The museum of mobile ad lies
The games from
that annoying ad.
An archive of the most misleading mobile game ads ever made — with playable recreations of the games they pretended to be.
20
Ads Catalogued
1
Playable Games
8.1
Avg Lie Score
How it works
We find the ad
We track down the most egregious fake ads across app stores, social media, and ad networks.
We score the lie
Each ad gets a Lie Score from 1–10 based on how much the ad misrepresents the actual game.
We build the game
We recreate the game from the ad so you can finally play it — free, in your browser, no install.
Latest from the archive
View all →Hyper-Casual Bait, 4X Reality
Whiteout Survival: The Snow-Door Runner Selling You a Frostpunk-Lite 4X
Whiteout Survival's ads show a desperate squad picking the right door in a snowstorm to grow their group. The actual game is a Frostpunk-flavored 4X with the same alliance wars and $99 packs as every other Century Games title.
Lie Score: 9/10
Merge Bait, 4X Reality
Top War: Battle Game — The Merge Tutorial That Becomes a 4X
Top War's ads show a satisfying merge puzzle: drag two soldiers together, get a stronger soldier. The merge mechanic does exist — for about thirty minutes. Then the game becomes a full 4X with alliance wars and $100 packs.
Lie Score: 8/10
Hybrid Bait, 4X Reality
Puzzles & Survival: A Match-3 Glued to a 4X Glued to a Zombie Movie
Puzzles & Survival's ads show a frantic match-3 where every move shoots zombies attacking your shelter. The match-3 exists. The zombies exist. The 4X base-builder gating both — generating most of the revenue — does not appear in the ads.
Lie Score: 8/10
Match-3 in Disguise
Project Makeover: The Bad-Outfit Rage-Bait Behind a Match-3
Project Makeover's ads show a player rescuing women from disastrous outfits — pulling pins, shouting at the screen, picking the right dress. The actual game is, predictably, a match-3 with a renovation wrapper.
Lie Score: 9/10
Hyper-Casual Bait, 4X Reality
Lords Mobile: The Original Sin of Fake 4X Combat Ads
Long before door-runners and merge tutorials, Lords Mobile pioneered the fake-skill-based-combat ad: cinematic sword fights and tactical maneuvers that don't exist in the real game. Released in 2016, it taught the entire industry the playbook.
Lie Score: 8/10
Hyper-Casual Bait, 4X Reality
Last War: Survival — The Door-Choosing Runner That's Actually a 4X
Last War's ads show a charming runner where you pick math doors to multiply your soldier squad against a wave of zombies. The actual game is a heavy 4X base-builder with the runner relegated to a tiny side mode.
Lie Score: 9/10
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a fake ad game?+
A fake ad game is a mobile game advertisement that shows gameplay completely different from the actual game. The ad lures you in with a fun-looking puzzle or mini-game, but once you download, you get a totally unrelated game.
Can I actually play these games?+
Yes! We recreate the games shown in the ads so you can play them for free in your browser. No downloads, no signups, no bait-and-switch.
What is the Lie Score?+
The Lie Score is our 1–10 rating of how misleading an ad is. A 1 means the ad is slightly exaggerated; a 10 means the gameplay in the ad doesn't exist in the actual game at all.
Why are fake ads disappearing?+
Apple and Google are cracking down on misleading ads in 2025–2026. Many of the most iconic fake ads are being removed from ad networks, which is why we're archiving them before they vanish.
Is this legal?+
Yes. Game mechanics cannot be copyrighted. All our recreations use original art, sound, and code — we only replicate the gameplay concept shown in the advertisement.
How can I support this project?+
You can support us on Patreon to fund more game recreations. Sharing the site with friends also helps a lot!
Ready to play the lie?
Jump into a game, browse the archive, or help us preserve this weird corner of internet history.