The Longing Mobile

Adventure

Ratings

Age

9+

Adventure

Languages

English

Latest Version 1.3.5

Thu Jan 08 2026

This version contains mainly minor bugfixes.

THE LONGING is a one-of-a-kind idle adventure that challenges your perception of time. You play as a lonely Shade, tasked by the King to wait 400 real-time days within a vast, hand-drawn underground kingdom. The timer counts down even when you are not playing. How you spend your time is up to you: explore the dark and silent caves, gather items to make your room cozy, or read entire books from a provided library of classics. With multiple endings and a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere, THE LONGING is a slow-burn journey of patience and self-discovery.

Dinsun Expert Review

Our Expert Score

92/100

The Longing is one of the most unique and profoundly moving experiences on mobile. It is a game designed to be played over 400 real-world days. You play as a Shade, the last servant of a sleeping king, and your only task is to wait for him to wake up. It’s a slow, contemplative journey about loneliness, time, and find joy in the mundane.

What makes it brilliant as a mobile title is how it respects the player's life. The timer continues to count down even when the app is closed. You can decorate your cave, read real-world classic literature (like Moby Dick or Thus Spoke Zarathustra), and explore the vast underground kingdom at your own pace. It’s less of a game and more of a digital companion. It forces you to slow down and think, providing a rare sense of peace in a market filled with high-intensity titles. It is a masterpiece of atmospheric storytelling.

Dinsun reviewed on: Thu Mar 21 2024

Features

Unique 400-day real-time gameplay mechanic

Vast, beautiful hand-drawn underground world

Full library of classic literature to read in-game

Multiple endings based on your actions

A peaceful and contemplative atmospheric experience

Tips & Walkthrough

Passing the Time

The Shade's movements are very slow. To make time pass faster, you must make the Shade's room 'cozy.' Finding charcoal to draw pictures or collecting enough books to fill the shelf will cause the 400-day timer to accelerate, potentially cutting months off your wait.

Gameplays

Exploring the Caves

The environment changes over time. Some paths are blocked by stalactites that take days to fall, and some areas are only accessible after moss has grown for weeks. Patience is a literal game mechanic—sometimes the only way to solve a puzzle is to wait.

Screenshot

Q&A

No, the 400-day countdown continues automatically in the background even when the app is closed.

Ratings & Reviews

App Store Editors’ Notes

Invalid Date

Wonderful, some glitches

Wed Dec 27 2023 sunnlovey

I’ve wanted this game for years now, and I was finally able to get it on mobile! While it’s great, there’s a lot of glitches when it comes to room decorating. For example, I may click on a crystal at one end of the room and a crystal on the complete opposite end gets selected instead and gets automatically moved to where I just clicked. And then when I finally place that crystal down a completely random one gets selected and moved to the spot where I put the previous crystal down. This is the only problem I’ve had with the game so far, though. Thank you!

Already obsessed

Mon Dec 18 2023 Epigram

The little dude (a shade- I call him Ash) walks super slow because he has all the time in the world, but its an idle game so you can close out and come back to see how far he's gotten. It’s a test of patience to be sure, but I’m already looking forward to the rewards and progress that comes with time. I wish there was a widget available to see what he’s up to or thinking when not in-game because his little mosquito face brings me joy. I also wish we could label the remembered spots because they are hard to see and difficult to discern from one another.

Latest iOS brings major glitches

Tue Nov 12 2024 El Nerdo Degeek

5 stars because I really like the game and want more like it on mobile. Sadly the latest iOS update brings Game Center notifications which trigger the "WAIT..." screen whenever they pop up, including on achievements. This means that *any major event gets interrupted*.

❤️❤️❤️

Thu Aug 01 2024 Peanut The Elephant Queen

Amazing. The animations and story is so beautiful. True, you need a lot of patience, but I always enjoy playing. I cannot wait for when the 400 days are over, I wonder what will happen! If you are looking for an easy, relaxing game, it’s this!

I love itttt

Mon Oct 13 2025 Obsessed with frogs

The end got accidentally spoiled for me before I could get there myself :( I won’t put it here so no one else has the same fate but I still love it! Anyhow, I agree with what another person said that maybe make a widget???

Amazing Game

Mon Dec 02 2024 Hcdyjvrjobj

This game is such a good break from the constantly changing stimuli of the world. With a super cute main character that reminds you to take things slow, and a chill but entertaining gameplay, this game is so good for my attention span and mental health :)

Amazingly obsessed!

Wed Aug 14 2024 Marina nio nio

There are fewer than few truly engaging games, and this one in particular have me emotionally hooked. I wanted to achieve every milestone, but at the same time ending its longing. Might play it again to unlock the rest.

That’s game is great

Wed Feb 05 2025 Panda_9563

I wait for that game because I don’t have a pc and I don’t like the idea to turn on a pc always when I want to play this game the Mobil version it’s great thanks so much ☀️