The Sims is one of the best-known sagas worldwide and the one that popularized virtual life simulation games. A title that has been with us since September 2000 and that, as expected, has inspired many other studios to develop similar games. And that is exactly what we are talking about today, we want to teach you the best alternative games to The Sims.
Why are The Sims so "hooking"?
The parallel lives simulators, whether online or offline, have dazzled many people who, through a screen, want to disconnect and live experiences alien to reality. There are different more or less realistic alternatives, for those who like life on the farm or even one that will give you the chance to connect with other real people or imaginary worlds.
But of course, what is the reason that we cannot stop playing The Sims? The causes of someone deciding to live a digital life instead of their real life can be very varied. Many people play simply to escape from their day to day and be able to do what they want without anyone judging them. Others may use that parallel life to do things that they could never or dare to do in their real existence. There are even those who use this game to plan what, in the future, they would like the path of their lives to be.
There are many reasons why you might like The Sims. Finding a perfect replacement for him can be difficult. Among its alternatives we find games that include the following mechanics:
- Resource Management
- Life management and personal relationship simulation
- Construction of houses and real estate
The Sims, completely free
Electronic Arts gave the convert step The sims 4 in a completely free game from October 18, 2022, moment from which it has been possible to download it at no cost -on our cover we already told you how to do it for PC, Mac, PS5 and Xbox (remember that the simss for Switch still do not exist). Of course, all the expansion packs and DLC do maintain their price, so the cool part of the business is transferred to the sale of content within the franchise. As for those who already had the original title, they have received certain rewards to reward their loyalty to the saga by receiving instructions to redeem in their email that loyalty by contents.
Users The sims 4 of the basic version they get the expansion for free To work! and the Pros also add the download of accessories from the set Infants. As you see a movement that tries to neutralize the competition which, as you will see below, is made up of a more extensive list of titles than you might imagine at first.
We tell you what these games are and on what platforms you can find them.
Games similar to The Sims
All this is what you will find in this list of alternative games to the saga of the simss. And of course there are options for both PC, console or mobile devices. We go with them.
Animal Crossing
It is true that perhaps it is not a game with as much realism as EA's, but Animal Crossing is a good The Sims alternative for Nintendo Switch. In this great simulation saga you will have to clean up your town or your island by making different constructions, decorations, you will also be able to discover fossils, fish and many more actions.
The title has a part multiplayer in which you will be able to interact with other people who come to your island (or you go to theirs), but the bulk of this game takes place in your own town and in the interaction with the NPC's (characters created and managed by the console) that you will find when you walk. A city of chattering and smiling animals, what's so weird about that?
One of the latest titles, which has achieved great sales success in recent months, is Animal Crossing: New Horizons for Nintendo Switch. So if you have this game console, we leave you the link on Amazon so you can take a look. By the way, if what you like about The Sims it's furnishing and not so much simulation, this game has a DLC called Happy Home Paradise which is dedicated solely to this work. You will be able to use the huge catalog of furniture and objects in the game to be able to decorate houses to your liking and sell them to clients.
See offer on AmazonSecond Life
Another great industry acquaintance is Second Life, a game that is only available in online mode and that has come to be considered as the perfect alternative to The Sims to play online.
In addition to a large number of functions such as meeting other people to chat in a group, shopping, building the house of your dreams or creating your avatar in your image and likeness, the main asset of this title is found in interaction with real people. Despite being a game, there are users who have come to find love by walking through the universe of Second Life.
Virtual Family 2
If your main objective within The Sims has always been to create a family and see how it grows and develops, you should try Virtual Family 2. In this game you start with a character whose main goal is to find a partner and start developing his own family generation after generation.
In addition to being able to give each member their own personality and make them prosper in their professional career, you will also be able to improve your home by making it bigger and decorating it to your liking. A title, as we told you, very similar to The Sims but something simpler and without so many extra functions. A game available at PC and mobile devices.
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is a game that puts us in the role of a person who inherits a relative's farm and must take charge of it by managing resources and producing crops as well as being able to fish, take care of animals or develop new items. A game similar to The Sims but, yes, focused on the care of a farm that we will have to rebuild little by little.
You'll also have the chance to investigate the grounds outside the farm to discover, alone or with a friend, caves filled with treasure ruled by monsters. If you like this type of adventure, you can play it both in PC as on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One or on your Nintendo Switch.
See offer on AmazonAvakin life
Avakin life is a title similar to Second Life but more focused on the aesthetic part of the avatar and fashion. Yes, this title is mobile exclusive, hence it is somewhat simpler than other alternatives.
In this game you can also decorate your room or interact with other people in multiplayer mode, entering chat rooms and common areas of the game.
Youtubers Life
If you would like to live the experience of being a youtuber without moving from your chair, you should try Youtubers Life. You can choose if your content focuses on themes such as gamer, music, cooking or fashion. You will start from the simplest, creating videos from your room, and your goal will be to become the next successful star on the networks.
