Chinese Parents on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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In this casual sim set in China, you step into the shoes of an average kid from birth towards the end of your high school. Study hard, have fun, make friends and face your ultimate challenge, the “Gaokao”. What will your life be after that? And when you have a child, will you be a Tiger Parent?
Chinese Parents is a life sim, psychological horror and memes game
developed and published by 墨鱼玩游戏.
Released on September 28th 2018 is available on Windows and MacOS
in 4 languages: Simplified Chinese, English, Japanese and Traditional Chinese.
It has received 25,651 reviews of which 23,459 were positive and 2,192 were negative resulting in a rating of 9.0 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 8.19€ on Steam.
The Steam community has classified Chinese Parents into these genres:
System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS: XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10
- Processor: Intel Pentium III 800 MHz+
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: 1024x768 High Color +
- DirectX: Version 9.0
- Storage: 500 MB available space
MacOS
- OS: Snow Leopard 10.6
- Processor: 2.0GHz+ 64-bit
- Memory: 1 GB RAM
- Storage: 500 MB available space
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Slightly ashamed that none of the 33.9 hours were afk. Wild chinglish and smoothbrained gameplay loop. Perfect for any abused, poorly adjusted, traumatized east Asian adult to re-experience being a disappointment from the start.
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This game is so much related to my real life :)))) It's just exactly what it called "Chinese Parents". It's hard to be "a model child" and sometimes it's sad when it's so true to the real life
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Chinese Parents, developed by Beijing-based indie studio Moyuwan Games, is a life simulation game that offers a surprisingly nuanced, heartfelt, and often satirical portrayal of childhood and adolescence in a modern Chinese household. Originally released in 2018 and later translated for international audiences, the game has steadily built a devoted following for its blend of humor, cultural specificity, and simulation depth. At first glance, it may appear to be a quirky parenting simulator, but Chinese Parents is, in truth, a layered social commentary wrapped in the structure of a casual, accessible life sim. It’s a game as much about pressure and expectations as it is about personal growth and self-expression. In Chinese Parents, players take on the role of a child born into an ordinary Chinese family and guide them from birth through the gaokao (China’s all-important college entrance exam). Along the way, you'll manage everything from study schedules and extracurriculars to friendships, hobbies, and even romantic interests. The game’s mechanics are deceptively simple. Each turn represents a week, during which you’ll choose how the child spends their time—balancing mental development, physical health, social interactions, and rest. These decisions impact a variety of stats like intelligence, imagination, charisma, and stress, which in turn influence opportunities later in life. While the core loop revolves around resource management and stat-raising, what elevates Chinese Parents is how tightly its mechanics are interwoven with its themes. The game is deeply rooted in the cultural context of Chinese society, where academic achievement, family reputation, and filial piety often dictate the trajectory of a child’s life. Every milestone—be it the pressure of getting into a good middle school or the weight of parental expectations—is conveyed with a mix of emotional weight and subtle satire. Your in-game parents, especially, serve as a constant presence, pushing you toward success with the classic “tiger parent” intensity. While their comments may seem harsh or overbearing, the game also humanizes them by revealing their own struggles and regrets, creating a richer narrative tapestry than one might expect from a simulation game. One of the most distinctive aspects of Chinese Parents is the “Mind Map” mechanic. As your character learns new skills or interacts with peers, their cognitive development is visualized in a branching map that represents learned knowledge and personality traits. Unlocking nodes leads to new abilities or stat boosts, creating a satisfying feedback loop that captures the complexity of growing up. The system is both strategic and metaphorical, reflecting how a child’s mind develops from exposure to ideas, play, pressure, and praise. Social interactions in the game are equally important. You’ll navigate friendships, school rivalries, and potential romantic relationships, all while contending with self-doubt and teenage angst. The writing here is often witty and heartfelt, and although the English localization is occasionally rough around the edges, it manages to retain the emotional resonance and cultural nuances of the original. The romantic elements, while not the focus, add another layer of emotional stakes as players approach the gaokao and the end of adolescence. Graphically, Chinese Parents adopts a cartoonish, hand-drawn aesthetic that enhances its charm without sacrificing emotional impact. Character sprites are expressive, and while the visuals aren’t flashy, they serve the tone of the game well. The