Discounty

Discounty (2025) is a simulation game where you run a supermarket in a small, close-knit community. You manage the stock and items on display, design the layout, operate the checkout, and generally work to keep the townsfolk happy. It stands out for the surprisingly deep shop management and relationship building hidden behind pixelated graphics and a quirky small-town story.

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When your aunt entrusts the running of her small village's supermarket to you, you return from the city to help revitalise it. When you arrive, you find the town is deeply distrustful of outsiders, and you must slowly build friendships and make deals with the townsfolk to earn their support. You can either grow in accordance with the town's needs and create lasting friendships, or chase maximum profits that may result in lifelong enemies.

Play involves designing the look and layout of your shop, ordering and stocking items, and staffing the till during opening hours. Then, when you're closed, you walk around the town and talk with its inhabitants. When operating the till, you need to quickly input the correct prices of everything each person buys to ensure a queue doesn't build up. In quiet moments, go to the back and get new items to replace the ones bought. To keep the community on your side, you need to work with them, negotiating deals to stock their produce and ensuring you're not changing the feel of the old-fashioned town. All the while, you need to ensure that you're still making enough money to stay afloat.

It's a surprisingly involved game that risks getting overwhelming, but that's precisely what makes staying on top of everything so much fun. Managing not just your supermarket but your relationship with the wider community makes for a challenging balancing act of multiple roles that requires tactical planning and time management.

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Our examiner, Ben Kendall, first checked Discounty 5 weeks ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 4 weeks ago.