Choose the experience you actually want
BitLife’s official website describes a text-based life simulator made by Candywriter. Its App Store listing includes education, careers and relationships, and lists the app as free with in-app purchases. Those are the limited official facts used in this comparison; store availability and offers can change.
Forked Lives is a separate browser game with its own interface, simulation and saves. Try it for a short narrative session, saved decision branches or an asynchronous challenge with a friend. It is not a way to run BitLife, unlock its purchases or import its characters. If you specifically want Candywriter’s game, follow the official sources below.
| What you are looking for | BitLife: official listing | Forked Lives: this game |
|---|---|---|
| Where to start | Official website and app-store listing | Open 1in8b.space in a browser |
| Core life choices | Education, careers and relationships | Growth, work, relationships and yearly choices |
| Payment information | Free app with in-app purchases | Current life play, branching and save export are free |
| A choice to revisit | Consult the current official feature description | Branch from an important decision with a saved snapshot |
| A beginning to share | Consult the current official feature description | Send a same-start link or card QR code |
Keep the first answer, then explore another
Starting over draws another origin. Branching instead keeps a shared past: reach an important decision, answer it and continue, then return through the branching control to a recorded checkpoint. A second record resumes before that answer, while the original life remains on your local shelf.
Use this to ask one concrete question, such as whether to keep studying or begin work sooner. Read later events, relationships and happiness alongside the final balance. Only decisions saved with a pre-choice snapshot are available; older records without one cannot recreate a missing past. The comparison explains this game’s model, not real-world cause and effect.
Give a friend the same beginning
A same-start invitation fixes a simulated identity, family, date and origin draw. Your friend begins in their own browser and makes their own later choices. You can use today’s shared beginning or share an invitation after completing a life. You do not need to play at the same time.
Compare where the stories separated, rather than treating the ending as a certified score. An invitation can carry an outcome summary, but not your full save or private journal. This is asynchronous play: there is no live room in which both people control the same character.
Try one life before deciding
Choose an era, an origin draw and a playback pace, then read the birth registration before beginning. Origins cover 172 countries and territories. Weighting by births differs from weighting by population; neither draw is a list of equally likely countries. The displayed country figures are approximate.
For a first session, leave Auto off and use a pace that gives you time to read. Pause when a decision matters. The five-minute option adjusts playback rather than imposing a deadline, so reading and manual choices can take longer. There is no required lifespan or income to reach a good ending.
Keep your progress separate from your invitation
No account is required to play. Progress stays in the current browser by default; export a private JSON backup before clearing site data or changing devices. Optional encrypted transfer and personal-pass tools are separate actions, not automatic background synchronization.
A keepsake card is for looking back and sharing. A complete save is for restoring progress. Choose which you need before sending a file: a card may be public, while JSON can contain private notes and should be kept privately.
Questions before you play
Is this the official BitLife game?
No. Forked Lives is independently made and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or a version of BitLife or Candywriter. BitLife is a registered trademark of its owner.
Can I bring my BitLife save here?
No. The games use different models and save formats. Forked Lives imports its own validated JSON backups; it does not convert another game’s characters.
Can I try it without an app or account?
Yes. Begin in a supported browser. Current life play, decision branches, cards and save exports are free. Keep a backup if you want to retain a life.
Does “browser alternative” mean it bypasses a blocked network?
No. Browser play describes how the game runs. It does not promise access through school, workplace or device restrictions; follow the rules of the network you use.