The Game Census
Death and Taxes cover art

Death and Taxes

Placeholder Gameworks · 2020-02-20

SteamGOGPlayStation StoreMicrosoft Store

AdventureCasualIndieSimulationStrategy

Modes: Single player

Releases: Feb 20, 2020 (Linux), Sep 07, 2023 (Xbox One), Sep 10, 2020 (Nintendo Switch), Jul 30, 2024 (Android), Feb 20, 2020 (Mac), Feb 20, 2020 (PC (Microsoft Windows))

In this 2D, short narrative-based game, you assume the role of the Grim Reaper... on an office job. Your job is to decide which people are going to live or die. The consequences of your choices are yours to bear, while the mystery of your incarnation awaits revelation!

87
playing now
86%
positive of 8.5k reviews
Very Positive
steam rating
500,000–1,000,000
owners (SteamSpy est.)
75/100
critic score (1 outlets, IGDB)
77/100
IGDB user rating (38 ratings)
3h
time to beat (IGDB)
platinum
deck/linux tier (ProtonDB)
$1.68
steam price (US)

87 players in-game as of 2026-08-30 17:00 UTC (census sample)

Death and Taxes is a 2020 simulation video game by Leene Künnap, an Estonian indie game developer, and published by their company, Placeholder Gameworks, on February 20, 2020 on Steam. The player takes the role of a Grim Reaper, who must bureaucratically decide the fates of humans, specifically whether they will live or die. The game shares its ideology with the death-positivity movement, trying to open the discussion of death in a light-hearted way. On March 18, 2020, Placeholder Gameworks uploaded the game code under the MIT License on GitHub.

Health check

Healthy
  • · 87 players in-game at the last census sample.
  • · 882 reviews in the last 8 weeks (~110/week).
  • · Review velocity up 28% vs the prior 8 weeks.
  • · Top 9% of 11,424 Adventure games in the census by review count.

Health tier since 2026-08-28

Estimated sales: 170k–383k copies

Review-multiple estimate from 8,520 total reviews — how this is computed.

Current store prices

GOG$1.69-87%
lowest across shops (ITAD)$1.69-87%
Microsoft Store$12.99

Deal snapshots via CheapShark, refreshed daily.

All-time low: $1.68 at Steam (2026-01-19) · bundled 7×via IsThereAnyDeal

12-month high $12.99 · on sale 33 of 58 observed days · $0.01 above the all-time low (census price snapshots)

