Short ranked runs
15-minute strategy game with a net worth leaderboard
The Strait is a 15-minute strategy game with a net worth leaderboard. In 15-Minute Sprint you have 15 minutes to build the highest Total Net Worth you can, and Game Center ranks that score on the 15 Minute Sprint Net Worth board. Empire Mode is the longer run, with its own net worth leaderboard.
How 15-Minute Sprint works
You pick 15-Minute Sprint, then choose how much starting debt to take. A bigger loan buys more equipment up front and brings harsher repayment pressure. Borrowed cash is operating capital, not wealth. From there you run oil tanker ships, defend each crossing, bank profit and buy assets until the clock runs out.
The clock decides the finish. Your net worth locks when time runs out and the last crossing finishes. That locked Total Net Worth is the Sprint score. You do not pick a retire moment in this mode. Fifteen minutes, one score.
What the leaderboard ranks
Total Net Worth is Bank Cash plus the value of your assets, minus debt. Assets include gold, bonds, stocks, property, yachts, private jets and private deals. Asset values move with market events. Bonds pay interest into Bank Cash. Selling an asset quickly costs you a haircut.
Moving money between operating cash and Bank Cash costs a 3.5% fee. Debt payments do not. If fines, damage or bad timing leave operating cash short, you cover the gap from Bank Cash or by selling assets. If you cannot, the operation collapses.
The Sprint board is named 15 Minute Sprint Net Worth. Empire Mode has a separate board, Empire Mode Net Worth. Both need Game Center. A score posts when a Sprint finishes, or when an Empire run ends by retiring or collapsing. Starting over posts no score. In version 1.1 and later, a run that uses the optional ad for a free escort still counts.
The decisions inside the 15 minutes
This is strategy with arcade defense, not an idle checker. You choose a single tanker or a convoy, read exposure and World impact, and spend operating cash on protection. An Armed Escort fires on its own. Missiles clear a panic moment. Chopper Support hovers over the crossing. The Dome blocks all incoming hits for five seconds. You also tap the water to shoot blockers off the hull.
Oil prices shift, the loan comes due, and markets surge and crash. World is the world oil supply meter. When World is low, oil pays more, but danger and collapse risk rise. The how to play guide covers loans, banking and the hints the game itself shows.
Sprint or Empire Mode
| Feature | 15-Minute Sprint | Empire Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 15 minutes | Endless until you retire or collapse |
| Goal | Highest net worth before time runs out | Build wealth and retire before the strait takes it back |
| Leaderboard | 15 Minute Sprint Net Worth | Empire Mode Net Worth |
| Good for | A quick, competitive run | A longer session you can save and resume |
Your current run is saved on your iPhone, so you can close the app and continue later. The Strait is free with ads, needs iOS 17 or later, and is not on Android or PC. It is an oil tanker ship game, and the non-idle arcade pick on our best oil tycoon game for iPhone page.
FAQ
15-minute strategy game: common questions
Is there a 15-minute strategy game with a net worth leaderboard?
Yes. The Strait on iPhone has 15-Minute Sprint: a 15 minute clock to build the highest Total Net Worth you can. When the sprint ends, that net worth posts to the Game Center Sprint leaderboard.
What counts as net worth?
Total Net Worth is Bank Cash plus the value of your assets, minus debt. Both Game Center leaderboards rank that number.
Is 15-Minute Sprint the only mode?
No. Empire Mode is an endless run. You build wealth and choose when to retire rich. It has its own Game Center net worth leaderboard.
Do I need Game Center for the leaderboard?
Yes. You need to be signed in to Game Center for your score to post. A Sprint score posts when the sprint finishes. Starting over posts no score.
What kind of strategy is it?
You choose the tanker or convoy, spend operating cash on defense, bank profit and buy assets while oil prices, debt and the world supply meter move. The crossing itself is arcade defense: tap to shoot blockers, and use escorts, missiles, chopper support and The Dome.
Start a 15 minute run
Download The Strait free on the App Store. New to the crossings? Read how to play The Strait.
Download free on the App Store