General News
29 May, 2026
Game breathes new life into payphones
Payphone Tag is the newest game getting people outdoors while bringing new attention to often forgotten infrastructure.
Unseen across the country, anonymous agents are jostling for territory without the public’s knowledge — their prize being Telstra payphones.
Over a thousand people nation-wide have been playing Payphone Tag: a free game where anyone can use a payphone, enter their unique pin, and claim it on the game’s map.
Capture three and you get the territory between them, steal other player’s captures by using their phones, and climb the leaderboard for ultimate bragging rights.
Since its launch in March, players have captured 88 percent of all payphones, across 92 percent of all postcodes, making over 100,000 calls.
That’s equivalent to a third of all calls made to crisis and support lines from Telstra payphones in 2024.
The game’s creator, Alex Allchin, said the growth was unexpected at first but he’s grown to understand people’s interest.
“I think it’s a great way to explore your local area or areas you may not otherwise visit ... it’s really nice to see how active its made some people,” he said.
Outside the walkable CBDs of major cities people are driving hundreds of kilometres to capture large territories in regional Australia.
Locally, agent AshRook, an anonymous player, has a vice grip on the region covering almost a million hectares — something Mr Allchin never expected.
“It’s been, at least personally for me, a pleasant side effect of it all,” he said.
The game has breathed new life into public infrastructure often forgotten in a world of mobile phones and social media.
Yet they remain important, according to Dr Naomi Parry Duncan, who is researching the history of payphones.
“They are still in our streets and shopping centres, it’s just that we don’t notice them. Until we need them,” she said.
Dr Parry Duncan was asked to help Telstra achieve National Trust listings for three public phones which played important roles in their communities.
Whether during emergencies, natural disasters, or everyday life they continue to help communities stay connected.
Telstra data shows, since they made payphones free in 2021, Australians have made over 100 million calls.
Around 37 percent of those have been to emergency services, help-lines, and government support numbers while a further 33 percent have gone to utilities and other essential services.
“Public phones are essential because they support everyone,” she said.
What Payphone Tag introduces, however, is a new interest in the network Telstra could never have expected.
Mr Allchin said he didn’t know how they would react.
“I was a little bit worried, and I guess still am, that maybe they’ll one day shut the game down,” he said.
However, perhaps to his relief, Telstra’s payphone product owner Pete Manwaring said the game has helped build awareness.
“Australians are getting outdoors, exploring their communities and rediscovering a piece of everyday infrastructure that’s been part of our streets for generations,” he said.
“For younger people in particular, it may be the first time they’ve ever picked one up. That familiarity is important — not just for leisure, but so people know where to turn if they ever need to make an urgent call.”
It’s has also brought a new interest in keeping payphones functional which can benefit the whole community.
“While payphones are regularly monitored and maintained, increased engagement naturally leads to more eyes on the network, which can help us identify issues more quickly,” Mr Manwaring said.
“That awareness ultimately supports faster maintenance and helps keep payphones available for everyone who relies on them.”
They’re benefits Mr Allchin never planned for when making the project in his spare time.
“A friend recently told me you could buy [a phone number] for cheap, and I did, and I thought okay well what can I do? This is what I came up with,” he said.
“The first day I had it working it made me run. I went to the first payphone and it worked ... so I actually ran to the next payphone, and it worked again, then to a third one so I could make a triangle.
“If you start playing you’ll find the same sort of thing,” he said.
Mr Manwaring said the game is a “powerful reminder” that payphones remain available for fun, convenience, or something more essential.
“Trends like Payphone Tag show that even longstanding infrastructure can take on new relevance, reinforcing that payphones remain both practically important and culturally meaningful, particularly in regional communities.”