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- Betting on change: Russian kiosk simulators have become a global trend
Betting on change: Russian kiosk simulators have become a global trend
Russian games about small kiosks and shops are gaining popularity abroad. "There will be no exchange" has collected more than 600 thousand additions to the Steam wish list and entered the world top 150 in this indicator. The "Stall on Lenin Street", which will be released on October 5, had about 50 thousand additions to the wishlist in the first month after the announcement, and gamers from the USA, Japan and China are among the fans. Similar projects are emerging from developers from Germany, Serbia, Malaysia and other countries. Izvestia investigated why such outlets have become a sought-after space.
The window to zero
International interest in games about small retail outlets from the 1990s and early 2000s is growing. The Stall on Lenin Street project also fits into this trend, the demo version of which, as it became known to Izvestia, will be released on October 5. The full version tells the story of 16-year-old Kirill, who works in a shopping pavilion in the early 2000s. He sells CDs, chewing gum and other products, communicates with customers and gradually learns their stories.
Russian and English versions will be available to gamers. In the first month after the announcement, which took place on January 22, 2025, about 50 thousand Steam platform users added it to their wish list. A significant part of them is in the United States.
Another project about a small retail outlet was presented in early 2025. On January 7, Studio Rassvet announced the game "There will be no exchange", which has collected more than 600 thousand additions to the Steam vishlist. The release is scheduled for 2027.
Similar games are appearing abroad. Serbian studio Vivi has released Kiosk, a horror film about a night shift at a kiosk where a gamer cooks food, serves regular customers and gradually reveals the secrets of the establishment. In Malaysia, developer Mike Ten created The Boba Teashop, a horror simulator of a bubble tea store in which you need to prepare drinks, serve customers and expand the menu. Kiosk Simulator, a project about the operation of a retail outlet in Cologne, is developing in Germany: the user will have to purchase goods and develop his kiosk.
This formula has spread even more widely to Roblox, one of the largest gaming platforms in the world. In Scary Shawarma Kiosk: the ANOMALY will have to spend the night shift at a shawarma stand: take orders, keep an eye on suspicious visitors and follow the rules to survive the night. In April 2026, the game became one of the Roblox projects that surpassed the 1 billion visits mark. Their number now exceeds 1.2 billion.
— There will be no change at the night kiosk, melancholy and reflections on life. We have a teenage story, humor, geeky hobbies and warm nostalgia. To date, the project has already collected over 100 thousand vishlists. In addition to Russia, gamers from China, the USA and Kazakhstan are showing great interest in it," said Artem Koblov, author of the Stall on Lenin Street.
In his opinion, such an idea may be of interest to an international audience. A person can never live in a Russian or Japanese city in the early 2000s, but at the same time become interested in everyday life unfamiliar to him.
— You can even experience nostalgia for a time and place you've never been to, — says the author.
On the other side of the counter
Experts note that the popularity of such projects may be related not so much to the kiosks themselves as to the possibility of being inside a familiar household situation. Vasily Ovchinnikov, CEO of the Video Game Industry Development Organization, draws attention to the fact that previously the seller, cashier or security guard were usually NPCs (non-player characters), but now the gamer gets their role himself.
— The trend here is not so much on the kiosks themselves as on the opportunity to be on the other side of the counter, — he believes.
Screenshot from the game "Stall on Lenin Street"
Small pavilions are especially well suited for this format: its rules are clear, and within one location you can build a trading simulator, detective story or horror. A similar principle is used, for example, in Papers, Please, and No, I'm not a Human, where the player makes decisions on behalf of the character.
Another popularity factor is the combination of a calm routine with a potential threat. Mikhail Lisetsky, director of the Gameday Festival and event producer, believes that the kiosk creates a space in which the user controls what is happening: lays out goods, accepts supplies and serves customers. At the same time, the outside world remains outside the window.
— Comfort and anxiety coexist in such projects. While you're arranging the goods, everything is under control. But every new buyer comes from outside and can violate this order," the expert noted.
Therefore, the same formula is suitable for both cozy simulators and horror games. At Hellmart or The Boba Teashop, trading is gradually becoming a source of danger. At the same time, the nostalgic effect depends on the country: the Russian player is familiar with the stalls of the 1990s and early 2000s, the German - Späti, the Japanese - round—the—clock konbini.
This setting also has a practical advantage for developers: a small outlet does not require the creation of a huge open world, dozens of locations and hundreds of characters.
"A few square meters can provide more atmosphere and stories than any other virtual metropolis,— notes Mikhail Lisetsky.
Screenshot from the game "There will be no exchange"
Alexander Artyomov, head of the Rossigrnadzor project and creative director of Navigator of the Gaming World, also links the interest in stalls to their special status in Russian culture. For people who lived through the 1990s and 2000s, this is a part of everyday life that has now almost disappeared from cities.
— For the Russian gamer, this is a nostalgic note and an excursion into a bygone era. For foreigners, it's exotic, getting to know the everyday life of another country," he believes.
At the same time, the mechanics of trading itself are universal: the player monitors goods, money, order and customers, gradually mastering the rules of a small business. As a result, the same setting allows you to create simulations, tell stories about everyday life, immerse a person in a specific era, or turn a familiar place into a horror setting. The experts interviewed note that Russian projects have become one of the notable examples of this approach, which is used by developers in other countries.
Another popularity factor is the combination of a calm routine with a potential threat. Mikhail Lisetsky, director of the Gameday Festival and event producer, believes that the kiosk creates a small space in which the player controls what is happening: he lays out goods, accepts supplies and serves customers. At the same time, the outside world remains outside the window.
— Comfort and anxiety coexist in such projects. While you're arranging the goods, everything is under control. But every new buyer comes from outside and can violate this order," the expert noted.
Screenshot from the game "Stall on Lenin Street"
Therefore, the same formula is suitable for both cozy simulators and horror games. At Hellmart or The Boba Teashop, trading is gradually becoming a source of danger. At the same time, the nostalgic effect depends on the country: the Russian player is familiar with the stalls of the 1990s and early 2000s, the German - small Späti, the Japanese - round—the—clock konbini.
This setting also has a practical advantage for developers: a small outlet does not require the creation of a huge open world, dozens of locations and hundreds of characters.
"A few square meters can provide more atmosphere and stories than any other virtual metropolis,— notes Mikhail Lisetsky.
Alexander Artyomov, head of the Rossigrnadzor project and creative director of Navigator of the Gaming World, also links the interest in stalls to their special status in Russian culture. For people who lived through the 1990s and 2000s, this is a part of everyday life that has now almost disappeared from cities.
— For a domestic player, this is a nostalgic note and an excursion into a bygone era. For foreigners, it's an unusual exotic experience, getting to know the everyday life of another country," he believes.
Screenshot from the game "There will be no exchange"
At the same time, the mechanics of trading itself are universal: the player monitors goods, money, order and customers, gradually mastering the rules of a small business. As a result, the same setting allows you to create simulations, tell stories about everyday life, immerse the player in a specific era, or turn a familiar place into a horror setting. According to the experts interviewed, Russian projects have become one of the notable examples of this approach, which is used by developers in other countries.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
