What is Paralives?

Paralives is a paid life simulation game for Windows and Mac, sold on Steam. You build houses, make characters, and live their lives in an open town.

The Steam page says it in one line: Paralives is “a life simulation game about building homes, lives and bonds.” The characters are called Parafolk. The character creator is called the Paramaker.

The game entered Early Access on Steam on May 25, 2026. It is playable, but it is not finished. The studio expects about two years of Early Access before version 1.0.

This page is the short overview. For each topic, we link a longer guide. Every fact here comes from a page that we opened on November 1, 2026.

Paralives Studio makes Paralives. The project started with one person, Alex Massé. The Steam page lists the developer as “Alex Massé and team” and the publisher as Paralives Studio.

Wikipedia says that Massé started the game in January 2019 and announced it in June 2019. Before Paralives, he worked on PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator. He left that job to make Paralives full time.

Players paid for the work through Patreon for years. Wikipedia says that the Patreon had over 15,000 supporters in November 2023. By June 2025, the team had 14 people. The game uses the Unity engine.

The studio is an independent studio. It is not part of a large publisher such as EA.

Yes. Paralives is out in Early Access on Steam since May 25, 2026. There is no date for the full release.

The launch was large. Wikipedia reports 250,000 copies sold in the first eight hours and 1 million in the first month. The Steam reviews were “Very Positive” when we checked.

Since launch, the studio released small patches. Patch 0.1.9 came on October 8, 2026, and moved the game to Unity 6. The studio called it “mostly bug fixes and minor additions.”

The first major update was planned for the end of 2026. On October 23, 2026, the studio said in a Steam post that it needs more time. It gave no new date. Read the Paralives release date guide for the full timeline, and the Paralives roadmap for planned updates.

Paralives is on Steam for Windows and Mac. The official FAQ says there will be no phone or tablet version. It also says that there are no plans for consoles at the moment.

The game is not free. It has one price on Steam. The price is lower during Early Access and rises step by step as the studio adds content. Prices change, so check the Steam page for the current number. Our guide to the Paralives price explains the details.

The studio promises no paid DLC. The FAQ says, “there will only ever be free updates!” You buy the game one time.

The game is single player. It does not need an internet connection after you install it. On a Mac, Steam lists Apple silicon as a requirement. On Windows, the minimum is Windows 10 with 12 GB of RAM. See the full system requirements before you buy.

You build a home, you make a household, and you live day to day in a town. The game has no fixed goal. You choose what your Parafolk do.

Build mode

The build mode is the best known part of the game. The official site lists building with no grid, curved walls, and resizable objects. It also lists split-level floors, custom stairs, and full control of color and texture. Our Paralives build mode guide shows each tool.

The Paramaker

The Paramaker is the character creator. It uses sliders for the face and the body, and a color wheel for any color. Sims Community notes a nonbinary option, a pronoun choice, and eight life stages, toddlers included. Read the Paramaker guide for each tab.

The town

The town is open. The Steam page lists shops, parks, restaurants, and museums. The official site says that Parafolk go to beaches and mountains, and it mentions travel by bike. When a Parafolk enters a lot, the game stops to load it.

Careers, skills, and traits

Parafolk get jobs, learn skills, and have personality traits, wants, and needs. See the list of Paralives jobs and the Paralives traits for the details.

Relationships and family

Parafolk make friends, fall in love, have children, and grow old. In a talk, the player picks from cards when a meter fills. Each night, a Storyteller offers cards with buffs or events for the next day. The Storyteller also sets the difficulty.

Mods

The game has an in-game modding interface. Players share mods, houses, and Parafolk on the Steam Workshop. The FAQ says that script mods are not planned.

Pets, cars, weather, and seasons are not in the game yet. The studio plans them for later free updates, with no date.

The Steam page lists more planned content: houseboats and a town creation tool. It also promises more furniture, clothing, traits, social interactions, and skills. The day 0 roadmap also lists pools for later.

Some life events are missing too. Sims Community found no wedding ceremonies at launch, only elopement. It also found no swimming.

The first major update moves the focus to what exists now. Gamebrief reports four parts: deeper relationships, a new economy balance, new skills and jobs, and fixes for build bugs. Weather, seasons, gardening, pets, and cars wait for “future major updates.”

The Steam page also warns about bugs, balance problems, and missing content. Expect them if you play now.

Paralives looks and plays a lot like The Sims, but it is one paid game with no paid packs. The Sims 4 base game is free, and the expansion packs cost money.

Reviewers do not agree on the result. Aftermath calls Paralives “pretty much exactly like The Sims, except a little bit worse.” The same reviewer likes the card system for talk more than any other part.

Our Paralives vs The Sims 4 comparison goes through each point. For more games in this style, see our list of alternatives to The Sims.

LifeSim is our game. It is a different kind of life sim, and it does not replace Paralives.

LifeSim is free, with no ads. You play it in the browser at play.lifesim.com or in the iPhone and iPad app. You pick any city on a 3D map of the real Earth. You talk with the characters in open text, and they remember you.

LifeSim does not fit if you want to build houses. It has no build mode and no mods. It has no PC app or Mac app, so on a computer you play in the browser. If building is the reason you want Paralives, skip LifeSim. Read what LifeSim is to decide.

Is Paralives worth it now?

It depends on what you want. The build mode and the Paramaker are strong today. Live mode has less to do, and pets and seasons are not in yet. Our Paralives buying guide covers who should buy now and who should wait.

Is Paralives made by EA?

No. Paralives Studio makes and publishes Paralives. Maxis makes The Sims 4, and Electronic Arts publishes it.

Is Paralives on PS5, Xbox, or Switch?

No. The official FAQ says there are no plans for consoles at the moment.

Is Paralives on mobile?

No. The official FAQ says the game will not have a phone or tablet version.

Does Paralives have multiplayer?

No. The FAQ says the game is single player and does not need an internet connection.

When does Paralives leave Early Access?

The studio gives no date. The Steam page estimates about two years of Early Access from May 2026.

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• Is Paralives worth it?
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• Is Paralives on PS5, Xbox, or Switch?
• Does Paralives have multiplayer?
• Does Paralives have DLC?
• Pets in Paralives
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• Does Paralives use AI?
• Paralives jobs and careers
• Paralives vs The Sims 4
• inZOI vs Paralives
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• Paralives on Steam
• Paralives: official site
• Paralives: official FAQ
• Paralives on Wikipedia
• Gamebrief: Paralives first major update delayed
• jeu.video: Paralives update 0.1.9 and Unity 6
• The Sims Tree: Paralives day 0 patch notes and 2026 roadmap
• Sims Community: Paralives in Early Access vs The Sims 4 at release
• The Sims 4 on Steam
• Aftermath: Paralives review