Top 25 best text-based games for Android phones and tablets

When it comes to the history of video games, text-based games are as old as time and come on every platform, including mobile. There are many, many text-based games out there, some with more interactions than others! If you’re into titles that require quite a bit of reading, a little bit of thinking, and a story-driven aspect to them, then you've come to the right place.

Featuring games like the amazing King of Dragon Pass, the hilarious To Be or Not To Be and the award-winning 80 Days, there's sure to be something for you to find in this list of the best text-based games for Android.

Original article by Jupiter Hadley, updated by Pocket Gamer Staff.Click Here To View The List »

1Unmemory

Publisher: Plug In DigitalAvailable on: iOS + AndroidGenre: AdventureFind out more about Unmemory

Unmemory is the best text-based game I have played to date. It can be read as a story book or played as a game. This thriller has you trying to track down the man who murdered your girlfriend, but you also suffer from memory loss, so it’s a bit of a challenge. In Unmemory, you need to solve puzzles, scroll up and down the screen to see how things change, listen to recordings, look at pictures, and more! It will keep you guessing.

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2Ord.

Available on: iOS + Android Genre: AdventureFind out more about Ord.

Ord. is a small text-based game where you are given a word and you can reply with a word (or sometimes two) which then gives you another word, before you get to the next screen. Each of these little adventures can jump to a new and wonderful place, through small decisions that could mean a lot later on in the game.

If you want to learn more about Ord. and how it plays, make sure to read our Ord. review. It's a game of trial and error and... death, so if you're not too keen on playing and re-playing specific parts time and time again, you might want to look at another one from this list.

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3WarQuest: Game of the Gods

Available on: iOS + AndroidGenre: RPGFind out more about WarQuest: Game of the Gods

WarQuest: Game of the Gods is a text-based RPG that takes place in the medieval era, where you become a mercenary who has a bit of a dark and dim past that you need to slowly learn about and put together. Your choices do matter, as you can end up with various resources and rewards as you progress through the chapters.

Are you stuck? Want some help? Then you should read all the Game of the Gods tips and tricks we've got up our sleeves. They'll surely help you have a much smoother text-based experience.

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4King of Dragon Pass

Publisher: A SharpAvailable on: iOS + Android + PS Vita + Windows PhoneGenre: StrategyFind out more about King of Dragon Pass

King of Dragon Pass makes use of graphics a bit more than other text-based games, but that adds a bit of variety! This is a strategy game that’s based around fantasy, where you need to go on adventures, gathering items, trading, and fighting monsters. The game provides a much deeper text adventure that can be played for a longer time-frame.

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5Argo's Choice

Available on: iOS + AndroidGenre: AdventureFind out more about Argo's Choice

Argo's Choice is an adventure text-based game based around Argo, a retired detective. The setting of the game is a pub, where you are trying your best to charm the cute bartender while unfolding your story. It's fascinating, and you can make various choices based on your friendship points with the characters.

It's a fantastic creation that follows multiple plots and has a bunch of interesting and very well-developed characters, making it one of the best text-based Android games out there. It also feels more like a visual novel, but given you've got so much to scroll through that describes the action in great detail, we've listed it regardless.

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6Reigns: Her Majesty

Publisher: Devolver DigitalAvailable on: iOS + Android + SteamFind out more about Reigns: Her Majesty

There are a couple of different Reigns games out there, but Reigns: Her Majesty is the one we decided to put on this list! Playing as a Queen, you must make decisions for the kingdom by reading cards and then swiping left or right to react, in hopes of not being overthrown and making the best decisions for all of the kingdom.

We have a bunch of tips to help you rule for ages, and if you're just starting our, you should check out these beginner tips - otherwise, make sure to read how to use the items in Reigns: Her Majesty.

