Whether farming, cyberpunk or post-apocalypse. There are many other exciting life sims besides The Sims.
Video games are actually there to escape from everyday life. For once, not thinking about watering the flowers, shopping at the supermarket or other people. But what if we just slip into a different everyday life and virtually water flowers, go to the supermarket and make friends? This is where life simulations come in!
On the throne, of course, sits the Sims series – but around it rally some exciting games that bring their very own touch to virtual everyday life. Whether cyberpunk, post-apocalypse or sunny island, we”ve rounded up some of the best life sims for the PC for you.
Table of Contents
For graphics fans: AlterLife
(Release: tbd – Developer: VGG Studio – Platform: PC – (Go to Steam page)
When the first trailer for AlterLife saw the light of day, open mouths and great scepticism competed with each other. The Unreal Engine and ray tracing create realistic graphics that Sims players can only dream of – but at the same time there is also the question: Can this be any good?
After all, the life simulation comes from an as yet unknown studio and there is neither a release date nor details on gameplay or DLC policy – one of the most hotly debated topics in the genre. So let caution prevail – but the incredibly detailed character editor and first images of the build mode make AlterLife at least one of the most exciting upcoming candidates on Steam to keep an eye on.
For construction fans: Hometopia
(Release: tbd – Developer: This Isn”t Company – Platform: PC – (Go to Steam page)
There are, after all, two types of Sims players: one wants to experience adventures with their Sims and have a career, the other never actually leaves the building mode. (Editor”s note: The author denies that belonging to the second type clouds her objectivity). Hometopia aims to address precisely these tree-mode fanatics.
There will also be aspects of life simulation, but primarily you will renovate the houses of others in Hometopia and build your own dream house. Incidentally, there is also to be integration into the Metaverse. Whether that”s a point for or against … you can decide for yourselves.
For realism fans: Nobody
(Release: 2022 – Developer: U.Ground Game Studio – Platform: PC – Go to Steam page)
Nobody hasn”t been released yet, but it absolutely blew us away in its playable demo on Steam. Because in Nobody you play an absolute nobody on the streets of China who is trying to turn his life around.
Why this game rightly has over 100,000 Steam users on their wishlists is best read right here:
https://www.global-esports.news/general/i-played-the-most-wanted-life-sim-on-steam-and-never-wanted-to-stop/
For Sims fans: Paralives
(Release: tbd – Developer: Alex Masseé – Platform: PC – (Go to Steam page)
Our next tip is also not yet released, but is the hottest candidate for long-established Sims fans – who, despite all the love, also have a lot of criticism to spare for the mother of all life sims.
Because Paralives seems like the Sims dream come true: infinite design possibilities for characters and buildings that would make even The Sims 3 jealous.
We still don”t know whether the one-man project can really become the ultimate life simulation utopia it looks like in its numerous trailers. But genre fans should definitely put the game at the top of their watch list.
For cyberpunk fans: Nivalis
(Release: tbd – Developer: ION LANDS – Platform: PC – (Go to Steam page)
When Cyberpunk 2077 was announced, many fans were hoping for a life simulation in a gritty future setting – because it sure looked like it. A few years of development later, most of the life simulation elements were unfortunately removed from the open-world game. Nivalis could now fill the gap in our hearts.
In the upcoming game from the Cloudpunk makers, you open your own restaurants and nightclubs, furnish your flat(s), find friends and loves and lead an exciting life in the cyberpunk city of Nivalis. Since Cloudpunk has already turned out to be a really good genre game, we are very excited.
For post-apocalypse fans: No Place Like Home
(Release: Mar 17, 2022 – Developer: Chicken Launcher – Platform: PC – (Go to Steam page)
No Place Like Home lets you run your own farm – in the middle of the post-apocalypse. You guessed it, there”s more here than raising animals, tending fields and furnishing your home. In between, No Place Like Home becomes a little role-playing game as you fight scrap and rubbish, craft with it and explore the open world.
On Steam, the game has already collected a considerable following in Early Access, which rated the game overall as “very positive”. The final release was then scheduled for spring 2022.
For farming fans: Stardew Valley
(Release: 26. February 2016 – Developer: ConcernedApe – Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Mobile – Go to Steam page)
If you”ve never played Stardew Valley, then you probably have a very wrong idea of what to expect. At first glance, the farming simulation looks like a simple Harvest Moon clone – but there is so much more behind it.
A sophisticated economic simulation, a small role-playing game, complex relationships, a terrific co-op multiplayer, new content that has been free for years. Like new maps, new quest lines, new buildings, new end-game content and and and. In short: a great life simulation.
For Ghibli fans: Summer in Mara
(Release: 26. February 2016 – Developer: ConcernedApe – Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Mobile – (Go to Steam page)
You all know that very special charm of Studio Ghibli films. The chirping of cicadas, the feeling of summer sun on your skin and dreamy journeys across the water. Summer in Mara captures exactly this mood in game form and lets you live your own Ghibli film.
You own an entire sunny island, a small boat and a cottage to look after. You meet loveable characters, fish, farm and complete missions. Unlike many other life simulations, Summer in Mara also tells an ongoing story about the mystery of the island.
What are your favourite life simulations? Do you have any other insider tips up your sleeve? Let us know in the comments
