The gameplay for "Papers, Please" revolves around an immigrations inspector's life and job. The player can allow people to enter Arstotzka or refuse them. The player can use different tools to check if the immigration papers are out of date, real or fake. The player must try to keep unwanted people out of Arstotzka, like terrorists, criminals and those with incorrect papers. The player must correctly allow and not allow people in to the country within a set amount of time. Each mistake a player makes is 5 credits off their earned money at the end of the day. The money earned at the end of the day is based on how many people have been correctly finished. The player must pay for the officer's family, food and heating. The player can choose to not pay for any of them, which results in something happening to the family.