A Vancouver life-sim · free · 19+
Rent's due. It's raining. Make it home.
Van City Grind is a free browser game set in real Vancouver. You land in a home you didn't choose, work shifts, ride the 99 B-Line, dodge the rain and slowly build belonging: the score that says the city has started to feel like yours.
- No download
- Works on your phone
- One roll, no re-rolls
- 19+ only
How it works
Three steps to feeling like a local
A day has four parts: morning, midday, afternoon, evening. Most things use one part. When the evening ends, rent comes out and a new day starts.
Roll your start
You don't get to choose where you live. Nobody really does. One roll gives you a home, some credits and a name to call yourself.
Work, eat, stay dry
Pull shifts, grab ramen, duck out of the rain. Fed, Rest, Dry and Fun all matter, and the Map shows every place on the block.
Belong
Show up at the seawall, a show, a neighbour's garden. Belonging unlocks titles, rides and block parties. It's harder than money, and worth more.
Pick a side
Which Vancouver are you?
The roll picks for you, and it gives you a name to say out loud. Share it, tag a friend, argue about it.
- Condo BabyYaletown condo, 31st floorGreat view. Nobody to show it to.
- Credits
- 900
- Rent a day
- 120
- Belonging
- 5
- Cat CustodyWest End walk-up with a catThe cat was here first.
- Credits
- 400
- Rent a day
- 65
- Belonging
- 20
- Basement BabyKitsilano basement suiteLow ceiling. Big heart.
- Credits
- 300
- Rent a day
- 55
- Belonging
- 15
- Heritage HousemateStrathcona heritage house shareOld house, good bones, shared fridge.
- Credits
- 220
- Rent a day
- 40
- Belonging
- 30
- Roommate SixEast Van house, six roommatesOne bathroom. Thriving, actually.
- Credits
- 120
- Rent a day
- 25
- Belonging
- 40
Condo Baby vs Basement Baby. Great view, nobody to show it to, or a low ceiling and a big heart. Choose wisely. You can't.
What's inside
A whole city in your pocket
Real streets, real order
Six neighbourhoods built from OpenStreetMap, 66+ places to walk into, and the weather and holidays of real Vancouver.
Two dozen careers
Barista, bike courier, line cook, lifeguard, bartender, tour guide. Five-task shifts, five levels each, and a skill to grow: charm, craft, brains or grit.
84+ things to do
Pickup soccer, pasta night, a street piano, a dip at Kits Pool. Plus real festivals and holidays through the year, from Lunar New Year to Diwali.
Your phone, inside your phone
Gigs, a daily Gist of street dramas, goals, friends, a wardrobe and a garage. Everything lives in one tidy Menu.
A place of your own
Rent a suite or work towards owning one with credits you earned. Furnish it, look after a cat, a plant or a crow, and let a tenant move in.
Real local venues
The Annex, Hero's Welcome, Please! Tasting House and the Vancouver Black Library are in the game, with their say-so.
Real gameplay
This is the game, on a phone
No mock-ups: every picture here is a screenshot from the live game.
Six neighbourhoods
Walk them all
Hop on the SkyTrain, the SeaBus or the little ferry to cross town. Each neighbourhood has its own shifts, regulars and corkboard.
Downtown
Gastown's steam clock, Robson Square, the Yaletown patios and a seawall that goes on and on. Where most people land, and where The Annex hosts Sounds of the City.
Mount Pleasant
Taprooms on Brewery Creek, mural alleys, a community garden and Main Street's record shops. The kind of place where Dev knows your order.
Kitsilano
Volleyball nets as far as you can see, a very long saltwater pool and the Granville Island market. Basement suites, mostly. Damp, but lovely.
False Creek
Olympic Village, a small real wetland at Hinge Park, dragon boats and herons. Everything is a little bit on the water.
Commercial Drive
The espresso machine older than the café, bocce at Grandview Park, a drummer somewhere and the Saturday market at Trout Lake.
Riley Park
The highest point in the city at Queen Elizabeth Park, a conservatory of talking birds, the old ballpark and a pub in the veterans' hall.
Real places
Some of it is really there
Real Vancouver venues join the game as partners, under their own names, with their say-so. Everyone else gets a made-up name.
Sounds of the City: Live at Annex Theatre
Etchos, Cisse and Kaya Ko, presented by Shades of YVR to highlight emerging local talent and bring the community together. $18 plus fees, all ages. In the game, The Annex is on Seymour Street across from the Orpheum, where it is in real life.
Get tickets- The Annex823 Seymour St · home of Sounds of the City
- Hero's WelcomeMain Street · a pub in the old veterans' hall, with a stage for local bands
- Please! Tasting HouseWest 6th · cocktails on tap in a former auto shop
- Vancouver Black LibraryChinatown · a community library rooted in the history of Hogan's Alley
Fair and safe
Pretend money, real manners
- 19+ onlyYou confirm your age before you start, and every player confirms they're 19 or older.
- No real-money anythingCredits are pretend. Property is earned, never bought. No pay-to-win.
- You're in chargeHide yourself, choose who can greet you, block and report. A person reads every report.
- Kind by designMessages are checked automatically. Housing is the joke; people without housing never are.
Van City Grind is set on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
How we keep it kind →Questions
Before you play
Is Van City Grind free?
Yes. It is free to play in your browser, with no download and no sign-up to start. Everything is bought with credits you earn, and credits are pretend money: they have no cash value and can't be bought with real money. Property is earned too, never purchased.
Who is it for?
Players 19 and older. It's a game about rent, work and loneliness in a real city, told with a lot of humour. You confirm your age before you start.
Can I play on my phone?
That's what it's built for. Open the link in Safari or Chrome, no app store needed. If your phone is slow, turn on Lite graphics or Data saver in Settings.
Is it really set in Vancouver?
Yes. The maps come from OpenStreetMap, so streets keep their real names and their real order, and the weather and holidays follow Vancouver's real calendar. Blocks are squeezed a little so a walk takes seconds, not minutes. Private businesses appear under made-up names unless they're real partners who said yes.
What is belonging?
The score that matters. Credits pay rent, but belonging says the city has started to feel like yours. You earn it by showing up: a neighbour, a show, the seawall, a festival, a friend. It unlocks rides, titles and the block parties.
Will I meet other players?
Yes. Other real players share your neighbourhood, and you can wave, cheer or hum along with them. You can also hide yourself, choose who may greet you, and block or report anyone. See Safety.
It's raining. Your rent is due.
Open it in your browser, roll your start and take your first step outside. It takes about a minute.
Play free nowA game by Astral Minds Digital · with Shades of YVR · Free to play · 19+