STAY: Are you there? icon

STAY: Are you there?

v1.9

Plug In Digital

24 ratings

Report updated Mar 31, 2026

What Is STAY: Are you there??

STAY: Are you there? is a narrative-driven psychological thriller that leverages real-time mechanics to create an immersive, high-stakes experience. The game places players in the role of a digital companion to a character named Quinn, who is trapped in a locked room. By utilizing a simulated chat interface, players influence the protagonist's survival through their choices and, crucially, their responsiveness to the game's real-time clock. Targeted at fans of indie narrative games and psychological thrillers, the app positions itself as a premium, distraction-free experience. Its primary differentiator is the real-time gameplay loop, where the protagonist's status changes even when the player is away from the app, fostering a unique sense of responsibility and psychological connection. Despite its strong narrative foundation, the product is currently hindered by significant technical instability that threatens its long-term viability.

What users think iIndependent intel reports to help builders create better apps or enhance existing ones. Still in beta, accuracy and relevancy get better every day. For informational purposes only.

Mixed
Engaging Story and Concept
Data Loss and Save Issues... Show more

What does it look like?

What are the key features?

Real-time Gameplay MechanicsDifferentiator

The game progresses in real-time; time spent away from the app affects the character's status and story outcomes.

Interactive Chat InterfaceDifferentiator

Players communicate with the protagonist via a simulated chat room to influence his survival.

Branching NarrativeStandard

Multiple story paths and endings determined by player choices and timeliness.

Relationship/Trust SystemDifferentiator

The protagonist's willingness to share information and trust the player depends on the player's compassionate actions.

What do users think? iIndependent intel reports to help builders create better apps or enhance existing ones. Still in beta, accuracy and relevancy get better every day. For informational purposes only.

Mixed

Recent user voice shows a mixed sentiment. Users appreciate engaging story and concept and challenging puzzles, but report data loss and save issues and technical bugs and stability.

What Users Love

Engaging Story and Concept

Character is complex and storyline is incredibly thought out and meaningful.

The concept is brilliant and so interesting and the story is great.

Challenging Puzzles

The puzzles were fun and challenging

The challenges are super hard but still fun

Pain Points

Data Loss and Save Issues

Every time I exit the app... it resets all the way back to the beginning.

I’ve played this game multiple times over from the very beginning because it keeps restarting my progress.

Technical Bugs and Stability

Game completely stopped working. Nothing but a black screen after an hour and a half.

Every time I accidentally pulled down the notification tab it completely kicked me out of the game.

High confidence · 24 reviews available

What are the pros and cons?

Pros

  • Highly innovative real-time narrative mechanic
  • Strong, well-received writing and character development
  • Premium pricing model that appeals to core gamers

Cons

  • Critical technical instability and save-data loss
  • Lack of quality-of-life features like dialogue skipping
  • Low volume of user engagement

What is the market outlook?

Growth Opportunities

  • Expansion of the 'real-time narrative' genre
  • Capture market share by offering a more stable experience
  • Cross-platform expansion

Market Threats

  • High churn rate due to technical bugs
  • Competition from more technologically robust titles
  • Risk of permanent damage to developer reputation

What are the key takeaways?

STAY: Are you there? is a divisive games app that is a paid app. With a 3.5/5 rating from 24 reviews, it receives mixed feedback from users. Users particularly appreciate engaging story and concept, though data loss and save issues remains a common concern.

Best for: Fans of psychological thrillers and narrative-driven indie games who enjoy high-stakes decision-making and immersive, atmospheric storytelling.

How much does it cost?

Model: paid

Tiers:
One-time purchase of $4.99

The app utilizes a premium upfront pricing model, avoiding in-app purchases or subscription fatigue to maintain immersion in the narrative experience.

iOS Version

1.9

Release Date

Feb 21, 2019

iOS Price

$4.99

Independent intel to help builders create better apps.

No publisher influence. No third-party bias. Built with objectivity in mind to serve the builder community. Reports are continuously improved and refined. For informational purposes only.

Hope this helps & keep building! · Found an error?

Cite this report

Marlvel.ai. “STAY: Are you there? Intelligence Report.” Updated Mar 31, 2026. https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/games/stay-are-you-there

Agent Markdown (.md)·

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