- Primary Subject: Thank You For Your Application
- Key Update: Indie publisher No More Robots and IceLemonTea Studio announced the game will officially release on Steam on June 19, 2026.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: June 1, 2026
- Quick Answer: Thank You For Your Application is a narrative-driven interview simulation game where you weigh corporate hiring criteria against the moral plight of desperate job applicants.
Whenever I used to think about Papers, Please, I believed there'd never be another game like it.
The gameplay was unique, the story had immense depth, and you really felt the weight of each choice you made. Many games have been released with a similar playstyle, but none could even come close in terms of plot. For years, I thought we'd never see a game like Papers, Please again.
Until now, that is. Let me introduce you to Thank You For Your Application.
Papers, Please Couldn't Be Beaten for a Long Time
Papers, Please came out in 2013, and yet video game studios can't help but try to reheat their nachos.
The gameplay for Papers, Please is simple - you work as a border control immigration officer in Arstozka and must review travelers' passports and paperwork. As you progress through the game, the rules and gadgets to use stack up.
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Initially, all you need to do is allow those with proper documentation to enter and deny those with false documents, incomplete papers, or contraband. However, the lines become blurry after. Will you let a man who murdered a young girl into the country so that her father can get revenge? Will you allow people with incomplete documents in so that they can meet their love? It's up to you, as long as you can face the consequences of your actions.
The game received praise for its ability to tell a deep story from the perspective of a character working a desk job. Papers, Please constantly puts you in a moral dilemma, as helping a stranger could immediately impact the money you bring to your already struggling family. Even more than 10 years later, the game continues to receive its flowers.
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There are plenty of games like Papers, Please that have come out, but most are not nearly as interesting as Papers, Please. That's Not My Neighbor is one that immediately comes to mind, and while I found it fun, it didn't have as much lore as Papers, Please. It became just a casual game to play, but not because I was actually interested in the story.
I have played so many games trying to heal the Papers, Please-shaped hole in my heart, and for years, I couldn't find any that hit the same way.
That is, until I played the demo of Thank You For Your Application.
Why Thank You For Your Application Deserves the Same Love Papers, Please Got
I discovered Thank You For Your Application during Steam's Next Fest back in January. Immediately, the trailer reminded me of Papers, Please, so I downloaded the demo, thinking it would be another mid-game.
I was wrong.
In Thank You For Your Application, you play as a fresh graduate who receives a rare opportunity to join the biggest company in Aeropolis as a Junior Interviewer. Your job is to screen applicants trying to join the company and approve or deny them based on the company's standards and their qualifications.
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Like Papers, Please, it starts easy enough. The company only wants graduates from the country's top universities, so you need to deny everyone else who is not from there. Later on, this is lifted, but those from another country need more documentation to prove they're worthy.
As the days pass by, the standards only get higher - one applicant might suffer a mental breakdown during the interview, causing everyone to need a slip from the hospital to prove they're fit. A friend without the proper qualifications might come begging for a job at the risk of getting deported.
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Like Papers, Please, you are put in a position where you could help people, but doing so would negatively affect your performance. There's an added layer that, with each passing day, you end up discovering the dark secrets of the company and Aeropolis as a whole.
Thank You For Your Application is another game that finally adds lore and makes you question your moral compass as you play - something Papers, Please did very well. It's extremely timely, too. The job market is the worst it has ever been, and people with PhDs and Master's Degrees are struggling to land full-time roles. In a way, Thank You For Your Application feels real and current.
The game launches on June 19 and will be available on Steam. There's currently no word on whether it will also come out on other platforms, but I hope it does.
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