Comparison

Hidden City vs Runes

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

Head to head
About

Hidden City

Embark on a thrilling detective adventure to rescue a friend from a mysterious phantom city. Solve puzzles, explore dark dungeons, and battle strange creatures as you uncover secrets and confront evil.

Highlights
  • Hidden object scenes
  • Quests and puzzles
  • Dungeon exploration
  • Combat against monsters and cults
  • Offline play
  • Friend assistance
Features
Read full description

Hidden City is a hidden object detective adventure for players who enjoy cozy mystery games, search-and-find puzzles, story-rich quests and richly detailed scenes. Explore a mystical Victorian city, find hidden objects, follow clues, solve puzzles, meet unique characters and uncover magical secrets in the City of Shadows. Your next investigation awaits in a game where detective cases, beautiful search scenes, puzzle variety and magical events blend into one captivating mystery story. Look closer, collect clues and discover why every object, note and artifact matters. What will you investigate? Search atmospheric scenes filled with hidden items, evidence, notes, artifacts, keys, symbols, curiosities and visual clues. Every location invites careful observation and rewards players who love to find meaningful details in beautiful environments. Explore foggy streets, ornate halls, manor-like rooms, curious shops, gardens, arcades, laboratories and magical city districts. Each place supports the mystery and turns object search into part of the investigation. Which search modes can you play? Hidden City keeps the main investigation fresh with different modes designed to test your observation skills: • Words mode: Classic hidden object searching using text lists. • Silhouettes mode: Visual challenges based on object shapes. • Night mode: Focused searches in dim scenes using a spotlight. • Pairs mode: Matching identical or logically related objects to test your attention. These modes support players who enjoy search-and-find adventures, visual puzzles, detective games and finding hidden items through careful observation. Are there mini-games and puzzles? Yes. The core search mechanics are supported by puzzle modes that add variety without taking over the main experience. Take a break from the investigation and play through: • Spot the difference: Compare two scenes using sharp observation. • Match-3 levels: Crystal and gem matching for satisfying puzzle breaks. • Brain teasers: Logic mini-games, memory challenges and story-driven riddles. This mix works well for players who want a detective game with brain teasers, a mystery puzzle with clues or a search-and-find adventure with match-3 elements. How does the story unfold? Follow narrative-driven quests, character stories, special cases and event investigations. Assemble artifact collections, solve anomalies, complete requests and unlock rewards that help you continue your detective journey. Every quest connects detailed scenes, puzzle challenges, magical discoveries and story progression into one polished mystery adventure. Play Hidden City your way • Play offline: Continue your investigation anywhere, even without an internet connection. • Follow the story: Return to character quests, detective cases and magical events as your mystery unfolds. • Regular updates: Discover new cases, quests, search scenes and special events added over time. • Cross-device sync: Save your progress and switch between your devices. While this game is absolutely free to play, you have the ability to unlock optional bonuses via in-app purchases from within the game. You may disable in-app purchases in your device settings. You can play this game even if you’re offline! Game available in: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, Ukrainian. ____________________________ Sign up now for a weekly round-up of the best from G5 Games! https://www.g5.com/e-mail ____________________________ Download more great games here: https://store.g5.com G5 Games — World of Adventures™! Collect them all! Search for ""g5"" in the App Store! ____________________________ Visit us: https://www.g5.com Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/g5enter Find us: https://www.facebook.com/HiddenCityGame/ Join us: https://www.instagram.com/hiddencity_ Follow us: https://x.com/g5games

About

Runes

Uncover the secrets of a mysterious town by searching intricately illustrated scenes for hidden objects and solving puzzles. Follow a detective through a captivating storyline with unique challenges and unlock magical artifacts as you progress. Play at your own pace with optional hints.

Highlights
  • Search hand-painted scenes for hidden objects
  • Spot subtle differences
  • Solve puzzles and brain teasers
  • Follow a twisting storyline
  • Collect magical artifacts
  • Play at your own pace with hints
Features
Read full description

Something strange is happening in Enchanted Crossroads. Doors that weren't there yesterday. Whispers in empty rooms. A rune etched into a mirror that no one remembers hanging. When Detective Greystone calls for your help, it becomes clear — this charming little town is hiding more than it shows. Search hand-painted scenes for hidden objects, spot subtle differences, and solve puzzles that guard the town's oldest secrets. Each clue you find pulls you deeper into a mystery woven through 15+ beautifully illustrated chapters. But the closer you look, the more questions arise. Who — or what — is watching from the crossroads? WHAT AWAITS YOU A Mystery Worth Solving Follow Detective Greystone through a twisting storyline filled with enchanted characters, buried secrets, and revelations you won't see coming. A World Rich in Detail Wander through 15+ stunning hand-crafted scenes — from moonlit gardens to forgotten libraries — each hiding objects, differences, and surprises. Puzzles That Reward Curiosity Hidden object searches, spot-the-difference challenges, and clever brain teasers — 4+ unique puzzle types keep every chapter fresh. Your Collection Grows Complete quests to unlock rare magical artifacts and build a personal trove of enchanted items. Play at Your Own Pace No timers. No pressure. Helpful hints are always within reach whenever you need a gentle nudge. Optional in-app purchases are available, but you can complete the full story without spending anything. The crossroads are calling. Will you answer?

