The country’s best workers are leaving, the economy’s struggling, and somebody’s demanding that you do something about it. Raising salaries could help, but it’ll cost money the country can barely afford. Hiring cheaper workers from abroad could solve one problem while creating three more. Meanwhile, the military’s getting restless, the public’s losing patience, and your telephone won’t stop ringing.
You’ve been president for about five minutes. At this rate, you might not make it to lunch.
Welcome to Dear President, a darkly humorous political strategy roguelite from SN Game Studio that’s taking part in October’s Steam Next Fest. With a free demo available now, you can take control of a dystopian country, make decisions that could delight or infuriate its citizens, and attempt to stay in office without getting assassinated.
All Hail the Mighty Rubber Stamp!
Forget grand speeches and waving to adoring crowds. Most of your presidential duties involve sitting behind a desk, reading documents, and deciding which policies deserve your official seal of approval.
Each day brings a fresh collection of problems. The economy might need rescuing, workers could be demanding better conditions, or another department might want money you haven’t got. Your decisions affect four competing powers including the people, economy, media, and military. Keeping those groups balanced is the key to staying alive, although they’re not exactly known for agreeing with one another.
Spend money improving people’s lives, and the public might celebrate your generosity while the economy takes a hit. Give the military what it wants, and you could strengthen your position while making everybody else increasingly nervous. Even seemingly sensible decisions can have consequences you didn’t anticipate.
That leaves you studying each document, weighing up the possible fallout, and deciding whether today’s problem is worth upsetting half the country over. Pick up your rubber stamp, approve or reject the proposal, and watch the consequences unfold.
The President Is Busy, Call Back Never
Just when you’ve got the paperwork under control, the telephone rings. Unfortunately, these aren’t friendly calls from somebody checking how your first week in office is going. You’ll find yourself dragged into secret negotiations, political schemes, and offers that could make your presidency considerably more complicated.
Some callers may promise to solve a problem that’s been troubling your administration. Others could be looking for favors, testing your loyalty, or trying to involve you in something you’d rather not have connected to your name. The difficult part is deciding who to trust.
An offer may look useful when you’re desperately trying to keep the economy afloat, but accepting it could leave you owing the wrong person a favor. Refusing might protect your reputation while creating an enemy who knows exactly where your office is.
Between the paperwork and the telephone, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to make decisions you’ll regret.
Your Approval Ratings Have Become a Death Sentence
Running a dystopian regime means there’s always somebody unhappy with your leadership. The trick is making sure that unhappiness doesn’t develop into something involving angry crowds, weapons, or a suspicious visitor arriving at your office. Let one of the country’s competing powers become too dissatisfied, and things can turn ugly.
The public could decide they’ve had enough and launch a revolution. Powerful enemies could begin plotting behind your back. In the worst cases, your presidency might end with an assassination rather than an election. There are multiple endings to discover, depending on the decisions you make and which groups you’ve managed to upset along the way. That creates an entertaining balancing act. You can’t simply approve every popular proposal or spend your way out of trouble. Sometimes you’ll need to make an unpopular decision now to prevent a much bigger disaster later.
Assassinated Again? Time for a Promotion!
Getting removed from office in spectacular fashion isn’t necessarily the end of your political ambitions. Dear President features roguelite progression, with a permanent skill tree that lets you strengthen future attempts.
As you play, you’ll unlock improvements that give your next president a better chance of handling the country’s endless problems. You can even improve your bodyguard, turning him into a much more effective protector when somebody decides that your latest policy deserves a violent response.
The crises are randomized, too, so you won’t necessarily face the same problems in the same order. One presidency might fall apart because you neglected the economy. Another could be going brilliantly until the military decides your leadership is no longer required.
Each attempt becomes another opportunity to learn which decisions are worth taking, which offers should be avoided, and how many enemies you can realistically afford to make.
Your Excellency, We Have Some Bad News…
Dear President is available to try through its free Steam Next Fest demo, with the game scheduled to enter Early Access on November 23rd, 2026. SN Game Studio plans to spend approximately six months expanding the experience with additional crises, events, and skill tree options.
The entertaining part isn’t simply watching the country react to your decisions. It’s how quickly a perfectly ordinary piece of paperwork can turn into a political catastrophe. You may begin the day trying to improve workers’ salaries and end it wondering whether your bodyguard can stop an assassination attempt.
By tomorrow, the economy could be collapsing, the military might be plotting against you, and somebody will probably have another document that urgently needs signing. Perhaps absolute power isn’t quite the dream job it’s made out to be. Still, there’s a nation to run, Mr. President.
Try not to get killed before the afternoon meeting.