Before you play

Yes. It is free to play in your browser, with no download and no sign-up to start. Everything is bought with credits you earn, and credits are pretend money: they have no cash value and can't be bought with real money. Property is earned too, never purchased.

Players 19 and older. It's a game about rent, work and loneliness in a real city, told with a lot of humour. You confirm your age before you start.

That's what it's built for. Open the link in Safari or Chrome, no app store needed. If your phone is slow, turn on Lite graphics or Data saver in Settings.

Yes. The maps come from OpenStreetMap, so streets keep their real names and their real order, and the weather and holidays follow Vancouver's real calendar. Blocks are squeezed a little so a walk takes seconds, not minutes. Private businesses appear under made-up names unless they're real partners who said yes.

The score that matters. Credits pay rent, but belonging says the city has started to feel like yours. You earn it by showing up: a neighbour, a show, the seawall, a festival, a friend. It unlocks rides, titles and the block parties.

Yes. Other real players share your neighbourhood, and you can wave, cheer or hum along with them. You can also hide yourself, choose who may greet you, and block or report anyone. See Safety.

A title for the first 1,000 players to sign up, kept forever. The game shows how many spots are left on the start screen.

On your device and on the game's servers. Add an email from the phone menu to keep your game and pick it up on another device.

Van City Grind is a game by Astral Minds Digital, a Vancouver studio, made with Shades of YVR.

Real places only appear with their permission, as partners. If you run a Vancouver venue, studio or shop and want to talk, get in touch.

Use Feedback in the phone menu and tell us your phone, your browser and what you tapped. For anything else, email hello@astralmindsdigital.ca.