The best texting story games are Lifeline for real-time survival, Mystic Messenger for real-time romance, Bury Me, My Love for a serious drama, Simulacra for a found-phone mystery, Emily Is Away for a short relationship story on a computer, and Secret Fantasy for episodic romance you read at your own pace. They share one idea: the story arrives as messages, and you decide what to send back.
What is a texting story game? #
A texting story game tells its plot through a messaging interface. Instead of controlling a character, you read their messages and choose replies, and the story changes with what you pick. Some run in real time, so a character might go quiet for hours. Others are paced by episodes or chapters. For the basics of reading one, see how chat stories work.
The best texting story games at a glance #
| Game | Year | Platforms | Style |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifeline | 2015 | iOS, Android | Real-time survival |
| Mystic Messenger | 2016 | iOS, Android | Real-time otome romance |
| Bury Me, My Love | 2017 | iOS, Android, Switch, Windows | Drama about a migrant’s route to Europe |
| Simulacra | 2017 | Phones, PC and consoles | Found-phone horror mystery |
| Emily Is Away | 2015 | Windows, Mac, Linux | Instant-messenger relationship story |
| Secret Fantasy | Current | iOS, Android | Episodic interactive romance |
1. Lifeline #
Three Minute Games’ Lifeline (2015) is the game that made texting stories feel like a genre. An astronaut named Taylor is stranded on an alien moon and can only reach you by text. You pick one of two replies each time, and when Taylor goes off to do something, you wait in real time while the screen says “[Taylor is busy],” sometimes for hours.
It spawned a long run of sequels, from Lifeline 2 and Lifeline: Silent Night in 2015 to Lifeline: Beside You in Time in 2022. Given the age of the original, check that it’s still listed in your app store.
Wrong for you if you want romance or a story you can finish in one sitting.
2. Mystic Messenger #
Cheritz released Mystic Messenger on July 8, 2016 for Android and August 18, 2016 for iOS. After installing a mysterious messenger app, you’re pulled into group chats with a cast of characters, and the chats open at real times of day. Texts and phone calls fill the gaps, and your replies earn hearts that decide whose route you end up on across 11 days. It’s the best-known texting romance, with seven character routes.
Wrong for you if your schedule can’t fit chats that open at set times.
3. Bury Me, My Love #
The Pixel Hunt’s Bury Me, My Love (2017) is the most serious game here. You play Majd, whose wife Nour is fleeing the war in Syria for Europe, and you advise her entirely through texts. Your replies shape her route and her decisions, and the result is closer to a news story than a game. It came to phones in October 2017, then to Switch and Windows in January 2019.
Wrong for you if you want something light.
4. Simulacra #
Kaigan Games’ Simulacra (2017) is a found-phone horror mystery. You’ve come across a phone belonging to a woman named Anna who has disappeared, and you dig through her messages, contacts and apps, messaging her friends and boyfriend to find out what happened. Glitched messages and images add to the unease. It’s available on phones, computers and consoles.
Wrong for you if horror isn’t your thing.
5. Emily Is Away #
Kyle Seeley’s Emily Is Away, released free in November 2015 for Windows, Mac and Linux, tells a five-year relationship story through a chat client modeled on early-2000s instant messengers. You choose what to type, sometimes watching your character delete a message before sending it. Two sequels followed: Emily Is Away Too (2017) and Emily Is Away <3 (2021), set on a parody of 2008 Facebook.
Wrong for you if you want to play on your phone.
6. Secret Fantasy #
Secret Fantasy brings the texting format to episodic romance. Each story plays out in message threads with short narration in between, from group chats you weren’t meant to see to a number with no area code, and at each choice you pick the reply. Three stories are on the shelf: Omerta (mafia), Moonbound (werewolf) and Thornwilde (fae), each with twelve five-minute episodes and three romance routes tracked separately.
It isn’t real time. You read at your own pace, with auto-play if you want messages to arrive on their own. The first three episodes of a story are open right away and one more opens per day after that, and the plot is never paywalled: gems only skip the wait or open bonus scenes. Reading works offline and there’s no account.
Wrong for you if you want characters messaging you unprompted in real time, the way Mystic Messenger does.
What about Mr Love: Queen’s Choice? #
Papergames’ Mr Love: Queen’s Choice let players text, chat with and call its love interests, and it was a common recommendation for fans of texting romance. Its global version was scheduled to shut down on March 27, 2026, though other regional versions continue. If you’re looking for its successor from the same studio, Love and Deepspace is the one, though it’s a 3D game rather than a texting one.
Which texting game should you play? #
- For romance: Mystic Messenger if you want real time, Secret Fantasy if you want to read on your own schedule. Our list of games like Mystic Messenger goes further.
- For survival tension: Lifeline.
- For horror: Simulacra.
- For something that stays with you: Bury Me, My Love or Emily Is Away.
If you’re after romance in any format, not just texts, see our best interactive romance games.
Frequently asked questions #
What are texting games called? #
They go by several names: texting games, chat stories, messaging games and phone-interface games. Found-phone games like Simulacra are a subgenre where you explore someone else’s phone rather than talking to a character.
Are there texting games where characters message you in real time? #
Yes. Lifeline makes you wait while the character is busy, and Mystic Messenger opens chat rooms at specific real-world times. Real-time games feel very immersive but need you to check in regularly.
Do texting games have romance? #
Many do. Mystic Messenger is an otome game with seven routes, Emily Is Away is a relationship story, and Secret Fantasy is a library of interactive romances with three love interests per story.
Are texting story games free? #
Some are. Emily Is Away is free on computers, and many phone texting games are free to download with in-app purchases. Check each store listing for what’s sold.