New Mobile Game Subgenre Emerges as Wool-Themed Puzzle Games Gain Popularity

A fresh twist on mobile puzzle games is gaining momentum in 2025, with wool-themed games carving out their own space in the crowded mobile gaming market. AppMagic has observed that the trend started with Wool Sort by Wing Soft, which took the popular screw puzzle format and replaced screws with colorful thread spools that players sort and connect to create complete images.

Wool Sort has seen impressive growth since its early 2025 launch. The game jumped more than 50 positions in the screw puzzle category during April and now holds the top spot among trending screw puzzle titles over the past three months. With over 4 million total installs, it has even surpassed download milestones that established games like Screw Jam never reached.

The success has sparked a wave of similar games. Before 2025, only seven wool-themed games existed across all gameplay types. This year alone, 19 new wool-themed titles have launched, with 14 of them appearing in just April and May following Wool Sort’s strong performance.

Another standout title is Wool Sort – Screw Jam Coloring by JollyStorm, an iOS-only game that ranks second in the wool puzzle category with over 1.8 million downloads. The game is very similar to the original Wool Sort, though the connection between the two developers remains unclear.

What makes wool puzzles different from traditional screw puzzles is the visual reward system. Instead of just unscrewing bolts, players untangle colorful thread spools and sort them by color into groups of three. These threads then weave together to form parts of a larger artwork. Completed paintings are saved in a player gallery, appealing to those who enjoy collecting and completing sets.

However, there’s a notable difference in how these games make money compared to other successful puzzle games. While Wool Sort has impressive download numbers, its revenue remains low at under $40,000 total, showing it relies heavily on ad revenue rather than in-app purchases. This contrasts with established games like Screw Jam, which use more sophisticated monetization through passes, limited lives, and purchase offers.

The screw puzzle genre as a whole has exploded in 2025, generating over $27 million in revenue during the first quarter alone – nearly four times more than the same period last year. This growth has created room for experimentation, leading to innovations like wool puzzles.

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