While there are threads dedicated to Paralives and Life by You, nobody is mentioning the other two games - or maybe I missed it. Anyway, they are:
- AlterLife: the trailer looks good but this one seems to be a scam, at least in the sense that it will never be released. Perhaps I am wrong but it does not seem so.
- Little Sim World: this one is real but as indie as indie can be, 2D and very much on the cute side. You probably won't like it but your children might. At least very young children.

You can check them out on Steam. I am sure there are more out there - add them in your comments!

ETA: changed the title because the thread is not any more about just two games.

Urban Tale is another thing I stumbled upon one youtube. Thought of looking it up out of curiosity and the trailer commentary spunss intriguing game, albeit not a competition contemder as it is too pixelated and seem like story-driven. But from the sound it, it does seem to have some real-life elements. Probably wouldn’t be able to create a family or build houses, but it looks like a nice game when you would want to just rewind a bit.

Tiny Life. They just got an update to add more floors to buildings. Haven't tinkered with multi-floors myself yet. It's also available on steam. Very pixelated so might not be everyone's cup of tea. It's an open world so other tinies (what the people are called) around town are doing stuff and going to work and whatnot. I'm not sure how advanced tinies outside of your household can get, but you can get married and have children. There are community lots like libraries and cafes.

Vivaland *seems* like what TS4 should have been, a multiplayer Sims game. Feels rather fishy: a lot of ideas were taken from TS4, some others from Paralives. Also, I found a roadmap which mentions a "playable demo to be completed by the end of 2022" (sic!); it seems that it appeared and disappeared. Now they are promising a build mode demo; you can wishlist it on Steam. Do it and see what happens; my guess is nothing. Possibly another scam.

I learned about Vivaland from Daisylee's thread. I added it here to keep all the "others" together.
- I did not add inZOI because it already has a big thread of its own
- I did not add Project Rene because it belongs to the TS5 thread

The Sims meets RPG Maker XP, apparently! Looks like something I'd spend heavy bucks on. V pretty.

Gosh just took a quick glance at it, and it looks almost identical to The Sims 4. They'll be stepping into very dangerous territory on release it looks like.

A not-so-new YouTube video on "The Best NEW Life Sim Games In 2024 If You Like The Sims". Most are copies of or variations on Stardew Valley, but cuter; one or two seem more original. The ones mentioned and discussed on this forum are bundled at the end; curiously, Vivaland is included but inZOI is not. Worth a look, I guess.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrcGY211xko

Don't people think it's strange that people conflate farming games with life sim games? I suppose Stardew Valley or that seasons game is a form of life, but it's still entirely different than something like The Sims and fills a different niche.

Well, they are "life simulators". but they only simulate a farmer's life and even that in an extremely simplistic way. I played Stardew Valley and I liked it. but it's nowhere near the complexity of any Sims game; the most you can achieve in that sense is to get married and have (two) children which never get past toddler stage. I guess that people conflate them because they look alike, at first glance, and some might prefer them because of their optimism - no sharp edges at all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2v-1pPI1xU

Yet another not-so-new YouTube video, but this one is much better. The author understands the difference between "cozy" and "Sims" games and he obviously specializes in TS4 (if you are playing the game you should probably have a look at his other videos, if you haven't already). A good survey of all the Sims-like games (including TS5) ATM but nothing new.

I guess a lot more videos like this one will come out this year. I won't be making separate posts about them anymore; if I the video will be very good I will just edit this post, adding the link at the bottom. I will only make an exception if a completely new game appears, though I doubt it will; there are already six (or rather five; I still don't trust Vivaland) games competing for our attention and the market, which has been empty for so long, is getting saturated.

Well, I was wrong, at least partially. Vivaland: Dream House is available on Steam: very positive reviews so far. Free, single player or multiplayer; enough stuff and possibilities to build a nice house. A bit clunky sometimes but on the whole, works fine. Certainly worth a try.

Of course, this is only the building part; the only thing that moves ATM are trees (not around, in wind). No idea how Vivas (I bet they will be called Vivas) will look or act.

Thank you! I will check that out. I have never done Steam so need to look into that now.
edit: downloading now which is going to take a long time.

edit: took all day to download and very little there so far..... back to Sims.

I thought long and hard about what really defines a Sims(-like) game; in the end, I came to the conclusion that it must be pooing. Everything else you can find in such a game you can find in other games as well; having to use the toilet is, AFAIK, unique.

If I am right, Denizen belongs here. It will be released in late March and the demo is available on Steam right now. I've played it for a while and I was not very impressed; feels like a solid game but a far cry from any of its "competitors". (That might change, of course. Or not.) It has one unique feature, though: it is a first person view game. That made me wonder if this could be a way to make something really new in the genre or if it's just a dead-end street.

I am not sure about the answer so I'd suggest you try out the demo, disregard its limited scope and tell us what you think.

Feels a bit GTA light but I'm sure it'll fill someone's niche interest. I might try out the demo. Maybe.

MySims

Does this one count or not? In any case, it's nostalgic and oh so cutecutecute.

It feels like they are doing everything but fixing bugs in TS4 and improving the gameplay. I know that I sound bitter and snarky, but so many of us spent a lot of money on this game, but the game breaking bugs are still there (Dine Out and My Wedding Stories).

You might enjoy trying out an older game called Singles 2: Triple Trouble. It's quite similar to The Sims in terms of gameplay, but it has a more mature twist with some adult elements. The game revolves around relationships, romance, and the dynamics between characters living together. What sets it apart is its romantic comedy vibe, which adds a fun and lighthearted tone to the game. While it may not have the same level of depth as The Sims, it’s a charming alternative if you're looking for something different with a focus on storytelling and character interactions. Give it a try if you're in the mood for something nostalgic and playful!