Comparison

Rules! vs Pocket Bandit

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

Head to head
About

Rules!

Engage in a fast-paced, challenging, and fun puzzle game with a hundred levels. Features a daily brain workout for Apple Watch and animated stickers. Offers multiple game modes and unique mechanics.

Highlights
  • Daily Apple Watch brain workout
  • Animated sticker pack
  • Beginner, Expert, or Timeless game modes
  • Multi-touch interface
  • Color perception assistance
  • Surprising new game mechanics
Features
Read full description

• Includes a daily brain workout mini-game for Apple Watch • Includes animated sticker pack • App Store – Best Apple Watch Game of 2015 • App Store – Best of 2014 • German Developer Award 2014 – Best mobile Game • German Video Game Award 2015 – Best mobile Game • Pocket Gamer Awards 2015 Finalist Best Casual/Puzzle Game & Most Innovative Game RULES! is a cute puzzle game that's challenging, fast-paced and fun. • Choose your preferred type of game: Beginner, Expert or Timeless • “What’s presented here is a stylish, original, clever puzzle game that I’m having trouble putting down long enough to write this review.” ~ Gamezebo “A delightfully constructed memory test that grows in complexity and appeal the deeper in you go.” ~ Pocket Gamer “The Coding Monkeys have never released anything that wasn’t utterly brilliant, therefore Rules shall almost certainly be brilliant.” ~ Pocket Tactics Follow RULES! into a hundred level-deep maze of cuteness and order: • Multi-touch interface at its finest • Color perception assistance mode • Whales, Unicorns, Robots and Squirrels! • A plethora of surprising new game mechanics

About

Pocket Bandit

A fast-paced puzzle game designed exclusively for Apple Watch. Utilize the digital crown and haptic feedback to crack safes and steal over 100 unique treasures. Become the ultimate bandit in this clever, on-the-go gaming experience.

Highlights
  • Apple Watch exclusive puzzle gameplay
  • Over 100 treasures to collect
  • Digital crown for movement
  • Vibration feedback for hints
  • Apple Watch complications
  • iMessage stickers
Features
Read full description

"Pocket Bandit is a hidden gem" - Eurogamer Top 11 Best Apple Watch Games : "It’s such a smart use of the device’s most distinctive feature" - Mac World Top 15 Apple Watch games you should play : "It’s clever, and, as a plus, requires no actual lawbreaking." - Tom's Guide "Best Apple Watch games list " - Techradar "Best Apple Watch games list " - iMore Pocket Bandit is a fun and fast-paced puzzle game for Apple Watch. To orchestrate your heist, the Apple watch will be the key : use the crown to move and vibrations to find the good combination ! Each successful heist will give you a treasure and there is more than 100 of them : Steal'em all to become the King of Bandits ! Note : You will need an Apple Watch to play Pocket Bandit (you dont need an iPhone). FEATURES * The perfect puzzle game for Apple Watch : quick, fun and deep gameplay ! * More than 100 treasures to find. This month, steal Santa Claus factory ! * Complications for Apple Watch and 10 stickers for iMessage. * Beautiful and stylish visuals. * Pay Once and play forever ! Events and new content are on the way... HOW TO PLAY THE GAME * Use the digital crown to move the cursor * When the Apple watch starts vibrating, it means that you are on a good number. * Touch the Apple Watch to validate the number. * If it's the good number, the safe will open ! * You win a treasure. There's more than 100 to collect ! DEVELOPER Seele games is a company specialized in iPhone and AppleWatch games. We make great games on small devices, with outside the box concepts, created with love, passion and generosity. Thank you ! http://seelegames.com/

Screenshots

Rules!4 screens
Pocket Bandit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Rules! at 4.2 against Pocket Bandit's 3.6. Rules! also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 22 months) and review sentiment (71% vs 54%). Pocket Bandit's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $2.99) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.2). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases 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

Rules! costs $2.99 and Pocket Bandit $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Rules! holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 67 and 69 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Rules!'s written reviews are positive against 54% of Pocket Bandit's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rules! ships an update monthly, Pocket Bandit every 22 months. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Rules! versus Pocket Bandit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRules!Pocket Bandit
Price$2.99$0.99 — better
Rating4.2 (67 ratings) — better3.6 (69 ratings)
Positive reviews70.8% of reviews — better54.2% of reviews
Number of ratings6769 — better
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 22 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank#98 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.212.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer137bSeele Games

Customer experience

Rules!

All ratings67 ratings
Positive73.1%
Neutral14.9%
Negative11.9%
Written reviews233 reviews
Positive70.8%
Neutral12.4%
Negative16.7%

Pocket Bandit

All ratings65 ratings
Positive64.6%
Neutral7.7%
Negative27.7%
Written reviews72 reviews
Positive54.2%
Neutral11.1%
Negative34.7%

User reviews

Rules!

From 67 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Challenging and fun game
  • 👍 Gorgeous design and smooth UI
  • 👍 Great brain workout
  • 👍 Addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Fair monetization with no ads or IAPs

Room to improve

  • 🕰️ Very short time limit
  • 🔁 Having to restart from level 1 after losing
  • 🎨 Colorblind-unfriendly
  • 🤔 Repetitive gameplay with same rule order

Pocket Bandit

From 69 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and entertaining
  • 💡 Innovative use of Apple Watch
  • ✅ Good for passing time
  • 💯 Well-made concept
  • 📱 Perfect for Apple Watch

Room to improve

  • 🥱 Gets boring quickly
  • 📉 Repetitive gameplay
  • 💸 Waste of money
  • 🤷 Confusing to play
  • 🐌 Slow on older watches

Bugs and requests

Rules!

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Freezing and crashing issues, especially on Apple Watch
  • Unresponsive tapping on certain tiles

Requested features

5 requests
  • Option to save progress and continue from last level
  • Randomized rule order
  • Difficulty settings with longer time limits
  • Colorblind accessibility options
  • More game modes and challenges

Pocket Bandit

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App freezes constantly
  • Game doesn't open or install
  • Bug: Red zone continues to fill after victory
  • Bug: Alarm spawns on pointer
  • Bug: Detector spawns on top of dial
Show 4 more
  • App crashes
  • Game not working on specific watch models
  • Display freezes
  • Red alarm area triggered on last number causes loss

Requested features

10 requests
  • More different types of robberies
  • Something to spend money on
  • See pictures of loot in gallery
  • Lower time limit or higher safe numbers
  • Add more secure types or ways to open the safe
Show 5 more
  • Add purchasable abilities (speed, sensibility)
  • Add more new features and interaction with the safe
  • Add training or warm-up mode
  • Optimize for full-screen watch
  • Add more kinds of puzzles

In-app purchases

None

Rules!

No in-app purchases

None

Pocket Bandit

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Rules! free?
Rules! costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pocket Bandit free?
Pocket Bandit costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Rules! or Pocket Bandit?
Rules! is rated higher. Rules! averages 4.2 out of 5 from 67 ratings, while Pocket Bandit averages 3.6 from 69 ratings.
Do Rules! or Pocket Bandit have ads?
Neither Rules! nor Pocket Bandit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Rules! or Pocket Bandit?
Rules! ships an update monthly, and Pocket Bandit every 22 months. Most recently, Rules! was updated on October 26, 2026 and Pocket Bandit on October 26, 2026.

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