Similar to other mobile games,[2] much of the gameplay consists of selecting an action and then either waiting a preset amount of time for completion or expediting the task by making a payment.

[8] Along with advertisements in digital and social media, highly produced television commercials featuring model Kate Upton were created.

The spots were introduced in the United States during an NFL Thursday Night Football game and have since been prominent during Super Bowl XLIX and other sporting events.

[16] The game and its user interface have been criticized for an aggressive style that "heavily pushes" in-app purchases, "littering the screen with ads and upgrade buttons" for gold packs priced from $5 to $100.

"[3] Reviewers have also been highly critical of the title's "mundane" gameplay,[18] which Common Sense Media called "light on both action and strategy.

[19] The reviewer, Paste's 43-year-old editor-in-chief, found the "internal politics" within his alliance to be "as fascinating as the kingdom-wide ones," particularly for alliance leaders: "We have our own chat room with the leader discussing the urgent matters of the day, and the responsibilities can feel strangely important – keep the store stocked, negotiate prison releases, secure diplomatic relations, organize relocations, protect friends and recruit new members.

"[20] The monetary value of the data was linked by the Wall Street Journal to the fact that "about 3% of mobile-game players buy virtual goodies, such as extra turns and special powers.

[23] In December 2016, a 45-year-old California man admitted in federal court to having spent $1 million of embezzled funds on online purchases in Game of War,[24] and in August 2018, a library director in Logan, Utah was convicted after pleading guilty to felony theft and forgery for spending $89,000 on the game using the city's credit cards.