Playing Kafka
Released May 2024
There are things that often fail on nothing but themselves. Is there even a way out? Playing Kafka is a narrative adventure full of impenetrable schemes, insidious plot twists and conversations that slip out of hand. Based on Kafka’s life and his work, developed with Kafka experts.
95% positive · 338 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Where to get it
Free on Steam
Evaluation
Playing Kafka launched on May 21, 2024 as a free, fully complete narrative adventure. The store description describes a self-contained experience — approximately 1.5 hours of story adapting three works by Franz Kafka — with no mention of additional content, expansions, or ongoing updates. There are no DLC listings of any kind.
Since launch, Charles Games has posted no updates to Playing Kafka itself. Their subsequent news posts (August 2024 and October 2024) announced and released a different game entirely — Velvet 89 — and a June 2025 post announced yet another new title, Playing Prague. These posts were directed at the Playing Kafka community but pertain to separate projects, not additional content for this game.
The game launched as a finished, standalone product and all developer communications since release confirm the studio has moved on to new projects. No future content for Playing Kafka has ever been announced or implied.
Evidence
Playing Kafka launched as a free, complete game on May 21, 2024. The developer's launch post thanks the community and Kafka experts but makes no mention of future content or updates.
Store description presents Playing Kafka as a self-contained experience — ~1.5 hours of story based on three Kafka works — with no mention of DLC, updates, or additional content.
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
Charles Games
Achievements
8
Platform
Windows, macOS
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Verified
Players
Single-player
About this game
The definitive Kafka videogame
Although you did nothing wrong, you were arrested one morning. You arrived for work, but you don’t recognize your assistants. And your upbringing left you with a pervasive sense of guilt. Welcome to Playing Kafka, an adventure about the alienation of modern society as well as unresolved family issues. The game adapts three works of the famously absurdist writer and was created with leading Kafka experts.
Can you manage to win an unfair trial? Is the job even real? Can you escape your father’s crushing presence? How do you move forward, when all solutions are obfuscated by a web of unclear rules and machinations…
You face an opaque legal trial and are slowly sucked into a web of perplexing bureaucracy. It is up to you how to approach the vague, but insidious accusation – choose who to ask for help and how to talk to judges, procurators, and others as the judgment is slowly closing in on you. Does it even matter if you’re innocent?
Drawing inspiration from Kafka's unsent confession to his father, this chapter delves into their tense relationship. Try to find the right words that helped Kafka come to terms with his upbringing. See Franz struggle to connect with his father in scenes from the past. Is there any hope of reconciliation?
You arrive at a snow-laden village to work as a land surveyor, but you quickly find that nothing is as it seems – locals talk about the village Castle in hushed tones and each day brings more questions than answers. Will you ever be accepted by the forever out-of-reach Castle?
The game was developed to commemorate the centenary of Kafka’s death and was developed in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut, Prague.
The Chinese language version was initiated and supported by the Czech Centre Taipei.
Although you did nothing wrong, you were arrested one morning. You arrived for work, but you don’t recognize your assistants. And your upbringing left you with a pervasive sense of guilt. Welcome to Playing Kafka, an adventure about the alienation of modern society as well as unresolved family issues. The game adapts three works of the famously absurdist writer and was created with leading Kafka experts.
Can you manage to win an unfair trial? Is the job even real? Can you escape your father’s crushing presence? How do you move forward, when all solutions are obfuscated by a web of unclear rules and machinations…
- a fully voiced branching story, based on Kafka’s The Trial, The Castle and Letter To His Father
- atmospheric puzzles, fateful decisions and a drag and drop gameplay that makes characters and environments come alive
- approximately 1.5 hour of story in an ever-changing setting
You face an opaque legal trial and are slowly sucked into a web of perplexing bureaucracy. It is up to you how to approach the vague, but insidious accusation – choose who to ask for help and how to talk to judges, procurators, and others as the judgment is slowly closing in on you. Does it even matter if you’re innocent?
Drawing inspiration from Kafka's unsent confession to his father, this chapter delves into their tense relationship. Try to find the right words that helped Kafka come to terms with his upbringing. See Franz struggle to connect with his father in scenes from the past. Is there any hope of reconciliation?
You arrive at a snow-laden village to work as a land surveyor, but you quickly find that nothing is as it seems – locals talk about the village Castle in hushed tones and each day brings more questions than answers. Will you ever be accepted by the forever out-of-reach Castle?
The game was developed to commemorate the centenary of Kafka’s death and was developed in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut, Prague.
The Chinese language version was initiated and supported by the Czech Centre Taipei.
Are these done yet?
Last evaluated Jun 20, 2026
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