Play Pay Per Step
Every step past your desk has a price.
Free on iPhone in the Roam app. Android coming soon.
Play free nowPay Per Step is a liminal space game told through letters, played in the Roam app on iPhone. It opens on a note from the Bureau offering you permanent employment on Sublevel 8. You tap to stamp it, and then you learn the catch: every step you take through the endless underground office costs you. Walk the sublevels, spend carefully in the shop and piece together what this place really is.
How it plays
- Tap the welcome letter to stamp it and accept the job.
- Press WALK to take a step deeper into the sublevels.
- Watch your counters, because each step is paid for.
- Open the Shop to buy upgrades that change how far you can go.
Why it sticks with you
- Dithered pixel art with an empty, humming office mood
- A mystery told through letters and notes
- A walk button that turns every step into a choice
- Shop upgrades that push you further down
A liminal space game without jump scares
Liminal spaces are the empty in-between places: offices after hours, endless corridors, rooms that feel wrong. Pay Per Step takes that feeling and builds a small economy around it. You are not running from monsters. You are walking, step by paid step, deeper into a building that clearly has rules no one explained.
It plays more like a mystery clicker than an action game. Your thumb does very little, and your head does most of the work. Is the next step worth it? What will the shop sell you next? What is on Sublevel 8?
Who will love it
Players who liked the backrooms trend, the quiet dread of office horror, or slow idle games where every number matters. It also suits anyone who likes reading the story in short notes. Take your time with the first letter, since it sets up the whole premise.
How the first minute goes
The opening screen is a full welcome letter in small pixel type, and nothing happens until you tap it. Take the time to read it. It explains the job, the Bureau and, between the lines, the rules of the place. Once you stamp it, the WALK button lights up and the corridor starts to feel a lot longer than it did.
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Pay Per Step FAQ
Do I have to pay to play Pay Per Step?
No. The paying happens inside the story, with in-game money. The game itself is free in the Roam app on iPhone.
Is Pay Per Step a horror game?
It is more unsettling than scary. As a liminal space game it uses an empty office mood and a strange job offer, not monsters or jump scares.
What is the goal?
Accept the job, walk deeper through the sublevels and manage what each step costs. Upgrades from the shop let you go further and learn more about the Bureau.
Is it multiplayer?
No. Pay Per Step is a single-player mystery.
explore worlds
Play Pay Per Step free in the Roam app.