Games like Torn: a free crime game to try next
If you searched for games like Torn, you want a persistent browser crime world with other real players in it. My Criminal Life is one, free, with its own city. This page says how it plays and what to check before you commit your time.
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If Torn is what you are comparing with
Torn is the name people most often use as shorthand for a style of game, which is why so many of them search for games like it. The style is a persistent crime world in a web page: you spend timed bars on crimes, training and fights, you grow a character, you join a gang, and the other people in the world are real.
My Criminal Life is a game in that style. It is not affiliated with Torn or its makers, and it is not a copy: the city, the people, the writing, the rules and the art are its own. We are not going to claim it is better, and we are not going to line up numbers against a game we do not run. What we can do is say plainly what this one is, so you can decide whether it is worth a few evenings.
What the style looks like here
Timed bars. Energy, brave, will and health. Energy pays for the gym and for fights, brave pays for crimes, will multiplies what a gym rep gives you, and health is what a fight takes away. They refill on a timer, including while you are logged out.
Crimes and a character. Crimes cost brave and pay cash and experience, and a failed one can land you in the County Lockup. The gym builds strength, agility, guard and labour, jobs pay once a day, and a ladder of 16 ranks keeps score from Nobody to Untouchable.
Other players. You can attack anyone in your city once protection runs out. Gangs cost $500,000 to start, share a vault, grow into bigger hideouts and fight wars where the score is respect. Most Wanted bosses sit on stashes that players split by damage dealt.
A casino. Game cash only, with the real odds for every table and machine published on the Rules page.
What you will find here
Some things are particular to this game, and they are the reason to try it rather than another. The whole of Noob City is one painted map with 36 buildings in seven districts, and every building is a door. A daily newspaper, The Criminal Times, prints the city’s stories, a crime blotter and the market prices. There is a church where you can confess for a streak that shortens jail time, light a candle or get married, and a city dump to dig through for scrap and tools.
The first week is guided without a tutorial. Vera at the pawn shop keeps a ledger of small jobs: buy a gym pass, pull a crime, start a course, take a job and move out of the cardboard box. The city map guide and the how to play guide show it in detail.
What to check in any game like this
Run the same checklist on every game you try. Here are this game’s answers.
| Ask | Here |
|---|---|
| Is it free, and what does paying do? | Free to play. Optional packs exist (a Donator Pack refills energy faster), but the Store is closed right now, so nothing can be bought. The same Rules apply to everyone. |
| Are the casino odds published? | Yes. The real payouts and return of each game are on the Odds tab of the Rules, and the casino uses game cash only. |
| Is there an age rule? | 18 and over. You confirm your age when you sign up. |
| Are the rules written in plain English? | The Game Rules, the Terms and the Privacy Policy are public. Each rule lists its penalty. |
| Who runs it, and can you reach them? | The Cocco Group, based in New York. The contact form reaches the owner, and Support is in the game menu. |
| Does it work on a phone? | Yes. The pages fit a phone screen and there is no app to install. |
| How big is the community? | Young. The game is being rebuilt from an earlier version, so expect a small city that is growing. |
The catch, honestly
This game is new, and it shows in a few places. The community is small. A few doors on the city map say “soon” and are not open yet. At the moment player-to-player trading is closed too. A game that has been running for years will have more players and more of everything than one that has just opened its doors.
What you get in exchange is a game that is still taking shape, a city you can learn in a week, and an owner you can reach through the contact form. If that sounds right, make a character. If you would rather watch for a while first, the browser crime game page and the FAQ are written for that.
Quick answers
Is My Criminal Life connected to Torn?
No. We are not affiliated with Torn or the people who make it, and the name is theirs. We use it on this page only so that people looking for that kind of game can find this one.
Is it a copy?
No. The city, the characters, the writing, the rules and the art are our own, and the numbers in the game are ours. That is also why this page does not compare numbers with any other game.
Can I bring my progress from another game?
No. It is a separate game with its own world. You start at level 1 as a Nobody with $100, and the first week is set up to help you find your feet.
Is it free?
Yes. Every part of the game is open to players who never spend anything. Optional packs exist, and nothing you buy puts you above the Rules: paying players get jailed and banned like anyone else.
The Store is closed right now while payments move to a new provider. You won’t be charged while it is closed. More under Money.
Does the casino use real money?
No. You bet in-game cash, and what you win stays in the game with no cash value. The real odds and payouts for every game are on the Odds tab of the Rules. Over time the house keeps a share, so play for fun.
More answers are in the full FAQ.
More about the game
Browser crime game
What a crime game that runs in a web page is, and what your first hour in this one looks like.
Free crime MMORPG
A shared city, a level and a rank ladder, gangs and fights. What is free, and what the label does and doesn’t cover.
How to play
Your first day in Noob City: the bars, crimes, the gym, jobs, jail and levelling up.
The casino
The Velvet Rope: the rooms, the games, the published odds, and why it is game cash only.
The front page
What the game is, in one screen, and how to start.
About the game
The city, the ranks and the people who run it.
Ready to try it?
Make an account with your email. It’s free, it works on your phone, and you have to be 18 or older.
Sign-ups are open.