Comparison

Subway Surfers vs Criminal Case

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

Head to head
About

Subway Surfers

Embark on an exhilarating endless running adventure. Dash through vibrant environments, dodge obstacles, and outrun pursuers. Utilize power-ups like jetpacks and hoverboards to enhance your escape and achieve high scores.

Highlights
  • Endless running gameplay
  • Dodge oncoming trains
  • Grind trains
  • Colorful HD graphics
  • Hoverboard surfing
  • Paint powered jetpack
Read full description

DASH as fast as you can! DODGE the oncoming trains! Help Jake, Tricky & Fresh escape from the grumpy Guard and his dog. - Grind trains with your cool crew! - Colorful and vivid HD graphics! - Hoverboard Surfing! - Paint powered jetpack! - Lightning fast swipe acrobatics! - Challenge and help your friends! Join the App Store's most daring chase! A Universal App with HD optimized graphics for retina resolution. Originally co-developed by SYBO and Kiloo.

About

Criminal Case

Engage in a captivating detective adventure by investigating crime scenes, gathering clues, and interrogating suspects. Analyze evidence to uncover the truth and bring murderers to justice in a grim city. Prove your detective prowess in this immersive hidden object game.

Highlights
  • Investigate crime scenes
  • Examine and analyze clues
  • Interrogate witnesses and suspects
  • Solve murder cases
  • Play with friends
  • Analyze evidence
Features
Currently charting
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A murder has been reported in Grimsborough, Detective. Grab your badge — the Chief is waiting. Criminal Case is the original hidden object detective game: the award-winning phenomenon that has turned more than 100 million players into detectives since 2012. Search crime scenes for clues, examine the evidence, interrogate the suspects — and when the proof is solid, arrest the killer yourself. INVESTIGATE CRIME SCENES Every case starts at the scene of the crime. Search gorgeous hand-drawn locations for hidden objects and vital clues, race the clock for the best score, and earn the stars that move your investigation forward. RUN THE LAB Take your findings to the forensics team. Analyze samples, decode messages, reconstruct torn documents and match fingerprints. In Grimsborough, every detail talks — if you know how to listen. INTERROGATE THE SUSPECTS Bring witnesses and suspects in for questioning. Compare their statements with the facts, catch them lying, and profile your killer trait by trait until only one name is left. ARREST THE KILLER Most mystery games end when you find the last object. Criminal Case is where it gets serious: match the evidence to your suspects and put the right one behind bars. Get it wrong, and a killer walks free. ONE CITY. 56 CASES. ONE CONSPIRACY. From the smokestacks of the Industrial Area to the runways of the Airport, the six districts of Grimsborough hide 56 murder cases — and the deeper you dig, the clearer it becomes that they are all connected. THE ORIGINAL, SINCE 2012 Facebook Game of the Year 2013. More than 100 million detectives worldwide. The classic that defined crime investigation games on mobile — still updated, still free, still one of a kind. Played back in the day? Welcome back, partner. Jones kept your desk exactly as you left it. BETTER WITH FRIENDS Connect with your friends to team up on investigations, compare your detective skills on the leaderboards, and send each other energy and gifts. THE FIRST OF 8 SEASONS Grimsborough is where the saga begins. Once you have cleaned up this city, seven more seasons of Criminal Case are waiting for you — from Pacific Bay all the way to Paris. Criminal Case is free to play, with optional in-app purchases (you can disable these in your device settings). The optional Pizza subscription raises your energy bar to 170 and removes ads: 2.99 USD/week (or local equivalent) after a 3-day free trial, auto-renewing unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Terms of Service: https://prettysimplegames.com/legal/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://www.prettysimplegames.com/legal/privacy-policy The killer thinks they got away with it, Detective. Prove them wrong.

