10 Bleak and Tense Games Like Papers, Please To Try in 2025
Games like Papers, Please deliver a unique flavor of grim satisfaction. You’re stamping papers, dealing with tough moral choices, and watching things spiral while trying to hold the line. What’s not to love? Once you’ve squeezed every drop out of Arstotzka, most games just feel too flashy or too forgiving (I call it the Soulslike syndrome).
That’s exactly why I pulled this list together. It’s filled with titles that scratch the same itch in their own twisted ways. Some double down on bureaucracy, some crank up the dread, and a few go places even Papers, Please didn’t dare.
Let’s get into it.
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Our Top Picks for Games Like Papers, Please
I explored dozens of great single-player titles that capture the same tension, moral weight, and bleak humor. My top picks certainly have similar mechanics, but they also tap into the same emotional core. They constantly force you to question your choices and sit with uncomfortable truths.
Here are my favorite games similar to Papers, Please:
- Not Tonight (2018) – This was an easy winner. You’re behind a clipboard during post-Brexit chaos, juggling IDs and political unrest.
- Beholder (2016) – This title hits hard. You’re a landlord spying on tenants for a totalitarian regime, deciding who to help or throw under the bus. The art style is stark, and the decisions are brutal. No easy answers here.
- Strange Horticulture (2022) – We’re dealing with a different beast here. You’ll analyze clues and piece together who wants what. It’s cozy but quietly sinister, and your choices might just get someone killed.
These games aren’t copies of Papers, Please, but they hit the same nerve. They blend bureaucratic pressure, bleak humor, and moral tension in ways that make every decision matter.
10 Games Like Papers, Please for Fans of Tough Moral Choices
Now let’s take a closer look at my top picks of games like Papers, Please, that really capture that same vibe. If you’re craving moral choices, creeping tension, and that same slow-burn pressure, this is where to start.
1. Not Tonight
| Platforms | Windows, Nintendo Switch |
| Year of release | 2018 |
| Developer | PanicBarn |
| Average playtime | Around 11 hours |
| Best for | Fans of dark political satire and timed tasks |
| Notable features | Post-Brexit setting, club bouncer mechanics |
In Not Tonight, you’re a club bouncer, not a border guard. But the paperwork still piles up, the clock ticks, and the consequences come fast if you mess up.
Set in an alternate, post-Brexit UK where citizens are ranked and deported based on heritage, you play a “Person of European Heritage” trying to stay out of a detention center. And how? By checking IDs, scanning guest lists, and following absurdly shifting rules night after night.
This repetitive gameplay loop under pressure is a clear match for Papers, Please fans. The same moral discomfort is there when following the rules means hurting someone in the future. And yes, that same slow descent into dread as the world around you turns colder with each shift.
What sets Not Tonight apart is how sharply it leans into modern politics. It’s cynical and grim, but also funny in a very British, very bleak way. If Papers, Please made you think, Not Tonight might make you think and flinch.
Why you’ll like it if you loved Papers, Please:
It’s a hit indie game that plays all the same notes – rule-based gameplay, oppressive systems, and ethical ambiguity – but it sets them against a modern backdrop. You’re not stamping visas. You’re denying partygoers entry to survive.
2. Beholder
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch |
| Year of release | 2016 |
| Developer | Warm lamp Games |
| Average playtime | 8-12 hours |
| Best for | Fans of moral tension and surveillance-heavy gameplay |
| Notable features | Dystopian landlord simulator, branching story paths |
Beholder drops you into a totalitarian nightmare where your job isn’t just soul-crushing but legally mandated. As the new landlord of a government-run apartment complex, you’re expected to spy on tenants, rifle through their stuff, and report anything even remotely rebellious. Your orders are clear, but your conscience won’t always agree.
Like Papers, Please, this game thrives on repetition with a twist. You’ll follow a rigid system of rules and regulations, but every day brings new choices and consequences. Each interaction carries weight, and failing to comply could mean losing your job (or worse). Still, snitching on someone who just wants to play their violin quietly won’t feel great. Choices like this make Beholder one of the best simulation games similar to Papers, Please.
The world of Beholder is grim, drenched in paranoia and helplessness. You’re spying on your tenants while the government is watching you. It’s that constant pressure that fuels the game’s most powerful moments.
Why you’ll like it if you loved Papers, Please:
It takes the same “follow orders or face the consequences” formula and gives it teeth. You’re not just managing a border – you’re deciding the fate of people under your roof. It’s invasive, uncomfortable, and brilliantly designed.
3. Strange Horticulture
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Android, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch |
| Year of release | 2022 |
| Developer | Bad Viking |
| Average playtime | 8-10 hours |
| Best for | Puzzle lovers and occult mystery fans |
| Notable features | Plant identification mechanics, branching story, tactile gameplay |
Strange Horticulture swaps border stamps and security cameras for soil and suspicious herbs, but it delivers the same feeling of creeping dread in a tightly controlled workspace. You run a quaint little plant shop in a quiet town full of secrets, cults, and cryptic letters. Your job is to identify the right plant for the right person, sometimes to heal… and sometimes to harm.
