A new video game about President Donald Trump’s war in Iran features fights with the pope and New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani. It’s impossible to win, and that’s the point.
The game, Operation Epic Furious: Strait to Hell, was developed by Secret Handshake, an anonymous group of artists behind a handful of satirical works mocking the Trump administration. The group previously installed a gold statue of Trump and Jeffrey Epstein on the National Mall; it portrayed Trump holding onto Epstein in a pose reminiscent of Jack and Rose from the movie Titanic.
The game is available to play online, but three fully functional arcade cabinets are currently installed at the Washington, DC, War Memorial and will remain there for the next few days, Secret Handshake said in a press release on Monday. Near the installation, a plaque reads: “The Trump administration knows that the best way to sell combat is by making it a video game, that’s why they’ve been pumping out the ‘sickest’ Iran War video game hype reels. But why stop at clips when you could go full throttle? Introducing Operation Epic Furious: Strait to Hell, a high-octane, flag-waving, boots-on-the-ground simulator where freedom isn’t debated, it’s deployed. No briefings, no hesitation; just pure pixelated patriotism. Strap in and play hard, because this game may never end.”
In the game, which is visually reminiscent of classic role-playing games like Chrono Trigger, Trump is the playable character, who is on a quest to collect barrels of oil and ideas for Truth Social posts with the goal of reopening the Strait of Hormuz and winning the war. The game features appearances from current and former Trump administration officials like FBI director Kash Patel, secretary of state Marco Rubio, vice president JD Vance, and Elon Musk. These officials aid Trump, who builds strength through combat with enemies like the “Iranian schoolgirl” and “DEIyatollah,” during which he can perform special moves like “Mar-a-Lazer.” Throughout the game, Trump’s social media posts do little to move the needle, creating an endless cycle of tasks and threats that ultimately lead nowhere.
Even if the game is unwinnable, players can lose, and do so abruptly. The game opens up in the White House, where Trump can speak with his wife, Melania. “I WAS NEVER ON THE EPSTEIN JET,” she announces with no provocation, before asking, “Did you burn the files yet?” The sequence is seemingly poking fun at a surprise press conference the first lady gave addressing the Epstein Files last month. The player, as Trump, can tell her that they are in the process of burning the files—something they can, in fact, do—or ask if they can hold hands. If the player selects the second option, the game ends.
