The Chef's Shift: First Course

A restaurant management game driven by typing under time pressure

Panitia GameDev · Published by Catoptric Games · Released Feb 7, 2025

Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive; 98% of 559
Recent reviews: Very Positive; 90% of 10 in 30 days
Players: 11; daily peak, Oct 28, 2026
Steam Deck: Untested
Last update on Steam: 11 months ago; Oct 31, 2025
Minimum PC: GPU with at least 256MB o…; 4 GB RAM; Full requirements

What is The Chef's Shift: First Course?

This free single-player game takes place in an Italian restaurant as Lorenzo begins his cooking career. You type to prepare dishes, serve customers before their patience runs out, navigate menus, and choose dialogue, while handling interruptions such as rat invasions and unruly diners.

For you if...

+you enjoy challenges that test typing speed and accuracy
+you like balancing several orders at once

Not for you if...

−you prefer slow-paced management without constant multitasking
−you want mouse-driven cooking rather than keyboard-focused controls

What players say

98% of 559 reviews are positive · 90% of 10 in the last 30 days

Players praise the typing mechanics, cute art, and humorous story. Complaints center on crowded screens and difficult symbol inputs.

Screenshots and trailer

The Chef's Shift: First Course screenshot 1

The Chef's Shift: First Course system requirements

Minimum: GPU with at least 256MB o…, 4 GB RAM.

As published by the developer.

Can my PC run The Chef's Shift: First Course?

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Minimum

OS: Windows 7/8/10+
Graphics: GPU with at least 256MB of VRAM
Memory: 4 GB RAM

Does The Chef's Shift: First Course have co-op or multiplayer?

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

Single-player

Does The Chef's Shift: First Course run on Steam Deck?

Untested Not yet tested by Valve on Steam Deck.

PC version details

DRM: None declared on Steam
Controller: Keyboard and mouse
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Steam features: Family Sharing
Languages: Text only: English, French, German, Indonesian, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Spanish - Spain, Korean, Portuguese - Brazil, Portuguese - Portugal, Spanish - Latin America.

Does The Chef's Shift: First Course 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 27, 2026. How to filter AI games on Steam