The official Trauma Lab APK for Android is a tiny download — about 1 MB — and the only safe place to get it is the developer's page at traumalab.itch.io/trauma-lab. This guide walks through finding the file, installing it on your phone, updating it later, and what to do if you'd rather not install anything at all.
Where the official APK comes from
The game is "name your own price", which means you can enter zero and download it completely free, or pay what you like to support development. The Android package is listed on the same page as the browser and PC builds, so one page covers every platform. At the time of writing the current public version is v1.19, and the file is named TraumaLab-Android-v1.19.apk with a size of 1,009 kB — check the page for the current file, because names and sizes change with every update.
There is also a separate Supporter build (v1.20 at the time of writing, about 1.8 MB) that goes to players who pay $5 or more. The free APK is the full public game; the Supporter build simply gets new features first.
How to install the Trauma Lab APK step by step
- Open the official page in your phone's browser and tap Download Now.
- Enter an amount, or choose "No thanks, just take me to the downloads" to get the game free.
- Pick the Android file,
TraumaLab-Android-…apk, and let it download. - Open the downloaded file. Android will ask you to allow installs from this source — your browser or file manager — because the app did not come from an app store. Allow it for that source.
- Tap Install, wait a few seconds, then open the game.
The "install from unknown sources" prompt is standard Android behavior for any app installed outside an app store; it is not a warning that something is wrong with this file. Players report that the APK installs fine on Android 15.
Updating to a newer version
The game updates very quickly — it went from v1.06 at launch to v1.19 within two days — so checking for updates is worth doing regularly. To update, download the newest APK from the same page and install it over the old one. You do not need to uninstall first; Android replaces the existing app and keeps it in place.
Why you should avoid mirror and APK sites
Third-party APK portals and file mirrors re-upload files they did not make, and there is no way to know whether the file was changed along the way. The official page is free, the file is only about 1 MB, and it downloads in seconds — there is no benefit to using a mirror, only risk. The same applies to sites offering "modded" versions: the real game is free, so a modified copy offers you nothing and can carry anything.
Don't want to install anything?
You can play the same build in your phone's browser without installing the APK at all. The browser version runs on the developer's own HTML5 engine, and on a phone it switches to a dedicated mobile layout with bigger vitals on the monitor and pinch-to-zoom. Press Play on the homepage and the game loads in a few moments.
A note about the Windows warning
If you came here because Windows SmartScreen showed "Windows protected your PC", that message applies to the PC download, not the Android APK. The developer explains that it appears because the game is new and has not been downloaded by many people yet, and that there is no virus in the files. The steps for that case are covered in the download section on the homepage.
Content warning: Trauma Lab contains graphic injury, blood and medical detail and is intended for players 18+.
▶ Play now — free in your browser