Temple Run

What it is

Temple Run is an endless runner by Imangi Studios. It came out on March 26, 2012, is free, and is rated Everyone. The listing calls it the original of its kind, and the most recent update is dated October 13, 2026.

You play a treasure hunter running with a stolen idol while a pack of demon monkeys gives chase through temples, jungle ruins and cliff edges.

What it does well

Controls are swipe based. You swipe to turn, jump, dash and slide, and the listing mentions bridges and narrow paths along the way. Runs are about reflexes and not about long-term planning.

There is a collection side too. You pick up coins, unlock heroes and boost power-ups to reach higher speeds.

One practical point the listing makes: you do not need Wi-Fi or any internet connection to play it. That is handy for travel.

If you do go online, you can challenge friends and climb leaderboards.

The numbers back up the appeal. There are 5,116,005 ratings, averaging 4.23, and 69.1% of those are five stars. The game has 500,000,000+ installs.

Where it falls short

About 10.8% of raters gave one star, more than double the 4.1% who gave two. That points to a small but firm group of unhappy players, though the listing does not tell us why.

The text also leaves out some things a buyer would want to know. It does not mention ads, in-app purchases or how heroes are unlocked, so the cost of progress is unclear. And it does not describe the number of levels or characters.

Who it suits

Anyone who wants a quick, no-fuss runner will be fine. Veterans of the genre may find it familiar because it set the template. If you are choosy about monetisation, check the in-app details yourself, since the listing does not cover them.

It helps to read the star split as a whole. 69.1% at five stars and 10.3% at four stars means nearly 80% of raters rate it four or higher. The remaining 20% is spread across one, two and three stars, with the one-star group the largest at 10.8%. That kind of shape often shows up with very old, very large titles, where some players expect more than the game offers. This is a reading of the numbers and not something the listing says.

The listing also quotes a few lines of press praise and counts more than 500 million players. Those are the developer claims. The ratings and installs are what you can check on the page itself.