The best games like The Sims for building beautiful characters, homes, and a life full of drama

For the past 25 years, any list of games like The Sims has been mostly wishful thinking. There hasn't been anything truly like The Sims series—until now. In 2025 we're finally getting some true Sims competition that mimics the full suite of character creation, Build Mode, and Live Mode simulation that the series has dominated for decades.

There are now two games like The Sims in early access that you can play right now with at least one more scheduled to launch in 2025. I'll lay out which games you can expect to play and when and a few bonus options for games that aren't exactly like The Sims but do capture at least part of that experience while we wait for more to launch.

Games like The Sims

Inzoi

Release date: 2025 (early access) | Developer: Inzoi Studio | Steam

The first genuine competition to The Sims series has finally launched and Krafton's life sim is just as pretty as I expected. The character creator is gorgeous and the build mode, after I got used to it, is incredibly pretty too. Inzoi came out the gate with some features that have long been pain points for Sim fans: decent wedding ceremonies, pregnancy gameplay, and an open world with drivable cars.

At the beginning of early access, Inzoi did feel a little empty, in my opinion. It's clearly a good foundation on which Inzoi Studio has a lot of plans to build, according to the Inzoi roadmap. My biggest concern for Inzoi right now is that it may continue prioritizing development of its various AI tools instead of creating custom swatches and patterns for us to play with.

Tiny Life

Release date: 2023 (Early access) | Developer: Ellpeck Games | Steam

Tiny Life is still in early access with a small development team but it already meets so many parts of the quintessential Sims experience. You can build homes and community lots, create families with silly traits and goals, and manage their unpredictable life journeys in an open world with multiple neighborhoods.

The pixelated art style won't be to everyone's taste but I already had a surprisingly good time digging into Tiny Life's early access version. It makes keeping an eye on traits and relationships pretty easy so I always felt like I was able to appreciate its funny moments of simulated weirdness. The open world is also great, bringing a bit of old Sims 3 nostalgia for those that miss it.

The Sims 3

Release date: 2009 | Developer: Maxis | Steam

Since there are still very few true options for games like The Sims to play I am going ahead and recommending The Sims 3. I've been returning to it myself in the past year and honestly having a blast. Visually, The Sims 3 may have aged like milk—though I do have a soft spot for the crunchy old homes if not the characters—but the way it forces you to play is still great.

Unlike The Sims 4, which always asks for permission before sending your Live Mode story spiralling in a new direction, The Sims 3 very deliberately throws speedbumps at you. I really enjoy being forced to react to burglars, unlikely romantic attraction, and other chaos. It's a matter of taste definitely, but if you're someone constantly feeling bored of The Sims 4 and not sure what you want to do in game next, The Sims 3 is my answer.

Games kind of like The Sims

While we wait for more Sims-like to launch, I'll also recommend some games that capture the same vibe as just part of The Sims experience. And I promise not to pretend that Stardew Valley is like The Sims just because it's a life sim—it isn't.

Gourdlets
For: Build Mode fans | Steam

There are a lot of games with a build mode I thrive in but they're all crafting survival games where the joy of building is gated by gathering resources. Like The Sims, Gourdlets just lets you build freely without the fuss of grinding or terraforming. Click and draw to design your island exactly how you please and even decorate the insides of buildings and outfits for your adorable gourd citizens. It's very low-key on the management so this one is truly for those who want to make pretty spaces.

Crusader Kings 3
For: Live Mode fans | Steam

Snag this during a Steam sale for the kind of unhinged relationship antics you know and love. It's got dramatic foiled marriage plots, accidental incest, wars of succession, and everything else I know Live Mode players of The Sims get up to on the regular. It can be a pretty dense simulation initially, but not more daunting than the things simmers already concoct. For the intense storytellers among us, CK3 is an incredibly good vehicle for drama.

Black Desert
For: Create-A-Sim fans | Steam

Black Desert is an MMO but I promise this is one of the most premiere character creators around at a good price. It doesn't give you much in the way of outfit selection since earning new gear is part of the online gameplay, but for a tool that lets you get deep into full-body and facial feature editing the way Sims fans love, it's hard to beat Black Desert. If you aren't ready to comit to Inzoi, this is the next best thing. And hey, there's a ridiculously dense MMO to play after you make your perfect face, if you're into that.

Upcoming games like The Sims

Paralives

Release date: 2025 (early access) | Developer: Alex Massé & Paralives Studio | Steam

Paralives has been in the works for a long time from a small team and finally plans to reach early access in 2025. It leans even harder into stylized visuals than The Sims 4 does, with characters that almost look painted. The big appeal of Paralives for me is its very adaptable build system that lets you do things like resize windows (imagine that), turn objects like tables and lamps into different size variants easily, and grid-free wall construction. On the simulation side Paralives looks like it's definitely going to lean into developing a character over time by growing skills, changing jobs, and more.

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