Round-up
The best story games on iPhone
By Joel Rightler · Updated 2026-10-19
This list is about story-led games: ones where reading, choosing and piecing things together is the actual play, not a cutscene between levels. It is not about the big choice-driven romance apps like Episode or Choices, which are a different product with a different audience. If that is what you came for, this is the wrong list and I would rather say so than waste your time.
What "story game" means here
Each game below would stop working if you removed the writing. That is the test. Some are mysteries, some are not, and a couple are short enough to finish in an evening, which is noted on the entry.
The games
1 of 7
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
2 of 7
Life Is Strange
What you do: A five-part episodic story about Max Caulfield, who can rewind time and replay her choices to change what happens.
How a case ends: Choice and consequence across episodes, with a final decision rather than a deduction.
Cost: No upfront price for the first part, with the rest sold in app.
SQUARE ENIX Ltd · rated 4.01 from 9,562 ratings · 17+ · updated 2024-02-14 · App Store listing, checked 2026-10-19
3 of 7
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
4 of 7
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
5 of 7
SIMULACRA: Pipe Dreams
What you do: A standalone found-phone story in the SIMULACRA universe, told through a phone and a suspicious game app on it.
How a case ends: Short and story-led, with branching outcomes. The listing shows no update since February 2019.
Cost: No upfront price.
KAIGAN GAMES OUe · rated 4.81 from 6,521 ratings · 9+ · updated 2019-02-07 · App Store listing, checked 2026-10-19
6 of 7
Radiant One
What you do: A short, heavily atmospheric story game about lucid dreaming, driven by choices rather than puzzles.
How a case ends: Your choices shape the ending. The listing shows no update since November 2019.
Cost: No upfront price, with an optional subscription listed.
FNTASTIC (FNTASTIK) TOO · rated 4.34 from 10,003 ratings · 9+ · updated 2019-11-01 · App Store listing, checked 2026-10-19
7 of 7
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
Which one to start with
For the longest and best-reviewed, An Elmwood Trail. For a famous, heavily authored one, Life Is Strange. For short and strange, Radiant One and SIMULACRA: Pipe Dreams. For a story you assemble yourself out of a phone rather than one told to you, Unread.
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.