PCGame

Research Story

Farming and life sim built around researching plants and creatures

Petal Cat Games · Published by Petal Cat Games, Electronic Sheep Games · Released Jul 21, 2025

CasualIndieRPGSimulation

Reviews
Very Positive
95% of 344
Recent reviews
Not enough recent
Players
1
daily peak, Nov 7, 2026
Steam Deck
Verified
Last update on Steam
3 weeks ago
Oct 15, 2026
Minimum PC
GeForce GTX 1660Ti
2 GB RAM · 1 GB disk
Full requirements

What is Research Story?

You join the Violet Archive near Shimmerbrook to document unusual plants, creatures, and fish. You grow crops under different conditions, tame and care for creatures, fish, mine, solve cave puzzles, and get to know the townsfolk.

For you if...

  • +you enjoy collecting creatures with distinct needs and abilities
  • +you prefer puzzle-filled caves without combat
  • +you like balancing farming with exploration and research

Not for you if...

  • −you want research to progress without waiting for crops
  • −you want combat-focused cave exploration

What players say

95% of 344 reviews are positive

Players praise the research-centered farming loop, creature designs, and pixel art. Some complain about cumbersome inventory handling and slow research progress tied to crop growth.

How many players finish Research Story?

3.8% of Steam players have unlocked «Knowledge Prevails», the achievement for finishing the main story.

Share of everyone who owns the game on Steam, including those who barely played it. Updated weekly.

Screenshots and trailer

Research Story screenshot 1

Research Story system requirements

Minimum: GeForce GTX 1660Ti, 2 GB RAM, 1 GB of disk space.

As published by the developer.

Can my PC run Research Story?

Tell us your graphics card once and every game page will answer this for you.

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Minimum

OS
Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10
Processor
2 Ghz
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti
Memory
2 GB RAM
Storage
1 GB available space

Does Research Story have co-op or multiplayer?

No: single-player only, no multiplayer modes declared.

Does Research Story run on Steam Deck?

Verified Yes, Verified by Valve: it works on Steam Deck out of the box.

  • All functionality is accessible with the default controller configuration
  • Shows Steam Deck controller icons
  • In-game text is legible on Steam Deck
  • Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck
  • External controllers are not supported for the primary player

PC version details

DRM
None declared on Steam
Controller
Full controller support
Platforms
Windows
Achievements
40
Steam features
Cloud saves, Family Sharing
Languages
Text only: English, Simplified Chinese.

Does Research Story use AI-generated content?

No AI-generated content is disclosed on the game's Steam page.

Self-reported by the developer under Steam rules: it covers AI content that ships in the game, not tools used to make it. Steam page checked on Oct 25, 2026. How to filter AI games on Steam

Tags

Recent updates

1 DLC available.

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