Summary
Since the incredible success ofThe Simsin the early 2000s, this game series has reigned over the entire genre of life simulation. Except for Nintendo’sAnimal Crossing,few studios have tried to challenge Maxis' best-selling series. In the last few years, small and small-ish studios have created plenty of spins on the genre while making sure not to challengeThe Simsdirectly.
But things are about to change. A handful of projects, including two from major, well-known studios, seem to be challenging EA’s life sim series on its own ground.ParalivesandinZOImake it plenty clear from their trailers to their feature list. Fans of the genre have played othergreat life simulation gamesbefore, but those two might be the first properSims-like titles. It remains to be seen whether they will manage to dethroneThe Simsas the king of the genre, but the fact they pose a challenge at all is already a victory.
Updated on Jul 13, 2025, by Mehrdad Khayyat:While there are more than enough action-packed games on the market, the meaningful gap for peaceful games focusing on the social life of humans has always been felt. Back in the day, there weren’t any big life simulations other than The Sims, Harvest Moon, and Animal Crossing, but the future is bright.
Although Paradox Interactive canceled its life simulation project, Life By You, there are still some promising games in the genre that are in active development, offering new, creative gameplay mechanics. Besides, some partially social MMOs are already playable while the development process continues.
Paralivesis an upcoming indie life sim game developed by quite a small team. Directly comparing this project to the upcomingThe Sims 5or previous titles in the series would likely reveal alack of contentin the former. But this comparison is hardly fair:Paralivesisn’t trying to compete head-to-head with its inspiration but instead boasts cartoony graphics, freeform house construction, and a bunch of quality-of-life improvements.
What will likely help the studio with the possible lack of content is mod support, which has already been confirmed to use Steam Workshop. Still, the base game ofParaliveswill come packaged with the genre’s usual features: character creation, mechanics to simulate career, friendship, and love, and some ways to automate the Parafolks' lives. And while not much is known about those upcoming titles' minimum requirements, Paralives will likely be one of the more lightweight options.
Witchbrooklooks a lot less likeThe Simsand a lot more like the old social MMOHabbo. That said, the game is developed by Chucklefish, a studio known for itscharming pixel art and designs, andWitchbrookseems to be shaping up to be just that. In what the studio calls a “social RPG,” players take the role of a new magical student in the witchy town of Witchbrook.
Witchbrookmight not look like a traditional life sim, but its influences are clear. Detailed simulation, friendship and love, even a career of sorts: all those things scream “The Sims.” If this will be a real challenger to EA’s classic life simulator series, time will tell. Still,The Simsfans might want to keep an eye on this small-scale game.
inZOIis a life sim from the studio behindPUBG, although the game is barely mentioned on the studio’s website.inZOIwas announced at G-STAR 2023, a large video game industry even in South Korea, but official information about the upcoming title seems to rarely leave the country. The result is that fans don’t know much about this highly anticipated, extremelypopularSimscompetitor.
What fans know about the game comes from its trailers, which make it look quite promising, and an interview with the game’s producer, Jkun. For one, it seems likeinZOIwill demand next-gen hardware if it is tolook as detailed as it doesin the trailers. It also seems like the game will have a curious metanarrative about being a god, or perhaps in the employment of a god, which might actually be a cat. It’s the players' job, then, to take care of the game’s citizens and make their lives interesting.
Project Rene
No Release Date Yet
Project Reneis the working title of the upcomingThe Simsiteration. The game is supposed to be a big step for the studio.According to the developers, the nameRenesignifies the rebirth of the series, and the game boosts some noticeable differences from the series' past. For one, furniture doesn’t seem to snap to predetermined points but can be freely placed wherever there is enough space.
Project Renewill also havecross-platform support. This could be a significant advantage, especially considering most of its competitors haven’t announced if they’re going multiplatform yet. The nextSimswill be free-to-play on both mobile and PC and will most likely feature optional paid content packs. This is the formula implemented byThe Sims 4since the base game became free in October 2022, but the series has always had plenty of DLCs and expansions ready to buy.
Special Mentions: Games That Should Have Life Sim Elements
While the games listed above are strictly focused on the social life of each character and put more emphasis on the relationships and interactions, there are other games that don’t go too far away with this romantic part of life but do suggest activities that make players feel like they are living a life.
Generally, we categorize these games under MMOs, but they do offer jobs, base building, deep character customization, and minimal social interaction with other players. So, it can satisfy one’s hunger to live in a virtual world to a certain degree.
Introducing itself as a social sandbox MMO,Pax Deicould become a medievalStar Citizenif it lives up to its potential. The game offers a world where thesupply chain of itemsand resources relies on players rather than AI-driven NPCs. And that comes with a wide variety of jobs for each player.
While the game is still in its early stages and there aren’t so many jobs available, players can explore the world, discover lore items, claim a piece of land and build their home, and join clans to grow not only as a single character but also as an in-game community, forming towns populated by real players rather than NPCs.
The world’s most expensive game ever is still in active development years after its official announcement, but there is still a lot to achieve. WhatStar Citizenoffers in its long-term premise isincomparable to anything elseeveryone has played so far.
Players will be able to claim land rights and build their very own base, buy ships and massive space vessels, own hangars and customize them, and opt-in for a wide variety of jobs from engineering to data running. Aside from these,Star Citizenwill also offer multiple star systems with distinct policies. Some star systems are organized, prohibiting crime and apprehending criminals, while some others, like Pyro, are lawless nomad lands, where threat lingers at every corner.
