Games like Papers, Please

3.9average player rating•5 games

Papers, Please’s pull is the desk-bound gatekeeping: rules that mutate daily, timed lines, and choices that cost you at home. These five keep that rulebook-and-consequence loop, with meticulous checks, moral friction, and wages on the line.

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Games5

Avg. Metacritic75

Avg. player rating3.9/5

Avg. playtime4h

Main genreSimulation

Released2015–2023

What these games share

The genres these 5 picks have in common, straight from their store data.

Simulation4 of 5
Indie3 of 5
Adventure2 of 5
RPG2 of 5

The picks

Ranked by player rating, Metacritic breaks ties.

1
Hypnospace Outlaw
Simulation
Policy enforcement by hand: trawl pages for violations, cross-check evidence, and choose how hard to toe the line.
4.4/5Player ratingView game
2
Beholder
AdventureRPGStrategy
State orders versus conscience: surveil tenants, file reports or blackmail, and ration wages to keep your family afloat.
3.8/5Player ratingMC75View game
3
Not Tonight
AdventureRPGSimulation
Door work as triage: check IDs fast, enforce nightly edicts, juggle fines against rent and risking your job.
3.8/5Player ratingView game
4
Contraband Police
SimulationIndie
Border duty under a rulebook: inspect papers, search vehicles, spot forgeries, and weigh bribes against penalties and pay.
3.8/5Player ratingView game
5
Death and Taxes
SimulationIndie
A stamping desk with quotas: decide fates from dossiers, follow shifting rules, and live with the pay cut slip.
3.6/5Player ratingView game