85
Papers, Please gives you a simple task that doesn't ask a lot of you. The game outgrows its mechanics though, by appealing to your moral compass and emotions. This indie game will get under your skin, will have you feeling uncomfortable and have you think about yourself, as a person.
90
An incredibly impressive little game, from its understated old-school art style to its ability to make you feel uncomfortable with how much you enjoy catching criminals trying to trick their way into your country.
89
Papers, Please is not only original but fun, too. More papers, please! [Sept 2013]
9
Even though its mechanics are quite simple, the game is incredibly fun. Moreover, not only the story mode but also the endless mode is just as enjoyable.
10
Papers, Please turns a bureaucratic task into a surprisingly engaging experience. Checking passports quickly becomes a real moral dilemma. I really appreciated how the game explores themes of power and responsibility. The deliberately repetitive gameplay won’t appeal to everyone but for me, it was one of my best game experience ever ! That minimalism is also what makes it so effective ans memorable.
8
Simple but addictive formula. Gradually becoming more difficult but still incredibly fun to play.
Papers, Please
Released On:
Aug 8, 2013
Metascore
Generally Favorable
85
User score
Generally Favorable
8.5
My Score
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
98% Positive
39 Reviews
39 Reviews
3% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Aug 12, 2013
100
A true game, with a base gameplay that gets more and more complex as we play, with subtle touches and ruleset changes. But it's so much more as well : a deep dive in a terrifying dystopia, brilliantly crafted, that will put your life into perspective and awaken your political consciousness with both violence and humor.
Aug 21, 2013
90
Games have mastered action – the amplified and instant reward – but Papers, Please finds satisfaction in the tedium of bureaucracy, and twins it with genuinely human stories and an underlying, dread-filled tension. It’s rare to play a game about something, about a time, a place and a theme, and for a game to embody those ideas from meaning right down to mechanics.
User score
Generally Favorable
83% Positive
1769 Ratings
1769 Ratings
14% Mixed
307 Ratings
307 Ratings
3% Negative
60 Ratings
60 Ratings
Mar 8, 2026
10
Papers, Please turns a bureaucratic task into a surprisingly engaging experience. Checking passports quickly becomes a real moral dilemma. I really appreciated how the game explores themes of power and responsibility. The deliberately repetitive gameplay won’t appeal to everyone but for me, it was one of my best game experience ever ! That minimalism is also what makes it so effective ans memorable.
Nov 6, 2025
10
fun to play and to watch other play afterword. Stressful at times but worth your time.
Aug 12, 2013
90
Papers, Please is a really unique experience. Given the price, it's definitely a must-have if you want to try a game that's funny in a way different from the usual one.
Sep 9, 2013
85
Well-paced, straight-forward game play combines with vivid storytelling to make into a fantastic game. More than a tale of bureaucratic spot the difference, Papers, Please is a game of intrigue and excitement balanced by fear for your family.
Oct 1, 2013
80
A very interesting piece of software that really has something to say. But beware: if you judge it only in terms of gameplay and pure fun, it can result in pretty boring time.
Aug 13, 2013
80
Papers, Please will stress you out. At times it may even make you hate yourself. And while it's weird to call such an experience "enjoyable," the gameplay itself is not a miserable time. It's worthwhile for the same reasons a depressing novel or a bleak movie can be worthwhile.
Sep 9, 2013
60
A novel, stylish game taking advantage of its minimal design more than you would believe, and it succeeds in arousing your emotions, which is the thing other game titles could dream of. [Issue#233]
Oct 28, 2025
10
This game is fun and yet difficult. Simply put, it's difficult to not only keep up with the growing learning curve of the paperwork you have to go through, but also the growing doubt on who you should let through and who you should send to see the nice guards with the guns.
Feb 6, 2026
7
This game did delivered a completely unique and fascinating experience to me. It was fun to pinpoint the discrepancies in the documents. Additionally, the decisions you choose actually make a difference in the long term, generating an utterly new playthrough from other players. the only frustrating aspect is that the game suddenly becomes mundane and tedious late game, I with it had been shorter.
May 6, 2025
7
A very unique and fun game, especially when played with another person. The game kind of leads you on to think that the story is deeper than it ends up being, but in reality its quite plain and simple so that was a little disappointing. The art and gameplay loop is very satisfying though, and the sound design is very memorable. If the story and endings were more interesting I think this game would be stellar.
Feb 8, 2014
4
I don't understand why this game is getting so many high reviews. It does have an interesting concept behind it, forcing you into situations where you make tough moral decisions. The story premise is also fine. But a game needs more than that to be called great. A great game, quite simply, needs great gameplay. And this one doesn't. You keep doing the same thing over and over and over. This exemplifies what happens when you focus too much on the "artistic" side ****, rather than create a great gaming experience, or better yet, balance both aspects.
Jun 19, 2015
3
Even though the amount of details in this game is quite impressive for an indie developer (you can interact with several tools to play the game), the amazement stops shortly after you play the game for more than a couple of minutes. It's a game on which all you do is pure bureaucratic procedure and it's fun as it sounds, losing the whole point of entertainment in the process. The management portion of the game is minimal, leaving you only with 2 options to balance your expenses. 3/10 for the effort.
SummaryThe 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 hid... Read More
Platforms:
- PC
- iOS (iPhone/iPad)
- PlayStation Vita
Initial Release Date:Aug 8, 2013
Developer:
Publisher:
