Kinshasa life simulator

Kinshasa sits on the southern bank of the Congo River, right across the water from Brazzaville. Residents, known as Kinois, shop at open-air markets like Marché Central and eat poulet mayo or pondu at roadside malewas. A life here can be a bank worker in Gombe or a musician in Matonge.

The map in LifeSim covers the real streets of Kinshasa. You can search for the Stade des Martyrs de la Pentecôte in Lingwala and meet friends outside the stadium. In Gombe, you can walk to the Académie des Beaux-Arts or the Jardin Botanique de Kinshasa. Buildings show from the outside only, because the game has no interiors or rooms.

Along Boulevard Triomphal, you can find the Palais du Peuple and the Musée National de la République Démocratique du Congo. In Limete, you can pick the Échangeur de Limete as a meeting spot for an outing. For a trip to the edge of the city, search for Lola ya Bonobo in Mont-Ngafula. You can also visit the Parc de la Vallée de la Nsele on the eastern outskirts.

Didier, 22, starts a life in Bandalungwa as a student at the Académie des Beaux-Arts. He sets two life goals: make friends with other artists and save cash for his own studio. On Monday, he walks to the campus in Gombe and talks to a classmate in his own words.

On Wednesday, the classmate starts a group text thread and invites Didier to Rond-Point Victoire in Matonge. They plan an outing, walk there together, and talk about music and art. On Friday, a birthday drinks happening appears on the map in Kintambo, and Didier joins the party. Each day ends with a recap, and his new friends keep a memory of the week in their journals.

In the real Kinshasa, traffic jams often block Boulevard du 30 Juin and Boulevard Lumumba. People ride state-owned Transco buses on routes like L01 and L04, or take medium buses called Esprit de Vie. Many residents use yellow minibuses, shared yellow-and-blue ketch taxis, or motorcycle taxis called wewa. Millions of people also walk to cover short and medium distances.

In LifeSim, you do not drive cars or ride buses. You move around the 3D map of Earth on foot. You use the place search to find a market, a school, or a street corner, and go there.

The local currency is the Congolese franc, which locals call falanga or mbongo in Lingala. People use the local currency for small street purchases like bus rides, coffee, and mikate. For larger costs like rent, electronics, hotel rooms, and upscale meals, residents usually price and pay in US dollars. Cash is common, and people also use mobile money services like M-Pesa, Airtel Money, and Orange Money.

Living costs vary widely across the city. Gombe and hillside areas of Ngaliema like Macampagne are the most expensive districts. Limete, Kintambo, and Bandalungwa offer mid-range living costs, while outer communes like Masina and Kimbanseke are cheaper.

In LifeSim, you do not pay rent or bills, and the game does not pay a regular salary. Instead, your cash changes directly through the activities you do and the chats you have with other people.

Kinshasa has a tropical wet and dry climate with warm, humid weather all year. The rainy season runs from October to May and brings hot days and heavy downpours that flood low streets. The dry season lasts from late May to September with cooler air, grey skies, and almost no rain.

The 3D map in LifeSim shows real weather as you walk through the city. On a dry evening, you can plan an outing to an open-air nganda along Avenue de la Libération. When it rains, you can stay in touch with your friends by text message.