Brawl Stars Review 2025: Supercell’s Pocket-Sized Titan Still Packs a Punch
In the hyper-competitive world of mobile gaming, longevity is the real endgame. Most titles flare up and burn out, victims of a million-and-one clones or their own predatory monetization. And then, there’s Supercell. The studio behind Clash of Clans and Clash Royale operates on a different level, and nowhere is this more evident than with Brawl Stars.
Launched globally in 2018, Brawl Stars was a deceptively simple “hero brawler.” In 2025, it is a polished, chaotic, and relentlessly engaging juggernaut that has not only survived but thrived, enjoying a massive resurgence in popularity.
But what makes this top-down, team-based shooter so “sticky”? In an age of high-fidelity open worlds and complex mobile MOBAs, how does this cartoony brawler continue to dominate both download charts and revenue-per-player metrics?
We jumped back into the fray, dodged Shelly’s Super, and analyzed the brilliant, fast-paced chaos of Brawl Stars to see why it remains a must-play in 2025.
The Core Gameplay: Three Minutes of Perfect Chaos
Brawl Stars is the perfect “pocket” game. Its magic lies in its time-respecting format: almost every single match, across almost every single mode, is over in three minutes or less.
This is not a 30-minute League of Legends commitment. This is a game you can play—and, more importantly, feel a sense of completion in—while waiting for your coffee.
The controls are the epitome of mobile elegance:
- Left Stick: Move your Brawler.
- Right Stick (Aim): Drag to manually aim your main attack.
- Right Stick (Quickfire): Tap to instantly fire at the nearest enemy.
- Yellow Stick (Super): A separate, larger button for your “Super,” a powerful ultimate ability charged by landing hits.
This simple scheme creates an incredibly high skill ceiling. The difference between a “tapper” (a new player who just quick-fires) and an “aimer” (a pro who leads their shots) is a vast canyon. The game is a “twin-stick shooter” distilled to its purest form. You dodge, you shoot, you charge your Super, you unleash it, and you win or lose. Repeat.
The “Brawler” Roster: A Character for Every Playstyle
The heart and soul of Brawl Stars is its ever-expanding roster of over 80 unique Brawlers. This is where the game’s MOBA DNA truly shines. Each Brawler is not just a cosmetic skin; they are a completely different way to play the game.
They are loosely grouped into classes:
- Sharpshooters (e.g., Piper, Brock): Long-range, high-damage, low-health glass cannons.
- Heavyweights (e.g., El Primo, Frank): High-health, short-range tanks designed to soak up damage.
- Fighters (e.g., Shelly, Nita): All-around brawlers with good utility and damage.
- Throwers (e.g., Barley, Dynamike): Lob attacks over walls, controlling zones and frustrating opponents.
- Assassins (e.g., Leon, Mortis): High-mobility characters designed to get in, secure a kill, and get out.
- Support (e.g., Poco, Byron): Healers and buffers that excel in team-based modes.
Each Brawler has a unique main attack, a game-changing Super, and (once upgraded) two “Star Powers” and two “Gadgets” to choose from. This system adds a profound layer of strategy. Do you take Shelly’s Star Power that slows enemies with her Super, or the one that heals her? Do you equip Frank’s Gadget that makes him immune to stuns, or the one that pulls enemies in?
This massive roster is the primary progression loop, and in 2025, the “Starr Road” has made unlocking them more accessible than ever, replacing the old, frustrating “gacha box” system with a clear, linear path.
Game Mode Mayhem: The Spice of Brawler Life
If the Brawlers are the heart, the game modes are the lifeblood. Brawl Stars avoids the “one-map-one-mode” monotony of its MOBA cousins by offering a constantly rotating buffet of game types.
This is the game’s true genius. Don’t like the pressure of Gem Grab? Go play Showdown.
- Gem Grab (3v3): The flagship mode. A team must collect 10 gems that spawn from a mine in the center. The first team to hold 10 gems for a 15-second countdown wins. It’s a frantic game of control, attack, and desperate retreat.
- Showdown (Solo/Duo): The “Battle Royale” mode. Ten players are dropped into a shrinking map. It’s a tense, paranoid experience of breaking boxes for power-ups and setting up ambushes.
