Choose Papers, Please
Choose Papers, Please if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 97.3% positive across 38,957 reviews.
Papers, Please vs Replica
Papers, Please and Replica both land in Indie, Adventure 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 share Indie, Adventure on Steam. Papers, Please (2013) is 3 years older than Replica (2016). Papers, Please scores higher on Steam reviews (97.3% positive) than Replica (78% 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 Replica
Choose Replica if it's currently about 70% cheaper on the Steam Store. Replica launched in 2016.
Both Papers, Please and Replica sit in Indie and Adventure 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 |  Replica | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2016 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 2.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 97.3% positive (38,957 reviews) | 78% positive (372 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Lucas Pope | Somi |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Papers, Please (2013) is 3 years older than Replica (2016).
- Papers, Please scores higher on Steam reviews (97.3% positive) than Replica (78% positive).
- Replica is currently ~70% cheaper on Steam than Papers, Please (2.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Papers, Please is Deck Verified, Replica is Deck Playable.
Papers, Please vs Replica — FAQ
- Which is better, Papers, Please or Replica?
- On Steam reviews Papers, Please scores higher (97.3% positive) than Replica (78% 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 Replica first?
- If you want chronology, Papers, Please (2013) came out before Replica (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 Replica similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure 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.