Austerity plunges you into the role of a leader managing a nation struggling under the weight of international debt. Your mission? Make critical decisions to balance the books and avert disaster. Get ready for complex dilemmas, such as deciding police funding, investing in private enterprise, cracking down on welfare cheats, or perhaps, borrowing even more money. But be warned: if your poor choices pile up and you can't escape debt, your political career will end, and you'll find yourself on the streets with everyone else!

The core of the game revolves around a bag containing colored cubes, which symbolize your nation's financial health. Each round, you draw two cubes, and this combination triggers a specific event, often requiring a decision from you. You can add more cubes to the bag by funding public institutions, taking on new loans, or raising taxes. This means you control where the nation's money is spent, but the effects of these expenditures on the country are determined more abstractly by the luck of the draw. It's a compact and challenging solo game where every choice matters, and risk management is crucial for your government's survival.