Satirical Dystopian Time Management Life-Sim Dystopicon Lands on Steam Soon! – Gamezebo

If you’re into sci-fi dystopian series and movies, you’ve probably watched that episode of Black Mirror where people spend all day pedalling on stationary bikes to earn points. Barring a few exceptions, that’s pretty much their entire job. This upcoming game, Dystopicon, instantly reminded me of that episode.

That’s because, in Dystopicon, your only job is to watch TV. That’s how you earn money and pay for the services you need to survive after robots replace humans in the workforce. It’s got that doomscrolling, algorithm-eats-your-life kind of vibe.

Dystopicon is an uncomfortable dystopian time-management game

The game is inspired by literary classics like 1984, Brave New World, and Ubik, along with the game Papers, Please. Developed and published by Spanish indie studio Palitroque, it’ll launch for $7.99. It’s coming to Steam on July 27th, 2026, and during the first two weeks after release, there’s also a 15% discount.

It centres around a retro-futuristic dystopian society where robots have completely replaced humans at work. You’re a second-class citizen who’s handed a tiny apartment by the government and assigned to just watch TV.

The channels you watch determine your salary, and then you spend that money buying services to stay alive, stay comfortable, and keep yourself entertained. Daily government broadcasts keep everyone updated on how society is supposedly doing while also introducing new things you can spend your earnings on.

You can just accept your nice little routine and be the perfect citizen, or you can start poking around. Investigate hidden objects, uncover hidden stories, work with dissidents, rebel against the system… The game has 14 possible endings, so things can go in a lot of different directions depending on how you play.

The main story in Dystopicon is spread across six different scenarios. Depending on what happens, you could eventually become a Party Citizen or end up in a re-education camp instead. Each scenario adds new mechanics and introduces different situations. You can wishlist the game on Steam now.

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