Kabul life simulator

Kabul sits in a high valley between the Hindu Kush mountains along the Kabul River. Daily life centers on family compounds, local clay-oven bakeries, and traditional bazaars. People spend their days working in shops, drinking green tea with cardamom, and sharing Kabuli palaw at home.

In the real Kabul, people ride the state-owned Millie Bus from Deh Afghanan to Khair Khana. Private Toyota Coaster minibuses and Tunis vans run between busy stops like Kote Sangi and Pul-e-Khishti. Yellow-and-white Toyota Corolla taxis run as private darbast hires or as shared lini route taxis. Many schoolboys and tradesmen also walk or ride bicycles through the bazaars.

In LifeSim, you do not drive vehicles or ride buses. Instead, you use the place search to find real spots on the 3D map and go there. You can search for Mandawi Bazaar, Kabul Zoo, or Abdul Rahman Mosque and walk there with friends. Buildings show from the outside only, with real streets and weather around you.

Living costs vary across the city. Central neighborhoods like Wazir Akbar Khan and Shahr-e Naw are the most expensive. Residential districts like Karte Char, Taimani, and Khair Khana offer mid-range housing. Outer areas like Dasht-e-Barchi and Khoshal Khan Mina are cheaper.

The local currency is the Afghan afghani. Residents use physical cash for almost all daily purchases at markets, street stalls, and shops. Mobile wallets like HesabPay also let people send money, pay utility bills, and shop at participating stores.

LifeSim does not charge monthly rent or pay a job salary. Instead, your cash changes directly through your daily activities and your chats with other people. You focus on your daily goals and the people you know.

Young men studying engineering or medicine often spend their days in Karte Char. This western district sits near Kabul University and Kabul Polytechnic University, with many bookstores and stationery shops. For working families, Khair Khana in the north and Dasht-e-Barchi offer busy neighborhoods with lower living costs.

Traditional artisans and makers belong in Murad Khani, a historic quarter in the Old City along the Kabul River. There, woodworkers and coppersmiths work in timber-and-mudbrick alleyways near the Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque. Newcomers looking for commercial life often start in Shahr-e Naw, near the supermarkets, restaurants, and Shahr-e Naw Park.

Tariq, 24, works at a family carpet shop on Chicken Street in Shahr-e Naw. He sets two life goals: save money for his family and make close friends in the bazaar. Each morning, he walks past the local nanwai and greets his neighbor with Salam alaikum.

In his first week, Tariq chats with a coppersmith from Murad Khani who stops by for green tea. The coppersmith remembers Tariq's stories and invites him by text message to a kebab dinner in Karte Char. On Friday, Tariq plans an outing to Qargha Reservoir with three friends from his group text thread. The day ends with a recap of its moments, and his friends keep the memory in their journals.