Gameplay
The objective of Coin Master is to win coins to upgrade items in order to build up villages and progress through the levels.[3]
Coin Master can be found under the 'Adventure Game' category in the app stores, but uses gambling mechanics. In order to build their own game villages or attack the villages of other players, users must spin a slot machine to win coins. The number of daily spins are limited, but additional attempts and items can be purchased through in-app purchases. Also, free spins are gifted by Coin Master through links on their social channels and by subscribing to their email newsletter.
Coins are acquired by spinning and winning, attacking another player's village, or raiding another player’s fortune. A maximum of five shields, as well as the pet Rhino, can be used to defend villages. When a player's village is attacked, the game also allows "revenge" so a player can launch a counterattack.
Levels
To move on to the next level, players have to finish building five elements in the village they are currently in. The elements continuously get more expensive as the game progresses.[4] As of November 2023, Coin Master has 516 levels, all with different themes such as LA dreams, Buddhist village, Hell's village, Magical Forest, Steampunk Land, and Coin Manor.[5] Villages have five items that differ depending on the theme and style of each village, but they usually include characters, pets, homes, transportation, and plants.
Card collecting
Another feature in the game is the ‘Card Collection’. Cards can be collected and traded to complete card sets, which usually rewards the player with spins and pet experience Chests with collectible cards inside them can also be collected using coins. Cards differ in value and there are several rarities. There are unofficial online social groups of fans that are dedicated purely to card trading. Chests are items in the game that contain collectible cards. They come in three different tiers - Wooden, Golden, and Magical.
In chests, players will find different items such as cards, which they can collect. If they complete a card collection they will receive rewards. They can also trade these cards with friends. There are three different tiers of chests; wooden, golden, and magical. Chests can be obtained in multiple ways. They can be found during raids, rewarded for reaching the next level or bought through in-app purchases.
Pets
Foxy, Tiger, and Rhino are the 3 pets[6] that are designed to help players collect more coins each in their own unique way. Pets can be raised by obtaining treats for them and raising their XP (experience points) by using XP potions. Foxy gives the player extra coins for a raid up to 119% of player's raid value. Tiger gives the player extra coins for attacks. These extra coins can get up to 410% of the attack value. Rhino protects player's village from attacks. This pet protects up to 70% of the attacks on their village. Additionally, pets need to be kept awake with treats. For each treat they stay awake for 4 hours. They can stay awake for longer periods of time with multiple treats.[3]
Gifts
Players can gift each friend one Spin every 48 hours, and they can do the same for one. As long as the Spin bar is empty, they can collect up to 100 Spins every day. Gifting Spins to friends won’t decrease the players own inventory, but to collect 100 spins, one needs to have active 100 friends on Facebook.
Viking quest
The Viking Quest is a special event in the game that allows players to travel through various Viking-themed islands and complete challenges to earn rewards.
During the Viking Quest event, players must collect items such as Hammers, Shields, and Piggy Banks to progress through each island. These items can be obtained by spinning the slot machine in the game, and players must collect a certain number of each item to unlock the next island.
Each island in the Viking Quest event features a unique set of challenges that must be completed to earn rewards such as Coins, Spins, and rare game cards. Some of the challenges include defeating enemy Viking characters, raiding Viking villages, and finding hidden treasure.
Players can also earn bonus rewards by completing daily challenges during the Viking Quest event, which can include tasks such as spinning a certain number of times or raiding a certain number of villages.
VIP Status
VIP is a special status that gives extra benefits to players like extra spins, coins, exclusive events, a private Facebook group, and a permanent player ID. It was rumored that the VIP is given to players who spend a specific amount of money in the game depending on the country they play from but people have accused Moonactive of not being transparent enough with the process.
Commercial
As of October 2019, Coin Master has grossed over US$508 million in gross revenue. 85% of Coin Master's net revenue comes from the US, the UK and Germany combined - over US$260 million from the United States, a dramatic jump in the UK (since February 2019) resulting in US$80 million, and Germany close behind with US$52 million. Coin Master surpassed Candy Crush Saga as a top-grossing game and claimed first place on both the App Store and Google Play store in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[7][8]
According to the website OMR, Moon Active earned US$280 million until October 2019.[9]
In his late night show on German public TV, Jan Böhmermann voiced his opinion that Coin Master is marketed to children and adolescents despite corresponding denials, among other things such as the child-friendly look of the game and advertising from popular influencers like Pietro Lombardi.[10]
Awards
Coin Master was ranked in the top 20 of the acclaimed Top 50 Developers/Top 50 Mobile Game Makers list from PocketGamer.biz, published October 1, 2019.[19] The game has also received countless mentions in industry publications regarding its continuous stance of 1st place in the weekly/monthly roundup lists of Top Grossing games on both the App Store and Google Play in 2019.[20]
Use in scamming
Coin Master has been used as part of "human verification" scams. As part of the scam, a malicious website prompts the user to "prove they are not a robot" by playing other games or installing applications, with the end goal of receiving in-game currencies.