- Brawl Ball (3v3): Literally, a 3-goal soccer match where you also have guns. It’s chaotic, fast-paced, and arguably the highest-skill mode in the game.
- Heist (3v3): A pure “base race.” Each team has a safe with high health. You must destroy the enemy’s safe while defending your own.
- Bounty (3v3): A classic “Team Deathmatch.” Get kills to earn stars. The team with the most stars at the end wins.
- Knockout (3v3): A high-stakes, “no-respawn” elimination mode. The last team standing wins the round.
And this doesn’t even count the weekend-only special events or the 5v5 modes. This constant rotation means that on any given day, a Brawler that is “weak” in Gem Grab might be the “meta” (most effective tactic available) in Brawl Ball. This keeps the entire 80+ character roster relevant and keeps the gameplay from ever feeling stale.
Monetization in 2025: The “Brawl Pass” & The “Starr Drop” Problem
This is where the 2025 version of Brawl Stars gets… complicated. For years, Supercell was praised for its incredibly F2P-friendly model. In the last year, it has pivoted.
The Good: The Brawl Pass The Brawl Pass (and the premium “Brawl Pass Plus”) is the best value in the game, hands down. It’s a monthly subscription that showers you with progression, cosmetics, and resources. If you are going to spend any money, you buy the pass. It’s simple, high-value, and respects your investment.
The Controversial: Starr Drops Supercell removed the old, linear progression in favor of Starr Drops—a return to the random-reward “loot box” mechanic. You now get random drops at the end of matches that can contain anything from a handful of coins to a brand-new Legendary Brawler.
The community is deeply divided.
- The “Pro” Argument: It’s exciting! That “jackpot” feeling of pulling a new Brawler from a Legendary Starr Drop is a huge dopamine hit that the old, predictable system lacked.
- The “Con” Argument: It’s a major step backward for F2P players. Progression now feels random and unguided. You can’t save up to unlock that one Brawler you want; you just have to pray to the “RNG-gods” (Random Number Generator).
This change, combined with the introduction of “Hypercharges” (an even more powerful “ultimate” move), has made the game feel more “pay-to-win” than ever before. A maxed-out player with a Hypercharge is simply on another level than a F2P player.
That said, the core matchmaking is excellent. You will almost always be matched against players of a similar Brawler level and trophy count. The “P2W” elements are most visible at the very highest levels of competitive play, not in your average 3-minute Brawl Ball match.
Final Verdict: A Masterpiece of Mobile Design
Brawl Stars is a shining example of Supercell’s core design philosophy: “simple to learn, difficult to master.” The 3-minute match format is a perfect fit for a mobile lifestyle. The roster of Brawlers is a bottomless pit of variety, and the rotation of game modes ensures you’re never bored.
Its recent moves toward a more random, luck-based progression system are a genuine concern and have rightfully drawn criticism. It has undeniably made the “grind” harder for F2P players.
However, the core gameplay loop remains untouched, and it is flawless. It is the most “pick up and play” competitive game on the market. It’s a game of frantic action, surprising strategic depth, and cartoonish joy. Eight years later, Brawl Stars isn’t just surviving; it’s setting the standard.
You should play Brawl Stars in 2025 if:
- You love fast-paced, team-based action.
- You want a deep, competitive game that you can play in 3-minute bursts.
- You love “hero shooters” and MOBAs but don’t have 30 minutes for a single match.
- You enjoy collecting a huge roster of unique and quirky characters.
You should AVOID Brawl Stars in 2025 if:
- You want a relaxing, single-player, or “zen” experience.
- You are highly competitive and will be frustrated by the “pay-to-progress-faster” mechanics.
- You hate random “loot box” mechanics (Starr Drops).
- You prefer games with deep stories or complex, long-form strategy.
Final Score:
- Gameplay (Core Loop): 5/5 (Mobile perfection)
- Variety (Modes & Brawlers): 5/5
- Monetization (F2P Friendliness): 3/5 (Worse than it used to be, but the Brawl Pass is great value)
- Progression & “Grind”: 3.5/5 (The new “Starr Drop” system is a step back)
Overall: 4/5 (A must-play, despite its new monetization flaws)
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