ReviewAges 6–7EducationFamilyGames

Stack the States: $2.99 one-time, no subscription, the trivia layer is doing real work

A 14-year-old US geography game from Freecloud Design / Dan Russell-Pinson. 4.44/5 across 2,166 ratings. $2.99 one-time, no IAP, no ads. Trivia recall is the goal, and it lands.

Freecloud Design (Dan Russell-Pinson) · Freecloud Design (Dan Russell-Pinson)iPad · iPhone · Android

Stack the States is doing real work for trivia-level US geography.

Stack the States teaches US state shapes, capitals, abbreviations, and basic facts via a Tetris-style stacking puzzle. Reading level requires age 7+ for independent play. $2.99 one-time, no IAP, no ads — the contrarian pricing model in a category dominated by subscription. Modulo and homeschool blogs name it as a recurring "best $3 in our curriculum" pick. Limit: trivia-only, no history or civics depth.

Where to buy →

Stack the States: $2.99 one-time, no subscription, the trivia layer is doing real work screenshot 1

The Score

How we got to 87

Fun

Learning

Safety

Value

The Play Score is a weighted average: Fun ×0.25, Learning ×0.3, Safety ×0.25, Value ×0.2. Anything below 60 on Safety caps the total at 70.

Split Verdict

What parents wrote vs. what their kids did

Quotes are sourced from public App Store, Google Play, and Reddit reviews captured during research. Reviewer handles shown verbatim where the platform makes them public; we never invent quotes or named children.

Parents wrote

16reviews cited

"I've been playing this app since I was really little, and to be honest, it has taught me more than my actual school. The faces make the states easier to recognize. Not to mention that the game is fun!"

Shawn's bae(:· App Store

"The reading level for the trivia is harder than I expected. My 7-year-old needed help with about half the questions until she'd done a few rounds."

StylishMom4u· App Store

"Stack the States is a recurring recommendation across r/homeschool, r/teachers, and r/secular_homeschoolers as the cheapest viable US-geography supplement. Often paired with Khan Academy or Modulo curricula."

r/homeschool & r/teachers (recurring)· Reddit

Kids' reactions

2parents describe kids

"The reading level for the trivia is harder than I expected. My 7-year-old needed help with about half the questions until she'd done a few rounds."

StylishMom4u· App Store

"The best learning game my son has ever had!"

3ggrrtth3ee3e· App Store

Sentiment across 16 parent reviews cited

69%

31%

Positive Mixed Negative

The Bottom Line

What's good, what's not

+ Worth It

✓$2.99 one-time, no subscription, no IAP, no ads — anomaly in a category dominated by subscription/IAP gating
✓Concrete trivia retention: parents report kids learning all 50 state shapes + capitals over 8-12 weeks of car-ride play
✓Tetris-style stacking mechanic creates "intrinsic motivation" — kids play past the point they meant to stop
✓Ad-free, no-meltdown play. ADHD-friendly per parent reports — quiet sound design, no flashing rewards
✓Cross-platform: iOS + Android with pricing parity. Stack the Countries is the international sibling app
✓Homeschool co-ops cite as "best $3 spent on geography curriculum" — works as group-play tool
✓14-year-old app, still maintained — pricing posture has held across the rise of subscription model

− Watch Out

—Stops short of curriculum depth — trivia layer only (shapes, capitals, abbreviations); no history, civic context, or geography concepts
—Reading level required for independent play is roughly 3rd grade — younger than 7 needs adult support
—Dated visual design — feels pre-iPhone-X. Functional but not aesthetic.
—No multiplayer or sibling profiles — single-device, single-player only
—No new content in years — the app catalog is stable but not expanding

Skills Developed

What your kid is actually practising

Spatial reasoning

State-shape stacking with physics requires planning the next piece's placement. Visual recognition of state outlines builds with repetition.

Literacy

Reading is required for trivia comprehension at ~3rd-grade level — actually doubles as a reading-fluency stress test for 7-year-olds.

Memory

Spaced-repetition by design: the same questions resurface every few rounds with slight variation. Reviewers report measurable recall gains over 8-week play windows.

Attention

No fail-states, gentle pacing — reviewers report "engagement without overstimulation." ADHD-friendly per parent reports.

Screen Time

A healthy way to play it

minutes

About 15 minutes per session

Saves anywherePause-friendly

Community

What other parents are saying

—/ 5

★★★★★

0 parent ratings

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