Steam’s New 9/10 Life Sim Is The Sims 5 Alternative Gamers Need

The Sims fans will want to check out this new 9/10 Steam alternative that’s available to play right now.

Without question, The Sims series from Electronic Arts is one of the most popular video game properties of all time. Those who have been caught by the sim life hook rarely escape and end up needing just one more fix, whether it's via a content update or a meaty expansion.

The Sims series, as its name suggests, is a simulation game. Shocking, right? It made its debut on the PC in 2000, and other than being known as a fantastic game, it was also known for its ungodly amount of expansions it would release on a physical disc. This was long before the time of DLC, which we know of today. It might be fair to say that The Sims is probably the game that taught EA how to milk a franchise dry.

It’s Been a While Since We’ve Had a New Sims Game

As popular as The Sims continues to be, it’s been a while since we’ve had a new game in the series. The last game was The Sims 4 in 2014. Granted, that game has received a ton of content updates and paid DLC, but it's fair to say that fans are itching for The Sims 5.

The Sims 5 was officially announced in 2022, but it would be quite a few years until we’d get any updates. That was until we received this update on the next The Sims game in May this year.

That being said, we don’t know when the next game in The Sims series will grace us with its presence, but thankfully, we at least have this promising alternative right now. The alternative in question is called Paralives (which has no connection to getting drunk, I think), developed by Alex Massé and team.

When you watch the trailer for Paralives on its dedicated Steam store page, there’s no denying that The Sims is its obvious inspiration, and it looks fantastic. At the time of writing, Paralives is in the Steam Early Access phase.

“Hop on, we’re leaving, and your new life awaits! Paralives is a sandbox life simulation game with a great cast of Townies to meet, as well as a vibrant open-world town to explore and make your own. You will feel right at home, should you choose to embark,” reads the synopsis of the game. “Whether you focus on your career, finding love, building a family, or becoming the richest person in town, the story is yours to write in Paralives. But twists and forks in the road await. What will you leave behind?”

Paralives launched as an early access title on 25 May 2026, and at the time of writing, from over 11,500 user reviews, it’s rated “Very Positive”.

Some of the user reviews have reported bugs, but to be fair, it’s expected of an early access title that’s still in development. However, the positive comments far outweigh the negatives, on a rough 9/10 ratio.

“My wife bought me the game, and so far I have been loving it! Of course, I run into some bugs here and there, but they haven't gotten in the way of me having fun with the game!” wrote dih. “Clearly a game made with love and care by talented people who have lots of great plans for the game and have done a great job so far.”

There is no word whether or not Paralives will eventually release on consoles, so for now, it will remain a PC exclusive.

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