Is Life by You cancelled?
Yes. Paradox Interactive cancelled Life by You on June 17, 2024. The game never reached Early Access, so no player ever got to buy it.
Video Games Chronicle reports the cancellation. Mattias Lilja, the deputy CEO of Paradox, wrote: “Sadly, we’ve decided to cancel the release of our long-awaited life sim Life by You.”
This post covers what happened, what we could not confirm, and which life sims you can play instead. We opened each page that we cite on October 4, 2026.
What was the Life by You release date?
The date moved three times, and then the game ended. Video Games Chronicle gives the order.
The first plan was September 2023. Paradox moved it to March 2024, and then to June 2024. In late April 2024, Paradox said that the game was ready for Early Access. About three weeks later, it postponed Early Access with no new date.
On June 17, the company cancelled the game. So the release date of Life by You is none. The game does not have one now.
Who made Life by You?
Paradox Tectonic made it. This was a studio of Paradox Interactive. Rod Humble headed it.
Video Games Chronicle says that Humble earlier led the division of EA that makes The Sims. He was also the CEO of Linden Lab, the company that made Second Life. This is why many players saw Life by You as the next big rival of The Sims.
After the cancellation, Paradox said that it would close Paradox Tectonic. The studio employed 24 people.
Can you still play Life by You?
No. The game never went on sale, so there is no copy to play. The pages that we read do not describe a public build.
We did not find a source that says that the game will come back. A different studio can make a similar game. That is not the same as a new release of this one.
We also did not find a statement about refunds in the page that we read. Video Games Chronicle does not cover it. If you paid for something that is linked to Life by You, ask the store where you paid.
What can you play instead of Life by You?
inZOI
inZOI is a life sim in Early Access on Steam, for Windows and macOS. The Steam page lists more than 250 options in character creation. Read games like inZOI and is inZOI free before you buy.
Paralives
Paralives entered Early Access on May 25, 2026. The Steam page lists building with no grid, a detailed character creator, and an open town. Read games like Paralives for more.
The Sims 4
The Sims 4 is the free game that all of these try to replace. The EA page says Play for Free. The base game is free, and the packs cost money. See is The Sims 4 free.
LifeSim
LifeSim is a different kind of game. It does not manage a house. You live one life in a city on a real map, and you talk to the people there. It is free in the browser. It does not fit you if you need a house builder. Read AI life simulator games to see where it sits.
What does this teach you about new life sims?
A date is a plan, not a fact. Life by You moved its date three times before the end. Treat each date as a guess until the game is on sale.
Check three things before you pay for any life sim that is not finished. First, find out if it is on sale now. Second, read the recent reviews, not only the launch score. Third, find the list of features that are missing today.
The Paralives Steam page is a good example of the third check. It lists the features that the team plans to add: weather, seasons, pets, vehicles, boats, swimming, event planning, and gardening. A list is not a date. Buy the game for what it does now.
This is also why we write our own posts only from pages that we open. A rumor is not a source.
Questions
Why was Life by You cancelled?
We only have the one page that we opened. It quotes Paradox as saying that it decided to cancel the release. We do not give a reason that we could not read.
Was Life by You made by EA?
No. Paradox Tectonic, a studio of Paradox Interactive, made it. The head of the studio had led the Sims division at EA before.
Is there a new game from the Life by You team?
Paradox closed the studio, and we found no source on a new game. We do not know where the former team members work now.