry Woods and discover more than 10 powerful Amulets - Use over a dozen powerups - Game Center Achievements - Magnificent soundtrack (check the trailer!) - Uncover the 12 secrets of the woods. Hint: Butterflies - Wide selection of different hand crafted levels - 3 game modes: Quest, Challenges, and Survival. - Includes colorblind mode. Check out the gameplay trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHQUI9R8mPI

About

Mahjong by Microsoft

Engage in hundreds of strategic tile-matching puzzles with beautiful backgrounds and relaxing sounds. Earn points, complete daily challenges, and unlock new content. Customize your game and train your brain with this classic experience.

Highlights
  • Hundreds of Mahjong puzzles
  • Daily challenges
  • Earn points and collect achievements
  • Unlock new tile sets and backgrounds
  • Customize game board
  • Bookmark favorite puzzles
  • Brain training
Read full description

Escape in the tranquil beauty of Mahjong by Microsoft where hundreds of tile matching puzzles are ready to solve in the popular game of strategy, memory, and skill. Play among gorgeous backgrounds, relaxing sounds, and unique themes to match any mood. Relax as you earn points by completing mahjong puzzles at your own pace. Use HINTS or SHUFFLE tiles for ease of play. Earn extra points when you solve puzzles without HELP, or match the same suit of mahjong tiles in a row to create a chain bonus. Choose a higher LEVEL of DIFFICULTY to earn even more points! Unlock NEW mahjong tile sets & backgrounds as you level up. Customize your board or bookmark your FAVORITES to play again and again. Five (5) DAILY CHALLENGES available for you to complete each day. Achieve Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond, or a Perfect Badge for completing ALL challenges EVERY DAY of the month! Choose from Classic Challenges, Golden Tiles, Lightning Tiles, Match Attack, or Score Attack. For even MORE excitement, turn on the timer to challenge your speed, or find Quick Play matches. No matter how you play, enjoy a peaceful journey in Mahjong by Microsoft. • Hundreds of Puzzles to Solve • 5 Unique Daily Challenges Every Day • Earn Points & Collect Achievements • Enjoy ENDLESS FUN! • New Tile Sets & Backgrounds • Bookmark Favorite Puzzles to Play Again • Customize Your Game Board • Train Your Brain with Tile-Matching Fun • Relax among Tranquil Scenes & Soothing Sounds Sign-in with a Microsoft Account to save your progress, collect achievements, and play across multiple mobile devices. Upgrade to Premium on iPhone and iPad. You can purchase the Microsoft Mahjong Premium Subscription for $1.99 per Month or $9.99 per Year. Benefits that come with a Premium Subscription include: • Removing advertisements from your game • Play Daily Challenges from previous months NOTE: Premium Subscription grants premium experience on mobile only. It is non-transferrable to other platforms. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account on confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews monthly or annually depending on the subscription type purchased. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period ($1.99 monthly, or $9.99 annually, depending on the subscription type purchased). You can turn off your auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings after purchase. If auto-renewal is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period, you will not be charged for the next period. All cancellations will take effect at the end of the current period. For more information visit: https://aka.ms/MicrosoftMahjong_support © Microsoft 2025. All Rights Reserved. Microsoft, Microsoft Casual Games, the product logos and Mahjong, and the Mahjong logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Acceptance of Microsoft Services Agreement and Privacy Statement are required to play. (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/servicesagreement, https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/privacy/privacystatement) Microsoft account registration required for cross-platform play. Game offers in-app purchases. Persistent internet connection required. Features, online services and system requirements may vary by country and are subject to change or retirement over time.

Screenshots

Sparkle the Game4 screens
Mahjong by Microsoft4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Mahjong by Microsoft at Free against Sparkle the Game's $2.99. Mahjong by Microsoft also leads on ratings volume (2.5K vs 23). Sparkle the Game's advantage is review sentiment (90% vs 47%) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On update cadence and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Mahjong by Microsoft is free to download; Sparkle the Game costs $2.99 up front. Mahjong by Microsoft sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Sparkle the Game asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sparkle the Game holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mahjong by Microsoft has 2.5K ratings behind it against 23, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Sparkle the Game's written reviews are positive against 47% of Mahjong by Microsoft's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sparkle the Game ships an update every 5 months, Mahjong by Microsoft every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Sparkle the Game versus Mahjong by Microsoft: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSparkle the GameMahjong by Microsoft
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (23 ratings) — better4.5 (2.5K ratings)
Positive reviews89.6% of reviews — better46.8% of reviews
Number of ratings232.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB129 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer10tons LtdMicrosoft Corporation

Customer experience

Sparkle the Game

All ratings23 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral4.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews471 reviews
Positive89.6%
Neutral4.2%
Negative6.2%

Mahjong by Microsoft

All ratings2,468 ratings
Positive87.9%
Neutral4.2%
Negative7.9%
Written reviews380 reviews
Positive46.8%
Neutral17.6%
Negative35.5%

User reviews

Sparkle the Game

From 23 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 👍 Addictive and challenging
  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics and music
  • 💎 Variety of power-ups and amulets
  • 🕹️ Intuitive controls

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 🎨 Difficulty distinguishing colors
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🔁 Repetitive levels
  • 🕰️ Difficulty spike later in the game

Mahjong by Microsoft

From 2.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 👍 Variety of puzzles and boards
  • ⭐ Great visual design
  • 💡 Challenging but rewarding
  • 🕹️ Relaxing and enjoyable

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
  • 📢 Intrusive and excessive ads
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🔒 Connectivity issues with daily challenges
  • 🚫 Progress not syncing across devices

Bugs and requests

Sparkle the Game

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on startup after updates
  • Unresponsive controls at times
  • Saved progress not loading correctly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Colorblind mode
  • More levels and content updates
  • Ability to save progress and resume
  • Leaderboards and achievements

Mahjong by Microsoft

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Tiles getting stuck and unable to complete puzzles
  • Wrong puzzles loading when selected
  • Daily challenges not downloading properly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Landscape mode support
  • Option to disable animations
  • More puzzle packs and content updates
  • Sync progress with Xbox account
  • Premium version without ads

In-app purchases

None

Sparkle the Game

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Mahjong by Microsoft

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly Subscription$1.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium Subscription$9.991 Year

Questions

Is Sparkle the Game free?
Sparkle the Game costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mahjong by Microsoft free?
Mahjong by Microsoft is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sparkle the Game or Mahjong by Microsoft?
Sparkle the Game is rated higher. Sparkle the Game averages 4.9 out of 5 from 23 ratings, while Mahjong by Microsoft averages 4.5 from 2.5K ratings.
Do Sparkle the Game or Mahjong by Microsoft have ads?
Mahjong by Microsoft shows ads; Sparkle the Game does not.
Which is updated more often, Sparkle the Game or Mahjong by Microsoft?
Sparkle the Game ships an update every 5 months, and Mahjong by Microsoft every 3 months. Most recently, Sparkle the Game was updated on October 17, 2026 and Mahjong by Microsoft on October 21, 2026.

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