Five Elements Chess vs Phantom Words
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Five Elements Chess
Engage in strategic spell-duels with this match-three game inspired by Five Elements theory. Enjoy a calm, Zen-like visual style with a blend of strategy and luck. Compete locally or online against other players.
- Five Elements theory integration
- Match-three gameplay
- Deep strategy
- Zen-inspired visuals
- Local and online PvP
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Five Elements Chess is a spell-duel game that combines the Five Elements theory and match-three gameplay. Features • Simple rules, deep strategy • Calm, Zen-inspired visual style • A balance of strategy and luck that anyone can enjoy • Local and online PvP
Phantom Words
Unscramble letters by sliding rows and columns to form words. Discover hidden letters as you play, with increasing complexity and new mechanics introduced. Offers multiple game modes for varied challenges.
- Sliding row and column puzzles
- Hidden letter discovery
- Progressive difficulty
- Multiple game modes (Classic, Endless, Daily, Lightning)
- iCloud sync across devices
- Game Center leaderboards
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We made Phantom Words for anyone who loves that small, satisfying moment when a jumble of letters suddenly turns into a word. Each board begins scrambled, with most of the letters hidden behind ghost tiles. Slide rows and columns like a 2D Rubik’s Cube, then look for words running across or down the board. Whenever you make one using a tile for the first time, another letter appears. Once every tile is used, the puzzle is complete. Longer words are worth more, while tiles lose value each time you use them. Yellow means a tile is nearly spent; red means you’ve leaned on it too often. Later boards introduce gaps that split rows and columns, multi-letter tiles that keep their letters together, wildcards that can stand in for any letter, and locked tiles that stay fixed until you use them in a word. And if a solution feels messy, you can always come back and find a more elegant one. There are four ways to play: • Classic has 99 handmade levels with increasing difficulty and evolving mechanics. • Endless starts small and procedurally grows while you play. • Daily Challenge gives everyone a new board each day, plus a streak to keep going. • Lightning Mode is the same word hunting, but against the clock. Classic, Endless, and Daily Challenge aren’t timed, so there’s no rush. You get a full score breakdown after each level and can replay it whenever you want. Your progress and settings sync across your devices with iCloud. There are also Game Center leaderboards if you care about high scores. There are no ads, and the whole game is free. If you enjoy it and would like to support us, you can buy us a coffee. We hope you enjoy discovering the words we’ve hidden for you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Phantom Words at free against Five Elements Chess's free with in-app purchases. Five Elements Chess's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 4 days) and ratings volume (74 vs 7). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. Five Elements Chess sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Phantom Words sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Five Elements Chess against 4.9 for Phantom Words. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Five Elements Chess has 74 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Five Elements Chess ships an update daily, Phantom Words every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 11, 2026.
| Parameter | Five Elements Chess | Phantom Words |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (74 ratings) | 4.9 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 74 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Daily — better | Every 4 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 280 MB | 137 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Beijing Jiao Dian Chuang Yi digital technology Co.,Ltd. | Fleon Labs |
Customer experience
Five Elements Chess
Phantom Words
In-app purchases
Five Elements Chess
- Time Skin Pack$1.99
- Five Elements Chess full game$3.99
- Seasons Skin Pack$3.99
Phantom Words
- Kind Supporter$2.49
- Generous Supporter$4.99
- Huge Supporter$9.99
Questions
Is Five Elements Chess free?
Is Phantom Words free?
Which has better reviews, Five Elements Chess or Phantom Words?
Do Five Elements Chess or Phantom Words have ads?
Which is updated more often, Five Elements Chess or Phantom Words?
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