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7Sorcery! Part 4

Publisher: Inkle StudiosAvailable on: iOS + Android + SteamGenre: AdventureFind out more about Sorcery! Part 4

Sorcery!, an open-world adventure narrative, has a bunch of different parts. The fourth one, specifically, has you taking on an adventure in the cursed citadel, full of magic, monsters, traps, strange creatures, spells and more. You can learn various spells that can help you on your quest - this game is full of monsters to fight and near-death experiences.

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8A Dark Room

Developer: Amir RajanAvailable on: iOS + AndroidGenre: Adventure, RPGFind out more about A Dark Room

A Dark Room strips down to the bare minimum of a text game, providing a more straightforward experience where you start in a dark, cold place, needing to build a fire, then selecting different decisions from there to move forward. The game’s pace then builds up, giving you more and more options as you end up trying to survive.

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9SIMULACRA 2

Available on: iOS + AndroidGenre: AdventureFind out more about SIMULACRA 2

Following a surge of lost phone related games, SIMULACRA 2 is a scay, text-adventure where you find the phone of Maya, a dead influencer. You are a detective who wants to solve this crime, but there seems to be a lot of issues with her phone - it’s been whipped clean. You’ll need to use this access to her life to find out how this murder went down.

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10Bury Me, My Love

Available on: iOS + Android + SwitchGenre: AdventureFind out more about Bury Me, My Love

Following the story of Syrian refugees, one of which is going on a journey to the safety of Europe, texting her husband about her journey. There are choices in the way that you talk to your husband, how worried he gets, and how long it takes to reply back, having to wait for an answer and hope that it’s not some sort of bad news. Bury Me, My Love is a very touching story.

In order to dive deeper into this heartfelt story, make sure to read our Bury Me, My Love review - it's on Switch though, but it shouldn't make a difference if you're trying to figure out whether or not you should buy it.

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11Lifeline

Developer: 3 Minute GamesAvailable on: iOS + Android + Apple WatchGenre: AdventureFind out more about Lifeline

In Lifeline, you are an intern named Taylor who seems to be the only person left on the moon, after a spaceship crashed. You’ll be making decisions between two different options, each one affecting Taylor’s life and deciding his fate as he tries to survive on the moon all on his own. There is surely a lot riding on these decisions.

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12Magium

Available on: iOS + AndroidGenre: AdventureFind out more about Magium

Magium is a RPG, text-based game where you play as Barry, a human hoping to one day become a mage. The game itself is three books long currently, still being worked on, and you basically are trying to get Barry to a point where he can be a mage through improving his stats and entering tournaments, while making decisions along the way.

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13Ryan North's To Be Or Not To Be

Publisher: Tin Man GamesAvailable on: iOS + AndroidGenre: AdventureFind out more about Ryan North's To Be Or Not To Be

A more comical version of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ryan North’s To Be or Not To Be is a game well worth checking out. It’s a branching narrative version of Hamlet, where you play as Hamlet trying to get revenge after your father’s death, play as Ophelia who is trying to make discoveries or play as King Hamlet - who does, in fact, just die.

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14Forbidden Valley

Available on: AndroidGenre: AdventureFind out more about Forbidden Valley

Playing as Adam, an archaeologist following after your father, Forbidden Valley doesn’t just focus on the text, but also focuses on the music - with a bunch of tracts to keep you entertained. It also has mini-games, puzzles, and lots of text-based story for you to enjoy as you figure out what riches lie ahead.

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15Horror in the Darkness

Available on: iOS + AndroidGenre: AdventureFind out more about Horror in the Darkness

Horror in the Darkness is a text-based horror game (as the name would suggest) where you play as a private investigator who just got back from WW2. Taking on a case from an old friend, everything is not as it seems this time. The game is both dripping with dread but also has moments of comedy to balance things out.

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16Choice of Robots

Available on: iOS + AndroidGenre: AdventureFind out more about Choice of Robots

Choice of Robots is a sci-fi text-based game where you are a robot maker. Your choices will end up affecting the robots you are creating, making them empathetic, cold, independent, obedient, helpful, or just scary. Your entire life can end up being those robots, it’s all up to you as the robot uprising ticks closer and closer. There are a lot of paths in this one!

