Subway Surfers vs Criminal Case
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Endless running gameplay
- Dodge oncoming trains
- Grind trains
- Colorful HD graphics
- Hoverboard surfing
- Paint powered jetpack
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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.
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.
- Investigate crime scenes
- Examine and analyze clues
- Interrogate witnesses and suspects
- Solve murder cases
- Play with friends
- Analyze evidence
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Subway Surfers | Criminal Case |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (3.8M ratings) | 4.7 (36K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 86.5% of reviews — better | 59.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3.8M — better | 36K |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #5 — better | #129 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 407 MB | 132 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Sybo Games ApS | Pretty Simple |
Customer experience
Subway Surfers
Criminal Case
User reviews
Subway Surfers
From 3.8M App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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
Subway Surfers
- 7,500 Coins$0.99
- 12 500 Coins$0.99
- Starter Pack$0.99
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- 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
Criminal Case
- Pizza3 Days trial$2.997 Days
- Instant Analysis$0.99
- Ham$0.99
- Instant Access$0.99
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- 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?
Is Criminal Case free?
Which has better reviews, Subway Surfers or Criminal Case?
Do Subway Surfers or Criminal Case have ads?
Which is updated more often, Subway Surfers or Criminal Case?
Which is more popular, Subway Surfers or Criminal Case?
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