Featured Items
Software Demos Recommended NEWS
Release Date: Oct 17, 2013
Watch all 3 trailers

Buy The Stanley Parable


Recent updates View all (4)

OSX launch

December 19th, 2013

Yeah we finally released the game for OSX! You'll only need to validate cache files if you had downloaded the Windows version on OSX -- maybe not even that!

Shoot an email to gran.pc@gmail.com if you run into any issues.

36 comments Read more

Launch Trailer

October 17th, 2013

We've created a brand new launch trailer - Turn up your hype glands, because it's almost here!


33 comments Read more


9/10 - Gamespot

10/10 - Joystiq

10/10 - Destructoid


About the Game




PC System Requirements

    • OS: Windows XP/Vista/7/8
    • Memory: 2 GB RAM
    • Hard Drive: 3 GB available space
    • Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible

Mac System Requirements

    • OS: Mac OS X 10.8 or higher
    • Memory: 2 GB RAM
Helpful customer reviews
965 of 1,104 people (87%) found this review helpful
230 products in account
30 reviews
7.7 hrs on record
Perfect piece of art, which could only been made with videogame mechanics. It's hard to explain and not to spoil everything. Just play the demo and if you like the humor - buy it.
Posted: November 25th, 2013
Was this review helpful? Yes No
563 of 679 people (83%) found this review helpful
1,118 products in account
40 reviews
3.9 hrs on record

The Stanley Parable began life as a mod for Half Life 2 and was recently updated and released on steam with achievements, more story branches and shiny new visuals. It places players in the mundane shoes of Stanley, a corporate desk jockey who is placed in an office in front of a computer where he punches buttons for a living. One day his monitor goes blank and the other corporate drones that he shares the office building with disappear and so begins your Journey as Stanley. Being the dull chap that he is, Stanley himself doesn't offer much ion the area of entertainment, but a charming English narrator provides the personality and humor necessary to make The Stanley Parable an enjoyable experience. The narrator provides player with instructions, becoming almost like a GPS device that has confused itself for a raconteur.

Where most games are about following the rules, The Stanley Parable is best enjoyed when breaking them. If the narrator says go right, you will certainly find more satisfaction in taking a left and listening as the narrator's knickers become twisted by your wanton disobedience. By taking these divergent paths you will find yourself faced with one of the game's 15 different conclusions. Each conclusion revels something a bit different about Stanley and they range from conspiratorial to surreal. The game plays a few tricks on you by repeating rooms endlessly or swapping out props on the fly truing an office into an apartment space. All of this is rendered in a simple and clean visual style. The color palette is muted to reflect just what a dull and miserable existence our pal Stanley has and the props are equally generic creating an appropriately stodgy atmosphere. As advertised the texture work adds far more detail than could be found in the original mod and overall the HD remix has much greater visual appeal.

So is The Stanley Parable a biting satire of the way in which modern games tell their story by allowing us to control a character on a predetermined path where deviation is punished? Is it a parody of the life of the average key punching office drone? Or, is it just an excuse to have a rather cheeky British man tell us what to do? The answer is that it's all of these... and none of them. It's a game that will give each of it's players a different take away. Each playthrough lasts between 15 minutes and a half hour. This doesn't sound like a lot of playtime, and it isn't but there is a tremendous degree of satisfaction in finding new ways to get the game to react to what you are or, in some cases, are not doing. Seeing all 15 endings without consulting a guide will probably take around 3 hours. These 15 endings are not Mass Effect 3 style endings either—they are wholly unique and there are a couple of treats for gamers to be uncovered. Ultimately, The Stanley Parable will not be everyone's cup of tea, but it holds a very special spot in the gaming landscape. It's a testament to satire and unconventional design as well as manipulating gamer's expectations. In short it's the antithesis of it's key punching dullard protagonist.
Posted: November 25th, 2013
Was this review helpful? Yes No
316 of 410 people (77%) found this review helpful
1,284 products in account
71 reviews
27.9 hrs on record
The Stanley Parable is a ground-up remake of the cult Half-Life 2 mod and expands it in a dozen directions without altering its fundamentals. It is one of those "first-person walking" games in which you wander around a completely non-violent experience exploring the environment and unravelling the story, like Dear Esther.
You are Stanley, an office worker. Stanley has the job to push buttons on command until some day those commands abruptly stop. Stanley is leaving his desk to investigate, his actions are directed by a narrator who guides him through the office facility to discover the truth.
The Stanley Parable is a game about walking from A to B. As you approach a pair of doors, the narrator will indicate that Stanley takes the left one. Whether you do and how you decide to follow up your revolt or acquiescence, tilts the game towards wildly different conclusions. A playthrough may only take minutes, but The Stanley Parable has a lot of choices and a lot of different endings. It will take a few hours to see everything and every ending.
At each of the game's many intersections, you can follow the narrator's instruction or ignore it and face the consequences of your petty resistance. Each combination of choices leads to something unique. Some of these "endings" are lighthearted, some are absurd and many centre around the narrator's attempts to get back to his story.
The Stanley Parable has not the best Source Engine graphics. Many of the environments are bland, but deliberately so. Delightful hidden details show their faces everywhere if you are willing to look.
The best part of The Stanley Parable is the voice acting of the omnipotent Narrator. He plays witness to every move which do you make. From a kindly, yet firm, guiding hand at the start of the game to an acerbic wit if you ignore him, the Narrator really adds a soul to the world of The Stanley Parable.
I enjoyed the game and I would recommend the game to people who want to try out something different instead of the normal games, but I would advice everyone to try out The Stanley Parable Demo before buying the game. It will tell you nothing about the main game, but you should then be able to decide if the game is something for you or not.
If you should still be unsure, you can also try the free mod, to make your final decision. The mod does not actually require Half-Life 2 on PC, only the Source SDK.

