TokyoCatch is an online platform that brings the excitement of Japanese arcade crane games, also known as UFO catchers, directly to users worldwide. But can you really win stuff? My son and I gave it a try with 1000 gems.
In full disclosure, they sent us the free gems in exchange for doing a short video. What follows is an honest review of our experience. You can also watch our video below.
Watch Us Playing TokyoCatch
To play TokyoCatch, you can download their app or play on the website. For our games, we used the website. Players remotely control real claw machines in Japan to win authentic prizes, including limited-edition figures and plushies. But it’s harder than you might think!
How TokyoCatch Works
After downloading the TokyoCatch app or logging into the website, users can create an account and receive free plays by connecting their Facebook or Google accounts. The platform emphasizes the importance of a stable internet connection to ensure smooth gameplay, as it utilizes live video streaming to connect players to actual machines in Japan.
The app offers daily logins that reward players with free tickets to participate in live crane games. By purchasing in-app currency called gems, users can increase their chances of winning prizes, which are then shipped directly to their homes for free.
Did We Win Anything Playing TokyoCatch?
We started with 1000 gems, which is a pretty good amount. Each game takes an average of 50 – 120 gems to play.
The prizes range from plushies to figurines to home goods like cups and plates. There are also Japanese snacks and treats like KitKats. These items appear to come from TokyoTreat, which are Japanese snack boxes we get every month, so I recognized some of the items!
*I’m actually an affiliate with the Japanese snack boxes, which are really fun to get every month! You can use my links and code SEWGEEKMAMA to save $5 off your first box: Click here for TokyoTreat and here for Sakuraco. Unfortunately, I don’t have any coupons for TokyoCatch!
The games are two claw or three claw crane games, and there are free practice cranes you can use before spending any money (or gems). One thing you’ll notice is that you don’t actually try and grab the thing you want to win. All the games are little alien looking plushie characters, and if you get any of them in, you win.
We had the best luck with the three claw games. The two claw was really hard!
And yes, we did actually win something!
Getting Your Prizes from TokyoCatch
It was actually pretty exciting when you win something, especially because it was pretty hard! It took us a lot of tries, and my 9-year-old son actually cried at one point because he got so frustrated. For that reason, I would really recommend these games for kids.
Your prizes are shipped for free, but they only ship once a month, and they come all the way from Japan. So, expect to wait a long time for them to arrive. All the prizes you win that month are all shipped at the same time.
We spent 1000 gems and won two things- a little Kirby plushie and a small plastic Animal Crossing cup. They took about a month to arrive, and both were smaller than we anticipated, but still cute.
Would I Play TokyoCatch Again?
Personally, I would probably only play it again with free gems. It was just too hard to win anything, and my son kept getting frustrated. It was a neat thing to try though! Just lower your expectations going in, if you give it a try.
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