A stock market game is the smartest way to learn investing before you risk real money. You trade with virtual cash at real market prices, so you feel what a 6% gain — and a 6% loss — actually does, without losing a penny. The catch is that "stock market game" covers everything from classroom simulators to global tournament apps with real cash prizes. This guide compares the main options honestly, including where each one wins and where it doesn't.
Four things separate a genuinely useful app from a glorified number generator:
| App | Real prices | Social / competition | Education | UK focus | Real money? | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIP. | Yes | 1v1 duels, school leaderboards | 88 lessons, 700 questions | Yes (£, ISA, FTSE) | No — virtual only | iOS |
| StockPe | Yes (TradingView) | Tournaments, cash prizes | Blog & basics | No (global) | Real cash prizes | iOS, Android |
| Invstr | Yes | Fantasy League | Invstr Academy | Partial (US stocks) | Yes — real broker | iOS, Android |
| Wall Street Survivor | Yes | Custom contests | Courses | No (US) | No — virtual only | Web |
| HowTheMarketWorks | Yes | Class contests | Teacher resources | No (US) | No — virtual only | Web |
Details change — always check the current App Store listing and each app's own site before deciding.
StockPe is polished and global, with real-time data powered by TradingView and tournaments where you can win real cash prizes across stocks and crypto. That cash-prize angle makes it exciting, but it also nudges it closer to contest territory than pure education — worth keeping in mind for younger users.
Invstr pairs a $1M fantasy-finance portfolio and a global Fantasy League with a genuine education arm (Invstr Academy) and the ability to invest real money through a connected broker. It's a strong all-rounder, though it's US-markets-led and the real-investing side isn't aimed at under-18s.
Wall Street Survivor and HowTheMarketWorks are long-standing, web-based US simulators popular in classrooms. Both let teachers run custom contests and pair trading with courses. They're solid for a US audience but feel dated on mobile and aren't built around UK markets.
RIP. takes a different angle: instead of a solo portfolio or a giant global tournament, it's built around 1v1 duels — you pick a stock, your mate picks theirs, and the better return wins. It's the only option here built specifically for UK teenagers, with pounds, ISAs and the FTSE woven through 88 lessons, and it stays virtual-money-only with no real trading or cash prizes. The trade-off: it's iOS-only today.
Most simulators are solitary. You manage a portfolio, you watch a number, and after a week the novelty fades. RIP. is built around the one thing that actually keeps teenagers coming back — beating the person sitting next to them. The duel format, the shareable tombstone card, and the school leaderboard turn learning into a competition, and the 88-lesson Learn hub means you're getting better, not just luckier.
The honest summary: if you want a global tournament app, StockPe or Invstr are strong. If you're a US classroom, Wall Street Survivor and HowTheMarketWorks are proven. If you're a UK teenager who learns best by competing with mates — and you want real education with zero real-money risk — RIP. is built for exactly that.
New to all of this? Start with how to invest as a teenager in the UK, or jump into the basics of investing.
Pick a stock, challenge a mate, and learn how markets really move — with virtual money and real prices.
Download RIP. free on iOS →It depends what you want. For social, competitive learning built for teenagers and UK markets, RIP. is purpose-built. StockPe and Invstr offer larger global markets and tournaments, while Wall Street Survivor and HowTheMarketWorks are popular for US classrooms. All are free to start.
Yes. Simulators let you practise with real market prices and no real money, so you can learn how markets move and how you react to gains and losses before risking anything. They're widely used in schools for exactly this reason.
Most use virtual money only. Some, like StockPe, run tournaments with real cash prizes, and apps like Invstr also offer real investing through a connected broker. RIP. uses virtual money only, with no real trading and no cash prizes.