A Dark Room vs Lifeline...
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
A Dark Room
Awaken in a mysterious world with a throbbing head and blurry vision. Follow the voices' instructions to survive and explore this text-based adventure. Experience a game free from ads, loot boxes, in-app purchases, and tracking, fully playable with VoiceOver.
- Text-based adventure
- Survival mechanics
- Exploration
- Resource management
- VoiceOver compatible
- No ads or IAP
Read full descriptionHide full description
awake. head throbbing. vision blurry. the voices say to survive. - One of Apple's most downloaded apps of 2014. - Ranked in the top 10 games in 70 countries, #1 app overall in 7 countries. - No ads, no loot boxes, no IAP, no tracking. - 100% playable via VoiceOver. - Relive the glory days of gaming from the era of Zork.
Lifeline...
Experience a gripping, real-time survival story where your choices shape the fate of a stranded astronaut. Receive notifications throughout your day and make life-or-death decisions directly from your phone or smartwatch. Multiple endings and a bonus epilogue await.
- Playable branching story
- Real-time notifications
- Apple Watch integration
- Multiple endings
- Bonus story epilogue
- Offline play
Read full descriptionHide full description
“[A] surprising iPhone and Apple Watch bestseller is pushing the boundaries of fiction” - boingboing.net “This is the best game on the Apple Watch” - Time.com Lifeline is a playable, branching story of survival against all odds. Using your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch, you will help Taylor make life or death decisions, and face the consequences together. Acclaimed writer Dave Justus (Fables: The Wolf Among Us) weaves a gripping interactive story through the aftermath of a crash landing on an alien moon. Taylor is stranded, the rest of the crew are dead or missing, and Taylor’s communicator can only reach you. Lifeline pioneered a new narrative experience enabled by modern devices. This story plays out in real time as Taylor works to stay alive, notifications deliver new messages throughout your day. Keep up as they come in, or catch up later when you’re free. You can even respond to Taylor directly from your Apple Watch or your iPhone lock screen, without launching into the app. Or, dive in and jump back to earlier points in the story, and see what happens when you make a different choice. Simple actions can have a profound effect. Complete any single path to restart the story and unlock this mode. Lifeline is a deep, immersive story of survival and perseverance, with many possible outcomes. Taylor is relying on YOU. You can play Lifeline in any of these languages: - English - French - German - Russian - Simplified Chinese - Japanese - Spanish - Korean NEW in version 1.8: Stick around after the game for a special story epilogue from Dave Justus. For players who have already finished the game, the Bonus Story becomes available under the game options. Witness the events leading up to Lifeline: Silent Night. Internet connection not required. No in-app purchases and no ads. Praise for Lifeline: “I’ve played many games that I find engrossing, but Lifeline may be one of the first that changed the way I thought about my daily routine, which leapt off the screen and became a part of my lived experience.” - Eli Cymet, Gamezebo “I felt an immediate attachment to a fictional character pinging me from a strange galaxy to my wearable.” - Luke Hopewell, Gizmodo Australia “[P]laying it on the Apple Watch makes you truly feel like you’re exchanging messages with an astronaut via a futuristic transmitter.” - Michael Andronico, Tom’s Guide “For a few brief hours I cared – really cared – about the fate of a completely fictional character. I don’t think any other game I’ve played has made me feel that way before.” - Matt Thrower, PocketGamer Lifeline was created by: Dave Justus Mars Jokela Dan Selleck Colin Liotta Jason Nowak Ben “Books” Schwartz
Screenshots
Verdict
A Dark Room and Lifeline... both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 93% of A Dark Room's written reviews are positive against 78% of Lifeline...'s. A Dark Room also leads on chart position (#30 vs #157) and price ($1.99 vs $2.99). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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
A Dark Room costs $1.99 and Lifeline... $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for A Dark Room against 4.7 for Lifeline.... Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.7K and 4.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 93% of A Dark Room's written reviews are positive against 78% of Lifeline...'s.
A Dark Room ships an update every 2 months, Lifeline... every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | A Dark Room | Lifeline... |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (2.7K ratings) — better | 4.7 (4.5K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 92.7% of reviews — better | 78.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2.7K | 4.5K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #30 — better | #157 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 100 MB | 76 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Amirali Rajan | 3 Minute Games, Inc. |
Customer experience
A Dark Room
Lifeline...
Bugs and requests
A Dark Room
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Lifeline...
Reported bugs
2 issues- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions or devices
- Notifications not working as expected
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to skip or speed up wait times
- More branching storylines and meaningful choices
- Option to change the protagonist's personality or background
- Integration with Apple Watch or other wearable devices
In-app purchases
A Dark Room
No in-app purchases
Lifeline...
No in-app purchases









