Adventure · August 8, 2013
Papers, Please (2013)
Congratulations. The October labor lottery is complete. Your name was pulled. For immediate placement, report to the Ministry of Admission at Grestin Border Checkpoint. An apartment will be provided for you and your family in East Grestin. Expect a Class-8 dwelling. Glory to Arstotzka The communist state of Arstotzka has just ended a 6-year war with neighboring Kolechia and reclaimed its rightful half of the border town, Grestin. Your job as immigration inspector is to control the flow of people entering the Arstotzkan side of Grestin from Kolechia. Among the throngs of immigrants and visitors looking for work are hidden smugglers, spies, and terrorists. Using only the documents provided by travelers and the Ministry of Admission's primitive inspect, search, and fingerprint systems you must decide who can enter Arstotzka and who will be turned away or arrested.
Adventure releases from 2013
29 Adventure titles launched in 2013 — top 6 by review volume.
Position in Adventure
| Metric | This title | Genre position |
|---|---|---|
| Review volume | 74.2k Steam reviews | Top 3% in Adventure |
| Positive rating | 97% positive | Genre average: 87% — this title sits in top 15% |
| Metacritic | 85/100 | Genre average 77 — top 16% of Adventure titles |
| Concurrent peak | 416 players | Top 9% in Adventure by live player count |
| Engagement hours | 7 h average | Top 45% for session depth among Adventure |
Peer Adventure titles
Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.
Community Tag Signals
Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.
- Indie · 2.1k
- Political · 1.6k
- Simulation · 1.4k
- Point & Click · 1.2k
- Singleplayer · 1.2k
- Pixel Graphics · 1.1k
- Dystopian · 1.1k
- Multiple Endings · 791
- Puzzle · 713
- Story Rich · 673
- Retro · 619
- Atmospheric · 569
- 2D · 548
- Addictive · 462
- Great Soundtrack · 450
Reception Metrics
Steam community
97%Overwhelmingly Positive · 74.2k reviews
72.0k positive · 2.2k negative
Metacritic
85/100 critic aggregate
Metacritic user score
8.5/10
Curator recommendations
70.3k
Peak concurrent players
416
Localization Coverage
Interface / Subtitles (12)
- English
- French
- German
- Spanish - Spain
- Portuguese - Brazil
- Russian
- Italian
- Japanese
- Polish
- Ukrainian
- Czech
- Simplified Chinese
Features & Capabilities
Community
- Steam Achievements
- Steam Trading Cards
- Steam Cloud
- Stats
- Steam Leaderboards
- Remote Play on Phone
- Remote Play on Tablet
Other
- Single-player
- Family Sharing
Press Quotes
“Buy, study, and share this game as an example of video games as true art.” BUY – Ars Technica “..it is absorbing, brilliantly written and causes you to question your every instinct and reaction - both in the game and in real life.” 9/10 – Eurogamer “Papers Please is a fantastic idea, beautifully executed.” 8.7/10 – IGN
Engagement Profile
All-time avg
7h
short (5–15 hours)
Median
4h
Typical completion time
2-week avg
1h
Current engagement
Achievements
13
Steam unlocks available
Release & Availability
| Release date | Aug 8, 2013 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Lucas Pope |
| Publisher | 3909 |
| Base price | $4.99 -50% |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Estimated owners | 1M–10M |
| External links | Official site · Metacritic page · Support |
Content Notes
"Papers, Please" includes brief pixel-art violence and pixel-art nudity. The narrative reflects mature themes related to crime, smuggling, immigration, and border control.
Editions & Packages
Buy Papers, Please