Review momentum

PositiveNegative
37937920202026Week of 2020-02-01: 379 positiveWeek of 2020-02-01: 28 negativeWeek of 2020-03-01: 146 positiveWeek of 2020-03-01: 17 negativeWeek of 2020-04-01: 110 positiveWeek of 2020-04-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2020-05-01: 41 positiveWeek of 2020-05-01: 7 negativeWeek of 2020-06-01: 80 positiveWeek of 2020-06-01: 14 negativeWeek of 2020-07-01: 43 positiveWeek of 2020-07-01: 8 negativeWeek of 2020-08-01: 42 positiveWeek of 2020-08-01: 3 negativeWeek of 2020-09-01: 41 positiveWeek of 2020-09-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2020-10-01: 34 positiveWeek of 2020-10-01: 3 negativeWeek of 2020-11-01: 194 positiveWeek of 2020-11-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2020-12-01: 56 positiveWeek of 2020-12-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2021-01-01: 34 positiveWeek of 2021-01-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2021-02-01: 53 positiveWeek of 2021-02-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2021-03-01: 24 positiveWeek of 2021-03-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2021-04-01: 47 positiveWeek of 2021-04-01: 3 negativeWeek of 2021-05-01: 59 positiveWeek of 2021-05-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2021-06-01: 59 positiveWeek of 2021-06-01: 16 negativeWeek of 2021-07-01: 58 positiveWeek of 2021-07-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2021-08-01: 23 positiveWeek of 2021-08-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2021-09-01: 39 positiveWeek of 2021-09-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2021-10-01: 30 positiveWeek of 2021-10-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2021-11-01: 72 positiveWeek of 2021-11-01: 8 negativeWeek of 2021-12-01: 33 positiveWeek of 2021-12-01: 3 negativeWeek of 2022-01-01: 185 positiveWeek of 2022-01-01: 42 negativeWeek of 2022-02-01: 41 positiveWeek of 2022-02-01: 10 negativeWeek of 2022-03-01: 86 positiveWeek of 2022-03-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2022-04-01: 47 positiveWeek of 2022-04-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2022-05-01: 41 positiveWeek of 2022-05-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2022-06-01: 55 positiveWeek of 2022-06-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2022-07-01: 184 positiveWeek of 2022-07-01: 21 negativeWeek of 2022-08-01: 71 positiveWeek of 2022-08-01: 7 negativeWeek of 2022-09-01: 61 positiveWeek of 2022-09-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2022-10-01: 38 positiveWeek of 2022-10-01: 7 negativeWeek of 2022-11-01: 162 positiveWeek of 2022-11-01: 29 negativeWeek of 2022-12-01: 228 positiveWeek of 2022-12-01: 27 negativeWeek of 2023-01-01: 120 positiveWeek of 2023-01-01: 18 negativeWeek of 2023-02-01: 165 positiveWeek of 2023-02-01: 32 negativeWeek of 2023-03-01: 93 positiveWeek of 2023-03-01: 10 negativeWeek of 2023-04-01: 68 positiveWeek of 2023-04-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2023-05-01: 57 positiveWeek of 2023-05-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2023-06-01: 67 positiveWeek of 2023-06-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2023-07-01: 89 positiveWeek of 2023-07-01: 8 negativeWeek of 2023-08-01: 176 positiveWeek of 2023-08-01: 30 negativeWeek of 2023-09-01: 84 positiveWeek of 2023-09-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2023-10-01: 55 positiveWeek of 2023-10-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2023-11-01: 127 positiveWeek of 2023-11-01: 15 negativeWeek of 2023-12-01: 123 positiveWeek of 2023-12-01: 8 negativeWeek of 2024-01-01: 76 positiveWeek of 2024-01-01: 22 negativeWeek of 2024-02-01: 81 positiveWeek of 2024-02-01: 14 negativeWeek of 2024-03-01: 225 positiveWeek of 2024-03-01: 46 negativeWeek of 2024-04-01: 56 positiveWeek of 2024-04-01: 13 negativeWeek of 2024-05-01: 57 positiveWeek of 2024-05-01: 18 negativeWeek of 2024-06-01: 95 positiveWeek of 2024-06-01: 12 negativeWeek of 2024-07-01: 148 positiveWeek of 2024-07-01: 22 negativeWeek of 2024-08-01: 94 positiveWeek of 2024-08-01: 18 negativeWeek of 2024-09-01: 91 positiveWeek of 2024-09-01: 15 negativeWeek of 2024-10-01: 56 positiveWeek of 2024-10-01: 8 negativeWeek of 2024-11-01: 81 positiveWeek of 2024-11-01: 14 negativeWeek of 2024-12-01: 88 positiveWeek of 2024-12-01: 16 negativeWeek of 2025-01-01: 259 positiveWeek of 2025-01-01: 57 negativeWeek of 2025-02-01: 99 positiveWeek of 2025-02-01: 21 negativeWeek of 2025-03-01: 155 positiveWeek of 2025-03-01: 25 negativeWeek of 2025-04-01: 45 positiveWeek of 2025-04-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2025-05-01: 96 positiveWeek of 2025-05-01: 19 negativeWeek of 2025-06-01: 94 positiveWeek of 2025-06-01: 19 negativeWeek of 2025-07-01: 81 positiveWeek of 2025-07-01: 20 negativeWeek of 2025-08-01: 73 positiveWeek of 2025-08-01: 15 negativeWeek of 2025-09-01: 67 positiveWeek of 2025-09-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2025-10-01: 62 positiveWeek of 2025-10-01: 14 negativeWeek of 2025-11-01: 53 positiveWeek of 2025-11-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2025-12-01: 69 positiveWeek of 2025-12-01: 18 negativeWeek of 2026-01-01: 254 positiveWeek of 2026-01-01: 40 negativeWeek of 2026-02-01: 79 positiveWeek of 2026-02-01: 16 negativeWeek of 2026-03-01: 86 positiveWeek of 2026-03-01: 16 negativeWeek of 2026-04-01: 71 positiveWeek of 2026-04-01: 17 negativeWeek of 2026-05-01: 37 positiveWeek of 2026-05-01: 12 negativeWeek of 2026-06-01: 58 positiveWeek of 2026-06-01: 19 negativeWeek of 2026-07-01: 64 positiveWeek of 2026-07-01: 26 negativeWeek of 2026-08-01: 44 positiveWeek of 2026-08-01: 13 negative
Weekly review counts (Steam review histogram). Positive above the line, negative below.

