A zen puzzle game about unpacking a life

Unpacking is a game about the familiar experience of pulling possessions out of boxes and fitting them into a new home. Part block-fitting puzzle, part home decoration, you are invited to create a satisfying living space while learning clues about the life you’re unpacking. Over the course of eight house moves, you are given a chance to experience a sense of intimacy with a character you never see and a story you’re never told.

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  • Unpack a home — from a single bedroom to an entire house
  • Meditative gameplay with no timers or scores
  • Explore domestic environments with all their nooks and crannies while you stack plates, hang towels, and arrange bookshelves
  • Discover a character’s story through the items that come with her to each new home (and the items that get left behind)
  • Soundtrack by BAFTA award-winning composer & audio director Jeff van Dyck
Unpacking box with stuff

Accolades for Unpacking

EE Game of the Year
BAFTA Game Awards 2022
Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game
D.I.C.E. Awards 2022
Game of the Year
Eurogamer 2021
Game of the Year
Australian Game Developer Awards 2021
Game of the Year
Indie Live Expo Awards 2022
Indie Game of the Year
NME Awards 2022
Cultural Impact
Apple App Store Awards 2023
Narrative
BAFTA Game Awards 2022
Best Game Design
Develop:Star Awards 2022
Innovation
Game Developers Choice Awards 2022
Matthew Crump Award for Cultural Innovation
SXSW Gaming Awards 2022
Best Short Game
Indie Live Expo Awards 2022
Best Audio
Game Developers Choice Awards 2022
Best Indie Sound Design
G.A.N.G Awards 2022
Best Indie Audio
G.A.N.G Awards 2022
2D Environment Art
Global Industry Game Awards 2022
2D Animation
Global Industry Game Awards 2022
Best LGBTQ Indie Game
Gayming Awards 2022
B.I.G. Diversity
Brazil Indie Games Festival 2022
Accessibility
Australian Game Developer Awards 2021
Best Cognitive Accessibility
Can I Play That? Accessibility Awards 2021
Best User Experience
Webby Awards 2022
Family & Kids
Webby Awards 2022
Jury Prix
IndieCade Festival 2022
  • Finalist: Inclusivity – Apple Design Awards 2024
  • Finalist: Seumas McNally Grand Prize, Excellence in Design, Excellence in Narrative, Excellence in Audio – Independent Games Festival 2022
  • Finalist: Original Property, Family – BAFTA Game Awards 2022
  • Finalist: Best Narrative – Game Developers Choice Awards 2022
  • Finalist: Game of the Year – NME Awards 2022
  • Finalist: Indie Game of the Year – SXSW Gaming Awards 2022
  • Finalist: Best Game, Best Narrative – Develop:Star Awards 2022
  • Finalist: Narrative Design – IndieCade Festival 2022
  • Finalist: Puzzle, Strategy & Trivia, Best Game Design – Webby Awards 2022
  • Finalist: Innovation -Brazil Indie Games Festival 2022
  • Finalist: Narrative Design – Global Industry Game Awards 2022
  • Finalist: Outstanding Video Game – GLAAD Media Awards 2022
  • Finalist: Game of the Year, Authentic Representation – Gayming Awards 2022
  • Finalist: Best Game Foley, Sound Design of the Year -G.A.N.G Awards 2022
  • Finalist: Narrative Design – Global Industry Game Awards 2022
  • Finalist: Best Pro Console Game of the Year – Game Development Championship Awards 2022
  • Finalist: Second Channel Award, Ability to Bypass Award -Accessibility Awards 2022
  • Finalist: Vermillion Gate (Best of Show), Excellence in Game Design – BitSummit 2022
  • Finalist: Gameplay, Art – Australian Game Developer Awards 2021
  • Finalist: Sit Back and Relax Award – Steam Awards 2021
  • Finalist: Indie Excellence – Can I Play That? Accessibility Awards 2021
  • Finalist: Innovation – Taipei Game Show 2021
  • Finalist: Vermillion Gate (Best of Show), Innovation, Sound Design – BitSummit 2019
  • Festival Favourite – Tiny Teams 2021
  • Official Selection – LudoNarraCon 2021
  • PAX Online Indie Showcase Winner – PAX Online 2020
  • PAX AUS Indie Showcase Winner – PAX AUS 2019
  • Official Selection – Day of the Devs 2019
  • Official Selection – The NEXT Exhibit 2019
  • Official Selection – Mild Rumpus at GDC 2019
  • Official Selection – Day of the Devs 2018
  • Official Selection – Freeplay Festival’s Parallels Showcase 2018
  • Official Selection – Stugan game accelerator 2018
"One of the most profound and touching experiences I’ve ever had playing a video game."
"Unpacking is a memorable, delightful game that shows that there are still new ways to tell stories in video games out there."
"A game of great warmth, intimacy and originality."
"Each new box, each new item you pull out, is a little surprise, a little exquisite treasure."
"I sense Unpacking will feel personal to everyone who plays it."
"Unpacking turns the mundanity of moving house into an extraordinary portrait of emotional vulnerability."
"One of the most relaxing and blissful experiences I’ve played all year."
"It cut right into my soul with a fine touch."
"There’s an unmatched cathartic joy to the simple act of freeing an object from its paper-packed prison and setting it down in the room."
"The experience is so satisfying that players will want to do it again and again."
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Accessibility

Unpacking is proud to be an accessible game.

  • No actions require clicking-and-dragging, holding down buttons, or pressing more than one button at a time
  • PC versions support Mouse+keyboard, gamepad, and touch on supported hardware
  • Can be played one-handed on PC using just a mouse
  • Nintendo Switch version supports gamepad, touch, and gyro in two-handed and one-handed configurations
  • Controls are remappable
  • UI buttons can be enlarged and screen can be zoomed in during gameplay
  • The red invalid item outline colour can be changed
  • Room swapping animation can be disabled to avoid motion sickness
  • No gameplay cues are delivered exclusively through audio
  • Music and sound effect volume can be controlled separately
  • No time limits or penalties for missteps
  • Text is minimal and reading is not required to enjoy the game and be able to complete it
  • “Allow items anywhere” option removes the puzzle element of the game to allow any player to progress
Unpacking boxes of memories Unpacking boxes of memories