Games like The Sims

You don’t want to quit The Sims. You want the feeling it gave you the first time. The Sim you made at midnight. The neighbor who showed up uninvited. The evening that went sideways and turned into a story you told a friend.

Somewhere along the way it got harder to find. Maybe it’s the packs. Maybe you’ve built every house you wanted to build. Maybe you’re on your phone more than your PC now. Whatever it is, the question is the same one people ask on Reddit every week: what else feels like this?

There isn’t one answer, because The Sims is three games in one box. It’s a build game, a people game, and a cozy routine. The right next game depends on which of the three you miss. Find yours below.

One note first: you’re on the LifeSim blog, so we’re in this list. We put ourselves where we fit, and we tell you when another game is the better pick.

Two games are the closest: Paralives and inZOI. Both let you make people, build them a home, and watch them live. If you want The Sims with a new coat of paint, start here.

Paralives: for the builder in you

Paralives entered early access on Steam on May 25, 2026, for Windows and Mac. It sold a million copies in its first month. The build mode is the draw. There’s no grid, walls can curve, and furniture resizes. You pay once. The studio says there will never be paid DLC, which is a sentence Sims players read twice.

It’s early access, and the studio plans about two years of it before 1.0. Expect gaps. But if the build was always your favorite part, this is the one.

inZOI: for the realist

inZOI, from Krafton, entered early access on Steam in March 2025, and a Mac version followed that August. It looks like a film. The people are photoreal, the cities are open, and you can walk your Zoi down the block. You pay once. A PlayStation 5 version is planned, but the date has moved.

It needs a strong PC. And some players find the realism makes the people feel further away, not closer. Try it if your Sims always looked too cartoony to you.

The Sims FreePlay: the one still on your phone

The Sims Mobile is gone. EA pulled it from the stores in October 2025 and shut the servers on January 20, 2026. But The Sims FreePlay is still live on iPhone and Android, and still gets updates in 2026. It’s free to start, with in-app purchases, and it runs on timers. It’s the only official Sims on a phone today.

This is the question under a lot of the others. One Reddit post put it plainly: “similar to the sims, but just has better autonomous action for non main characters.” You want the people around your Sim to want things. To remember what happened at the party. To talk about you when you’re not in the room.

LifeSim: one life, in a real city, with people who remember

In LifeSim, you play one person. Not a household, and not from above. You pick a city on a real map of Earth, and you walk its streets. The people there have jobs, homes, friends, and a routine, and they run it whether you’re watching or not.

You talk to them in your own words, and they answer in theirs. No Simlish, no menu of three options. Tell one of them a secret and they keep it, or they don’t. It gets around.

It’s free, and it runs in your browser. What it doesn’t have: a build mode, generations, or a family to steer. If those are what you love, stay with The Sims or try Paralives. We wrote a longer, honest comparison in LifeSim vs The Sims.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, for drama you only watch

Nintendo released it on April 16, 2026, for Switch, and it plays on Switch 2. You make Miis, often of people you know, and watch them fall in love, fight, and sing about it. You don’t steer much. You watch and you laugh. If the best part of The Sims was the chaos you didn’t plan, this is pure chaos.

Some people played The Sims for the rhythm. Get up, go to work, cook, see a friend, go to bed. If that’s you, the farm and village games give you the same calm with a clearer goal.

Stardew Valley

A farm, a small town, and about thirty neighbors you get to know one conversation at a time. It runs on nearly everything, including phones, and it costs less than most Sims packs. Over 50 million copies sold. If you haven’t played it, start here.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

An island, a slow calendar, and villagers who write you letters. It’s on Switch, and got a Switch 2 Edition in January 2026. No pressure and no fail state. It’s the gentlest game on this list.

Disney Dreamlight Valley

Village life with Disney and Pixar characters as your neighbors. It’s a paid game on PC, Mac, and consoles, with an optional premium currency. Good if you want chores with familiar faces.

Not as you imagine it, at least not soon. In January 2026, EA said it “will continue to deliver content and updates to The Sims 4.” It called Project Rene “a social, collaborative, mobile-first life-sim game” and said it “is not the successor to The Sims 4.” Playtests run through The Sims Labs. There’s no release date.

Life by You, the game many people hoped would fill the gap, is gone. Paradox cancelled it on June 17, 2024, before it came out.

So the honest answer: The Sims 4 is the Sims for the years ahead. If you want something new, it has to come from somewhere else.

Prices change, so we left them out. Check the store page before you buy.

What is the closest game to The Sims?

Paralives for building, inZOI for realism. Both let you make people and build them a home.

Is there a game like The Sims on phone?

The Sims FreePlay is the official one, on iPhone and Android. Stardew Valley runs on phones too. LifeSim runs in the browser.

Is there a free game like The Sims?

The Sims 4 base game itself is free. The Sims FreePlay is free to start. LifeSim is free with no in-app purchases.

Are there games like The Sims that aren’t inZOI?

Yes. Paralives is the other close match. For people over houses, try LifeSim or Tomodachi Life.

Is there a life sim that isn’t a farm sim?

The Sims 4, Paralives, inZOI, and LifeSim have no farm at the center. For a full list by play style, read the best life sim games in 2026.

Is The Sims 4 still worth it in 2026?

Yes, if you like it. EA keeps updating it. And if a Sim of yours just died, here’s how to bring them back.

• EA: The future of The Sims (January 9, 2026)
• EA: The Sims Mobile final update
• EA: The Sims FreePlay, Livin’ Large
• Paralives on Steam
• Paralives FAQ: no paid DLC
• inZOI on Steam
• Paradox: Life by You is cancelled
• Nintendo: Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream
• Stardew Valley on Steam
• Nintendo: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• Disney Dreamlight Valley on Steam