The dating app economy is in a slump. Despite advancements in AI, generative models, and algorithmic matchmaking, users feel more disconnected than ever. We’re living through what could be called a dating app recession, where people aren’t just swiping less—they’re giving up entirely.
As sex and dating coach Myisha Battle points out in her recent TIME article, dating apps are becoming increasingly “disposable.” The problem? Dating apps have over-indexed on AI while missing the most critical ingredient: meaningful connection.
AI As Enhancer, Not Replacement
The issue isn’t that AI exists in the dating ecosystem—it’s that many platforms have positioned it as the central experience rather than a supportive tool. AI can moderate content, spot harmful behavior, or suggest potential matches based on genuine compatibility factors. But when AI becomes the core experience—when your AI is chatting with someone else’s AI—you lose the beautiful, chaotic, surprising nature of real human chemistry.
Even if AI could factor in biometric markers—like the subtle scent profiles we’re naturally drawn to—it still wouldn’t replicate the depth of real-life interaction. We don’t need dating agents who date on our behalf. We need dating experiences that help us show up as ourselves.
The Experiential Future Of Dating
The solution isn’t layering in more AI; it’s designing shared experiences that foster organic connection. The viral success of Matchbox dating parties demonstrates this perfectly—these in-person events have exploded in popularity precisely because they prioritize genuine interaction over algorithmic matching. At these events, participants engage in structured activities and conversations, creating an atmosphere where connections form naturally.
The future of dating is experiential, both online and offline:
- Virtual spaces where users can interact through cooperative activities, creative building, or casual conversation
- Game mechanics that reveal personality traits through how people play solve problems, and collaborate
- In-person events that bring the digital experience into real life, like the Matchbox parties that have gone viral on social media
Gaming: The Missing Piece In Modern Dating
At its core, dating is already a game. Speed dating? A structured challenge. Flirting? A playful interaction. Most people are playing games on dating apps, just not the right ones.
It’s estimated that 1 in 3 players has developed a romantic relationship through gaming, with 42% of Gen Z gamers saying they’ve made a friend in-game who later became a significant other. While the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) found that 39% of adults 18 and older say they met a good friend, spouse, or significant other through video games. Over a fifth of 16–24-year-olds in London are now more likely to play online games on a date night over traditional dates like going to the movies or out for dinner. While other reports claim that 43% of gamers in the U.S. said they developed feelings for someone they played with in an online game. That same survey found that 79% of respondents believe that relationships formed through gaming are just as valid as those started in person or on dating apps.
I myself pitched a dating and gaming startup called Player Two to several VCs last year, as the dating app where it’s ok to play games. None of the VCs were keen to enter the dating app market even with Gen Alpha just starting their dating journeys and are looking for new ways to connect.
One of the problems is that most current dating apps lack the depth, participatory and immersive qualities of actual games.
The data is clear: More and more relationships are forming or expanding in virtual spaces. Platforms like Roblox, Fortnite, and even the highly anticipated GTA 6 are evolving into social hubs where people meet, interact, and form bonds.
Imagine a dating platform where:
- Users explore virtual spaces together, solving puzzles or completing missions. How about cooking a virtual meal together or doing virtual bowling before you meet in the physical world?
- Mini-games help break the ice and reveal aspects of personality
- Shared virtual experiences offer a “pre-connection,” where you learn about someone through how they play
- AI enhances—not replaces—human interaction, facilitating connection rather than dictating it
This model would transform dating from a transactional experience into a journey of discovery, where users build chemistry through play before meeting in person. You can learn a lot about someone when you go go to an escape room or play bowling together, why not try it out virtually before being stuck physically with that person for an hour in escape room?
Building The Next Generation Of Dating Platforms
If dating apps want to survive the current slump, they need to, let’s say MUST, move beyond AI-driven curation and just using AI as a wingman and into experience-driven connection. The next generation of dating platforms won’t look like digital catalogs—they’ll feel like digital playgrounds that eventually lead to meaningful real-world connections. Ask any younger GenZer or Gen Alpha kid where they spend their time with their friends and they’ll show you exactly what the future holds.
I recently came across several AI-related roles at Match Group (Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid) and eagerly applied, as I believe that leveraging tech, not just AI, can can be radically improve the dating app experience. One of the role focused on building the next big thing in dating through end-to-end AI features and innovation and was presented as an exciting opportunity to shape how millions of people connect and form meaningful relationships around the world. I truly believe that the future of dating will belong to platforms, companies and brands that embrace gaming, virtual socialization, interactive storytelling, and experiential IRL events that go beyond just the swipe and the impression of the an endless see of possible love matches.
It’s time to stop letting AI do all the work, or relying only on AI infused dating and your AI agent dating someone else’s AI agent and start letting people play, connect, and discover each other through shared experiences. Because, ultimately, human connection and real human love isn’t found in code and the ones and zeros. It’s found in the game of human connection. The future of dating doesn’t need more AI; what it needs is more connections and shared experiences.
