The Salesman

About

The Salesman is a single player simulation game with horror and comedy themes. It was developed by James Zilberman and was released on November 13, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

In the Salesman, you play as a recently laid-off employee trying to survive the grind of job applications, debt, and dwindling hope. Trade your belongings for ad-supported replacements as you slowly sell away your life in this psychological horror game

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83%

Audience ScoreBased on 639 reviews

humor82 positive mentions

gameplay11 negative mentions

Unique and relevant concept satirizing capitalism and consumerism, providing insightful societal commentary.
Strong atmosphere with a mix of humor and psychological horror, including well-executed jump scares and memorable characters like The Salesman.
Good voice acting, writing, and artistic style; the ads and Easter eggs add charm and replay interest.

The gameplay is extremely repetitive and minimal, mostly a walking simulator with limited interactivity, leading to boredom for some players.
Very short duration (around 1 hour) with only two simple endings, resulting in low replay value and feeling somewhat incomplete.
Some technical issues and bugs, awkward pacing with long waiting times (e.g. microwave cooking), and occasional poor optimization; some players also disliked the overt political commentary.

humor
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is widely praised for being quirky, silly, and genuinely funny, with many players enjoying its blend of creepy and comedic moments, well-timed jokes, and clever references. While some find the humor charming and a highlight that compensates for the short length and simple gameplay, others feel it can be repetitive or reliant on internet culture references, resulting in mixed responses regarding its comedic impact. Overall, the humor is considered a key strength that enhances the unique, unsettling atmosphere.
- “This game is a masterpiece; it got me laughing one second and screaming the next. It was an awesome experience that I would totally recommend.”
- “The atmosphere is unsettling about 85% of the time and absolutely hilarious the other 15%, but that 15% of funny is gold.”
- “It has amazing storytelling with great humor and perfect timing with the actual horror.”
story
77 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
61%
5%
The story is generally praised for its compelling critique of consumerism and monotony, with strong atmospheric and humorous elements. However, many find it short, linear, and lacking meaningful player choices or depth in character development, which makes the experience feel limited and sometimes repetitive. While the narrative concept is strong and thoughtful, it is often seen as overshadowing minimal gameplay and leaving players wanting more substance and longer engagement.
- “It starts rather slowly, but as time goes on, you start noticing some little (and bigger) changes that just make this story much more impactful.”
- “The game itself is short and sweet, but it feels hollow at times; the lack of secrets or alternative interactions outside of the linear tasks makes it feel a little empty and repetitive, but at the same time it kinda works in its favor, really sets the atmosphere of a monotonous life. The story shines by criticizing the constant creeping of chromatic corporate products in your life, and the struggle of finding a job and paying your bills no matter how hard you try really hits close to reality.”
- “The story is very nice in the literary sense, it's so raw, plain, but accurate to what it feels like to try to have a stable life in the present day.”
- “It is a boring e-clicking simulator with little to no story, and few funny easter eggs.”
- “The story is a bit too scripted so I might as well be watching a video instead of actually playing, and being forced to wait on stuff like the microwave is annoying but the game wasn't all bad.”
- “Aside from that cool snippet I don't think there's really any substance to this game, you can do both endings within an hour even if you take your time, and both of the endings were lackluster and added pretty much nothing to the main story.”
gameplay
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
71%
16%
The gameplay is widely criticized as minimalistic, repetitive, and mostly a slow-paced walking simulator with little interactivity or meaningful choices. While some find its monotony fitting the narrative and appreciate the psychological weight behind decisions, many feel the experience is too short, stagnant, and fails to deliver engaging mechanics or horror elements. Overall, the gameplay is seen as underwhelming and lacking depth, overshadowed by the story and atmosphere.
- “The gameplay follows a grounded, walking-simulator structure, but the choices you’re asked to make carry a surprising psychological weight.”
- “These mechanics cleverly mirror the slow erosion of autonomy—each decision is small, even logical on its own, but collectively they make you feel more trapped inside a system that benefits from your desperation.”
- “Its gameplay is layered, thought-provoking, and deeply resonant with the social context of today’s world.”
- “The gameplay is extremely boring and repetitive; I almost fell asleep while playing it.”
- “It's mostly just a walking simulator, and the gameplay is way too repetitive and boring.”
- “The game starts out incredibly slow and the gameplay was never anything too special.”
monetization
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's monetization is cleverly integrated as a core thematic element, using frequent and often humorous in-game ads to satirize modern consumerism and advertising saturation. While many reviewers appreciated the creative, absurd, and relatable nature of the ads, others found their volume, repetitiveness, and unskippable nature overwhelming and occasionally frustrating, impacting gameplay enjoyment. Overall, the advertising serves as effective social commentary but can detract from pacing and immersion for some players.
- “I like some of the easter eggs that reference Andrew Tate and real world stuff but this game felt like a nothing burger just kinda annoying how long the microwave takes and the unskippable ads; it just feels like they wanted you to stay for 2 hours so you wouldn't be able to refund it if you didn't think the game was worth money. Just watch other people play this because this isn't worth money.”
- “The walk speed feels too slow, the microwave takes far too long (like a minute plus of real time with nothing to actually do), the advertisements just loop endlessly and are audible through the floor which drove me kinda insane (I get that is part of the point but when you watch the same advertisement for what feels like the 12th time in a row it gets old fast).”
- “The advertisements were horrendous.”
music
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
52%
11%
