Alexia Unplugged

The Sims 4 has been hard carrying EA for almost 10 years now with no real competitors. It seems, however, that 2024 will bring a few emerging champions in the life simulator scene. Life sims have long provided a healthy outlet for story building and escapism that cozy gamers can’t seem to get enough of. Here are a few games like The Sims 4 to look out for next year (and a couple extras).

Life by You

Life by You is set to hit Early Access on June 4, 2024, so you don’t even have to wait too long to try it out. Its publisher, Paradox Interactive, is to thank for strategy games like City Skylines and Stellaris, so I have high hopes for this game. It looks similar to The Sims 4, but with some key improvements.

You can choose to control any character in the Life by You world, and they even have real conversations that you can read. Each character is customizable with a specific profile background, such as “artistic family” or “criminal background,” which sows seeds for more character-driven stories. Notably, you don’t have to buy an expensive expansion to see your human go to work, and you can even drive them around in third person!

As far as life sims go, Life by You seems like it has the potential to be really good. Hopefully it can meet expectations! It’s set to release on Steam on March 5, 2024. Don’t forget to put it on your Steam Wishlist!

Little Sim World

Enter the big, beautiful city of London, where you can live out your dreams. Little Sim World is a passion project by indie game studio Blue Gravity Studios. They’ve packed all of The Sims fans’ favorite game mechanics into this adorable game, including relationship building, customization, and identity and personality traits. Little Sim World seems like the perfect escapism game, where you can lead the life you’ve always wished for.

Blue Gravity Studios plans to release Little Sim World in the third quarter of 2024, so definitely keep a close watch on this one. I know I will!

Vivaland

How many times have you wished you could share the joy of your Sims growing up with your friends? Vivaland seeks to provide a much needed change of pace for fans of The Sims 4 with their controllable characters called Vivas. In fact, one of their promotional videos shows the age-old way of killing your Sims: leaving them to drown in the swimming pool by snatching away their means of escape (the ladder). “Tired of the same old story?” the video asks.

Vivaland’s publisher, HypeTrain Digital, has released some well-received games in the last few years. I have a feeling that I’m going to enjoy getting up to shenanigans with my friends. Vivaland is planned for sometime in 2024. Don’t forget to add it to your Steam Wishlist!

Paralives

If you’re a fan of The Sims, you might have heard of Paralives. Paralives Studio’s developers are working hard to create a game that lets its players live satisfying “parallel lives” in an in-depth open world. They’re still in early development with plans to release in 2025, but the art style is a refreshing change from the smooth look of many life sims, and they actively listen to feedback from their growing fanbase.

You can Wishlist Paralives on Steam here and follow them on Twitter and Patreon to be notified of new developments.

InZOI (release date TBD)

I think this game will probably blow up my computer. But that’s okay! Developed by Korean studio Krafton, InZOI is a hyper realistic life simulator that aims to be “a unique experience that blurs the line between reality and imagination.” The game looks beautiful, with ultra high resolution graphics and breathtaking lighting.

Aside from the graphics, InZOI is highly anticipated because of how detailed the mechanics look, such as the character going to work and interactions with NPCs. If Krafton can pull of the next big immersive life sim, I’d probably even buy a whole new PC to experience the full escapist experience!

InZOI is not yet available to Wishlist, but you can check out Krafton’s website here. (Also, side note, InZOI is spelled “인조이” in Korean, which is pronounced injoy, or enjoy. I just thought that was a cute detail).

Are you interested in any of these games? Which new mechanic or detail are you most excited for? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!