ABSTRACT. People can use different internal strategies to manage future intentions, but systematic research on these strategies and their significance for prospective memory (PM; remembering to perform planned intentions) performance is still quite sparse. In the present study, we examined self-reported internal strategy use with a 10-block version of the videogame EPELI in a group of 202 neurotypical adults of 18 to 50 years of age. In the game, the participants perform lists of everyday tasks from memory while navigating in a virtual apartment. Open-ended strategy reports were collected after each EPELI task block, and for comparison also after an EPELI Instruction Recall task and a Word List Learning task assessing episodic memory. On average 45% of the participants reported using some strategy in EPELI, the most common types being grouping, utilizing a familiar action schema, and condensing information. Our pre-registered hypothesis on the beneficial effect of self-initiated strategy use gained support, as strategy users showed better PM performance on EPELI as compared to no strategy users. Grouping could be identified as a clearly effective strategy type. Block-by-block transitions suggested gradual stabilization of strategy use over the 10 EPELI blocks. The proneness to use strategies showed a weak but reliable association between EPELI and Word List Learning. Overall, the present results highlight the importance of internal strategy use for understanding individual differences in PM performance, as well as the potential benefit for internal strategy employment when faced with everyday PM tasks.