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Media Circus

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Media Circus screenshot 1
Media Circus - Teaser Trailer trailerWatch trailer on Steam ↗

Media Circus

Papercoda Games · Published by Papercoda Games · Official site ↗

Last updated 28 Sept 2026

Launch your own newspaper and manipulate a funny animal world! Direct reporters, investigate leads, blow up stories for impact and throw in ads for profit. How far will you go to keep your paper in print, and yourself out of trouble?

Free to PlayComing SoonDJCTQ 102 DLC available ↗

Free

View on Steam

Prices can lag the live Steam store — always confirm before buying.

Indie, Simulation, Strategy · More free games

Direct your animal reporters and craft explosive stories for profit in Media Circus. Navigate the challenges of keeping your paper relevant and avoid personal trouble as you balance news and ads.

About this game

Editing your Newspaper is a delicate balancing act

You have limited space on your newspaper. What will you print, what will you bury? 

Increase the size of news articles to attract more readers and sway their beliefs. Increase the size of Ads to make more money. Too much advertising will drive away readers and tank sales. Divvying up your limited space will prove a delicate balancing act.

Nurture your Reporters - Assign Leads, Grow Skills, Spin Stories

Assign your Reporters to interesting leads on your City Map that match their skills and leanings.

Interact with them via Dialogue Events to guide their stances on key stories. You can spin the stories to sway your readers' beliefs.

Level up your Reporters with different skills as they gain experience with printed articles.

Grow your Business and Influence - Don't go bankrupt!

Your paper is a business, so keep an eye on your profit margins. You need Sales and Ads to make more money.

Any space spent on Ads will lose readers and lower your sales. Plan carefully to attract enough readers without losing Ad Revenue.

Will you keep different businesses and factions happy to keep their valuable Ads coming or will you risk antagonizing them with negative coverage and see your Ad supply dry up? 

You must climb those Sales Charts and grow your Influence before you can call the shots and keep those factions in line! 

Become the OG Influencer and Manipulate a Funny Animal World

Welcome to Codavia, where every creature has an agenda, and your pen is a loaded weapon. Your choices shape the city, its elections, its stories, and your inbox full of threats, bribes, and lawsuits. 

Will you cater to your readers' current beliefs to increase sales, or will you take a hit now to play the long game, and gradually sway their beliefs with your coverage? Everything you print will change your world and the stories you find in this unique narrative sandbox.

What kind of newspaper will you create, and how will you change your world?

Control the Story to Control the World

Truth is complicated, and easily manipulated. The stories you tell and how you choose to tell them will determine the truth of your world and the fates of its creatures.

Will you chase profits to become a Tabloid King, master manipulation to become a Propaganda Queen, walk the difficult and narrow path befitting the Fourth Estate of a Democracy, or just survive long enough to become another voice in the Media Circus?

With these 4 different victory types, 5 early game overs and 30+ different endings, each playthrough lets you uncover your own unique truth.

System Requirements

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Minimum

Minimum:
  • OS: Windows 10 and above
  • Processor: 1.7 GHz Dual Core
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4600
  • Storage: 1000 MB available space
  • Additional Notes: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system

Recommended

Recommended:
  • Additional Notes: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system

Supported Languages

English*
*languages with full audio support

Latest news

  • AnnouncementsOfficial

    We'll be at Gamescom 2026!

    BREAKING NEWS: MEDIA CIRCUS RETURNS TO GAMESCOM!For our very first announcement on our updated Steam Page (check out our latest teaser trailer and screenshots!) we're thrilled to share that we'll be back at Gamescom this year with our brand new demo! We've been hard at work after collecting extensive feedback on our early prototype showcased last year at multiple game fests - upgrading the gameplay, content and visual polish - and early feedback collected this year at multiple in-person indie game fests suggests players like what we've done so far! We're now eager to share Media Circus with a larger audience, and ahead of our public demo release we'll be conducting a Steam Playtest (to be announced soon!) and will be showcasing the game at the Indie Arena Booth (Hall 10.2) at Gamescom 2026 in Cologne this month!So drop by if you're there, say hi to us devs, share your thoughts in person and grab some cool stickers + maybe even a Press Card with your name on it :)We're looking forward to seeing some of you at the fest! And for those who can't make it, no worries, we'll be announcing the Steam Playtest and Public Demo release dates very soon and can't wait to see you play!You can also join our discord or follow our socials to reach out to us directly and catch some behind-the-scenes updates: Linktree with all our socialsLots of love,(Your fav animal newsroom)The team at Papercoda Games
    Read full article on Community Announcements (Papercoda Games)

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