Players engage in tense deals, double-crosses, and the occasional high-speed car chase in an effort to earn cash and buy new gear, cars, and fancy suits for their corporation.

Sub Rosa initially launched as a hidden app on Steam in March 2017, accessible only through a direct link, with the goal of keeping the playerbase small and manageable during early development.

Developer CrypticSea has improved and iterated on the game through the past four years as the community grew to over 50,000 players through word of mouth and the occasional appearance on YouTube or Twitch.

Employees can shift between a persistent World Mode, a workweek in Round Mode, and the deception-filled Eliminator Mode.

• World Mode: Multiple corporations vie for money and power by taking control of different colored disks through clean trades or bloody acquisitions. Both cash and disks are immensely valuable and allow players to purchase guns, cars, equipment, and clothing that may contribute to their company’s success. Smooth transactions and smart business practices with others can eventually lead to riches while a quick trigger and a steady aim can get you there faster as long as you're the one still standing.
• Round Mode: Similar to World Mode, each corporation is pitted against one another in a round-based variant of World Mode that goes through a five day work week and the cumulative money of a corporation over those days determines its standing at the end of the round week.
• Eliminator Mode: One player is secretly assigned as the Eliminator and is tasked with killing the player assigned as the Savior. While the Savior does not initially know their role, another player that is assigned the role of the Protector is given this knowledge and the ability to periodically track the Savior which allows them to meet up and communicate the Saviors' importance to them. All remaining players (and the Savior) will see themselves as assigned the role of Civilians and must work together to either avoid the Eliminator for the duration of the round or take down the Eliminator with a grenade.

“Sub Rosa is the embodiment of how Devolver Digital handles business - lots of confusing phone calls, reckless driving, and an exchange of money at gunpoint,” noted Devolver Digital CMO Fork Parker.

Sub Rosa is currently in an extended and indefinite Early Access period and players are encouraged not to purchase Sub Rosa without watching gameplay or doing a modest amount of research into the game.