Every task requires attention to detail, from decoding ancient texts to interpreting vague symptoms. Labeling and handing over plants might sound repetitive, but every decision matters. You can poison someone, unleash dark magic, or get wrapped up in a conspiracy you can’t escape.
The worldbuilding is slow. You can expect weird notes, whispered warnings, and eerie visits from increasingly unhinged townsfolk. You’re not just solving puzzles but navigating a web of morality and risk from your own quiet little corner of a much darker world.
Why you’ll like it if you loved Papers, Please:
It’s one of the best strategy games on this list, layered with moral ambiguity. You’ll feel the weight of decision-making, the same creeping sense that something isn’t right, but in a garden instead of a checkpoint.
4. Death and Taxes
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Android, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch |
| Year of release | 2020 |
| Developer | Placeholder Gameworks |
| Average playtime | 5-7 hours |
| Best for | Fans of dark humor and ethical dilemmas |
| Notable features | Play as the Grim Reaper, branching narratives, multiple endings |
In Death and Taxes, you’re not stamping passports – you’re deciding who lives and who dies. You play as the Grim Reaper, seated at a tidy desk, tasked with reading profiles and determining fates. Your choices influence global events, office politics in the afterlife, and your relationship with your boss, Fate, who may or may not be a cat in a suit.
Every workday, you’re handed a stack of files and a quota. If you follow the rules, you get to keep your job. If you go with your conscience, you might be putting the cosmic order at risk. No pressure. It starts off as darkly comedic bureaucracy but quickly turns into a philosophical tug-of-war, with you stuck in the middle.
The game is heavy on moral weight and long-term consequences. Every “harmless” decision can result in a monumental outcome at any time. It’s dark, witty, weird, and surprisingly reflective – all while keeping you locked to a desk with limited control over the bigger picture.
Why you’ll like it if you loved Papers, Please:
You’re performing repetitive tasks with increasingly severe moral consequences. You’re bound by orders from above, unsure whether to obey or rebel. And underneath the paperwork is a slow burn of existential dread. Sound familiar? It’s also a great role-playing game that gives you a go at being the Grim Reaper.
5. Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, GeForce Now |
| Year of release | 2016 |
| Developer | Osmotic Studios |
| Average playtime | 5-6 hours |
| Best for | Fans of surveillance, espionage, and narrative puzzles |
| Notable features | Real-time investigation mechanics, heavy emphasis on digital privacy, and misinformation |
Orwell puts you behind the screen of a powerful government surveillance tool. You’re the human element in a massive data-mining system, combing through emails, texts, social media, and private records to identify threats. You decide what information gets passed up the chain, and your interpretation shapes the investigation.
At first, it’s just matching names and locations. But soon you’re digging into lives, questioning motivations, and choosing what the government sees. The wrong call can ruin reputations or worse, but refusing to act could mean letting a terrorist slip through the cracks.
The game never slaps a “good” or “bad” label on your decisions. It lets you sit with the discomfort of wielding power with limited context. It’s quiet, thoughtful, and will make you think hard before you click “submit.”
Why you’ll like it if you loved Papers, Please:
Both games trap you in a seat of authority with no clear right answers. They force you to make tough calls under pressure, working within a rigid system where mistakes are costly and humanity is optional. If Papers, Please made you uneasy in a good way, Orwell will absolutely scratch that itch.
6. This Is the Police
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, PlayStation, Xbox, GeForce Now, Nintendo Switch |
| Year of release | 2016 |
| Developer | Weappy Studio |
| Average playtime | 20-25 hours |
| Best for | Fans of slow-burning decision games |
| Notable features | Balances police strategy, corruption, and moral dilemmas |
In This Is the Police, you play as Jack Boyd, a jaded police chief trying to make it through his last few months on the job. Sounds simple, but we know better by now. It’s a great adventure game where you just want to reach that light at the end of the tunnel.
You’ll deal with budget cuts, political demands, rising crime, and shady opportunities to make a little cash on the side. Every day brings a new stack of problems like missing officers, corrupt officials, PR nightmares, and you’re the one who has to clean it all up.
Like Papers, Please, this is a game about doing a job under pressure while everything around you falls apart. It leans into repetition and scheduling, but there’s always an edge. Every small choice could spiral into a disaster. The game doesn’t hold your hand or offer clean outcomes, which makes every decision feel weighty.
Why you’ll like it if you loved Papers, Please:
The slow-burn stress, bleak tone, and moral ambiguity are all here. If you liked the feeling of being crushed by a broken system while trying to hold onto a shred of integrity, This Is the Police will pull you right back in.
