Choose Papers, Please
Choose Papers, Please if you want an Adventure game with Steam Leaderboards. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 97.3% positive across 38,957 reviews.
Papers, Please vs The Westport Independent
Papers, Please and The Westport Independent both land in Indie on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are Indie games on Steam. Papers, Please (2013) is 3 years older than The Westport Independent (2016). Papers, Please scores higher on Steam reviews (97.3% positive) than The Westport Independent (75.6% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose The Westport Independent
Choose The Westport Independent if you want a Simulation experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. The Westport Independent launched in 2016.
Both Papers, Please and The Westport Independent sit in Indie on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Papers, Please |  The Westport Independent | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2016 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 9.99 USD | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 97.3% positive (38,957 reviews) | 75.6% positive (275 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Lucas Pope | Double Zero One Zero |
Side by side
- Both are Indie games on Steam.
- Papers, Please (2013) is 3 years older than The Westport Independent (2016).
- Papers, Please scores higher on Steam reviews (97.3% positive) than The Westport Independent (75.6% positive).
- The Westport Independent is free; Papers, Please is paid (9.99 USD).
- Papers, Please is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; The Westport Independent has no Deck rating yet.
Papers, Please vs The Westport Independent — FAQ
- Which is better, Papers, Please or The Westport Independent?
- On Steam reviews Papers, Please scores higher (97.3% positive) than The Westport Independent (75.6% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Papers, Please is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Papers, Please or The Westport Independent first?
- If you want chronology, Papers, Please (2013) came out before The Westport Independent (2016). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Papers, Please and The Westport Independent similar?
- They overlap on Indie on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Is The Westport Independent free?
- Yes — The Westport Independent is a free-to-play Steam title. Papers, Please is paid (9.99 USD).
- Does Papers, Please run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Papers, Please is rated Deck Verified by Valve. The Westport Independent doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.