Alternatives to Kick the Buddy
By App Store Tracker Editorial · Updated — live App Store data verified
The short version
Kick the Buddy is a stress-relief ragdoll game where you blast a doll with a huge arsenal of weapons to blow off steam. The closest match is its own sequel, Kick the Buddy: Second Kick. For other ragdoll beat-em-ups with big weapon collections, Despicable Bear and Ragdoll Games are strong picks. A couple of results here are pop-it or arcade apps rather than ragdoll games. The list ranks by embedding similarity and live App Store ratings.
The app you searched for
Playgendary Limited
Kick the Buddy is pure cathartic fun: tap, drag, throw, and unleash weapons on a ragdoll to relieve stress, earning coins to unlock more ways to wreck him. The picks below mostly deliver that same beat-on-a-ragdoll loop, with arsenals of guns, blades, grenades, and explosives and satisfying physics. The strongest matches are dedicated ragdoll stress games, including Kick the Buddy's own sequel. A few options drift into adjacent territory, like a pop-it fidget toy app or an arcade mini-game collection, which scratch the antistress itch differently rather than letting you whale on a dummy. Several are tiny or brand-new with few ratings, which we have flagged. We ranked these alternatives by embedding similarity to Kick the Buddy, then weighed live App Store ratings and review volume so the proven games rise above untested entries. All are free to download with in-app purchases, the same model the seed uses.
Why it's similar
Both are Playgendary ragdoll stress games where you tap, drag, throw, and weaponize a doll named Buddy, earning coins to unlock more gear. As the direct sequel, the gameplay is nearly identical to Kick the Buddy.
How it differs
Kick the Buddy: Second Kick is a remastered, modernized version with fresh content and surprises. With 92,410 ratings and a 4.65 average it is the most natural upgrade for fans of the original.
Why it's similar
Both are stress-relief games where you slap and beat a doll with a big arsenal of swords, grenades, bats, and knives. The whack-the-doll loop closely matches Kick the Buddy.
How it differs
Kick My Buddy is a near-clone in concept but barely reviewed, with just 1 rating. It lacks Kick the Buddy's polish, content depth, and the huge community behind the original.
Why it's similar
Both are anti-stress games where you punch, throw, stab, shoot, and bomb a character with an expanding weapon arsenal. The blow-off-steam-on-a-ragdoll loop matches Kick the Buddy.
How it differs
Kick the Invader themes its target as a dictator and is much smaller at 56 ratings. Reviewers note it runs out of content once everything is unlocked and has some physics bugs, where Kick the Buddy offers more depth.
Why it's similar
Both are ragdoll beat-em-up stress games where you punch, slap, stab, shoot, and explode an interactive dummy with loads of weapons. The take-out-your-anger-on-a-dummy loop matches Kick the Buddy closely.
How it differs
Whack The Dummy frames its target as a crash test dummy and is smaller at 170 ratings. It is a close stylistic cousin to Kick the Buddy but far less proven than the seed's million-plus reviews.
Why it's similar
Both are casual, easy-to-learn games meant for quick, relaxing fun on mobile. The lighthearted casual-play angle overlaps loosely with Kick the Buddy.
How it differs
Budge GameTime is a rotating collection of hyper-casual arcade mini-games with leaderboards, not a ragdoll stress game. At 4.14 across 269 ratings it offers variety rather than the focused doll-bashing Kick the Buddy is built around.
Why it's similar
Both are antistress apps designed to de-stress and kill time with satisfying, tactile interactions. The relieve-stress goal overlaps with Kick the Buddy.
How it differs
Pop it Game is an ASMR fidget-toy simulator where you poke, squeeze, and pop sensory shapes, not beat up a ragdoll with weapons. At 9,945 ratings it is a calmer, gentler antistress experience than Kick the Buddy's destruction.
Why it's similar
Both are ragdoll physics games centered on kicking and breaking a character for stress relief. The wreck-a-ragdoll loop closely matches Kick the Buddy.
How it differs
Ragdoll Games - Kick & Break focuses on satisfying destruction physics in its own setups. With 41,785 ratings it is a well-established ragdoll alternative, very much in the same genre as the seed.
Queen Interactive Games
Why it's similar
Both are ragdoll stress games with loads of weapons and the chance to beat up an annoying character to relieve stress. The voodoo-doll beatdown loop closely matches Kick the Buddy.
How it differs
Despicable Bear swaps the doll for a despicable bear as your target, with the same rag-doll physics and weapon variety. At 67,571 ratings and a 4.69 average it is one of the most proven and popular alternatives here.
Why it's similar
Both are stress-relief punch-and-smash games where you tap and hit a character with funny reactions across levels. The hit-to-de-stress loop overlaps with Kick the Buddy.
How it differs
Punch the Crazy Guy adds timed combos and prank items as its angle. With zero ratings it is brand-new and unproven, lacking Kick the Buddy's content depth and large following.
Why it's similar
Both are casual time-killer apps for quick fun on your phone. The pass-the-time angle is the only real overlap with Kick the Buddy.
How it differs
Play Daily Games & Quizzes is a bundle of simple games and trivia like Tic Tac Toe and emoji quizzes, not a ragdoll stress game at all. With zero ratings it is brand-new and a completely different kind of casual app from Kick the Buddy.
Every app in our database carries a dense vector embedding derived from its title, subtitle, full description, and category metadata. To find apps similar to Kick the Buddy, we compute cosine distance against every other app and surface the closest 60 candidates. The similarity score shown on each pick is 1 - distance/2 clamped to [0,1] — 100% means the embedding spaces are identical, 0% means orthogonal.
We then re-rank the candidate set using current App Store rating and review-count signals so a 4.8-star app with 100,000 reviews ranks above a 4.5-star app with 200 reviews even when their embedding distance is similar. Apps that haven't shipped an update in 12 months are filtered out before re-ranking.
The similarity cache is recomputed weekly. Live App Store data (rating, review count) is verified every 6 hours.
No paid placements. No affiliate links. No sponsored picks. Read our full methodology.
More popular iPhone apps with curated alternative lists, each ranked by embedding similarity, rating, and category fit.
