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Death and TaxesVSPapers, Please

Which game gives you more value right now? Every metric, head to head.

Death and Taxes

Death and Taxes

StrategyCasualIndieSimulationAdventure
Quality
70Popularity
31Value
72
KinguinBetter Deal· Kinguin
in 7 days
−79% $2.78
Buy Now
VS
Papers, Please

Papers, Please

Quality
93Popularity
39Value
45
KinguinBetter Deal· Kinguin
−2% $9.78
Buy Now

Winner

Papers, Please wins 8 of 14 head-to-head metrics.

Not urgent, but worth watching — it's in a reasonable spot without being an obvious must-buy.

Grab It Now
6
Death and Taxes
6 of 14 metrics
Papers, Please
8 of 14 metrics
8

Head-to-Head Metrics

Direct metric-by-metric comparison: winner determined by count, no weighting

Value
Pricing & Deals
Current Best Price (USD)
$2.78 Wins
$9.78 -
Historical Low Price (USD)
$1.24 Wins
$8.34 -
Best Current Discount
-79% Wins
-2% -
Sales Frequency
58 price changes -
65 price changes Wins
Quality
Critical & User Reception
Metacritic
N/A -
85/100 Wins
Steam Review Score
86.3% positive -
97.4% positive Wins
Total Steam Reviews
7.8K -
72.9K Wins
Positive Steam Reviews
6.7K -
70.9K Wins
Negative Steam Reviews
1.1K Wins
1.9K -
Popularity
Community & Activity
Average Concurrent Players (14 days)
22 -
398 Wins
Steam Recommendations
7.7K -
72.8K Wins
Features
Features & Content
Achievements
60 Wins
13 -
Supported Languages
8 languages -
15 languages Wins
Release Date
Feb 2020 Wins
Aug 2013 -
GameValio Recommendation
MaybeDeath and Taxes

Worth keeping an eye on. Currently sitting in a decent spot, but not quite a must-buy just yet.

MaybePapers, Please

Not urgent, but worth watching — it's in a reasonable spot without being an obvious must-buy.

Statistics Over Time

Side-by-side historical trends: same time range, same scale

Time Range:
Death and Taxes
Papers, Please

Player Count Trends

· Concurrent players over time

Review Score Trends

· Positive review ratio over time

Review Volume Trends

— Total reviews accumulated over time

Price Comparison

Current deals and best prices side by side

Death and Taxes

Death and Taxes

2 Stores
Kinguin
Kinguin −79% $2.78Buy Now
Steam
Steam$12.99View
Papers, Please

Papers, Please

3 Stores
Kinguin
Kinguin −2% $9.78Buy Now
Steam
Steam +2% $9.99View
GAMIVO
GAMIVO +10% $10.80View

Death and Taxes

Quality

Divided opinions — worth researching more before deciding.

86% positive (7,768 reviews) — very positive reception
7,768 reviews — solid data foundation

Value

Price is reasonable for what the game offers.

$2.78 — very accessible price
79% off — massive discount

Popularity

Declining player base — could be a problem for multiplayer-dependent games.

-48% player decline
21 concurrent players — niche audience

Papers, Please

Quality

Excellent community reception — players and critics agree on the quality.

97% positive (72,849 reviews) — overwhelmingly positive
Metacritic 85/100 — high marks from professional reviewers
72,849 reviews — extremely reliable sample

Value

Seen it cheaper before — consider wishlisting and waiting.

$9.78 — very accessible price
2% off — minor discount

Popularity

Smaller but still existing player base — longer wait times for multiplayer.

Player count surging +69%
428 concurrent players — smaller but active
72,849 total reviews — major title
Game DetailsDeath and TaxesPapers, Please
Release Date
February 20, 2020
August 8, 2013
Developers
Placeholder Gameworks
Lucas Pope
Publishers
Hawthorn Games, Placeholder Gameworks
3909
Platforms
Linux, Windows, MacOs
Linux, Windows, MacOs
Achievements
60
13

Death and Taxes

Recommended

Recommended:
  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS *: Windows 7, 8, 10, 11
  • Processor: i3 or equivalent
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Integrated graphics or GPU with atleast 512 MB of VRAM
  • DirectX: Version 9.0
  • Storage: 2 GB available space

Papers, Please

Recommended

Recommended:
  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
Which is better: Death and Taxes or Papers, Please?

Papers, Please won the comparison against Death and Taxes based on the head-to-head metric breakdown. Check the metrics table above for a full side-by-side analysis.

How is the comparison calculated?

The comparison winner is determined objectively by counting which game wins more individual metrics in the head-to-head table. No weighting is applied. The GameValio Recommendation shown separately is our own suggestion for each game, based on a weighted score that combines quality (reviews), popularity (player counts), and affordability (price vs value) into a score out of 100. These are two different things: the comparison is objective, the recommendation is GameValio's opinion.

Is Death and Taxes worth buying over Papers, Please?

Based on the metrics, Papers, Please won the direct comparison. However, also check the GameValio Recommendation for each game and the price comparison table to make the most informed purchase decision.

Which game has better player reviews?

Review score trends and volume over time are shown in the charts section above. The game with consistently higher positive ratios has stronger community reception.

Which game offers better value for money?

The affordability score and price comparison table above highlight the best deals. Death and Taxes currently scores better on value relative to its quality and price.

Analysis updated: Aug 9, 2026, 12:05 PM UTC

GameValio - Buy now or wait? PC game purchase timing advisorGameValio© 2026

Data sourced from Steam, Metacritic, and various stores. Not affiliated with Valve Corporation. Scores updated daily to keep recommendations fresh.

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