Comparison

NoStranger vs SIMULACRA 3

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

NoStranger

Engage in a user-choice-driven narrative where you uncover a stranger's identity, motivations, and secrets. Explore virtual worlds through real-time conversations, searching blogs, social media, and contacting characters to piece together a compelling story.

Highlights
  • User-choice-driven narrative
  • Real-time conversation
  • Search blogs and social media
  • Contact story characters
  • Immersive virtual world exploration
  • Believable experience with real websites
Features
Read full description

NoStranger is not a game, it's a conversation. As the app opens, you receive a message from a stranger. But by the end of your experience, you will know his name, his motivation, and his dark secret. You will be led on a user-choice-driven narrative; searching through blogs, contacting the story’s characters, and scouring social media websites to find out more. Through real-time conversation, you will delve deep, and sometimes not so deep ;), exploring the interconnectedness of our virtual world. With inspiration from titles such as LifeLine and Her Story, ​NoStranger uses real websites, phone numbers, and videos to create a believable, immersive experience. Trigger Warnings: This narrative includes topics of suicide and violence. https://discord.com/invite/7nBgNCt https://twitter.com/BlackVeinPro http://nostranger.weebly.com/ Sign up for our newsletter via tinyurl.com/NoStrangerNews Created by Matthew Ventures (@mrVentures) and Scott Mulligan

About

SIMULACRA 3

Investigate a town's disappearances by exploring a missing investigator's phone. Uncover dark secrets through digital clues, creepy videos, and interactive FMV sequences to find multiple endings.

Highlights
  • Explore town via simulated phone
  • Discover new found-phone horrors
  • Unravel secrets on phone apps
  • Interactive FMV sequences
  • Multiple endings
Features
Read full description

SIMULACRA 3 continues the narrative-driven found-phone horror game series. The once charming town of Stonecreek has seen better days. People are vanishing into thin air, leaving nothing behind but strange symbols where they were last seen. Your only lead is the phone of a missing investigator. Armed with a map app and a trail of creepy videos, delve into the darkest corners of the digital realms as you investigate the horrors seen on his phone and in Stonecreek. Features: - Explore a fictional town through a simulated mobile phone. - Discover brand new horrors of the found-phone genre. - Unravel hidden secrets on the phone's expanded apps and sequences. - Navigate interactive FMV sequences that lead to multiple endings.

Screenshots

NoStranger3 screens
SIMULACRA 34 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: NoStranger at Free against SIMULACRA 3's $7.99. NoStranger also leads on review sentiment (88% vs 53%). SIMULACRA 3's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 6 months). On rating, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

NoStranger is free to download; SIMULACRA 3 costs $7.99 up front. NoStranger sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. SIMULACRA 3 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for NoStranger against 4.5 for SIMULACRA 3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 419 and 229 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of NoStranger's written reviews are positive against 53% of SIMULACRA 3's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NoStranger ships an update every 6 months, SIMULACRA 3 every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
NoStranger versus SIMULACRA 3: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNoStrangerSIMULACRA 3
PriceFree — better$7.99
Rating4.6 (419 ratings) — better4.5 (229 ratings)
Positive reviews88.0% of reviews — better53.2% of reviews
Number of ratings419 — better229
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#169 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size160 MB2.2 GB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperBlack Vein Productions, Inc.KAIGAN GAMES OUe

Customer experience

NoStranger

All ratings419 ratings
Positive89.5%
Neutral2.4%
Negative8.1%
Written reviews142 reviews
Positive88.0%
Neutral6.3%
Negative5.6%

SIMULACRA 3

All ratings226 ratings
Positive86.3%
Neutral6.6%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive53.2%
Neutral21.0%
Negative25.8%

User reviews

NoStranger

From 419 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Immersive and interactive experience
  • 🤔 Thought-provoking storyline
  • 🕵️‍♀️ Engaging scavenger hunt-style gameplay
  • 🎨 Unique and creative concept

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Broken links and offline locations
  • ⏱️ Frustrating wait times between interactions
  • 🤔 Unclear or unsatisfying ending
  • 🔍 Lack of in-game feedback/guidance

SIMULACRA 3

From 229 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Engaging puzzle mechanics and innovative gameplay
  • 🎬 Immersive phone interface and found-phone experience
  • 🎭 Strong character development and voice acting (Ruby character praised)
  • 🎨 Beautiful art design and visual presentation
  • 🎯 Player choices impact story outcomes meaningfully

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent game crashes and freezing issues
  • 💾 Poor save system with infrequent checkpoints
  • 😑 Bland character personalities compared to previous games
  • ⚠️ Lacks humor and lighter moments from earlier installments
  • 🎬 Weak climax and anticlimactic ending

Bugs and requests

NoStranger

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Inconsistent save/progress tracking
  • Glitches that reset player choices

Requested features

3 requests
  • More content and chapters
  • Ability to skip wait times without ads
  • Clearer story resolution and explanations

SIMULACRA 3

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Game crashes during video calls with Ruby
  • Game crashes when clicking on videos
  • Screen freezes during extended gameplay sessions
  • Text conversations freeze and require app restart
  • Atlas map zoom function causes screen spasms
Show 7 more
  • Chat reply options fail to appear (Carin chat bug)
  • Ruby character shows as offline when should be available
  • Messages disappear when scrolling chat conversations
  • Progress deletion after app closure or device sleep
  • Phone glitch screen at beginning becomes unresponsive
  • Audio cuts and volume inconsistencies in video calls
  • Game won't progress past certain story points

Requested features

9 requests
  • Fast mode for replaying to unlock different endings
  • More frequent auto-save checkpoints
  • Manual save option at any time
  • In-game hints and answer options for stuck players
  • More music tracks and unlockable songs
Show 4 more
  • Additional live-action cutscenes with actors
  • Improved zoom functionality for maps and text
  • Better checkpoint system between major story beats
  • More Easter eggs and hidden content

In-app purchases

3 purchases

NoStranger

One-time3
  • Buy some Flubbertons$0.99
  • Buy some more Flubbertons$4.99
  • Buy ALOT of Flubbertons$7.99
None

SIMULACRA 3

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NoStranger free?
NoStranger is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SIMULACRA 3 free?
SIMULACRA 3 costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NoStranger or SIMULACRA 3?
NoStranger is rated higher. NoStranger averages 4.6 out of 5 from 419 ratings, while SIMULACRA 3 averages 4.5 from 229 ratings.
Do NoStranger or SIMULACRA 3 have ads?
Neither NoStranger nor SIMULACRA 3 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NoStranger or SIMULACRA 3?
NoStranger ships an update every 6 months, and SIMULACRA 3 every 5 weeks. Most recently, NoStranger was updated on October 24, 2026 and SIMULACRA 3 on October 30, 2026.

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