After 20 Years of Playing The Sims, This New Game Is At The Top of My Christmas Wish List

My earliest gaming memories include some of the most iconic gaming franchises. From rescuing the princess in a Super Mario game to racing through Green Hill Zone with Sonic the Hedgehog, I was fortunate to experience many classics early on. But when I booted up my very first The Sims game at seven years old, I was hooked for life.

The franchise has sent me on a fair number of adventures. Mainline entries, MySims, Pets, and Medieval—all have provided the comfort of The Sims’ familiar plumbob. For twenty years, there was no other series that scratched that particular itch: the freedom to live out the most unhinged lives, from being a fame-hungry vampire to a serial romancer with a suspicious number of swimming pools. For the longest time, that life-sim hole in my heart belonged entirely to The Sims.

But a lot can happen in twenty years. Franchises evolve, genres expand, and even the most loyal players start wondering what else is out there. Lately, I’ve found my eyes wandering. There’s a new life-sim on the horizon that’s been quietly building something special. And this December, I’ll finally get to see if Paralives can pull off what no other game has managed to do in two decades: make me cheat on The Sims.

Paralives Goes Head-to-Head with The Sims

The life-simulation genre has experienced explosive growth. From major games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons to underdogs like Stardew Valley that have reshaped the genre, it has been a decade packed with remarkable titles. However, these games are considered life-sims because they immerse players in a slowed-down version of life, while offering limited options for shaping that experience. The Sims has stood mainly unchallenged.

Competition for The Sims’ throne isn’t just brewing anymore: it’s here, and it’s hungry. InZOI’s March release was a promising warm-up, and Life by You fell before reaching the finish line. But Paralives looks like the game that could actually end this dynasty if it sticks its landing.

Paralives May Deliver on Things Sims Fans Have Wanted for Decades

Twenty years is a significant time, yet I consider myself just a gamer attending a party that had already been going on for a decade. Some gamers have played this game for almost as long as I’ve been alive, and the demands for better gameplay options have persisted for nearly thirty years of their tenure. Many of these requests, such as gridless buildings and multi-functional lots, still resonate today. This list doesn’t even cover everything lost in The Sims 4, like the color wheel and lore. However, Paralives emerges as a promising alternative for fans who have felt ignored.

• Free DLC and Updates: The Sims 4 might be free to play right now, but its financial barrier to entry has always been a burden. To purchase all Expansion Packs and other pieces of DLC, a player would have to invest over four figures in the game. Paralives’ base game will be $39.99 USD during its Early Access period, but the Paralives team has promised free DLC content and updates.
• Gridless Construction: The Sims 4‘s Build Mode has often been the refuge of builders, but Paralives’ alternative will attract any Simmer. Paralives offers tools that enable grid-free construction, curved walls, resizable objects, split-level floors, custom stairs, and complete color and texture customization.
• Open World Exploration: The Sims 4 removed the franchise’s open-world experience, which shocked many fans. Paralives boasts this feature in a town that is both vivid and cozy.

Paralives Is A Life-Sim Inspired By Sims Fans, For Sims Fans

When developer Alex Masse announced Paralives to the world in 2019, I was intrigued. It had a lot of promise: a game with modular furniture systems, incredible flexibility, and a gameplay that felt both familiar and new. What was once a small project is now a full-fledged release that should have the entire cozy fandom on the edge of their seat. Because being a potential game like The Sims is no small feat.

What has been most remarkable and exciting about this development cycle is the fact that it has felt like a love letter between developers and fans. Early supporters flocked to Discord and Patreon, shaping the game’s identity slowly but surely. Six years later, those supporters are about to see the product of their enthusiasm.

A Work in Progress

Paralives enters Early Access on December 8, and while it’s perfectly in time for a Christmas present for any enthusiastic life-simmer, this title will evolve over time. Luckily, Paralives Studios has offered some clarity on what to expect. Here are some of the features to look out for at launch and during development:

Paralives Is The Perfect Game for Sims Fans

Maybe it’s nostalgia, maybe it’s timing. But Paralives feels like the kind of gift that longtime Sims players would get emotional over. It’s not just about decorating houses or micromanaging virtual lives, but about that quiet joy of creation; the sense of ownership and possibility that first hooked us all those years ago.

As The Sims turns twenty-five and Paralives makes its long-awaited debut, it feels like the torch is being passed in real time. There’s a quiet comfort in knowing that the genre I grew up with is still evolving, still finding ways to surprise me. If The Sims taught me how to dream, maybe Paralives will remind me how to start fresh. And honestly, I can’t think of a better Christmas gift than that. I’m not just unwrapping a new game when I purchase this game. I’m unwrapping twenty years of memories and the hope that there’s still more to create.

The Sims 4

7/10

Released

September 2, 2014

ESRB

T for Teen: Crude Humor, Sexual Themes, Violence

Publisher(s)

Electronic Arts