Whether farming, cyberpunk or post-apocalypse. There are many other exciting life simulations 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 simulations for the PC for you.
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For Sims fans: Paralives
Our first tip hasn’t been released yet, but it’s 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. Free new content. And numerous gameplay details that Sims players have been wishing for for years.
We still don’t know if 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
When Cyberpunk 2077 was announced, many fans were hoping for a life simulation in a gloomy 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 by 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
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 gathered a considerable following in Early Access, who rate the game overall as “Very Positive”. The final release, however, is scheduled for the end of the year 2021.
For Farming Fans: Stardew Valley
If you’ve never played Stardew Valley before, 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
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.
