Papers, Please

After a six-year war, Arstotzka has reclaimed its half of Grestin, a border town divided with neighboring Kolechia. As the immigration inspector at the crossing, you control the people entering Arstotzka, including workers and visitors whose motives may be less innocent. Smugglers, spies, and terrorists can hide among the steady stream of travelers.

The core loop centers on examining the documents each person provides and making an entry decision. The Ministry of Admission supplies primitive inspection tools, including systems for checking, searching, and comparing fingerprints. You must use the available information to approve travelers, turn them away, or have them arrested when the evidence warrants it. The game’s document-focused simulation is framed as a dystopian thriller, with a narrative shaped by the consequences of border decisions. It also contains mature themes, non-photographic nudity, and brief pixelated violence. The supplied description does not identify separate modes or a broader progression system beyond the inspector’s ongoing work at the crossing.