Screenshots

Hidden City4 screens
Runes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Hidden City at 95K against Runes's 576. Hidden City also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 weeks) and chart position (#136 vs unranked). Runes's advantage is review sentiment (83% vs 72%) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.0). 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. Hidden City sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Runes sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Runes holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hidden City has 95K ratings behind it against 576, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Hidden City's written reviews are positive against 83% of Runes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hidden City ships an update every 9 days, Runes every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Hidden City versus Runes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHidden CityRunes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (95K ratings)4.5 (576 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.3% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings95K — better576
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#136 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size320 MB186 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperG5 Entertainment ABCrisp App Studio

Customer experience

Hidden City

All ratings95,045 ratings
Positive85.6%
Neutral10.4%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews2,587 reviews
Positive72.3%
Neutral10.7%
Negative17.0%

Runes

All ratings577 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral7.6%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral7.1%
Negative9.5%

User reviews

Hidden City

From 95K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Challenging
  • 👍 Fun and challenging
  • 👍 Great fun
  • 👍 Fabulous
  • 👍 Never knew I could be such a clever person

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Hidden City: You have a VERY offensive ad in your line up
  • 💰 Too costly, not enough bang for your hard earned bucks
  • 💰 Game is the most frustrating I have ever played, very little in return for achieving goals
  • 💰 Game is getting more and more difficult to play without making in-app purchases
  • 🐛 Quite often when visiting friends, the game freezes and I can no longer continue playing

Runes

From 576 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great graphics
  • 🧠 Exercises the brain
  • 🤩 Fun to play
  • 🧘‍♀️ Relaxing gameplay
  • 🔍 Interesting hidden object puzzles

Room to improve

  • 💰 Energy/ads require purchases
  • 🕰️ Too many interruptions
  • 🌃 Dark and blurry scenes
  • 🤔 Unclear progression/navigation

Bugs and requests

Hidden City

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Can not access the game to sign in after changing password
  • Game freezes and crashes frequently
  • Losing progress and achievements when switching devices
  • Glitches with events and mini-games
  • Disappearing items and rewards
Show 1 more
  • Compatibility issues with older devices

Requested features

9 requests
  • Give more free rubies, game is too expensive
  • Make the game less expensive
  • Give more rewards for completing goals
  • Make the game less frustrating and more enjoyable
  • Fix the glitches and technical issues
Show 4 more
  • Provide better instructions and tutorials
  • Offer an ad-free version for a one-time purchase
  • Make the mini-games less difficult and frustrating
  • Improve the social features and gifting system

Runes

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Energy recharge issues
  • Purchase rejections

Requested features

2 requests
  • Restart option
  • Clearer level progression

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Hidden City

One-time10
  • Special Offer$0.99
  • Cluster of Rubies$1.99
  • Tray of Rubies$4.99
Show 7 more
  • Super Deal$4.99
  • Platter of Rubies$9.99
  • Hyper Deal$9.99
  • Drawer of Rubies$19.99
  • Special Deal$19.99
  • Trunk of Rubies$49.99
  • Stockpile of Rubies$99.99
7 purchases

Runes

One-time7
  • Instant Hint$0.99
  • Handful of Gems$0.99
  • Bag with Gems$1.99
Show 4 more
  • Infinity Energy + No Ads$2.99
  • Сhest with Gems$2.99
  • Master Pack Special$3.99
  • Master Pack: All-included$7.99

Questions

Is Hidden City free?
Hidden City is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Runes free?
Runes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hidden City or Runes?
Runes is rated higher. Hidden City averages 4.3 out of 5 from 95K ratings, while Runes averages 4.5 from 576 ratings.
Do Hidden City or Runes have ads?
Both Hidden City and Runes show ads.
Which is updated more often, Hidden City or Runes?
Hidden City ships an update every 9 days, and Runes every 6 weeks. Most recently, Hidden City was updated on November 5, 2026 and Runes on November 3, 2026.

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