For almost two years, one of the most popular mobile games in Russia was unavailable for download. Millions of fans searched for workarounds, changed their Apple ID region, and set up VPNs — just to continue reading their favorite stories. And now “Romance Club” can once again be downloaded from the App Store. Though with some caveats.
One of the most popular iPhone games has returned to Russia
If you’ve ever heard about this game from a friend, sister, or wife — now is the perfect time to understand what happened. Developers from the Moldovan studio Your Story Interactive released a separate version of the app specifically for the Russian market. And it’s not quite the same game it used to be. Here’s what changed, why it happened, and whether it’s worth downloading.
Romance Club: What Is This Game and Why Is It Popular
“Romance Club” is a mobile game in the visual novel genre. You simply read an interactive story and decide how events will unfold. You choose who to build relationships with, what actions to take, and how the plot will end. It sounds like a regular “reader,” but in practice, it’s much more addictive.
The game was developed by the independent studio Your Story Interactive. The app first appeared in the App Store back in 2018 — and has since amassed a huge audience. On Google Play, the game has been downloaded more than 10 million times, and its VKontakte community currently has nearly one and a half million subscribers. For a mobile game from Moldova — these are simply astronomical numbers.
The main page of Romance Club now even features a Russian flag
The concept is simple: you launch the app and choose one of dozens of stories. Each one is a full-fledged novel with multiple seasons. At the beginning, you customize the main character’s appearance — hairstyle, eye color, clothing. Then the reading with choices begins. At key moments, action options appear on screen, and the plot depends on your decision. Will you go on a date with a mysterious stranger or decline? Will you reveal a secret or stay silent? Every choice leads to its own unique branch and ending.
Today, the app offers about 57 stories across a wide variety of genres. There’s vampire fantasy like “Moonborn,” pirate adventures in “Sails in the Fog,” the beach detective story “High Surf,” medieval sagas, Hollywood dramas. There’s even a story about a journalist during World War I. Despite the word “Romance” in the title, the genre range is enormous — from horror to comedy.
Essentially, you go through a comic where you periodically have to make choices
A separate topic is the in-game economy. Key decisions cost in-game currency — diamonds. With them, you can buy beautiful clothing, unlock a romantic scene with your favorite character, or even save someone from death. Diamonds are earned through daily login, watching ads, and completing first chapters. But if you want everything at once — you’ll have to buy them with real money. The game is free, but the free-to-play model is in full effect here. Without diamonds, you can complete a story, but many interesting branches will remain locked.
The main audience is girls and young women. But it would be wrong to call “Romance Club” a children’s pastime. The stories here are seriously developed, the writers conduct historical research, and the plots touch on truly adult themes. The app’s age rating is 18+.
Why Romance Club Was Removed from the App Store in Russia
In the summer of 2024, “Romance Club” disappeared from the Russian App Store and Google Play. This didn’t happen by the developers’ choice — Roskomnadzor added the game to the registry of prohibited resources. The reason was content that the agency deemed in violation of Russian legislation. It concerned same-sex romantic storylines in some stories.
After being added to the registry, the developers restricted access to the app on Russian territory at Roskomnadzor’s request. At that time, the studio stated that the company’s values did not allow them to simply cut this content from the game. The creators were essentially faced with a choice: remove some storylines or lose the Russian market. At the time, they chose the latter.
For Russian players, this was a real blow. Fans began massively changing their Apple ID region, using VPNs, and looking for alternative ways to install the game. Some created a second account in another country, others downloaded APK files on Android. But for most regular users, the game simply ceased to exist.
All this time, the developers continued releasing updates and new stories in Russian. The game didn’t go anywhere — it simply became unavailable for download in Russia.
Differences Between the Russian Version of Romance Club and the Regular One
In May 2026, studio Your Story Interactive announced its return to Russia. But not just like that — the developers prepared a separate regional version adapted to Russian requirements.
What does this mean in practice? All same-sex romantic storylines have been removed from the Russian version. All plot branches where you could build a relationship with a character of the same gender have been cut. This is explicitly stated in the app description in the App Store. In the Russian version, romantic relationships are only available between characters of different genders.
The App Store description now includes a note that this is a special version for Russia
Meanwhile, the international version of the game remains unchanged. The developers specifically emphasized that this is not an abandonment of their position — they still want to create stories for everyone. But they also want to comply with the laws of the countries where their content is distributed.
In the VKontakte community, the team explained the logic behind the decision: in 2024, they simply had no understanding of how to continue operating in Russia within the law. Over time, they found a technical solution — to create a separate regional build. Essentially, it’s the same game with the same stories, but with content removed that doesn’t comply with Russian legislation.
The audience reaction was predictably mixed. Some were happy about the mere fact of the return and the ability to play again without a VPN. Others criticized the decision to cut part of the content. But the fact remains — the game is available in the App Store again.
How to Download “Romance Club” on iPhone
If you want to install “Romance Club” on your iPhone right now, the process is straightforward.
