Unpacking

Unpacking is a calm puzzle game about unpacking a new home. Instead of directly controlling characters, you take clothes, books, crockery and personal keepsakes out of moving boxes. Where you place things gradually shows how one person's life changes.

The Australian studio Witch Beam combines room design with a story that does without classic dialogue scenes.

Unpacking launched in November 2021 for PC and consoles. Steam lists November 1 for the PC version. Nintendo and Xbox date their releases to November 2, 2021. The PlayStation versions followed on May 10, 2022, and iOS and Android on August 24, 2023.

Unpacking can be played on PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, iOS and Android. The PC store lists Windows, macOS and Linux. The Switch version supports the touchscreen, and the smartphone versions offer controls designed for touch.

On PlayStation, PS4 and PS5 versions are available. The Switch version is also playable on Switch 2, but it is not a standalone native Switch 2 title.

Each move begins with boxes full of items. You look for a suitable place on shelves, in drawers, on tables or on walls. Some things belong in specific rooms or need to be sorted differently for practical reasons. Finishing a room unlocks the way to the next section.

There is neither a countdown nor points for especially fast unpacking. You can move items and try out different arrangements.

On Steam, there is a separately available Original Soundtrack by Jeff van Dyck. It contains the game's music and adds to the listening options, not the story or the playable moves.

The Windows version requires, according to Steam, a 64-bit processor with SSE2 support, a DirectX 10-capable graphics card and about 1 GB of free storage. Steam also lists versions for macOS and Linux. The current Steam client requires a supported newer version of Windows.

Eight moves follow one person through different stages of life. Which things keep coming along, which change places and which disappear tell of habits, relationships and change. The character stays largely out of frame.

Furnishing the rooms makes the story clear without long conversations or cutscenes.

The settings range from a single child's bedroom to flats and houses with several rooms. Kitchen utensils, clothing, books and small keepsakes each need different places. Later, items from earlier moves turn up again.

The rooms are carefully designed. You can open drawers, fill shelves and place everyday items in different spots.

Unpacking has a relaxed pace. There is no time limit, no leaderboard and no rating for how you set up your home. What matters is that the essential items find a sensible place.

If you just want to tidy one room in peace, take your time and carry on playing later.

On PC, mouse and controller work. On Nintendo Switch, you can also move items with the touchscreen. On iPhone and iPad, swipe gestures and haptic feedback make unpacking easier on smaller screens.

The gameplay stays the same on all platforms: pick up items from boxes, rotate them and place them in the right spots.

The PC version supports, among other things, adjustable text size, alternative color options, camera display settings and separate volume sliders. It can be played without quick button sequences and offers mouse-only controls.

PlayStation also offers several accessibility features for visual, motor, cognitive and hearing needs.

Jeff van Dyck composed the soundtrack for Unpacking. Sounds when setting down, stacking and opening items give the objects their own weight. The restrained music accompanies the moves without overriding the calm pace of play.

Unpacking includes German on-screen text. Steam lists 16 supported languages in total, including English, French, Japanese, Polish and Spanish. The story works largely through images and items rather than spoken dialogue.

The smartphone and tablet versions have been available since August 2023. On iPhone and iPad, you unpack boxes by swiping and place items by tapping. The premium app supports the full game with its eight moves.

Unpacking+ is also available on Apple Arcade. This is another distribution channel for the same game, not a standalone sequel.