Kyiv life simulator

Kyiv sits on the wooded hills of the Right Bank and the flat plains of the Left Bank of the Dnipro River. People commute from outer apartment blocks into the center, buy espresso from street kiosks, and shop at produce markets called rynoks. In the evenings, residents walk under chestnut trees in hilltop parks or sit on café terraces.

Information technology, aviation engineering, pharmaceuticals, and food processing are major industries in the city. Large employers include the aircraft maker Antonov, the telecom company Kyivstar, the candy maker Roshen, and drug makers Farmak and Darnitsa. Many people also work for city utilities like Kyivpastrans and Kyivskyi Metropoliten.

In LifeSim, you write your job into the character box when you start. You can be a software engineer, a civil servant, or a professor at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. There is no salary or promotion system, so your daily goals and conversations shape your work life.

Kyiv has a humid continental climate with four distinct seasons. Spring begins with melting snow, and by May, white and pink chestnut trees bloom across the city. Summer brings warm, sunny days, and residents swim on the sandy beaches of the Dnipro River islands, such as Trukhaniv Island.

Autumn starts with golden leaves in hilltop parks like the Hryshko National Botanical Garden before November brings chilly winds. Winter is cold and overcast with frost and snow on the sidewalks. The 3D map in LifeSim shows real weather, so your walks and outings change with the conditions.

The Dnipro River splits the city into the hilly Right Bank and the flat Left Bank. Students and artists often spend time in Podil, home to the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and Zhytniy Market. In the Shevchenkivskyi District, people meet at the Golden Gate and visit coffee shops on Reitarska Street and Yaroslaviv Val.

Pechersk, especially the Lypky quarter, is the most expensive area, with embassies and quiet courtyards. Obolon offers a mid-range life where families walk along the Obolon Embankment. For lower living costs, newcomers and commuters often choose Left Bank areas like Pozniaky, Troieshchyna, or Kharkivskyi Masyv.

Olena, 25, starts a life as a software developer living near Kontraktova Square in Podil. She sets two life goals: make close friends in her district and visit every historic landmark on the Right Bank.

On Tuesday, Olena searches the map for Bohdana Khmelnytskoho Street to grab a Kyivska Perepichka. She meets a neighbor there, and they chat in their own words about their weekday routines. On Friday, her neighbor texts her an invite to a birthday drinks happening on Petro Sahaidachnoho Street.

Over the weekend, Olena plans a group outing to Bessarabsky Market and walks up Andriyivskyi Descent with two friends. Everyone keeps a journal of these moments and remembers what Olena says. Each day ends with a recap of her life in the city.