Alternatives
Suspects alternatives
By Joel Rightler · Updated 2026-10-19
Stories told through the phones of the characters involved: chat messages, photos, video, voice notes and social posts, released as cases. If you have run out of it and want the same feeling somewhere else, these five are the closest on mobile.
Bonus Round Limited · rated 4.37 from 11,302 ratings · listing checked 2026-10-19
What you are actually looking for
"Something like Suspects" 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
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
3 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
4 of 5
Stalkie · Mobile Detective
What you do: A narrative investigation inside a simulated phone: fake apps, hidden data, deleted photos and private conversations to dig through.
How a case ends: Story-driven, following the investigation to its conclusion.
Cost: No upfront price, with in-app purchases listed.
Gregoire Collin · rated 4.55 from 2,888 ratings · 12+ · updated 2026-07-30 · App Store listing, checked 2026-10-19
5 of 5
Sara is Missing
What you do: The original found-phone game: you have the phone of a missing person and search it for clues to what happened to her.
How a case ends: Short, with branching endings. Note the listing shows no update since December 2016.
Cost: No upfront price.
KAIGAN GAMES OUe · rated 3.72 from 2,804 ratings · 17+ · updated 2016-12-06 · App Store listing, checked 2026-10-19
The honest caveat
None of these is a replacement for Suspects. You follow a case across days of in-story time and work out who did it; there is no six-axis scoring. 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.