Lifeline... vs Reigns
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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
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“[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
Reigns
Rule a medieval kingdom by making decisions with a swipe of your finger. Balance the needs of various factions, from the church to the army, to extend your reign. Each choice has consequences that can lead to your dynasty's downfall.
- Swipe-based decision making
- Kingdom faction balance
- Dynasty survival
- Event spanning centuries
- Multiple ways to die
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Sit on the throne as a benevolent (or malevolent) medieval monarch of the modern age and swipe your royal fingers either left or right to impose your will upon the kingdom. Survive the seemingly never-ending gauntlet of requests from your advisors, peasants, allies, and enemies while maintaining balance between the influential factions of your kingdom. But beware; each decision you make might have implications and unfortunate consequences down the road that could put your reign and family’s dynasty at risk! Each year of your reign brings another important – seemingly random – request from your unpredictable kingdom as you strive for balance between the church, the people, the army, and the treasury. Prudent decisions and careful planning make for a long reign but unforeseen motivations, surprise events, and poor luck can take down even the most entrenched monarch. Extend your reign as long as possible, forge alliances, make enemies, and find new ways to die as your dynasty marches along through the ages. Some events will span on centuries, with an intrigue involving burning witches, scientific enlightenment, wicked politics and, maybe, the Devil himself. *iPhone 5 / iPod Touch 6 / iPad Mini / iPad Air or later recommended.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is chart position: Reigns at #9 against Lifeline...'s #60. Lifeline...'s advantage is review sentiment (78% vs 70%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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
Lifeline... costs $2.99 and Reigns $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 — 4.7 for Lifeline... against 4.8 for Reigns. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4.5K and 7.6K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of Lifeline...'s written reviews are positive against 70% of Reigns's.
Lifeline... ships an update every 6 weeks, Reigns every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on October 20, 2026.
| Parameter | Lifeline... | Reigns |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | $2.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (4.5K ratings) | 4.8 (7.6K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 78.3% of reviews — better | 70.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4.5K | 7.6K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #60 | #9 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 76 MB | 124 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | 3 Minute Games, Inc. | Devolver Digital, Inc. |
Customer experience
Lifeline...
Reigns
User reviews
Lifeline...
From 4.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Unique and immersive gameplay
- 👍 Engaging story and characters
- ⏱️ Real-time gameplay adds to the experience
- 🎨 Atmospheric music and sound design
Room to improve
- ⏳ Slow pacing and long wait times between responses
- 🤔 Limited choices and lack of meaningful impact on the story
- 🙄 Protagonist can be annoying or unrealistic at times
- 🔍 Lack of visual elements or graphics
Reigns
From 7.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👑 Great game concept
- 🤴 Engaging storyline and characters
- 🎨 Stylish art and design
- 🕹️ Addictive and challenging gameplay
- 🕰️ Replayability and multiple endings
Room to improve
- 🔁 Repetitive gameplay and card choices
- 🤔 Unclear consequences of decisions
- 🕹️ Frustrating difficulty and randomness
- 🔋 Battery drain issues
- 🐛 Bugs and save file corruption
Bugs and 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
Reigns
Reported bugs
4 issues- Blank/corrupted cards
- Crashes and freezes
- Save file corruption
- Compatibility issues on newer devices
Requested features
5 requests- More content and storylines
- Ability to customize the king/kingdom
- Improved UI and feedback on decisions
- Difficulty settings or options
- Cross-platform/cloud save support
In-app purchases
Lifeline...
No in-app purchases
Reigns
No in-app purchases









