Upcoming life simulation game Paralives is planned to release in early access on PC via Steam at some point in 2025, it’s been confirmed.
Paralives, which is being developed by small indie company Paralives Studio (founded by Alex Massé), has been in the works since 2019, and will allow players to build and decorate houses, and create the Parafolk (characters) in them using an advanced character creator. You’ll be able to manage their lives, including their careers and relationships, and explore a “cozy open-world neighborhood filled with shops, parks, workplaces and other interesting spots to discover and meet people” according to its press kit.
The 2025 early-access release was confirmed in a new overview video showcasing how players can develop their Parafolks’ lives and personalities. At the start of early access, players can expect “bugs and missing features,” but they’ve also been given the reassurance that going forward, “Paralives will never have paid DLCs. Only free expansions.”
In a new Patreon post expanding on this further, the developer explained that “frequent updates to release new features and content for free” will be rolled out during early access. However, even with the launch of the full 1.0 version (which doesn’t have a release window yet), the studio will “keep making big updates and they will always remain free,” it promised.
“The reason for this decision is that, as players ourselves, we believe that purchasing a game should come with the guarantee of a fleshed out experience,” the developer stated. “We aim to make Paralives our labor of love for years to come, continuously coming up with exciting new stuff to experience in the game. As a small team without any shareholders to please, we believe the money we make from selling the game alone will be enough to support us and the development of free updates in the long run.”
As for the early access release, it’s been confirmed that “a lot of tools and content to get creative with” will be present, so those who love creating characters and house designs will have plenty to go at. All of the core features of the ‘Live’ mode (which encompasses things like careers, relationships, needs and skills) will also be included. Things like pets, seasons and weather won’t be there on day-one of early access, but will be added later down the line.
For more games like Paralives, be sure to check out our list of the best simulation games that you can dive into right now. You can also find a plethora of fantastic games on our roundup of the best PC games.
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