The Game Census
Protocol cover art

Protocol

Fair Games Studio · Sad Horse studio · 2018-11-20

SteamMicrosoft Store

ActionAdventureIndie

Modes: Single player

Releases: Apr 30, 2021 (Xbox One), Apr 30, 2021 (PlayStation 4), Feb 2018 (PC (Microsoft Windows))

By signing below, you agree to follow the Protocol. Protocol is a program of strict rules created to make first contact with an alien life form that got shot down in the Arctic Circle.

0
playing now
74%
positive of 340 reviews
Mostly Positive
steam rating
20,000–50,000
owners (SteamSpy est.)
50/100
IGDB user rating (2 ratings)
platinum
deck/linux tier (ProtonDB)
$8.99
steam price (US)

0 players in-game as of 2026-08-30 12:00 UTC (census sample)

The story takes place in the near future. Your objective is to make "first contact" with an alien life form. Any violation of the Protocol will lead to the elimination of you and the entire operation. Remember, the fate of the humanity may depend on your actions. Once signed, the Protocol must be promptly implemented.(Storyline via IGDB)

Health check

Insufficient data
  • · Not enough review history collected yet to judge health.
  • · Top 51% of 10,862 Action games in the census by review count.
Estimated sales: 8.5k–20k copies

Review-multiple estimate from 340 total reviews — how this is computed.

Current store prices

Microsoft Store$20.99

Deal snapshots via CheapShark, refreshed daily.

All-time low: $4.49 at Steam (2025-08-25)via IsThereAnyDeal

12-month high $20.99 · on sale 18 of 19 observed days · $16.50 above the all-time low (census price snapshots)

Players online

202026-08-12 02:00 — 0 players2026-08-12 18:00 — 2 players2026-08-13 10:00 — 0 players2026-08-14 01:00 — 0 players2026-08-14 17:00 — 0 players2026-08-15 09:00 — 0 players2026-08-16 01:00 — 1 players2026-08-16 17:00 — 1 players2026-08-17 09:00 — 1 players2026-08-18 01:00 — 0 players2026-08-18 16:00 — 0 players2026-08-19 08:00 — 0 players2026-08-20 00:00 — 1 players2026-08-20 16:00 — 0 players2026-08-21 08:00 — 0 players2026-08-21 23:00 — 0 players2026-08-22 15:00 — 2 players2026-08-23 07:00 — 0 players2026-08-23 23:00 — 0 players2026-08-24 14:00 — 2 players2026-08-25 06:00 — 1 players2026-08-25 22:00 — 0 players2026-08-26 15:00 — 0 players2026-08-27 07:00 — 0 players2026-08-27 23:00 — 0 players2026-08-28 12:00 — 0 players2026-08-29 04:00 — 2 players2026-08-29 20:00 — 0 players2026-08-30 12:00 — 0 players
Concurrent players, hourly average, last 30 days (census samples).

Price history

$100.00$4.492018-04-202026-08-282018-04-20 — best price $100.002019-01-07 — best price $19.992019-02-01 — best price $19.992019-05-10 — best price $11.992019-09-05 — best price $19.992019-12-19 — best price $11.992020-05-28 — best price $9.992020-07-20 — best price $14.992020-11-02 — best price $19.992020-12-22 — best price $9.992021-05-03 — best price $19.992021-08-30 — best price $11.992021-12-01 — best price $19.992022-02-21 — best price $9.992022-05-02 — best price $7.492022-07-01 — best price $14.992022-09-19 — best price $14.992022-12-22 — best price $8.992023-03-23 — best price $14.992023-06-30 — best price $8.992023-09-11 — best price $14.992023-12-06 — best price $11.992024-01-15 — best price $11.992024-03-21 — best price $10.992024-06-27 — best price $6.592024-09-16 — best price $10.992024-12-09 — best price $6.292025-01-27 — best price $8.992025-05-26 — best price $5.392025-09-01 — best price $8.992026-01-12 — best price $5.392026-03-26 — best price $8.992026-07-09 — best price $8.992026-08-28 — best price $20.99
Lowest recorded price across tracked stores, per day (census snapshots).

Details

WindowsFull controller supportSingle-playerSteam AchievementsFull controller supportSteam CloudFamily Sharing2 DLC

10 supported languages: English, Russian, French, German, Spanish - Spain, Portuguese - Brazil, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Japanese

Player tags

FPSIndieActionAliensComedySci-fiAdventureCyberpunkNarrationDark Humor

Census log

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

Players also track

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Similarity via IGDB.

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