Running a Gas Station Undercover
Roadside Research puts you and up to three friends in the shoes of aliens running a roadside gas station. The daytime routine is ordinary shop work: restock shelves, order wares, refuel customers, cook food, and exchange goods for cash. Every customer expects a normal, well-run station, so the group has to keep the place clean and the shelves stocked while people pass through. The simulation side is hands-on rather than menu-driven, with cleaning, cooking, and inventory management as part of the daily loop.
The Second Job Nobody Suspects
Alongside the shop work, the crew is gathering data on humans. Scanning, stealing, and testing methods on customers all feed the alien mission, but every suspicious act pushes the "suspicion meter" higher. Let it climb too far and government officials show up, and getting caught turns you into goo. This is the core tension of the game: the more covert research you squeeze into a shift, the better the alien side progresses, and the greater the risk of blowing your cover. Planning who handles the shop and who handles the covert work keeps a group coordinated.
Planning, Upgrades, and Disguises
When the station closes, the pace shifts to planning the next day. Two upgrade paths run in parallel: improving the gas station itself to attract more customers, and improving alien tech to process data more efficiently. The station can be upgraded inside and out during closing hours. Character customization includes drawing a human expression onto your disguise to help blend in. The game is in Early Access with a 2026 roadmap, so content and systems are still being developed.