Comparison

Cross Boss vs Brain Wars

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

Head to head
About

Cross Boss

This app transforms traditional crosswords into a competitive two-player word game. It adds tactical elements to the familiar crossword format, allowing you to challenge friends or random opponents. Enjoy a vast library of puzzles and engage with opponents through chat.

Highlights
  • Two-player competitive word game
  • Tactical game elements
  • Challenge friends or random opponents
  • Play over the net or locally
  • In-game chat
  • Over 200 high-quality crosswords
Features
Read full description

Cross Boss – transforms regular crosswords into an exciting word game! The game is based on the crosswords we all know and love. However, we’ve spiced them up with a whole new set of tactical game ingredients, which make Cross Boss a competitive social game for two. Trying it out is a no-brainer for all word gamers and crossword solvers! With Cross Boss in your iPhone you can: * Challenge friends or try your luck against random opponents. * Play over the net or use the same mobile for both players. * Encourage or trash talk your opponent in the chat. * Enjoy over 200 high quality crosswords, created by the best specifically for Cross Boss. * Delight in the spectacular savings of downloading and playing for free. * Liberally share the fun with your friends via Facebook or email. Now show the world who is the boss! Download and challenge someone already today!

About

Brain Wars

Engage in real-time competitive brain training against players worldwide. Solve simple puzzles to outscore opponents, climb global rankings, and challenge friends. Improve your mental concentration and adaptability through continuous, intuitive challenges suitable for all ages.

Highlights
  • Real-time global battles
  • Challenge friends
  • Worldwide rankings
  • Simple brain teasers
  • Intuitive training
  • Adaptable challenges
Features
Read full description

Over 20 million downloads! ◇◆Competitive Brain Training Game◆◇ Increase your brain power and compete against players from around the world! Experience the heated battle that will keep you on your toes! Highly rated by players who enjoy Puzzles Crosswords, Sudoku, and other brain teasers! ▼The Rules ・Outscore your opponents with simple brain teasers! ・Defeat them and climb the worldwide rankings! ・Challenge your friends with real-time matches! ・Increase your Brain Power through continuous challenges! ◆Real-Time Battle Experience Compete with worldwide challengers―LIVE! Test your opponents and push your brain to its limit! ◆Play With Friends! Invite your friends for double the fun! Connect through FaceBook and challenge everyone! ◆Strive For World-class Rankings The stage is the world―Play against players from around the globe and place on the worldwide ranking! ◆Simple & Intuitive Brain Training! Easy to understand mental training rules and concepts suitable for all ages! ◆The key to matches? Brain Teasers don't contain certain subjects or languages! Train your brain and easily adapt through repetition! ◆New and Updates ・Official FaceBook Page https://www.facebook.com/brainwars ・Official Twitter https://twitter.com/brainwars_jp ▼Details BrainWars is a mental concentration battle game for players from around the world. Players of all ages can participate in this through simple brain teasers and compete with each other. Brain Teasers do not require special knowledge so everyone can improve their brain function through repetition and adaptation.

Screenshots

Cross Boss4 screens
Brain Wars4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Brain Wars at 4.6 against Cross Boss's 4.2. Brain Wars also leads on ratings volume (2.5K vs 59) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months). Cross Boss's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 65%). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Cross Boss sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Brain Wars sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Brain Wars holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brain Wars has 2.5K ratings behind it against 59, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of Cross Boss's written reviews are positive against 65% of Brain Wars's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cross Boss ships an update every 3 months, Brain Wars every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Cross Boss versus Brain Wars: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCross BossBrain Wars
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (59 ratings)4.6 (2.5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews — better64.8% of reviews
Number of ratings592.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.615.6
Further details — not scored
Size71 MB63 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperKEP GamesTranslimit, Inc.

Customer experience

Cross Boss

All ratings59 ratings
Positive83.1%
Neutral3.4%
Negative13.6%
Written reviews68 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral8.8%
Negative16.2%

Brain Wars

All ratings2,486 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral3.5%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews395 reviews
Positive64.8%
Neutral10.1%
Negative25.1%

User reviews

Cross Boss

From 59 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun competitive crosswords
  • 💡 Great game concept
  • 👍 Easy to learn UI
  • 😊 Addictive and fun
  • 👍 Good for brain exercise

Room to improve

  • 😠 Too many ads
  • 😠 Ads are intrusive
  • 😠 Ads are game breaking
  • 😠 Subscription for ad-free
  • 😠 Greedy IAP model

Brain Wars

From 2.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Challenging and competitive
  • 🧠 Helps train the brain
  • 👍 Fun and addictive
  • 🌍 Ability to play against people worldwide

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 💰 Too many ads and in-app purchases
  • 🤖 Matchmaking issues, playing against bots
  • 🔌 Connectivity problems

Bugs and requests

Cross Boss

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Notifications stopped working
  • App crashes constantly
  • No keyboard to type word after unlocking clue
  • App not working with iOS 9

Requested features

5 requests
  • Option to force forfeit or extend game time
  • More puzzles by 'Mark'
  • Single player mode with normal crossword
  • Option to start game with all clues revealed
  • Pro version for ad removal

Brain Wars

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Challenges not working properly
  • Crashes when exiting ads
  • Freezing and loading issues
  • Incorrect scoring/stats updates

Requested features

4 requests
  • Offline practice mode
  • Clearer explanation of ranking/scoring system
  • More game variety
  • Ability to challenge friends asynchronously

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Cross Boss

One-time2
  • Statistics$1.99
  • No ads for six months$2.99
8 purchases

Brain Wars

One-time8
  • Heal Heart$0.99
  • 20 Coins$1.99
  • Remove Ads Option$3.99
Show 5 more
  • 50 Coins$4.99
  • 120 Coins$11.99
  • 240 Coins$23.99
  • 480 Coins$47.99
  • 750 Coins$74.99

Questions

Is Cross Boss free?
Cross Boss is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Brain Wars free?
Brain Wars is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cross Boss or Brain Wars?
Brain Wars is rated higher. Cross Boss averages 4.2 out of 5 from 59 ratings, while Brain Wars averages 4.6 from 2.5K ratings.
Do Cross Boss or Brain Wars have ads?
Both Cross Boss and Brain Wars show ads.
Which is updated more often, Cross Boss or Brain Wars?
Cross Boss ships an update every 3 months, and Brain Wars every 6 weeks. Most recently, Cross Boss was updated on November 1, 2026 and Brain Wars on November 6, 2026.

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