soundtrack is light and unobtrusive, often shifting subtly to match the emotional cadence of each life stage. Combined, the art and music create a comforting, almost nostalgic atmosphere that mirrors the bittersweet journey of growing up. Another interesting feature is the generational gameplay loop. After completing one child’s story—usually culminating in the gaokao—you unlock the next generation, who inherits certain traits and stat bonuses. This roguelite-style progression encourages multiple playthroughs and invites players to explore different paths, whether aiming for Ivy League acceptance or choosing to embrace a more relaxed, creative lifestyle. It adds long-term depth and subtly critiques the idea of generational pressure and inherited expectations. That said, Chinese Parents is not without flaws. The pacing can sometimes feel repetitive, particularly in the mid-to-late game as the weekly grind sets in. The UI, while functional, can be cluttered and overwhelming to newcomers. Additionally, while the game touches on important themes—like gender expectations, mental health, and personal freedom—it sometimes does so with a light touch that leaves certain ideas underexplored. Players expecting deep branching narratives or significant life-altering choices might find the outcomes a bit too formulaic. Still, these shortcomings don’t undermine the game’s strengths. Chinese Parents manages the rare feat of being both deeply personal and widely relatable. It captures the universal experience of growing up—navigating family, identity, and ambition—while offering a rare window into the specifics of Chinese cultural and educational pressures. For players of Chinese descent, it can be a cathartic, even emotional experience. For international players, it’s a culturally rich and often eye-opening journey through a different, but not unfamiliar, model of childhood. In conclusion, Chinese Parents is a smart, touching, and culturally insightful simulation that blends personal storytelling with meaningful mechanics. It walks a fine line between playful satire and sincere empathy, making it one of the more unique entries in the life sim genre. Whether you play it once or revisit it across generations, the game offers a compelling portrait of childhood shaped by both love and pressure, and it invites reflection on how we grow—and how we’re shaped by those who raise us. Rating: 9/10
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Asian American with a Chinese mom here, I can verify that this game accurately depicts most Asian family upbringing except parental approval for e-sports career path is a bit questionable irl. But hey, if you want to be the next Faker and can't do it irl, just do it here and it's all good.
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This game brought back the pure terror of prepping for the Chinese college entrance exams. Played through several generations and still didn’t get into college—guess I’m doomed in that reality. Also, raising daughters is sooo much easier than raising sons in the game, seriously. Gameplay-wise, it’s basically Minesweeper meets one dimension match-3, with some story events sprinkled in. The plot triggers feel pretty scripted—nothing groundbreaking—but once in a while, the devs throw in these cheeky little surprises that make me chuckle. That said, the event narratives are set in stone, and they don’t really interact with your character's growth. After a few playthroughs, it all starts feeling pretty repetitive. But hey, this game has serious educational value. Perfect for parents—once your kid learns how to read, make them play this game every year. Let them get a good hard look at their life choices. 回想起了被中国高考支配的恐惧，玩了几代也没考上大学。女儿比儿子好养多多多多了。游戏内容方面，感觉就是在扫雷和三消，触发剧情事件还是蛮固定的，有些开发者设计的小情节和联动，偶尔也让人会心一笑，剧情内容也是固定写死的，和人物成长也没有互动，多周目后就开始无聊了。游戏非常有现实教育意义，建议带娃的家长等娃认字后每年都让他通一遍，好好认清自己的人生。
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Frequently Asked Questions
Chinese Parents is currently priced at 8.19€ on Steam.
Chinese Parents is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 8.19€ on Steam.
Chinese Parents received 23,459 positive votes out of a total of 25,651 achieving a rating of 8.95.
😎
Chinese Parents was developed and published by 墨鱼玩游戏.
Chinese Parents is playable and fully supported on Windows.
Chinese Parents is playable and fully supported on MacOS.
Chinese Parents is not playable on Linux.
Chinese Parents is a single-player game.
Chinese Parents does not currently offer any DLC.
Chinese Parents does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
Chinese Parents supports Remote Play on Tablet. Discover more about Steam Remote Play.
Chinese Parents is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Chinese Parents.
Data sources
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Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 28 October 2025 00:27 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 27 October 2025 08:39 |
| Steam price | 30 October 2025 12:39 |
| Steam reviews | 29 October 2025 19:55 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Chinese Parents, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Chinese Parents
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Chinese Parents concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Chinese Parents compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
75
Developer
墨鱼玩游戏
Publisher
墨鱼玩游戏
Release
28 Sep 2018
Platforms
Remote Play