Paperboy
Paperboy is a 1985 arcade game developed by Atari Games in which players ride a bicycle down a suburban street delivering newspapers. Using distinctive handlebar controls built into the cabinet, you toss papers into subscribers' mailboxes while avoiding cars, dogs, lawnmowers, skateboarders, and other obstacles across a week-long delivery route. Successfully serving subscribers keeps them on your list, while missing them or smashing their windows risks losing customers, and vandalising non-subscribers' houses actually earns points.
The game stood out for its unusual isometric perspective, its everyday premise turned into a test of timing and precision, and the optional bonus obstacle course at the end of each day. Surviving all seven days of the week formed the ultimate goal, with difficulty steadily rising as more hazards crowded the street.
Paperboy became a widely ported home favourite across many systems and its concept has been revisited in later remakes and mobile versions, while the original remains accessible through retro arcade compilations and emulation.
Play it today
Modern alternatives to Paperboy, with the devices they run on and their price. Ordered editorially by how well each one stands in for the original, with community votes weighted in as they accumulate.
Prices, platform availability and Steam Deck compatibility can change at any time. Always check the store page before buying.
| Alternative | Price | Steam Deck | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Descenders Indie | € 24,99 | Steam Deck Playable | PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| Lonely Mountains: Downhill Indie | € 18,99 | Steam Deck Verified | PC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| Totally Reliable Delivery Service Indie | € 14,79 | Steam Deck Verified | PC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
Descenders Indie
€ 24,99An indie downhill biking game with procedural courses and the same obstacle-dodging tension.
Descenders runs on PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet.
Lonely Mountains: Downhill Indie
€ 18,99Threading a bike down a mountain without crashing, the same read-the-road-ahead tension as the paper route.
Lonely Mountains: Downhill runs on PC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet.
Totally Reliable Delivery Service Indie
€ 14,79Ragdoll physics deliveries where getting the parcel to the door in one piece is the whole joke.
Totally Reliable Delivery Service runs on PC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet.
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