7. Return of the Obra Dinn
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch |
| Year of release | 2018 |
| Developer | 3909 LLC, Warp Digital Limited |
| Average playtime | 8-10 hours |
| Best for | Fans of detective work |
| Notable features | Striking 1-bit art, nonlinear deduction gameplay |
From the same mind behind Papers, Please, Return of the Obra Dinn trades border stamps for death certificates. However, the stress and mental gymnastics are just as real.
You step into the shoes of an insurance investigator in the early 1800s, tasked with determining how the entire crew of a missing merchant ship died. But there’s a twist. You have a magical pocket watch that shows you people’s last moments.
This isn’t just a murder mystery, it’s 60 of them, all packed in one of the greatest single-player games ever made. You’ll be solving them all through logic, deduction, and careful observation. It’s pure brain work without any handholding or second chances.
Why you’ll like it if you loved Papers, Please:
There’s no bureaucracy this time, but the pressure is still thick. You’re expected to draw airtight conclusions from limited evidence, and there’s a constant sense of being just one step behind. It’s about figuring out the rules, not following them.
8. The Westport Independent
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS |
| Year of release | 2016 |
| Developer | Double Zero One Ltd |
| Average playtime | 2-4 hours |
| Best for | Fans of media manipulation |
| Notable features | Censorship, propaganda, branching storylines |
The Westport Independent puts you behind the editor’s desk at a newspaper in a crumbling, authoritarian state. A new government act is about to take effect, threatening your paper’s independence, and you’ve got one last chance to shape public opinion. Each week, you’ll assign articles to your staff, censor lines, rewrite headlines, and quietly decide what kind of truth (or lie) makes it to print.
The mechanics look simple at a glance, but every decision shifts how the government sees you, how the public reacts, and what fate awaits your journalists. It’s a short, story-rich experience but leaves you thinking long after it’s over.
Why you’ll like it if you loved Papers, Please:
Both games live in the same moral grey zone, where small choices carry big consequences. Instead of stamping passports, players interact with newspaper articles, but the weight of authority, the creeping dread of compliance, and the chilling sense of control are all there.
9. Black Border Patrol Simulator
| Platforms | Windows, Android, iOS |
| Year of release | 2020 |
| Developer | Bitzooma Game Studio |
| Average playtime | 5-8 hours |
| Best for | Players who enjoy document inspection |
| Notable features | Real-time passport checks, storyline with political overtones |
Black Border is probably the closest any game has come to following the mature themes of Papers, Please. You play a border inspector in a fictional country, tasked with checking documents, detecting smugglers, and deciding who gets in and who gets turned away. It’s all about time management, with increasingly complex regulations and rising tension as the stakes grow.
What makes Black Border stand out for me is how it mixes in its own flavor of conspiracy and political unrest. As you progress, you’ll uncover threads that hint at larger corruption and conflict, and you’ll have to choose how deep you want to get involved.
Why you’ll like it if you loved Papers, Please:
The gameplay loop will feel immediately familiar: document inspection, time pressure, moral choices, but Black Border adds just enough of its own twists to feel fresh. If you want more Papers, Please, but with a slightly more modern interface and mobile play support, this one is worth checking out.
10. Do Not Feed the Monkeys
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, PlayStation, Xbox, GeForce Now |
| Year of release | 2018 |
| Developer | Fictiorama Studios |
| Average playtime | 10-15 hours |
| Best for | Players who enjoy surveillance and moral dilemmas |
| Notable features | Voyeurism mechanics, branching storylines |
Do Not Feed the Monkeys puts you in the role of a new member of the “Primate Observation Club,” a shady organization that gives you access to live surveillance feeds from unsuspecting people’s homes and offices. Your job, officially, is to watch and take notes. But as you get deeper into their lives, you’ll face decisions that go way beyond just observing.
The game explores how power corrupts and how quickly the line between doing your job and crossing a moral boundary can blur. You’ll also have to juggle basic survival tasks like paying rent, eating, and sleeping while managing an ever-growing web of “monkeys” to spy on.
Why you’ll like it if you loved Papers, Please:
If Papers, Please hooked you with its pressure-cooker tension and moral tightrope, you’ll feel right at home here. The themes of control, surveillance, and tough personal choices land just as hard, but now you’re peeking through cameras, not checking passports.
FAQs
What is the best game like Papers, Please?
Not Tonight is the best game like Papers, Please. It shares a bureaucratic task loop, oppressive tone, and meaningful choices set in a political dystopia.
How many days are in Papers, Please?
The story mode in Papers, Please spans 31 days, from November 23 to December 23, 1982. Most encounters are scripted, but which of the 20 endings you get depends on your daily choices and interactions.
How to play Papers, Please?
To play Papers, Please, review each entrant’s documents and spot discrepancies. Follow daily rules, manage your time efficiently, and balance speed with accuracy to earn enough money. Your choices impact the story, so think carefully before approving or denying someone.
