The Meter is Running

The Meter is Running

Released May 2026

You inherited a taxi dispatch business but it came with debt attached. Hire drivers, dispatch fares, navigate Istanbul’s chaos, deal with bad customers and worse luck. You have 15 days to pay it off or lose everything. The meter is running.

78% positive · 279 reviews
Not yet
Released, but content still planned
High confidence
Content Planned
Not yet
Released, but content still planned
High confidence
Content Planned

Where to buy

Steam $7.00
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Evaluation

The Meter is Running launched on May 22, 2026. Three days later, on May 25, 2026, the two-person studio at Debt Driven Games posted an explicit development update confirming active development and laying out a roadmap: bug fixes, performance improvements, an Endless Mode, ~50 new narrative scenarios (growing the pool from ~200 to ~250), and Linux/Steam Deck/macOS support — all targeting delivery within 6 months of that post. The team has been delivering rapidly. Endless Mode shipped June 1, 2026. A series of feature patches through June brought economy balancing and quality-of-life improvements. On July 8, 2026, the game received full Linux and Steam Deck support. Further feature patches continued through August 1, 2026, refining game balance, routing, and driver traits. The soundtrack DLC also released on July 14, 2026. Of the original roadmap commitments, two items remain outstanding as of August 2026: the additional narrative scenarios (targeting ~250 total) and macOS support. The developer has not announced that the roadmap is complete, and the 6-month delivery window (through approximately November 2026) has not yet elapsed. The studio continues to post updates regularly, with the most recent patch on August 1, 2026.
Evidence
Full Linux and Steam Deck support launched, fulfilling the platform support portion of the roadmap.
news post · Jul 8, 2026 source content shipped
high
Endless Mode ('Endless Shift') shipped, fulfilling one of the roadmap's key commitments just one week after it was announced.
news post · Jun 1, 2026 source content shipped
high

Content

1 of 1 released · no outstanding content

Media

Details

Publisher
Debt Driven Games
Achievements
24
Platform
Windows, Linux
Controller
full support
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player

About this game

The Meter Is Running is a short management game about trying to keep a taxi dispatch alive when everything is stacked against you.

You run a small taxi dispatch in Istanbul with limited resources and debt hanging over your head. You assign drivers to customers across a physical city map. So distance and deadhead matter. A bad call early in the day can cost precious time.

Each day brings new fares, difficult decisions, and unexpected events. When drivers encounter a situation they will call back to base and you’ll face narrative events with choices shaped by who’s involved. You have 15 days to earn enough money to stay afloat or your dispatch shuts down and you lose everything.

Every morning you can see the new pool of drivers available to hire. Each driver has a different combination of traits and stats. More importantly, each one comes with their own personality, totaling over 1200 unique lines. Pick your favorites and assemble your fleet.

Each shift takes roughly 15-20 minutes, you can buy permanent upgrades to your garage between shifts to increase your chances of paying off the debt in 15 days.

Paying the debt is one side of the coin. The other question is, how far are you willing to go for money? That forgotten wallet looks a lot juicier when the debt is right around the corner. But some choices run deeper than others, and the community remembers. The meter is running!

Last evaluated Aug 19, 2026
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