Stock the shelves and roll the dice as Tabletop Game Shop Simulator opens for business

Time to open the doors, dust the shelves, and make sure you’ve stocked up for the day, because Tabletop Game Shop Simulator hands you the keys to your very own wargaming store. May the dice forever be in your favour.

Developed by newcomer Knight Fever Games, with additional development from Ludogram (Worlds of Aria, Firebird), TGSS slots neatly into the growing family of “X Simulator” titles — except this time, instead of running a card shop, a fast-food joint, or a restaurant kitchen, you’re managing a tabletop miniatures store. Despite the name, the game leans heavily into fantasy wargaming products, taking a lot of inspiration from Warhammer, rather than the full breadth of tabletop gaming.

At the time of review, TGSS does not feature a tutorial. You’re dropped straight into your shop with a shelving unit, cash register, and stock-ordering station. The game explains each new object with a small pop-up the first time you interact with it, though I managed to accidentally dismiss one before reading it — and could not find a way to bring it back. Some sort of reference section in the pause menu would be a welcome addition.

You begin with a fairly generous starting budget (5,000 in Euros or Dollars), a figure you will not see again until you have fully developed your shop.

If you’ve played similar shop-management games, the flow here will feel familiar. I ordered my first miniature boxes, which arrived instantly — via some kind of logistics wizardry that would make Jeff Bezos weep with joy. The instant delivery is convenient, especially when you run out of stock mid-day, though the delivery fee nudges you towards bulk purchases.

As sales roll in, your shop levels up. Each level unlocks new types of stock representing various aspects of the miniature hobby: core rulebooks, faction books, novels, paints, brushes, resin, sprays and more. Hitting level ten lets you hire your first employee—mine was christened “Soulless Cash Monster III”—who immediately took over the till duties so I no longer had to count change myself.

During the early hours, expect to be glued to the cash register. Manually selecting currency denominations becomes tiring quickly, and I felt disproportionate joy whenever a customer paid by card so I could hammer out the numbers on my numpad instead. Once staff are unlocked, however, the experience opens up considerably. With my cashier chained — figuratively — to the register, I could finally roam the shop, restocking shelves and cleaning up the detritus of customers who apparently love to drop their cups or empty game boxes on the floor, especially when stood right in front of me.

One of TGSS’s more charming features is the ability to open and build your own miniatures. Taking a box off the shelf and cracking it open becomes its own little loot-box loop, complete with that classic “go on, just one more” temptation. Once a mini is assembled, a simple painting minigame lets you apply colour by clicking within shrinking circles; better tables slow the circles and allow higher-quality work, which you can then sell for more money.

Painted models can be sold or assembled into squads, which you can then use to play the in-universe miniatures game against customers. Unfortunately, this is another area where the lack of instruction hurts. Through plenty of trial and far more error, I learned how the dice and symbols interact, and once I did, I was able to beat every opponent with ease. The core dice-selection mechanic is enjoyable, but long-term longevity will likely depend on expanded rewards or increased difficulty, and I didn’t see any difficulty increase through my playtest.

By the end of my playtest, my store had amassed the GDP of Hungary. Multiple staff members handled virtually everything: restocking, painting, even playing games with patrons. My primary responsibility was simply ordering more stock. Earnings also trickle in whenever customers use the painting or gaming tables, turning the shop into a passive-income dreamscape.

Customer models are simple — lifeless eyes and repeated appearances — but they fit the genre. I began imagining their partners at home despairing as yet another mortgage payment vanished into boxes of unpainted plastic. Art imitates life.

Running on my PC powered, I assume by its age, a Victorian child turning a crank, TGSS performed excellently. I encountered only one crash (when joining my first in-store miniatures match). Small text errors appear here and there—such as “Round Round Won” instead of “Round One Won” — but nothing game-breaking.

Tabletop Game Shop Simulator is not going to be game of the year. But for someone who has always dreamed of running their own tabletop store — without risking their life savings or sanity — it’s a pleasant, low-pressure way to spend an evening. The early grind is a bit slow, but once staff become available, the experience becomes far more enjoyable. After a long day of work in the real world, I was happy to throw on a podcast and go back to my little shop of wonders.

I’ll definitely be returning to my little shop, continuing to amass wealth from customers who burn through paint faster than any biological organism reasonably should. And I’m curious to see whether future updates expand the product range — perhaps one day my virtual shelves will stock more non IP offending titles such as Birdspan, Ticket to Train, or Settlers of Island.

Until then: may the dice remain kind, and may your shelves never run empty, and your profits in Tabletop Game Shop Simulator soar.

Tapletop Game Shop Simulator is available now on PC.