The music in the game is widely praised, especially the ending credits song, which many users describe as outstanding and "fire," with strong demand for its release on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. The soundtrack effectively enhances the atmosphere, particularly in tense moments, contributing positively to the overall experience. However, some users found the gameplay repetitive despite the solid music.
- “The credits song is absolutely fire and I need y'all to make this available on Apple Music now.”
- “The idea for this game is super cool, the theme is super cool, the music is great (when you go where you're not supposed to, it amps up which scared the hell out of me).”
- “On one hand, the soundtrack and writing are absolutely brilliant.”
- “I don't give a ♥♥♥♥ if you don't like chick-fil-a, nor do I like the "quirky" music and animations; it's just annoying and lazy.”
- “This game is garbage and I get it it's their first game or whatever but this wasn't even remotely scary and the microwave ♥♥♥♥ was so stupid I literally put on Spotify songs just to get me through the ♥♥♥♥.”
- “The music!”
atmosphere
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
43%
19%
The atmosphere of the game is primarily unsettling and tense, enhanced by creepy characters and well-executed jumpscares, though it occasionally shifts to a darkly humorous tone. While some find it atmospheric and thought-provoking, especially in its critique of corporate and capitalist themes, others feel the horror elements are sparse and the experience somewhat hollow or repetitive. Overall, the game excels in creating a memorable, introspective ambiance that effectively supports its narrative and thematic goals.
- “These aspects really help the horror atmosphere grow, and this is certainly an amazing game.”
- “For players interested in atmospheric, introspective psychological experiences, The Salesman delivers a sharp and memorable cautionary tale.”
- “Visually, the salesman cultivates a sterile, unsettling atmosphere.”
- “It was marketed as a horror game about selling your life away to a corporation but there's barely any horror to be seen, just rare moments of creepy atmosphere and one jump scare.”
- “Disappointing because the graphics and atmosphere gave the vibes of a good low-graphic horror game.”
- “The game itself is short and sweet, but it feels hollow at times. The lack of secrets or alternative interactions outside of the linear tasks makes it feel a little empty and repetitive. As far as horror games go, this isn't very scary, just a few spooks here and there.”
graphics
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
28%
27%
The graphics are generally simple and low-quality, which appears to be a deliberate design choice that complements the game's eerie and nostalgic atmosphere. While some find the visuals basic or shoddy, many appreciate the charm and how the graphics effectively enhance the game's unsettling and minimalist aesthetic.
- “I like the game's eerie vibes and how big companies will literally advertise you anything, the game was very unique and had great graphics.”
- “The game is simple, simple gameplay, simple graphics, but that's what makes the game so good.”
- “Some people point out its low quality graphics, but I think that it's more of a design choice rather than lack of effort.”
- “Graphically, it's about what you'd expect from a basic Unity game, but the bones are there, and the gameplay is very much putting you into a small routine and ultimately making little tweaks while giving you that existential fear - not so much about existing, but the pain of existing.”
- “Disappointing because the graphics and atmosphere gave the vibes of a good low-graphic horror game.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game currently offers limited replayability, mainly tied to experiencing a second ending, which users find insufficient. Many suggest adding achievements, secrets, or easter eggs to enhance replay value and encourage multiple playthroughs.
- “Replayability: the only replayable factor for this game is the second ending which isn't much, so I may suggest considering adding small achievements or secrets for hunters to find.”
- “I think if they wanted to add some easy replay value, add some achievements you earn through Easter eggs or something.”
- “I'd recommend you play it once, and play the last day twice to see the endings, but unfortunately, this game doesn't have much replay value.”
- “Replayability: the only replayable factor for this game is the second ending which isn't much so I may suggest considering adding small achievements or secrets for players to find.”
- “It's not replayable.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is hindered by numerous bugs and glitches, causing frustration for some players and even preventing progress. While these issues are noticeable, they are generally not game-breaking and could be improved with further patching. Overall, stability is a key area needing attention to enhance the experience.
- “This game is very buggy to the point where I gave up before finishing the first day. I am very sad about this fact as I think I would have liked this game.”
- “It's honestly a very buggy and boring mess.”
- “Please fix the steps going from outside into your house. They were very buggy and I had to close out and reopen multiple times just to get them to work.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Grinding in the game is described as tedious and repetitive, often feeling like a chore that adds little value to the experience. Players find early tasks monotonous, contributing to an overall sense of tediousness throughout gameplay.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The first 3 days are all the same and add nothing to the game but making it more tedious, like most other things in the game.”
- “If you want a mildly relatable game about how difficult it is to find a job, and how tedious it is to live through life, this is the game for you.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a powerful emotional experience by deeply immersing players in the protagonist's psychological horror, evoking feelings of paranoia, unease, and personal growth. Its strong writing and voice acting enhance this connection, making the subtle ending resonate with meaningful reflection.
- “You begin to feel complicit in your character’s situation, and this emotional involvement gives the ending, understated though it may be, a sharply reflective punch.”
- “I loved the way the psychological horror was handled here. Psychological horror is my favorite, and the voice acting and writing made me feel the paranoia throughout the game.”
- “I like how they made me feel uneasy every time I went outside.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
User opinions on optimization are mixed, with some praising the smooth performance and concise experience, while others report severe optimization issues and game-breaking bugs. Overall, optimization appears inconsistent across different experiences.
- “Unique storyline and theme, runs smoothly, not too long of an experience.”
- “This game is horribly optimized and has game breaking bugs.”
- “Badly optimized”