Papers, Please vs The Deer God
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Papers, Please
Step into the shoes of a border inspector in a dystopian communist state. Examine documents, interrogate travelers, and decide who is allowed to enter. Your choices impact your family's survival and the fate of the nation.
- Dystopian border inspector simulation
- Document examination and verification
- Interrogation and decision-making
- Multiple endings based on choices
- Unlockable multitouch support
- Game Center achievements and leaderboards
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A dystopian document thriller. The award-winning, critically-acclaimed border inspector game. ______________________________________ "Congratulations." "The October labor lottery is complete. Your name was pulled." "For immediate placement, report to the Ministry of Admission at Grestin Border Checkpoint." "An apartment will be provided for you and your family in East Grestin. Expect a Class-8 dwelling." "Glory to Arstotzka." ______________________________________ Awards ◉ Best Game of 2013 - The New Yorker ◉ Best Game of 2013 - Wired Magazine ◉ Top Indie Game 2013 - Forbes Magazine ◉ Best Strategy & Simulation Game 2014 - BAFTA ◉ Grand Prize Winner 2014 - Independent Games Festival ◉ Excellence in Design Winner - IGF 2014 ◉ Excellence in Narrative Winner - IGF 2014 ◉ GameCity Prize Winner 2014 - GameCity ◉ Cultural Innovation Award 2013 - SXSW ◉ Best PC Game 2014 - LARA Game Awards ◉ Innovation Award - GDCA 2014 ◉ Most Innovative 2014 - Games For Change ◉ Best Gameplay 2014 - Games For Change ◉ Best Game of 2013 - Ars Technica ◉ Best Game of 2013 - PC World ◉ Best PC Game of 2013 - Destructoid ◉ Best Story of 2013 - Destructoid ... and more ______________________________________ Story The communist state of Arstotzka has just ended a 6-year war with neighboring Kolechia and reclaimed its rightful half of the border town, Grestin. Your job as immigration inspector is to control the flow of people entering the Arstotzkan side of Grestin from Kolechia. Among the throngs of immigrants and visitors looking for work are hidden smugglers, spies, and terrorists. Using only the documents provided by travelers and the Ministry of Admission's primitive inspect, search, and fingerprint systems you must decide who can enter Arstotzka and who will be turned away or arrested. ______________________________________ Features Includes the complete original game with all 31 days and 20 endings. Also adds unlockable multitouch support for faster paperwork, an enhanced inspection mode, Game Center achievements, leaderboards, mid-day resume, and more. ______________________________________ Warning This game contains mature themes, non-photographic nudity, and brief moments of pixelated violence.
The Deer God
Embark on a 3D pixel art adventure where you'll survive, reincarnate, and explore a hostile world. Live as a deer, solve puzzles, and uncover a dark storyline. Features include a day/night system, quests, and the ability to level up your antlers.
- 3D pixel art world exploration
- Day and night system
- Reincarnate into other animals
- Level up antlers with statue powers
- Solve ancient puzzles
- Dark storyline
- Original soundtrack
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“It can be a struggle, but it's all worth it when you're shooting fire out your antlers.” Kotaku “The world of The Deer God is incredibly hostile, featuring so many dangerous animals it makes Far Cry 4 look like a petting zoo.” PC Gamer “The side-scrolling puzzle game takes elements of an endless runner and an RPG and mixes them into something very special.” Polygon The Deer God is a breathtaking 3D pixel art adventure that will challenge your religion and your platforming skills. It's a game about survival, reincarnation, and karma; all set in a breathtaking and unique 3D pixelized world. Feast your eyes on the beautiful lighting, day and night system, and vast landscapes. Become one of the most beautiful animals on planet earth. LIVE AS A DEER. SURVIVE AS A DEER. Features: Gorgeous 3d pixel art world to explore MFi Controller support Various animals and characters to interact with Night and Day system Various quests Tons of items to find and use Reincarnate into other animals Use the power of statues and level up your antlers Find secrets and solve ancient puzzles Follow an interesting and dark storyline Amazing Original Soundtrack by Evan Gipson. Follow us for the latest info and game news! • http://crescentmoongames.com/other-games/ • http://facebook.com/crescentmoongames • http://twitter.com/cm_games
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Papers, Please at 4.7 against The Deer God's 4.1. Papers, Please also leads on review sentiment (80% vs 45%) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 52). The Deer God's advantage is iOS requirement (6.0 vs 11.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Papers, Please costs $4.99 and The Deer God $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Papers, Please holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Papers, Please has 1.2K ratings behind it against 52, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Papers, Please's written reviews are positive against 45% of The Deer God's.
Papers, Please ships an update weekly, The Deer God every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Papers, Please | The Deer God |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.2K ratings) — better | 4.1 (52 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 79.6% of reviews — better | 45.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.2K — better | 52 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #5 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | 6.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 62 MB | 196 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 9+ |
| Developer | 3909 | Crescent Moon Games LLC |
Customer experience
Papers, Please
The Deer God
In-app purchases
Papers, Please
No in-app purchases
The Deer God
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Papers, Please free?
Is The Deer God free?
Which has better reviews, Papers, Please or The Deer God?
Do Papers, Please or The Deer God have ads?
Which is updated more often, Papers, Please or The Deer God?
Other comparisons
