How to Play IndieSurvive

[01] Getting Started

$ init --player "YOU"
// Day 1 of 30. Funds: $1,200. HP: 100. Stress: 0
// Active Project: (none)
> GAME START

Starting funds depend on difficulty: Indie mode $20,000, Crunch $12,000, No Funding $6,000. This is a real-time game — the clock runs continuously and you press buttons to work, eat, sleep, or take gigs. Daily living costs are deducted automatically; running out of money triggers a forced shutdown.

TIP

Get an App project launched as soon as possible — once live, it generates passive daily income that's essential for surviving the early money crunch.

[02] Daily Routine

The game runs in real time — the buttons at the bottom of the screen are all your available actions:

WORK / PAUSE — Toggle work state. While working, project tasks advance and stress slowly rises (~4%/game hour).
EAT — Open the meal menu to spend money and restore HP. Pricier meals restore more health.
SLEEP — End the day and sleep. Energy is restored, stress falls fast (~10%/game hour), and the day's income and events are settled.
POST — Post on social media to boost Reputation, which increases your app's daily income. Max 2 posts per day with a cooldown.

[03] Side Gigs

When funds run low, Side Gigs are your lifeline. There are three types, unlocked by level — while on a gig you can't work on your App:

[PANDA] Food delivery, $60–90/hr, 30 min per order
[UBER] Rideshare driver, $90–150/hr, 45 min per ride (requires unlock)
[PILOT] Pilot, $130–250/hr, 90 min per flight (requires unlock)
// 每單完成有 30% 機率獲得小費 / 30% tip chance per order

TIP

Abandoning a gig mid-shift incurs a penalty. If your shift ends mid-order, that order's income doesn't count.

[04] Managing Stress & Health

HP

Zero = Game Over

STRESS

100 = Burnout

FUNDS

$0 = Game End

APP %

100% = Shippable

Stress above 50% reduces work efficiency to 80%; above 80% it drops further to 60%. Hitting 100% triggers a meltdown event — a fee is deducted and the game pauses. Zero HP doesn't end the game; instead you're forced to the hospital and medical costs are deducted from savings. Running out of money (falling below the shutdown threshold) triggers the forced-shutdown ending.

[05] AI Assistant

$ ai assign --task "code" --project "MyApp"
Cost: $6–$28 (depends on task type & difficulty)
AI processes task in background...
// Supported: code / bug / art / mkt / review
// Not supported: ops / user / ???

Assign project tasks to AI and it handles them in the background while you gig or rest. Each assignment costs money (not credits), calculated by task type and project difficulty. Higher AI level = faster completion — upgrade it in the Desk screen. Note: Ops, User, and ??? tasks cannot be assigned to AI.

[PRO] Pro Version

Unlock Pro for the following advantages:

Remove the free trial day limit — play indefinitely

NOTE

Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. All features are available during the free trial — when it ends, choose to upgrade and continue your save.

HOW TO PLAY