The Boba Teashop is a deceptively simple game where drink preparation and customer service take center stage—until they don’t. As Risa, you start your first day at your own bubble tea shop, ready to embrace a quieter life. But with each shift, it becomes clear something about the shop—and its customers—isn’t quite right. This game blends simulation mechanics with creeping horror to create an experience that’s both satisfying and unsettling.
The gameplay in The Boba Teashop is rooted in repetition and accuracy. You begin each day by fulfilling a series of customer orders, with each request involving a specific combination of ingredients and steps. As you progress, orders become more complicated and customers less predictable. Here’s how a typical drink order unfolds:
• Pick the correct tea base—black, green, or milk tea.
• Add the requested syrup and choose the appropriate toppings like pearls or jelly.
• Seal the cup and deliver it before the timer runs out.
There’s no pause. You must juggle speed and accuracy under time constraints. Early shifts are forgiving, but later ones demand efficiency and awareness. A perfect run is achievable, but every mistake increases tension—not only from customers but from… the atmosphere.
Though The Boba Teashop presents itself as a cozy café simulator, the ambiance tells a different story. The game uses a distorted, VHS-style aesthetic that adds a layer of grain and imperfection to everything you see. It’s more than just visual flair—it’s foreshadowing.
• Posters on the wall change slightly when you’re not looking.
• Sounds distort. Lights flicker. The music skips for a moment too long.
• Some customers don’t move. Others stare directly at you even after leaving.
These moments are never announced. They just happen—quietly and without explanation. What begins as a charming routine gradually dissolves into something more surreal and disconcerting. The more you serve, the more the shop seems to resist you.
The Boba Teashop is structured for replay. While the full game can be completed in around 30 minutes, multiple endings and unlockables make returning worthwhile. Performance is tracked across shifts and leads to both mechanical and narrative progression:
• Serve customers flawlessly to unlock new ingredients and drink styles.
• Trigger hidden events by interacting with specific objects or responding to unusual behavior.
• Earn achievements through secret actions or alternate endings.
Whether you’re after the full drink menu or seeking to understand what’s really happening inside the teashop, every run offers a new perspective. Not all events appear in every shift, and some narrative threads only emerge through persistent exploration.
• Is The Boba Teashop difficult? The mechanics are accessible, but mastering every order under pressure—while paying attention to strange visual and audio cues—adds a layer of challenge.
• Is this a horror game? Yes, but subtly. It’s a psychological experience built on atmosphere, not traditional scares.
• Does the game have multiple endings? Yes. The ending depends on your performance, choices, and the secrets you uncover throughout shifts.
• Can I unlock everything in one playthrough? No. You’ll need to replay and experiment to see all of the game’s content and hidden scenes.
The Boba Teashop is a masterclass in tension through routine. Its detailed café simulation mechanics provide a satisfying gameplay loop, while its slow descent into horror creates a memorable and unsettling experience. Behind each cup of milk tea lies something deeper—a lingering sense that your shop may not be entirely yours to control.