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For 26 years, the living sims genre has been dominated by one series: The Sims. Originally created by Will Wright, creator of Sim City, EA Toys has grown into a $5bn (£3.8bn) empire with the release of new games, expansion packs, and collaborations cementing its place among the best-selling video games of all time. But things have started to change. New rivals are coming and turning the heads of loyal players in the Sims community.
The most recent, and most promising, of these are Paralivesonce the solo project of indie designer Alex Massé, who now employs a small team of developers. Released on the PC gaming platform Steam in May 2026 as an early access title (meaning it was not technically finished and focused on user feedback), it sold 250,000 copies in just eight hours. On the first day, concurrent users hit 78,603 – not far from The Sims 4’s all-time peak of 96,328 in 2022. Although Paralives is a small project, this success is understandable. Following news of EA’s acquisition by a Saudi-backed business consortium, some simmers are looking for what they see as a better alternative. But this is only part of the fun of this game. The real draw is the game’s focus on creating realistic objects: the details that made so many fans fall in love with The Sims in the first place.
What are Paralives?
Paralives is a life-simulation game in which you control the puppet-world, controlling the lives and homes of your simulated people, called Parafolk, just like you do in The Sims or your new friend Inzoi. Players can create and customize their characters, change their hair, skin texture, height, body shape and more (without gender restrictions), as well as add realistic features such as cellulite, wrinkles, birthmarks and medical devices, such as hearing aids.
Even at the initial access, there is a welcome representation of the representation and the integration of the body – especially compared to the Inzoi, which was criticized for its cause. lack of color. On the other hand, although EA has changed the appearance of The Sims’ customization options, this push has come in the last few years and there are items that are requested, such as the hijab (present in Paralives), which depends on creative mods.
With your home made, you can move your Parafolk indoors. Paralive’s construction and decoration materials are impressive, not least because of the variety of constructions, materials and detailed accessories, such as cushions, coffee cups and house plants. In fact, it’s the visuals that stand out here – and highlight the limits of competitors. While the Sims house restricts where things can be placed, Paralives lets you place things almost anywhere, giving you control over their height, width and height. So, if you have curtains that won’t fit your window, you can extend them until they do. There is also a focus on personalization, with items with words, such as tombstones and door handles, customized to your liking, picture frames in which you can put your photos and a section of “medical” decorations that include a wheelchair, a sign language book and hygiene items.
However, what may irritate some about Paralives is its ability with animation, which has been controversial. Instead of adopting a hyper-realistic approach You takes place, Paralives features vividly shaded, comic book animations reminiscent of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. This may not be to everyone’s taste, but it does contribute to the fun gameplay of the game. Paralives is full of little quirks that make it feel more like The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 than it does today. From how your character likes bread or how to cook an egg, to the hidden corners of the town hall, and random meteor showers, Paralives isn’t afraid to take on the absurd. In comparison, Inzoi can feel sterile at times and the Sims series has gradually reduced these oddities with each release – remember when you could enjoy Drew Carey?
Is Paralives a replacement for The Sims?
The initial release of Paralives couldn’t have come at a better time for sim fans. In 2025, EA announced that it had agreed to a $55bn purchase agreement with the private equity firm Silver Lake, the investment firm Affinity Partners (led by Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner) and PIF of Saudi Arabia (controlled by Saudi Arabia’s prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as Jassagist).
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The news is understood to have upset the Sims community – which is known for its LGBTQ+ inclusion – with some players rejecting Saudi Arabia’s ban on human rights and fearing how the takeover could affect the game’s content. This is compounded by the growing frustration of some in the community that the latest expansion packs (which cost around £35 each) have fallen short on content.
In contrast, Paralives is from an independent studio, whose development is heavily influenced by community feedback and not influenced by the industry. Paralives started in 2019 as a solo project by Montreal producer Massé, with development supported by the crowdfunding platform Patreon, where the producer (in 2020) receives around $40,000 per month from around 9,000 Patreons. The team, now known as Paralives Studio, has now grown to around 15 people and the game is priced at £33.50, with additional downloads to be released via free updates. According to the developer’s roadmap, this includes climate change, pets you can change, gardening and more – all available in The Sims 4, through paid expansion packs.
While Paralives may be rough in places, its community-driven focus harkens back to a time when The Sims felt like it belonged to gamers. Life sim fans who miss the nonsense of The Sims 2, should consider logging in.
