Percolate: Business Tycoon Launches on Android With Five In-Game Years Free

Independent developer Francesco Ventura has launched Percolate: Business Tycoon on Android, introducing a single-player business-management simulator where players begin with a café in Lisbon before building a company spanning eight industries and ten cities.

Released on October 14 under Ventura’s fraplsr label, the game focuses on the decisions involved in running an expanding business. Players choose premises, set prices, hire staff, manage supplies and review weekly financial results before deciding where to invest next.

The opening café is only the starting point. Percolate supports cafés, bakeries, minimarkets, restaurants, hotels, gyms, electronics shops and clothing boutiques, with different management considerations for each industry.

Bakeries must decide what to produce while accounting for unsold goods going to waste. Electronics retailers deal with ageing products and replacement generations, while clothing boutiques manage seasonal collections, sizes and stock.

Hotels introduce room rates and bookings, while supermarkets require decisions about shelf space, checkout capacity and shoplifting security.

Expanding into another industry is not simply a matter of having enough money. New trades must first be unlocked through the Business School, where courses are purchased using company funds and completed over several in-game weeks.

The geographical expansion is equally important. Players can eventually operate across Lisbon, Krakow, Lyon, Rome, Madrid, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, London and New York.

Each city has different property rents, wages, prices and customer footfall. Opening a shop in a prestigious location therefore offers no guarantee of profitability.

One feature I particularly like is the ability to pause time while making management decisions. Percolate allows players to work through the city map and financial screens without rushing, while events requiring a decision automatically stop the clock until the player is ready to continue.

The simulation also extends beyond individual shops.

Players can establish warehouses, operate delivery fleets and appoint managers to oversee their businesses. Rival companies can lower prices, recruit away key employees or become takeover targets, while economic downturns, strikes and inspections create additional problems to manage.

As the company grows, players can also trade shares, take their business public, invest in start-ups and purchase a football club. Eventually, a founder can retire and provide a small starting advantage for a future career.

Percolate is free to download, although it is not an unrestricted free-to-play game.

Each career includes its first five in-game years, equivalent to 260 simulated weeks, at no cost. Once that period ends, time stops until the player purchases the full-game unlock.

Importantly, careers remain saved when the free period expires. Players can still inspect or export their progress rather than losing the company they have built.

In correspondence with GLN, Ventura confirmed that the full game is a one-time purchase, while optional cosmetic customisation and additional career slots are sold separately. There are no advertisements, subscriptions or paid in-game currencies.

Google Play is also running a launch promotion offering 50% off the full-game unlock until October 17. The purchase price is displayed in the player’s local currency through Google Play.

Ventura’s game already includes four difficulty levels and five scenarios, with additional businesses potentially arriving later. The in-game expansion menu currently identifies a bank, hairdresser, nightclub and prison, although none has a confirmed release date.

Percolate is available now through its Google Play listing, with support for English, Italian, German, Spanish, French and Russian.

The game can be played without creating a separate account. Players can try the opening five in-game years before deciding whether the full-company simulation is worth unlocking.