Unemployment Simulator 2018

About

Unemployment Simulator 2018 is a single player casual simulation game. It was developed by Samuel Lehikoinen and was released on February 3, 2026. It received positive reviews from players.

Feature ListSurvival elements Story-driven progression Handcrafted pixel art Comedy, drama, and maybe trauma Original soundtrack by Wilson Tanner Smith About the Game How long can you survive unemployment?The year is 2018, you are trapped in a single-bedroom apartment somewhere in an undisclosed Nordic welfare state. Your objective is to survive in the mind-numbing loop of long-term …

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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86%

Audience ScoreBased on 63 reviews

story4 positive mentions

grinding1 negative mentions

The game offers a unique, surreal, and artistic portrayal of unemployment and mental health struggles with excellent pixel art and fantastic music.
It provides an immersive narrative experience that captures the monotony and anxiety of unemployment in a thoughtful and sometimes humorous way.
The game includes intriguing and unpredictable events that keep the player engaged despite repetitive tasks, with a strong emotional and atmospheric impact.

Gameplay is quite basic, repetitive, and sometimes boring, with only a few simple tasks repeated throughout the game.
The story ends abruptly and leaves many unresolved elements, which some players found unsatisfying or confusing.
The game suffers from bugs and minor technical issues that can hinder progress and frustrate players.

story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
56%
19%
The story is generally immersive and engaging, with unique, quirky elements that draw players in, though it can feel repetitive and ends abruptly. While some praise its realistic and wholesome themes, others find it short and lacking meaningful choices or depth. Overall, the narrative is considered a strong aspect despite some mundane gameplay and limited progression.
- “This game gives you the most realistic way of experiencing unemployment in Finland while also having a wholesome story of siding with the small ones in a huge battle.”
- “At a first glance the game looks like a funny little survival simulator with some quirky scenes, but you will soon realize you are engulfed in an immersive story that keeps you playing for 'just one more day'.”
- “The story is easily the strongest part of the game.”
- “Unfortunately, the story doesn't make up for the repetitive, mundane tasks the game throws at you.”
- “It's a bit sad that we cannot go outside of the apartment, and there isn't really a story behind it either.”
- “The story is short as well.”
gameplay
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
37%
27%
The gameplay is generally described as simple and basic, with some finding it repetitive and lacking depth, especially for hardcore survival fans. While mechanics are functional and bug-free, the experience feels casual and limited, focusing more on atmosphere than engaging or varied gameplay. Minor lag is noted but doesn't significantly impact play.
- “The game mechanics are simple and fun, but most likely a bit too casual for a die hard survival game fan.”
- “Mechanics are simple and fun, but quite casual compared to some serious survival games.”
- “It all makes great use of its simplistic mechanics, where all you're doing is pressing buttons for mundane tasks and trying to juggle your meters, like any survival game.”
- “The gameplay itself is very basic and not really enjoyable, so redoing days is very tedious and I'm not convinced the game pays off with what it is trying.”
- “Gameplay: there honestly isn't much you can do.”
- “There is not a lot of gameplay.”
graphics
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The graphics feature great pixel art with a distinct indie style that effectively conveys atmosphere and emotion, despite some visual bugs, odd hitboxes, and poor optimization. While rough around the edges, the art style and room views are praised for adding to the game's mood. Overall, the graphics are fair but could benefit from improvements in polish and performance.
- “Great pixel artwork.”
- “It's a short game with incredible graphics, expressing so much emotion, trauma, and surreal art.”
- “Very indie, a bit rough around the edges but the art style and the view of the rooms are so good, I like the atmosphere.”
- “To make matters worse, it's poorly optimized and full of bugs, which is frustrating given the simple pixel graphics.”
- “Some bugs, weird hitboxes and visuals that you most likely come across (at the time of writing this review), but nothing game breaking.”
- “Graphics: fair”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The music in the game is widely praised for being fantastic and perfectly complementing the psychedelic, disturbing atmosphere and themes of hopelessness. Reviewers highlight its excellent fit with the game's aesthetics, giving it top marks for enhancing the overall experience.
- “Music is fantastic.”
- “The game music was excellent and fit well the game, just like the crude graphics!”
- “10/10 (love the music!)”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is praised for its clever writing, original and quirky ideas, and funny details that enhance the immersive story. Players find it consistently hilarious and engaging, making it more than just a survival simulator.
- “Had a good laugh numerous times, very funny idea, execution, and writing.”
- “At first glance, the game looks like a funny little survival simulator with some quirky scenes, but you soon realize you are engulfed in an immersive story that keeps you playing for 'just one more day.'”
- “It's hilarious, been playing since the minute it released.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a deeply realistic portrayal of unemployment in Finland, combined with a heartfelt narrative that champions the underdog. Players often find themselves unexpectedly moved, blending humor with emotional impact.
- “This game gives you the most realistic way of experiencing unemployment in Finland while also having a wholesome story of siding with the small ones in a huge battle.”
- “I came for the meme, stayed for the emotional damage”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is praised for its strong indie aesthetic and distinctive art style, effectively conveying a mood that is both gritty and immersive. It creates a compelling contrast between a seemingly adequate living space and an overwhelming sense of depression and stagnation, enhancing the emotional depth of the experience.
- “Very indie, a bit rough around the edges but the art style and the view of the rooms are so good, I like the atmosphere.”
- “It's so dank and depressing to see this decently nice apartment, a full enough fridge, and having plenty of things to do but having this incredible atmosphere of depression, of being unable to do more, and getting used to living in abject filth.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is considered tedious and unrewarding, with repetitive tasks feeling basic and unengaging, leading to a lack of motivation to continue.
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits generally stable performance with only a few minor glitches that do not significantly impact the overall experience.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from poor optimization and numerous bugs, which is especially frustrating considering its simple pixel graphics.
- “To make matters worse, it's poorly optimized and full of bugs, which is frustrating given the simple pixel graphics.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Replayability is limited, as the game wasn't designed for extensive replay value; despite multiple endings, repetitive tasks tend to become tiresome.
- “I don't think it was built for that sort of replayability, even with multiple endings and the repetitiveness of the tasks that will likely grate on me.”