- Thrifty Business is the latest cosy shop simulator coming to mobile
- Run your own 90s inspired thrift store, decorating and stocking it as you see fit
- Meet a cast of quirky characters and live out your small business fantasies
We’ve had farms, we’ve had supermarkets, and now the latest cosy simulator to arrive on mobile puts you in the role of a charity shop owner! Sorry, thrift shop owner, as there’s a difference, believe it or not. But in Thrifty Business the objective is the same as it always is: make money and keep your customers happy.
Coming to iOS and Android on November 10th, retailing for $7.99 from Spellgarden Games, Thrifty Business is a 90s-inspired management sim that sees you bringing pre-loved items to the masses. With your own pastel-coated thrift shop, you’ll lay out your displays and discover new and unusual items to pass on to your customers.
I’m gonna’ pop some tags-
Naturally, given this is a throwback management sim, you’ll also have some nice, crunchy pixel art to sink your teeth into. Just don’t expect stressful bookkeeping, as Thrifty Business is more about the joy of running your own store.
Which is saying something, considering even Discounty, another recently released management sim, had an undercurrent of a more serious storyline about balancing your relationship with the local populace and the success of your store. Thrifty Business ditches even that, in favour of a more soothing atmosphere.
That might be enough to put off the more seasoned veterans of the genre. But with things being the way they are in our modern world, I think that there’ll be many of you who wouldn’t mind dipping into Thrifty Business and its more calm, laid-back take on the genre.
If you do like your games laid-back and cosy, but with just a tad bit of meat on their bones, then we’ve got you covered! Check out our list of the best mobile games like Stardew Valley for some of our favourite picks in the genre you can play right now!
Iwan is a Cardiff-based freelance writer, who joined the Pocket Gamer Biz site fresh-faced from University before moving to the Pocketgamer.com editorial team in November of 2023.