Screenshots

Subway Surfers4 screens
Criminal Case4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Subway Surfers at weekly against Criminal Case's every 3 months. Subway Surfers also leads on review sentiment (87% vs 60%) and ratings volume (3.8M vs 36K). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Subway Surfers sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Criminal Case sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Subway Surfers against 4.7 for Criminal Case. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Subway Surfers has 3.8M ratings behind it against 36K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 87% of Subway Surfers's written reviews are positive against 60% of Criminal Case's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Subway Surfers ships an update weekly, Criminal Case every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Subway Surfers versus Criminal Case: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSubway SurfersCriminal Case
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (3.8M ratings)4.7 (36K ratings) — better
Positive reviews86.5% of reviews — better59.9% of reviews
Number of ratings3.8M — better36K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#5 — better#129
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size407 MB132 MB
Age rating9+17+
DeveloperSybo Games ApSPretty Simple

Customer experience

Subway Surfers

All ratings3,837,286 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral3.5%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews10,325 reviews
Positive86.5%
Neutral4.9%
Negative8.6%

Criminal Case

All ratings35,824 ratings
Positive91.6%
Neutral3.0%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews1,015 reviews
Positive59.9%
Neutral10.1%
Negative30.0%

User reviews

Subway Surfers

From 3.8M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Addictive and fun gameplay
  • 📱 Works well offline
  • 🎨 Diverse characters and themes
  • 🎢 Challenging and fast-paced
  • 🎁 Rewarding progression system

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🕰️ Frequent updates can be disruptive
  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 🕹️ Difficulty controlling character at times
  • 🔍 Lack of save/sync across devices

Criminal Case

From 36K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Fun and intriguing game
  • 🕵️‍♀️ Interesting crime stories and puzzles
  • 🧠 Challenging and mentally stimulating
  • 🎨 Great graphics and visuals

Room to improve

  • 💰 Excessive ads and in-app purchases
  • ⌚ Slow energy recharge and long wait times
  • 🤖 Poor customer support and lack of response
  • 🔁 Repetitive gameplay and tedious tasks
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and technical issues

Bugs and requests

Subway Surfers

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game crashes after updates
  • Disappearing high scores and progress
  • Unresponsive controls during gameplay
  • Ads that redirect to App Store unexpectedly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to save progress across devices
  • More customization options for characters
  • Difficulty settings or modes
  • Multiplayer/competitive features
  • Reduced ad frequency or ad-free option

Criminal Case

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to connect to Facebook and sync progress
  • Disappearing energy and in-game items
  • Freezing and crashing during gameplay

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to save energy and progress across sessions
  • More efficient energy system and reduced wait times
  • Improved customer support and communication
  • Reduced reliance on ads and in-app purchases

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Subway Surfers

One-time10
  • 7,500 Coins$0.99
  • 12 500 Coins$0.99
  • Starter Pack$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Coin Pack 1$0.99
  • 45,000 Coins$4.99
  • Double Coins$4.99
  • 65 000 Coins$4.99
  • 25 Keys$4.99
  • 40 Keys$4.99
  • Key Pack 1$4.99
10 purchases

Criminal Case

Subscriptions1
  • Pizza3 Days trial$2.997 Days
One-time9
  • Instant Analysis$0.99
  • Ham$0.99
  • Instant Access$0.99
Show 6 more
  • Instant Analysis$1.99
  • Instant Analysis$2.99
  • Pizza$2.99
  • 1 Complete Meal$3.99
  • 1 Burger$4.99
  • 2 Burgers + 1 Free Orange Juice$9.99

Questions

Is Subway Surfers free?
Subway Surfers is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Criminal Case free?
Criminal Case is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Subway Surfers or Criminal Case?
Criminal Case is rated higher. Subway Surfers averages 4.6 out of 5 from 3.8M ratings, while Criminal Case averages 4.7 from 36K ratings.
Do Subway Surfers or Criminal Case have ads?
Both Subway Surfers and Criminal Case show ads.
Which is updated more often, Subway Surfers or Criminal Case?
Subway Surfers ships an update weekly, and Criminal Case every 3 months. Most recently, Subway Surfers was updated on September 26, 2026 and Criminal Case on September 25, 2026.
Which is more popular, Subway Surfers or Criminal Case?
Subway Surfers currently peaks at #5 in the App Store charts, and Criminal Case at #129. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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