Players online

8792026-08-06 22:00 — 14 players2026-08-07 06:00 — 10 players2026-08-07 14:00 — 29 players2026-08-07 22:00 — 18 players2026-08-08 06:00 — 20 players2026-08-08 14:00 — 31 players2026-08-08 22:00 — 18 players2026-08-09 06:00 — 23 players2026-08-09 14:00 — 44 players2026-08-09 22:00 — 26 players2026-08-10 06:00 — 26 players2026-08-10 14:00 — 28 players2026-08-10 22:00 — 13 players2026-08-11 06:00 — 18 players2026-08-11 14:00 — 23 players2026-08-12 22:00 — 13 players2026-08-14 06:00 — 20 players2026-08-15 13:00 — 34 players2026-08-16 21:00 — 25 players2026-08-18 05:00 — 26 players2026-08-19 12:00 — 27 players2026-08-20 20:00 — 28 players2026-08-22 03:00 — 20 players2026-08-23 11:00 — 27 players2026-08-24 19:00 — 32 players2026-08-26 03:00 — 50 players2026-08-27 11:00 — 49 players2026-08-28 18:00 — 56 players2026-08-30 02:00 — 55 players2026-08-30 17:00 — 87 players
Concurrent players, hourly average, last 30 days (census samples).

Price history

$12.99$1.682020-02-202026-08-302020-02-20 — best price $9.742020-06-01 — best price $9.092020-08-24 — best price $8.392020-11-02 — best price $12.992021-01-01 — best price $12.992021-02-22 — best price $12.992021-06-09 — best price $6.492021-09-20 — best price $12.992021-11-26 — best price $5.192022-01-24 — best price $5.192022-03-21 — best price $5.192022-06-13 — best price $4.412022-08-01 — best price $12.992022-11-01 — best price $12.992022-12-05 — best price $3.892023-02-13 — best price $3.892023-04-04 — best price $12.992023-06-30 — best price $3.892023-09-25 — best price $12.992023-12-04 — best price $3.242024-01-23 — best price $12.992024-03-09 — best price $2.592024-05-09 — best price $5.192024-06-27 — best price $2.592024-08-26 — best price $2.592024-10-08 — best price $12.992024-11-16 — best price $12.992024-12-19 — best price $2.592025-02-21 — best price $12.992025-04-03 — best price $12.992025-06-09 — best price $1.942025-08-10 — best price $12.992025-10-08 — best price $12.992025-11-18 — best price $12.992026-01-23 — best price $1.682026-03-19 — best price $1.682026-05-05 — best price $1.692026-06-25 — best price $1.682026-08-25 — best price $1.692026-08-30 — best price $1.69
Lowest recorded price across tracked stores, per day (census snapshots).

Attention

22992026-05-31 — 34 pageviews2026-06-03 — 41 pageviews2026-06-06 — 38 pageviews2026-06-09 — 22 pageviews2026-06-12 — 23 pageviews2026-06-15 — 25 pageviews2026-06-18 — 18 pageviews2026-06-21 — 34 pageviews2026-06-24 — 20 pageviews2026-06-27 — 22 pageviews2026-06-30 — 18 pageviews2026-07-03 — 15 pageviews2026-07-06 — 30 pageviews2026-07-09 — 34 pageviews2026-07-12 — 17 pageviews2026-07-15 — 30 pageviews2026-07-18 — 21 pageviews2026-07-21 — 21 pageviews2026-07-24 — 32 pageviews2026-07-27 — 27 pageviews2026-07-30 — 19 pageviews2026-08-02 — 24 pageviews2026-08-05 — 21 pageviews2026-08-08 — 25 pageviews2026-08-11 — 20 pageviews2026-08-14 — 28 pageviews2026-08-17 — 25 pageviews2026-08-20 — 23 pageviews2026-08-23 — 18 pageviews2026-08-26 — 28 pageviews2026-08-28 — 13 pageviews
Daily Wikipedia pageviews (attention proxy, census-recorded).

Completion

60+
achievements tracked
97.3%
earned "Lemons"
14.6%
median achievement earned by

Global achievement rates from Steam.

Details

WindowsmacOSLinuxSingle-playerSteam AchievementsSteam Trading CardsSteam CloudRemote Play on PhoneRemote Play on TabletFamily Sharing1 DLC

7 supported languages: English, Portuguese - Brazil, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Spanish - Spain

Console footprint

PlatformPlayers trackedCompletionTrophies/achievements
Steam (Steam)8,6322%60
PS4 (PlayStation)16312%59
Xbox One, Windows (Xbox)1522%58
PS4 (PlayStation)14015%59
Switch (Nintendo)570%0

Players tracked by Exophase (achievement/trophy trackers) — a sample of the player base, not total sales.

Player tags

IndieCasualPuzzleStrategyAdventureNarrativeSimulationStory RichDark ComedyReplay Value

Census log

Computed from census-recorded observations only — dates are observation dates.

Players also track

Star Control®: OriginsSurvivalistRusty Lake: RootsForce of NatureWeapon Shop FantasyAncient CitiesSuper Seducer 2 - Advanced Seduction TacticsVambrace: Cold Soul

Similarity via IGDB.

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