Research Story

Research Story

Petal Cat Games · July 21, 2025 · Farming Sim, Life Sim, Simulation, Agriculture, RPG

Buy Research Story from Steam at $11.24 — the cheapest of 4 stores we compare.

PC
Very Positive95% · 3443playing now
Best price 43 Good deal
$11.24-25%
$14.99lowest tracked $11.19
Steam Buy at Steam

Prices last checked

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Where to buy Research Story — official stores

Steam
Steam
Standard Edition · Steam
-25%
$11.24
$14.99
Buy
Fanatical
Standard Edition · Steam
$13.99
Buy
GreenManGaming
Standard Edition · Steam
$14.99
Buy

Cheapest Research Story keys — keyshops

Keyshops are third-party marketplaces — keys are resold and can be region-locked or a different edition. Check the listing's region & edition before buying.

Eneba
Standard Edition · Steam
$13.35
Buy

Some store links are affiliate links — playze may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes the price you pay, and the cheapest confirmed price is always shown in the Best price box above.

Research Story price by region

Research Story costs $8.49 in Georgia (USD), £9.74 in the United Kingdom, €10.87 in Europe (EUR), $11.24 in the United States, CA$14.62 in Canada, A$16.12 in Australia, NZ$16.49 in New Zealand, R$35.24 in Brazil and zł50.99 in Poland right now.

Cheapest Research Story offer in each region, in local currency
RegionBest priceOfficial storeKey shopStores
Georgia (USD) $8.49 $8.49 $13.35 3
United Kingdom £9.74 −25% £9.74 — 3
Europe (EUR) €10.87 −25% €10.87 €11.90 4
United Statesyour region $11.24 −25% $11.24 $13.35 4
Canada CA$14.62 −25% CA$14.62 — 3
Australia A$16.12 −25% A$16.12 — 3
New Zealand NZ$16.49 −25% NZ$16.49 — 2
Brazil R$35.24 −25% R$35.24 — 2
Poland zł50.99 −25% zł50.99 — 2

Each row is a real price from that region's own stores, not a currency conversion, so the figures are not directly comparable. Switch regions in the header to shop the one you buy in.

Screenshots

About Research Story

The Violet Archive needs your help! 

Sightings of exotic plants and creatures near the town of Shimmerbrook have attracted a wave of new settlers. The Violet Archive was set up to record the development in the region, and is looking for researchers to aid its cause!

 A game about research and discovery

  • Discover and record 90+ plants, creatures, and fish at various locations around Shimmerbrook, and contribute your findings to the Archive.

 Forage for seeds, grow crops with different growth conditions

  • Observe wild plants and grow them as crops based on their requirements!

 Tame and raise 30 unique creatures! 

  • Tame creatures as part of research! Observe wild creatures, learn their diet, and tame them with their favourite food!
  • Raise creatures, meet their needs, and unlock their perks! Each creature has a unique ability: Chickens find you seeds, Sproutkittens grow seeds into sprouts instantly!
  • Collect Shimmers! These rare coloured variants give double the Produce!
                                            

 Fishing - some common fish, but also unique fish requiring research!

  • Find Fish Parts and use different bait to hook various fish!

 Dive deep into the Mines! 

  • Mine ores and gems in the Mines.
  • Certain plants and creatures can be found only in the Mines!

Explore the puzzle caves to uncover the mystery behind Shimmerbrook

  • Complete puzzles to obtain Artifacts! Each puzzle you solve brings you one step closer to learning the truth behind the proliferation of flora and fauna in Shimmerbrook.

 Cook, craft, build, and more!

  • Cook meals to gain buffs!
  • Craft and automate with sprinklers, auto-feeders, and more!

 Meet the townsfolk!

  • Befriend townsfolk! From a druid whose family has lived for generations in the mountains, to a featherfolk whose first job is in this new town - many characters await in Shimmerbrook!
  • Schedule Hangout Events with them to learn more about their stories!
  • Romance any of the 10 romanceables and marry your favourite!

Research Story — game info

Platforms
Windows
Steam Deck
Verified
Player modes
Single-player
Controller
Full controller support
PC Game Pass
Not included

What Steam players say

Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.

✦ AI summary

Players appreciate the game's cute aesthetic and relaxing farming-focused gameplay with unlocking and leveling mechanics, but widely criticize its excessive padding through forced grinding and lengthy seasons that make progression feel unnecessarily slow. The core loop of research, farming, and community interaction appeals to many, though the artificial time gates and restrictive mechanics in the first year frustrate those seeking meaningful advancement.

Recommended Jul 27, 2026
Been playing this before, but recently returned and started over. Currently nearing the end of my first summer and I fell in love with it again! There's some stuff that's harder to manage for me - I find creating fertilizer tedious and switching between animal feed bowl recipes is a nuisance - but in general if this game is being approached in a more chill mindset, you'll have a way better time with it than trying to min-max, I think. The pixel art might look less detailed than some competitors', but it is detailed and adorable where it counts imo. Don't let this put you off giving it a try! The price: I think the price tag is reasonable for the content given. I'm not even halfway through but I've been really having a great time and my days are usually busy all throughout. I've only now started to really interact much with the NPCs, too and there's hangout story events to explore as well, which tell you more about the character and feel more interactive than the usual cutscenes. So I'd say the price is justified. Art: I do love the art in this game. At the very first encounter with an NPC I was surprised by the art they chose for them, by now they really grew on me - and…
2 found this helpful
Recommended Sep 7, 2026
I am absolutely loving this game!! It adds the perfect amount of challenge and coziness! I just love the unique mechanics of research and requirements for different crops and animals. Truly I feel like this game is so much more balanced than some other cozy games in the same genre where you can break the economy pretty early on. Instead this game really feels immersive and like there is a good pay off for different items without having something so OP that it ruins the advancements. It has been a challenge taking care of my animals everyday and I say that as a compliment to this game. I find myself feeling a lot more immersed and strategizing the best way to take care of them. Initially I saw this game and the art style was out of my comfort zone but as I’ve played it, it has become one of my favorite parts of the game. The in depth mechanics of taking care of animals and farming coupled with the cute simplistic art style makes this game so nicely balanced and not overstimulating. I love it! It’s like goldilocks and I am so glad that I purchased this game. Thank you to everyone who poured so much love and effort into every detail. ❤️
1 found this helpful
Recommended Aug 22, 2026
This game has so much content. And all of it is quite good. Despite the smaller map it has so much variety and so much to do. Alternating researching animals, plants and fish, the plants requiring more time, the animals needing to explore and look for them or their behaviours, the fish requiring certain bait. It's such a fun game. The world feels lived in, with the NPCs completing their own research and various NPCs moving in and having their own lives and routines
1 found this helpful
Recommended Sep 19, 2026
I had fun filling out the research books!
Recommended Aug 26, 2026
So far I am liking this game. It took a little while to get used to the mechanics and figure out what all I am supposed to do. There are still a few things I am figuring out for what I need to do to further the story line and complete a few quests but I do like this game.
Recommended Aug 20, 2026
Awesome game, great for fans of stardew valley and similar games.

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