Brawl Stars

Brawl Stars is a mobile game from Supercell, released on December 12, 2018[1][2]. Now in its eighth year, it ranked 24th among Korea's top-grossing App Store games on October 4. It placed 23rd in Japan and 30th in Taiwan that same day[3]. Google Play lists more than 500 million downloads worldwide, while the US App Store shows a rating of 4.7 from about 3.12 million ratings[1][2]. This article is based on checks of both app stores, Supercell's official blog and its support documents as of October 4, 2026.

Different rules, three-minute matches

According to the Google Play description, matches finish within three minutes. The main modes feature 3v3 or 5v5 battles[1]. In Gem Grab, you win by collecting and holding 10 gems, but drop the gems you carry when defeated. Showdown is a battle royale played solo or as a duo, with survival to the end as the goal. Brawl Ball is football with a race to score two goals, while Bounty awards stars for defeating opponents. Heist asks you to protect your team's safe while cracking the other team's[1].

The playable characters are called Brawlers. Each has different attacks and a Super, with additional abilities such as Star Powers and Gadgets[1][4]. The August release notes, published by Supercell on September 1, include the new Hide & Seek mode. One seeker must defeat all three hiders within the time limit and survive to win. A match consists of four 45-second rounds, with everyone taking one turn as the seeker. The seeker gains substantial increases to movement speed, damage, health and size, but cannot regenerate health. Hiders transform into walls or decorations on the map when they stop moving[4].

Your next Brawler is the last target standing

One of September's notable changes is how new Brawlers are unlocked. Brawler Blast replaces Starr Road. Collecting Credits unlocks new Brawlers in a set rarity order. The required amounts are 160 for Rare, 430 for Super Rare, 925 for Epic, 1,900 for Mythic, 3,800 for Legendary and 5,500 for Ultra[4].

The unlock screen takes the form of a shooting gallery. Up to 10 targets feature Brawlers of the same rarity that you do not yet own. You knock them down one by one and receive the Brawler left standing. There is also a 50% chance of getting to choose directly from two to four candidates. Gem Fragments can appear as you knock down targets. These turn into rewards such as Power Level increases, Gadgets or Star Powers for your newly unlocked Brawler. Four fragments are the most likely outcome per unlock, at 20.04%; one fragment has a 12.02% chance, and 17 fragments a 0.40% chance[4].

Two new Brawlers have also arrived: Cosmo, an astronomer who fires three projectiles that travel in circles, and Vince, a barista who fires coffee and turns caterpillars into moths to collect. Both are Mythic[2][4]. The month-long Brawl-O-Ween event follows Gus's story. During the event, his balloon friend Loony appears on the home screen to collect daily win rewards. You can accumulate up to six wins a day and must complete all six to claim the rewards. These are Starr Drops or Chaos Drops, with the daily number of Starr Drops ranging from zero to two[4].

Where to check the prices and odds

Brawl Stars is free to play. Its Google Play description states that some items, including random items, can be purchased with real money. Google Play US lists in-app purchases from $0.29 to $239.99 per item[1].

Starr Drops, which also appear among Loony's rewards, are a random reward. According to Supercell's support documentation, their rarity probabilities are Rare 50%, Super Rare 28%, Epic 15%, Mythic 5% and Legendary 2%. Each tap on a Starr Drop has a chance to raise its rarity. Possible rewards range from Coins, Power Points, Credits, Bling and XP Doublers to Gadgets, Star Powers, Hypercharges, skins and Brawlers[5].

Cosmetics are purchased with Gems. The season's skins listed in the August release notes cost 149, 199 or 299 Gems, while some seasonal theme skins are Brawl Pass rewards[4]. Benefits also vary by storefront. Buying Brawl Pass Plus through the Supercell Store immediately grants 30% progress, and Gem purchases include 10% extra Gems. Up to eight passes purchased from the store can be kept in your Supercell ID inventory and used in a season of your choice[6]. The same release notes state that some players may see Personalized Offers and that eligible players can turn this feature off in Settings[4].

A good fit for a few matches a day

Brawl Stars suits players who want a few short matches each day. No match exceeds three minutes, and the choices range from solo Showdown to 3v3 games with friends[1]. Its US App Store age rating is 9+[2]. It is less suitable for anyone who wants to avoid random rewards: both Starr Drops and Brawler Blast are built around random outcomes[4][5].

If you have just downloaded the game, first decide whether to turn off Personalized Offers in Settings. Then open the Starr Drop odds page once. It will make it easier to judge what you are buying when you reach a purchase screen.

Sources

[1] Google. Brawl Stars on Google Play (US). Accessed October 4, 2026.

[2] Apple. Brawl Stars on the App Store (US). Includes update notes for version 69.252. Accessed October 4, 2026.

[3] Apple. App Store top grossing games (Korea). Japan and Taiwan were queried in the same format. Accessed October 4, 2026.

[4] Supercell. Release Notes August 2026. Official Brawl Stars blog, September 1, 2026.

[5] Supercell. Starr Drop Chances. Supercell Support. Accessed October 4, 2026.

[6] Supercell. Brawl Pass Plus. Supercell Store. Accessed October 4, 2026.