BitLife - Life Simulator review

BitLife is the simplest way into a life sim, and its 4.8 out of 5 rating from 1.8 million US App Store ratings shows how popular that simplicity is. Candywriter calls it the original text-based life simulator: you tap through a life year by year, making choices about education, careers, relationships and family, or choosing crime, prison trouble and bank robberies instead. Each choice changes the story and the ending, and no two lives play out the same. There is no 3D world, so it suits short sessions rather than building. It runs on iPhone, iPad, Apple silicon Macs and Apple Vision Pro. The game is free to play with advertising, and a Remove Ads purchase costs $2.99. Other purchases start at $0.99 for a Time Machine Use, with God Mode at $9.99 and expansion packs such as Landlord and Investor at $7.99 each. It is rated 18+ for mature and suggestive themes, simulated gambling and sexual content, so it is not one for kids.

Who it is for

Adults who want a quick, choice-driven life sim

Price

Free to play; in-app purchases start at $0.99 on the US App Store.

Time Machine Use $0.99
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 11, 2026.

Key features

• Text-based life simulator played one year at a time
• Education, careers, relationships and family choices
• Crime, prison and smuggling paths with consequences
• Expansion packs such as Landlord and Investor
• Optional God Mode and Bitizenship upgrades

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Rated 4.8 out of 5 from 1.8M ratings on the US App Store
• Strength: Runs on iPhone, iPad, Apple silicon Macs and Apple Vision Pro
• Strength: Remove Ads costs $2.99
• Weakness: Rated 18+ for mature themes, gambling and sexual content
• Weakness: Text-based, with no 3D world to build in
• Weakness: Expansion packs cost $7.99 each

Key facts

• Developer: Candywriter, LLC
• Price: Free, in-app purchases from $0.99
• App Store rating: 4.8 out of 5, 1.8M ratings
• Age rating: 18+
• Download size: 403.2 MB

Where it ranks

BitLife - Life Simulator is No. 6 in our Best Free Simulator Games verdict.