Xi'an life simulator

Xi'an sits in the Guanzhong Plain of Shaanxi Province, where ancient history meets dense urban life. Residents commute past Ming Dynasty walls, exercise in parks, and hear traditional Qinqiang opera in the evenings. People socialize over late-night barbecue, wheat noodles, and local Bingfeng orange soda.

Where you start in Xi'an shapes your daily routine. University students and professors often live in the Beilin District or south in the Chang'an District. These areas surround campuses like Xi'an Jiaotong University and Northwestern Polytechnical University. Artists and musicians find older apartment blocks in Beilin and play at night in the South Gate tunnels.

Multigenerational families fill the residential courtyards of the Lianhu District near historic mosques and food streets like Sajinqiao. Newcomers and young software engineers often pick the Yanta District for its High-Tech Zone and modern high-rise apartments. Families with higher budgets look for condominiums near the artificial lakes of the Qujiang New Area.

In the real Xi'an, the flat terrain inside the Ming Dynasty walls is good for walking and shared bikes. Most commuters use the Xi'an Metro, such as Line 2 from Xi'an North Railway Station to the Bell Tower. A grid of city buses and the 2nd and 3rd Ring Roads handle the rest of the traffic.

In LifeSim, you do not ride buses or trains, and you do not drive cars. You move around on a real 3D map of the city. You can search for the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, the Shaanxi History Museum, or a local cafe and walk there. Buildings show from the outside only, with no interiors.

The local currency is the Chinese Yuan, which residents call kuai in spoken Mandarin. People pay for nearly everything using QR codes on WeChat Pay and Alipay. You use these apps for street food like Roujiamo, Biangbiang noodles at small eateries, and metro rides. Few people pay in cash, and hotels and large stores accept UnionPay cards.

Living costs in real life depend on the district. Modern flats in the Yanta High-Tech Zone and Qujiang New Area are the most expensive. Older central districts inside or near the city wall, such as Beilin, Lianhu, and Xincheng, sit in the middle. Outer districts like Baqiao, Chang'an, and northern Weiyang offer cheaper housing.

LifeSim does not charge rent or pay a salary. Your cash changes only through the activities you do and the chats you have.

Xi'an sits between the Wei River and the Qinling Mountains, and it has four clear seasons. Spring is warm and breezy, though dry dust sometimes blows in from the northwest. Summer is hot and humid, with afternoon thunderstorms and temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius.

Autumn brings cool, crisp air and steady rain, which makes it a comfortable time for outdoor walks. Winter drops below freezing with occasional light snow, and residential buildings use municipal central heating. The game map shows weather, so you see the local conditions as you walk the streets.

Lin, 26, starts a life as a software engineer in the Yanta District of Xi'an. Lin sets two life goals: make friends outside of work and visit the old city walls. On Monday morning, Lin searches the map for a cafe near the office and talks with a coworker there.

On Wednesday evening, a neighbor texts Lin and invites Lin to get Yangrou Paomo in the Lianhu District. They walk to a spot on Dapiyuan street and talk as a group. On Saturday, a karaoke night appears as a happening on Defuxiang street, and Lin joins. Each day ends with a recap, and the friends keep these memories in their journals.