Meanwhile, you should not neglect the other aspects of your life such as the relationship with your friends, your partner or being productive with your time to complete all your tasks. A game available on all platforms: PC, smartphone, PS5, PS4, Xbox Seris X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
See offer on AmazonDream House Days
En Dream House Days we will leave a bit of the usual dynamic of The Sims to influence the lives of all the families in your city. This game exclusive for mobile devices It is based on the administration of apartments, creating comfortable homes that will be modified depending on how well your tenants are. In exchange you will receive money that will allow you to create new and better houses. Let's say this title resembles the dynamics of the sims city, another of the successes of this saga.
PK XD: Leisure, friends and games
PKXD It is a much humbler game than others on this list but it is exclusive for smartphones and that we could not stop suggesting here. In it we are offered an open world in which to interact with other people, being able to develop your own avatar, create your home, play mini-games with friends or chat with other users from your mobile phone.
It has a good score in the Android and iOS stores, it even usually sneaks into the occasional “top 10” of free titles (although be careful, as is the norm today, there are purchases inside). Having no cost, it is worth giving it a try.
My time at portia
My time at portia is another game that reminds Stardew Valley, about which we have already told you a few lines above. Developed by a Chinese studio called Pathea Games, in it you will have to develop your farm and, in addition, you will be able to decorate your house and improve your crafting, social and combat skills. Why? Well, to be the best avatar of all and be able to fight against the monsters that you will find along the way.
A title available for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
See offer on AmazonSpore
For the end we leave a little rarity like this Spore, developed precisely by the genius behind The Sims, Will Wright, who decided to get into other things and conceived this simulator of invented species and societies. Basically it allows us to create a creature from scratch, choosing any physical characteristic that we can imagine, to later assume the challenge of making it evolve from being a living being with a few cells to its most advanced technological expansion that will allow it to conquer space and millions of planets (literally).
We already know that we will not be able to buy houses, decorate them or throw parties, but somehow we will have in our power to develop societies over the years and, incidentally, try to understand what the creator of The Sims when he embarked on this extraordinary Spore. You have it available only on PC.
See offer on AmazonHouse Flipper
If you play The Sims often and meet other simmers, you will know that there are many types of players. There are people who are only dedicated to having social relationships, others who are looking for a totally immersive simulation and also a few who use the game only to build houses. If you are from the latter group, House Flipper It's going to freak you out - worth the redundancy. The game puts players in front of a decrepit house, which must be renew from top to bottom with engineering tools and knowledge adequate.
It may seem like a simple premise, but House Flipper has a level of realism amazing and some very successful graphics. This title is undoubtedly one of the best, most creative and realistic real estate construction simulators you'll find —if you don't want to enter the world of interior simulation with 3D design programs, of course. Here you will be able to create environments to your liking, furnish them and then sell your services. A jewel.
You have it available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Mac and even for mobile platforms (Android and iOS).
The Partners
The Partners is probably the clon cheekiest of The Sims we have on the market today. Of course, that doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing, although gamers are usually interested in original franchises, even if they have great inspiration from other titles. This game lacks the polished levels that are present in The Sims, but the core of the game is pretty well done.
Where are the differences compared to The Sims? At The Partners we control lawyers in a firm. We will have to solve cases while also managing the lives of each of the characters. The combination of these two worlds can be a bit strange, but the game can be curious in some cases. It is available for PC and the game interface is fully modeled on that of The Sims. However, this title is already more than a decade old, so it can be somewhat difficult to locate it today.
Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town
Get ready to enter Villa Oliva, a community founded by your grandfather and his friends in which you will have the task of continuing to maintain the legacy, exploiting all its resources, building buildings, caring for animals and, ultimately, managing their lives. As you collect materials and progress, you will be able to improve infrastructures as well as your abilities, thus making progress in your task of making Villa Oliva prosper prolifically and at the same time peacefully, of course.
It's a friendly game, without great pretensions, but it usually gets good reviews, precisely for this reason, for proposing something simple but entertaining with colorful and nice animated graphics. Available both for Nintendo Switch, where it debuted exclusively in 2021, and for PC and PS4 (for the latter console it was launched this summer, in fact offering improvements for PS4 Pro), this farming game is developed by Marvelous AQL y XSEED Games.
As a good simulation game, it even has expansions to continue giving free rein to your life as a farmer.
These are The best games if you are looking for an alternative to the saga of The Sims. If you know of any other interesting title, it would be great if you left it in a comment so that we can all discover it and enjoy it.
*Note to the reader: some of the links published in this article are part of our affiliate program with Amazon, but our list of recommendations is always created freely, at the discretion of the editor, without receiving any type of request from the brands mentioned in the selection.