Do Not Feed the Monkeys

Do Not Feed the Monkeys is a satirical single-player simulation about surveillance, curiosity and personal boundaries. As a new member of the Primate Observation Club, you look through cameras and compromised webcams into strangers' homes and workplaces. The people on the screens are not lab animals, even though the club calls them that.

The club's most important rule is: do not intervene. You can break it, for example to help someone or to use information for your own purposes. Doing so changes the stories of the people you are watching.

The game was released for PC on Steam on Oct 23, 2018. Alawar gives Oct 24 as the original launch date. Mobile versions for iOS and Android followed in 2019, the Nintendo Switch version on Jun 1, 2020, and the PS4 version on Sep 23, 2020. It came to Xbox One on Dec 9, 2020, and to PS5 on Jun 6, 2025.

Do Not Feed the Monkeys 2099 is a standalone sequel, not a remake of the first game.

Do Not Feed the Monkeys is available for PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, iOS and Android. The Steam version supports Windows, macOS and Linux. On Switch, there is touchscreen control in handheld mode and support for the Pro Controller. The console and mobile versions are standalone releases.

On Xbox Series X|S, the Xbox One version runs via backward compatibility. A native Xbox Series version cannot be inferred from this.

Several camera feeds run simultaneously on the virtual desk. You watch daily routines, note names and anomalies, and use the clues you find to learn more about the people behind the screens.

You can limit yourself to pure observation or make contact with the people. Conversations, revelations and interventions can change their future paths. There is therefore no single fixed storyline for all the observed cases.

Steamity Game was released on Dec 10, 2019 as a free add-on for the Steam version. The expansion requires the base PC game and is not a second part of the series.

The later sequel, Do Not Feed the Monkeys 2099, has a different storyline and its own add-on packs.

For the Windows version, Steam lists a dual-core processor at 2 GHz, 2 GB RAM, a GeForce 8600 GS or Radeon HD 3470, and 1 GB storage as minimum requirements. Recommended are 4 GB RAM and a dual-core processor at 2.6 GHz. Steam also includes separate requirements for macOS and Linux.

The listed OS versions come from the original release. Newer platform requirements apply when using today's Steam client.

Each unlocked camera shows its own slice of other people's everyday lives. Some information only becomes visible at certain times. Recurring routines and small changes hint at the background of the people involved.

The cases are distinct from one another, but they all demand the same attention: if you only glance at the cameras, you may miss crucial connections.

You combine observations with searches on the computer. A name, an object or a conversation can open up a new lead. These details create opportunities to reach the people involved or to exploit their secrets.

The investigative part takes place through the computer's user interface. The game focuses on conclusions and decisions rather than direct fights.

Surveillance is not your only time sink. Your character has to take care of sleep, food, housing and income. Shifts and other obligations take up the same time in which important events happen on the cameras.

You have to weigh how much money you need and which observations you absolutely don't want to miss.

The Primate Observation Club forbids any contact with the people being watched. Still, the game offers ways to pass on information, expose secrets or profit from what you know. Even deliberately doing nothing is a decision with consequences.

The different storylines and endings depend on which information you find and how you deal with it.

On Steam, the interface text is available in German, English, Spanish, Russian, Korean and Simplified Chinese, among others. The Nintendo Switch version offers the same six languages and can also be controlled via touchscreen.

The game is designed for one player. Working with text and visual information is an essential part of the puzzles.