Alternatives
Criminal Case alternatives
By Joel Rightler · Updated 2026-10-19
Hidden-object crime scenes: search hand-drawn locations against the clock, run lab analysis on what you find, interrogate suspects, then make the arrest. If you have run out of it and want the same feeling somewhere else, these five are the closest on mobile.
Pretty Simple · rated 4.66 from 35,949 ratings · listing checked 2026-10-19
What you are actually looking for
"Something like Criminal Case" usually means one of two things: the same mechanic, or the same feeling. They do not always come together, so each entry below says plainly what you do in it and how a case ends. Pick on the mechanic if you liked the puzzle, and on the ending if you liked the payoff.
Five to play next
1 of 5
Unread: Phone Detective OURS
What you do: You are sent a murder victim’s recovered phone and solve the case by reading what is on it: messages, photos, voicemails, browser history and a locked vault app.
How a case ends: One accusation across six axes (who, what, when, where, how, why), scored into verdict tiers. You get one shot.
Cost: No upfront price. The tutorial case and the first full case are included and stay yours; every case after those two needs Unread Pro or a $4.99 single-case unlock.
By J&B Creations LLC · iOS and Android
2 of 5
An Elmwood Trail
What you do: A story-led investigation into the disappearance of 18-year-old Zoey Leonard in the town of Riverstone: interact with people, gather clues and build a trail.
How a case ends: Narrative and choice-driven, played out across chapters rather than a single accusation.
Cost: No upfront price, with in-app purchases listed.
Sparsh Tyagi · rated 4.87 from 263,884 ratings · 9+ · updated 2026-08-26 · App Store listing, checked 2026-10-19
3 of 5
Suspects: Mobile Detective
What you do: Stories told through the phones of the characters involved: chat messages, photos, video, voice notes and social posts, released as cases.
How a case ends: You follow a case across days of in-story time and work out who did it; there is no six-axis scoring.
Cost: No upfront price, with in-app purchases listed.
Bonus Round Limited · rated 4.37 from 11,302 ratings · 12+ · updated 2026-09-01 · App Store listing, checked 2026-10-19
4 of 5
I Am Innocent
What you do: A detective game with puzzle elements, investigated through in-game calls, a messenger, documents, photographs and some light hacking.
How a case ends: Case-based across a series of murders. The listing shows no update since November 2020.
Cost: No upfront price, with in-app purchases listed.
Long Jaunt Ltd · rated 4.16 from 10,428 ratings · 12+ · updated 2020-11-07 · App Store listing, checked 2026-10-19
5 of 5
ColdTrace: Cold Case Mystery
What you do: Navigate a stranger’s phone (messages, photos, notes, voicemails), rebuild the timeline, and decide whether the death was really an accident.
How a case ends: Multiple threads to follow toward one answer; no scored accusation step.
Cost: No upfront price, with in-app purchases listed.
Saclic Studio · rated 4.77 from 6,102 ratings · 9+ · updated 2026-10-07 · App Store listing, checked 2026-10-19
The honest caveat
None of these is a replacement for Criminal Case. Each case closes with an arrest once the evidence lines up. Energy and star systems pace how fast you can play. Anything with a different structure will feel different no matter how close the subject matter is, so treat the list as neighbours rather than substitutes.
Unread is our own game, which is why it is marked. Every other app here is described from its own App Store listing, checked 2026-10-19; ratings and prices move, so check the listing before relying on them. We take nothing for the recommendations.