Papers, Please vs After Inc.
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
Read full descriptionHide full description
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.
After Inc.
Rebuild civilization after a zombie apocalypse by building a settlement, exploring, and scavenging for resources. Make difficult societal decisions and defend against zombie threats in a persistent campaign.
- Build and expand settlements
- Explore a post-apocalyptic world
- Scavenge for resources
- Make difficult societal decisions
- Defend against zombie infestations
- Research new technologies
- Persistent campaign with multiple settlements
Read full descriptionHide full description
Can you rebuild civilization after a zombie apocalypse? From the creator of Plague Inc. comes a unique blend of strategic simulation, survival city builder and ‘mini 4X’. Decades after the Necroa Virus ravaged humanity, a few survivors emerge. Build a settlement, explore, scavenge resources and expand as you shape your post-apocalyptic society. The world is green and beautiful but danger lurks in the ruins! After Inc. is the brand new game from the creator of ‘Plague Inc.’ - one of the most popular games ever with over 190 million players. Brilliantly executed with beautiful graphics and critically acclaimed gameplay - After Inc. is engaging and easy to learn. Build multiple settlements and gain abilities in a persistent campaign to lead humanity out of the darkness. Public Service Announcement: Unlike our other games, I’m pleased to say that After Inc. is not based on any real world situation. No need to start worrying about a real life zombie apocalypse yet… ◈◈◈ What happens after Plague Inc.? ◈◈◈ Features: ● Make difficult decisions - Are children an unaffordable luxury? Are dogs pets or a food source? Democracy or Authoritarianism? ● Explore a beautiful post-apocalyptic United Kingdom ● Exploit the ruins of the past to scavenge / harvest resources ● Expand your Settlement with housing, farms, lumberyards and much more ● Exterminate zombie infestations and defend humanity ● Uncover old technologies and research new ones ● Shape your society and provide services to keep your people happy ● Build multiple settlements in a persistent campaign and level up abilities ● Ultra realistic modelling of Zombie behaviour based on real life studies… :P ● Sophisticated narrative algorithms shaped by your decisions ● 5 unique leaders with radically different abilities ● Internet connectivity not required ● No ‘consumable microtransactions. Expansion Packs are ‘buy once, play forever’ ●Will be updated for years to come. Special sale price to celebrate the launch of the game! ◈◈◈ I’ve got lots of plans for updates! Get in touch and let me know what you want to see. James (the designer) Contact me here: www.ndemiccreations.com/en/1-support www.twitter.com/NdemicCreations
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Papers, Please at none against After Inc.'s 14. Papers, Please also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). After Inc.'s advantage is ratings volume (17K vs 1.2K) and price ($1.99 vs $4.99). On rating, update cadence, ads and chart position 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 After Inc. $1.99 up front. After Inc. sells 14 one-off in-app purchases. Papers, Please asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Papers, Please against 4.8 for After Inc.. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: After Inc. has 17K ratings behind it against 1.2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Papers, Please's written reviews are positive against 89% of After Inc.'s.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Papers, Please | After Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.2K ratings) | 4.8 (17K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 79.6% of reviews | 88.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.2K | 17K — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #7 — better | #8 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 62 MB | 288 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 9+ |
| Developer | 3909 | Ndemic Creations |
Customer experience
Papers, Please
After Inc.
Bugs and requests
Papers, Please
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
After Inc.
Reported bugs
3 issues- Sudden zombie attacks crippling settlements
- Moral system being too punishing
- Difficulty balancing issues
Requested features
5 requests- Endless/sandbox mode
- More varied mission types
- Ability to customize settlement
- Improved camera controls
- More content updates and expansions
In-app purchases
Papers, Please
No in-app purchases
After Inc.
- Survival Guide$2.99
- New Leaders$4.99
- Cheats & Punishment$4.99
Show 11 moreShow fewer
- Ultimate Pack (big discount)$4.99
- Season 2 Pass (Discount)$6.99
- Critical Mass$6.99
- Season 1 Pack (discount)$6.99
- Beyond the Bunkers$6.99
- Shadows of the Past$6.99
- Season 2 Pass$9.99
- Season 1 Pack$9.99
- Ultimate Pack (discount)$11.99
- Ultimate Pack$14.99
- Season 1 Pack (full)$19.99
Questions
Is Papers, Please free?
Is After Inc. free?
Which has better reviews, Papers, Please or After Inc.?
Do Papers, Please or After Inc. have ads?
Which is updated more often, Papers, Please or After Inc.?
Which is more popular, Papers, Please or After Inc.?
Other comparisons















