How AI helps users find games they actually want to play

I wanted a fantasy roguelike RPG for my iPhone. Free, no in-app purchases, good reviews.

I searched the App Store. Nice screenshots. Lots of color. The first result was an ad, and both games I could fully see had “In-App Purchases” right there under the download button.

I’d specifically asked for no in-app purchases.

Neither game interested me anyway, so I was back to scrolling, opening listings, checking details, and trying another search. I just wanted something to play.

Then I gave ChatGPT the same criteria.

It came back with GnollHack, Pathos: Nethack Codex and Brogue. All three met my requirements. It also explained the differences: GnollHack if I wanted more of a traditional roguelike, Pathos if I cared more about the RPG side.

Okay, now we’re getting somewhere.

“RPG” doesn’t tell you much

There are a ridiculous number of games that fit that label. Some want your attention for three hours. Some want it every three hours. Some want your credit card.

You probably have a much more specific idea of what you’d enjoy:

“I want something I can play for fifteen minutes before bed.”

“My partner and I want to play together, but we’re rarely online at the same time.”

“I like farming games. I’m just tired of doing chores in them.”

That’s the nice part. I don’t need to know what the industry calls the thing I’m looking for. I can just describe it.

Here’s what the two experiences looked like

The search brief

A free fantasy roguelike RPG for iPhone, with no in-app purchases and good player reviews.

App Store

Original search screenshot

Two results with in-app purchases.

ChatGPT

Edited summary of the shared answer

A shortlist with reasons to play.

GnollHack

The closest match for a traditional fantasy roguelike.

Pathos: Nethack Codex

More emphasis on the fantasy RPG experience.

Brogue

A more minimalist, traditional dungeon roguelike.

The answer included store links, ratings and explanations of how each game fits.

Three candidates, with reasons.

Shown here: my App Store screenshot and an edited summary of the ChatGPT answer. The search brief is paraphrased; the query is cut off in the screenshot.

The App Store gave me stuff to scroll through. ChatGPT got me to three games I actually wanted to investigate. Huge difference.

And credit to the people making these games. If fantasy roguelikes are your thing, give GnollHack, Pathos and Brogue a look. GnollHack was the find for me.

And you can just keep talking

“Looks good, but that seems like a lot to learn.”

“Which one can I put down halfway through?”

“Actually, I’d pay once. I just don’t want to keep buying stuff.”

Sometimes I don’t even know what I care about until I see an answer. Maybe I say I want something difficult, then realize I mostly want interesting decisions. I don’t actually want to get my ass kicked every time I make a mistake.

I still want to know where the answer came from

GnollHack’s own site says the game is free, with no ads or microtransactions. Perfect. GnollHack’s website

Then I can ask how it compares with Pathos. Or I can go download it.

And this isn’t really “ChatGPT versus the App Store.” Apple already supports natural-language search, and ChatGPT itself used App Store listings as part of the answer. The App Store was still useful. I just liked having something else do the digging. Apple’s search documentation

The industry is starting to notice

AppTweak launched AI Visibility for Games in August. It tracks which games ChatGPT and Gemini recommend across more than 1,000 gaming topics. AppTweak’s article

So clearly I’m not the only person wondering about this. There’s now an actual product for game studios that want to know: when somebody describes a game like ours, do we show up?

I get why that matters. If someone describes exactly the game you spent years making, you’d probably like the AI to know you exist.

A game I probably would have missed

I’d never even heard of GnollHack. It turned out to be exactly the game I wanted to play.

I honestly doubt I would have found it by scrolling the App Store. There’s a lot competing for your attention there, especially the games with money and momentum behind them. I probably would have given up before getting to it.

GnollHack got a shot because it happened to be the game that best matched what I wanted, not because I recognized the name or somebody paid to put it in front of me.

I like that way of finding games a lot more.