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17DEAD CITY

Available on: iOS + AndroidGenre: AdventureFind out more about DEAD CITY

DEAD CITY is a title that looks a lot like a messenger app. Sam is someone trapped in a post-apocalyptic world, just trying to survive. You can help them out by replying to her text messages - when and if you want too - to drive forward the story and see what happens to her next. You’ll be hearing about the world through her eyes - and it’s a pretty grim one.

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18Paladins

Available on: iOS + AndroidGenre: AdventureFind out more about Paladins

Paladins puts you in the place of multiple characters in a medieval-themed book, with 133 different chapters! It has a lot of content, many decisions to make and a dose of luck to stay alive. There are many different ways of life in Paladins, from knights to lone farmers, you’ll end up playing it all and hopefully avoiding death.

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19D&D Style RPG

Available on: AndroidGenre: AdventureFind out more about D&D Style RPG

This is an old-school D&D story where you can take a role of a wizard, a stealthy rogue, or a seductive succubus! One feature that fought our eye is that nothing is locked within a paywall. So, you don't have to use gems or spend real money to unlock certain choices. The author of the game says he had been playing D&D since the first edition, and it took him 7 years of work to make it. As per usual, dedicated people make the best products, so we can highly recommend this Android text-based game if you're a fan of fantasy.

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20Out There

Developer: Mi-Clos StudioPublisher: Mi-Clos StudioAvailable on: iOS + Android + SteamGenre: Adventure, StrategyFind out more about Out There

Out There has you waking up, as an astronaut, but you’ve woken up in the middle of nowhere, in the galaxy. You need to try to survive by repairing your ship and using space gardens to refill your oxygen supply while avoiding dangerous beings in your travels. This text-based game has a comic book style, which is very nice!

If you're trying to find the best way to survive space, then you should read our beginner tips and tricks for Out There - they'll give you a clear idea of what you should and shouldn't do starting your space journey.

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2180 Days

Publisher: Inkle StudiosAvailable on: iOS + AndroidGenre: Adventure, Card/board gameFind out more about 80 Days

80 Days is set back in 1872, where you are traveling your own route around the globe, via airships, submarines, mechanical camels, horses, hot-air balloons, steam-train and much more - trying to make it first across the world in hopes of winning your journey. Every moment takes time, so the story will affect the trust you earn, the secrets you discover, etc.

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22A Study in Steampunk: Choice by Gaslight

Available on: iOS + AndroidGenre: AdventureFind out more about A Study in Steampunk: Choice by Gaslight

A Study in Steampunk is inspired by, well, a lot of different stories - from Dracula to Sherlock Holmes, with a bit of steampunk overlaid! You will play as a character in a country that’s about to go to war, becoming a secret agent who is trying to prevent that (or well, trying to cause it if you like chaos). It’s got a lot of choices and many paths to follow.

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23Choice of the Deathless

Available on: iOS + AndroidGenre: AdventureFind out more about Choice of the Deathless

Choice of the Deadless sees you fighting demons and attorneys to win souls that will help you pay back your student loans - school surely has gotten expensive. This game has multiple choice options that can change and affect the story, allowing you to read quite big replies to each situation. You can defeat enemies, fall in love, pay off your loan or lose your own soul.

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24Untold RPG

Available on: iOS + AndroidGenre: RPGFind out more about Untold RPG

This text-based game is fairly new, in which you wake up on a beach, confused, and encountering a nomad. This other person is also suffering from memory loss and both of you are just looking to seek revenge on whoever put you in this strange place and took hold of the memories you once had.

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25Wanderlust: Transsiberian

Available on: iOS + AndroidGenre: AdventureFind out more about Wanderlust: Transsiberian

Wanderlust: Transsiberian allows you to board a railway and travel around real-world locations through a narrative game all on your phone. There are plenty of choices to make on your adventure as you travel across the world, interacting with various different cultures and exploring strange places you might never get to in real life.