Papers, Please

Papers, Please Papers, Please puts you in charge of immigration checks in war-torn Arstotska. Examine documents, approve or deny applicants, and navigate psychological, moral, and emotional pressure.

Papers, Please

Show me your documents! In Papers, Please, you take on the job of an immigration officer. In a calm country this might sound routine—but in Arstotsk, a nation still reeling after war, every decision at the border matters. Your work is to study the paperwork, cross-check the details, and then decide whether to approve a person’s immigration documents.

What makes the job intense is that it isn’t only about facts. You’re pulled into a cycle of psychological, economic, moral, and emotional pressure—so much so that “getting out of the vortex” becomes a question you’ll be thinking about again and again.

Gameplay

Compared with many indie titles, Papers, Please keeps things refreshingly straightforward. The core loop uses classic point-and-click puzzle mechanics: examine the submitted information, compare it carefully with what you can confirm, then tap the screen to approve or deny.

You play as an immigration officer in Arstotsk. Your actions directly affect outcomes across the game. You’ll decide whether a visitor or immigrant should have their papers stamped—yes or no.

Please Show Your ID is built around an unusual mix: it handles the big-picture idea of preventing dangerous people from slipping through, while also focusing on the smaller, personal consequences that happen to you at work. The border isn’t just a desk job—your judgment is influenced by the pressures of the environment, including psychological strain, financial concerns, moral dilemmas, and emotional stress. Those forces can make it hard to step away once things get overwhelming.

Controls: Complete control is designed for two-finger gameplay, keeping input simple and low-effort.

Daily duties: Each day, you sit at your station. Residents bring immigration documents for approval. You must compare the personal data on those documents with the records stored in a computer database, looking for anything that feels incorrect, suspicious, or unclear.

Next, you consider background details such as family history, occupation, goals, and work experience. During the review, you’ll also answer verification questions that check whether the applicant’s statements match what the documents and system data indicate.

And don’t skip the essentials: review identification documents closely, comparing the applicant’s appearance with the photograph shown on the documents.

By combining everything you learn, you’ll be able to spot incomplete stories, hidden motives, concealed details, and possible fraud. If someone appears legitimate, you stamp their papers, thank them, and allow them to enter. If doubts appear, you escalate—ask more questions, make different decisions (including refusing stamps), and in serious cases you may even interrogate or arrest people suspected of being criminals, spies, or terrorists.

Features

Border Inspector

• You get hired as a border inspector through a labor lottery inside a communist country.
• The job provides housing for you and your family.
• Your responsibility is to check the identity cards and passports of all arrivals—tourists and residents—from post-Arstotsk regions (for example, Grestin).

Captivating Storyline

• The setting is the collapse of the Soviet Union.
• You play as the communist state of Arstotsk, which lost territory in a war with neighboring Kolechia.
• Your task is to manage immigration flowing in from a border town shattered by that war.
• You must separate real tourists and immigrants from people hiding spies, terrorists, and smugglers.

An Award-Winning Role-Playing Game

Documents Please has earned recognition for its gameplay and design, receiving awards and mentions from Forbes, The New Yorker, BAFTA, Wired, the Independent Games Festival, Gamecity, and the Lara Games Awards.

Find the Smugglers and Terrorists

• To locate criminals among incoming people, you examine documents supplied by immigration authorities.
• Many offenders can be identified through place of birth, fingerprints, photos, and other recorded details.

Retro-Style Graphics

• The game uses 2D pixel art, bringing back the feel of older classic games.
• The visuals may appear slightly blurry, but they help create an immersive communist atmosphere.
• This style also supports the tone of the storyline and the gameplay.

Awards

• 2013 Best Game - The New Yorker
• 2013 Best Game - Wired Magazine



• 2013 Best Indie Game - Forbes Magazine



• 2014 Best Strategy Simulation Game - BAFTA Awards
• 2014 Independent Games Festival Grand Prize
• 2014 Independent Games Festival Outstanding Design Award
• 2014 Independent Games Festival Outstanding Narrative Award
• 2014 GameCity Award
• 2013 SXSW Cultural Innovation Award
• 2014 Best PC Game - LARA Games Awards
• 2014 GDCA Innovation Award
• 2014 Most Innovative Award - Gam