Choose Papers, Please
Choose Papers, Please if you want an Indie game with Steam Leaderboards. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 97.3% positive across 38,957 reviews.
Papers, Please vs Not Tonight
Papers, Please and Not Tonight both land in 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 are Adventure games on Steam. Papers, Please (2013) is 5 years older than Not Tonight (2018). Papers, Please scores higher on Steam reviews (97.3% positive) than Not Tonight (86.6% 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 Not Tonight
Choose Not Tonight if you want a Simulation and RPG experience. On Steam, it's currently about 70% cheaper on the Steam Store. 1,400 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Papers, Please and Not Tonight sit in 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 |  Not Tonight | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2018 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Adventure, Simulation, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 2.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 97.3% positive (38,957 reviews) | 86.6% positive (1,400 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Lucas Pope | PanicBarn |
Side by side
- Both are Adventure games on Steam.
- Papers, Please (2013) is 5 years older than Not Tonight (2018).
- Papers, Please scores higher on Steam reviews (97.3% positive) than Not Tonight (86.6% positive).
- Not Tonight is currently ~70% cheaper on Steam than Papers, Please (2.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Papers, Please is Deck Verified, Not Tonight is Deck Playable.
Papers, Please vs Not Tonight — FAQ
- Which is better, Papers, Please or Not Tonight?
- On Steam reviews Papers, Please scores higher (97.3% positive) than Not Tonight (86.6% 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 Not Tonight first?
- If you want chronology, Papers, Please (2013) came out before Not Tonight (2018). 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 Not Tonight similar?
- They overlap on 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.