Sounds 8/10
Graphics 5/10
Gameplay 3/10
Atmosphere 8/10
Posted: November 28th, 2013
Was this review helpful? Yes No
329 of 435 people (76%) found this review helpful
50 products in account
3 reviews
4.5 hrs on record
This short review/analysis contains spoilers about the game. Stop reading if you want to have a fresh experience with the game. Everything below is my speculation, don't take them as definitive facts.
The Stanley Parable is everything and beyond video games. It's a giant commentary on todays game development philosophy. Throughout its unexpected span and twisty narrative, it has a clear message - there are problems with narrative in video games, which we have not addressed yet.
In recent years we have seen a great amount of open world/sand box games. But there hasn't been shortage in linear games with strict control over players actions. Invisible walls or direct threatening by the game if you go off the map, even in scenarios where the level design suggests more freedom than the available and, but not limited to - bugging out the whole game or level by reaching unexpected locations are common practices in multiplayer and even in singleplayer games since decades.
The layout of the office (which is briefly explained in the museum, behind the scenes room) is designed and created with the mind that the dialogue and attention span of the player would balance and lead to the first sense of conflict - the two doors.
This first dilemma is presented geniously - with a confident and calm voice. At this point the narrator is still following the hardcoded written script. Which is what I describe as the main and simple story the whole Stanely Parable is based around - there is a problem, the protagonist decides to end the tyranny of the evil force and it concludes with a happy ending.
The simple story has cartoonish elements. Toward the end of it, it cultivates exaggerated tone and willingly becomes boring, it's purpose is to show the most basic and at the same time intriguing story. But only if the player obeys/follows the steps the given by the narrator.
Not obeying the narrative, leads to all sorts of interesting results, which ultimately don't explain the whole picture of The Stanley Parable, which is left to players imagination. The game doesn't feel the need to address any of the questions which the audience asks frantically after playing it. The same happened in the demonstration, particularly in the 'Escape elevator' sequence.
Throughout the exploration/ending hunting there are many sections where the nature of narration and design in games is examined and often made fun out of.
Many actions, which are not part of the hardcoded script, of the player are directly commentated by the narrator.
Like the 'Broom closet' - this room has no place in the whole game. In traditional game narrative it would be a waste of time - there isn't a collectable or extra life and if the player decides to explore it, the game would punish him for doing so. But here, the comedic nature of TSP rewards the player for paying attention to it, even if it is only a piece of dialogue.
Achievements are another device with which the The Stanley Parable mocks the current video game industry. Take the 'Click on door 430 five times' for example - a great way to address the ridiculous amount of pointless achievements in some games. Or 'Unachievable' - an obvious phantom which doesn't have a solution. It is created solely that particular part of the player audience grinds through the game, desperately trying to get it.
So, how does The Stanley Parable get away with being so rude to every aspect in the modern video game industry, while being part of it?
Its complete and constant self awareness makes TSP simply perfect. It is written and executed exceptionally well. It deflects most of the criticism, directed at it, simply by being one.
Posted: November 25th, 2013
Was this review helpful? Yes No
453 of 631 people (72%) found this review helpful
219 products in account
5 reviews
0.5 hrs on record
Mind-blowing piece of art. Amazing voice acting. The demo alone is more entertaining the majority of AAA titles.

Definitely a must buy.
Posted: November 25th, 2013
Was this review helpful? Yes No