How to play Van City Grind

A game about real Vancouver: its streets in their real order, its weather, its neighbourhoods, and the slow business of belonging. For people 19 and older. Made by Astral Minds Digital Inc. with Shades of YVR.

Van City Grind is set on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

The basics

Your day: A day has four parts: morning, midday, afternoon and evening. Most places and shifts use one part. Buses and shops are free. When the evening ends, rent comes out and a new day starts.
Walking: Arrow keys or WASD, or tap where you want to go. Walk up to a glowing pin and tap the button that appears. The Map shows every place in the neighbourhood.
Credits: Pretend money. You earn them from shifts and gigs and spend them on rent, food, furniture and fun. They have no cash value and can't be bought with real money.
Belonging: The other score, and the one that matters. You earn it by showing up: the seawall, a show, a neighbour, a friend, a festival. It's what unlocks rides, titles and the neighbourhood's block parties.
Needs: Fed, Rest, Dry and Fun. Let one run low and you earn less, so eat, sleep and stay out of the rain.

Your phone

Open Menu to find your phone. It has pages of apps. The ones people use most:

My place and Wallet: My place shows your home as a little room with everything you own, the window and the weather, and your garage. Wallet is your money, papers and messages in one place.
Gist, Hustles, Goals: Four street dramas a day at real places, daily and weekly goals that pay sparks, and a first-month checklist.
Friends: Ask someone to be a friend from their card at a place. You can chat in your own words, send a quick phrase, and swap finds one for one.
Album and Papers: Five small things to spot each day at real doors (37 in all), and your SIN, Compass card, library card and other papers, stamped as you settle in.
Companion and Holiday: Adopt a cat, a plant or a crow. Look in once a day: it's cosier when it rains. Holiday mode keeps your streak and your business safe for up to a week, once a month.
Places: A directory of every place in the six neighbourhoods and the real local partners, with a button to take you there.
Wardrobe: Clothes and hair you buy with credits and belonging.

Work, skills and careers

Each career has five levels. You move up by finishing shifts and growing the skill it uses: charm, craft, brains or grit. If you switch to a career that uses the same skill, you keep your rank. A shift is five short tasks with a little game in the middle. You can always send someone else at three quarters of the pay.

Real places

Some places in the game are real Vancouver places that are partners: The Annex (home of Sounds of the City), Hero's Welcome, Please! Tasting House and the Vancouver Black Library. They're labelled Partner. Partnering doesn't change what anything costs or pays, or which places show up. Hours change, so check with a real place before you go in real life.

Being kind

Everyone is 19+. Only your display name is shown to others.
Messages, notes and bios are checked automatically. No links, phone numbers or other apps.
In Safety you can hide yourself, choose who can greet you, block and report. If something isn't right, report it: a person reads reports.
If you're in danger, call 9-1-1. If you're struggling, call or text 9-8-8 any time, free, anywhere in Canada.

Questions

Where is my progress saved?: On this device, and on the city's servers if you save your game from the phone menu. Sign in on another device to pick up where you left off.
Is it free?: Yes. Property is bought with credits you earn, never with real money.
My phone is slow.: Open Settings and turn on Lite graphics or Data saver.
Something looks wrong.: Use Feedback in the phone menu. Tell us the phone, the browser and what you tapped.

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