The Stanley Parable cover
SeriesThe Stanley Parable

The Stanley Parable

The Stanley Parable →

Critic score9 critics
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First release
Oct 17, 2013
Engine
Source
Genres
Indie, Adventure · Comedy
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Linux

A first-person exploration game built around branching narrative choices and an omniscient narrator who reacts to the player's decisions. Players navigate an office environment, choosing whether to follow or defy the narrator's directions, with each choice leading to different story paths and endings. Originally released as a Half-Life 2 mod in 2011, it was remade as a standalone title in 2013 and later expanded with The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe in 2022, which added new routes, environments, and endings across additional platforms.

Also known as stanley.exe

Attributes

No Attributes added.

Details

Storyline, release dates, time to beat, age ratings, modes, links, keywords

Storyline
Stanley is employee number 427 at a large corporation, where his job consists entirely of monitoring data on a computer screen and pressing buttons as instructed. He has never questioned his work or his purpose. One day, the screen goes blank and Stanley realizes the entire office is empty. Every coworker has vanished without explanation. Guided by the voice of a narrator who claims to know Stanley's story, Stanley begins exploring the abandoned building. But the narrator's version of events may not be the only one, and Stanley must decide whether to follow the path laid out for him or forge his own way through a world that seems determined to tell him who he is.Read more

Stanley is employee number 427 at a large corporation, where his job consists entirely of monitoring data on a computer screen and pressing buttons as instructed. He has never questioned his work or his purpose. One day, the screen goes blank and Stanley realizes the entire office is empty. Every coworker has vanished without explanation. Guided by the voice of a narrator who claims to know Stanley's story, Stanley begins exploring the abandoned building. But the narrator's version of events may not be the only one, and Stanley must decide whether to follow the path laid out for him or forge his own way through a world that seems determined to tell him who he is.

Release dates
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Oct 17, 2013
Mac
Dec 19, 2013
Linux
Sep 09, 2015
Time to beatIGDB · recorded
Main Story
1h
Main + Extras
3h
Completionist
6h
Age ratings
GRAC 12
Game modes
Single player
Perspective
First person
Keywords
death, steam, multiple endings, narrative-driven, walking simulator
… All 24, narration, surreal, steam greenlight, darkness, steam achievements, digital distribution, xbox controller support for pc, steam cloud, voice acting, breaking the fourth wall, color separation, unreliable narrator, vending machine interaction, pax prime 2013, igf awards, mod origin, meta, male protagonist, dynamic narrative

At a Glance

Critic Score
89
Main Story (IGDB)
1h
Main + Extras (IGDB)
3h
Completionist (IGDB)
6h
OverviewHow it playsMediaCommunityBehind the gameRelated

Overview

Steam review summary

Steam users rate this Very Positive, 2,175 reviews in all languages, recorded 16 October 2026

Valve's summary of Steam user reviews. Valve counts only reviews from purchases on Steam, not key activations, and leaves out review periods it has marked as off-topic. It isn't part of the CritScore score.

Review summary: SteamSteam data provided via the Steam Web API (opens in a new tab)Not affiliated with Valve →

About storefront and compatibility information

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