admin 
Paralives – the promising, colorful indie competitor to The Sims 4 first unveiled in 2019 – is on life sim fans’ minds following its recent delay and a subsequent sneak peek at gameplay footage that is… well, not entirely what everyone was expecting to see.
For anyone out of the loop, Paralives was initially set to launch into Early Access on Steam this year. In fact, it was supposed to drop next month, on December 8. Unfortunately, just days after posting an update telling readers not to “expect hundreds of hours of gameplay” out of the new life sim, developers announced that they were delaying Paralives until May 25, 2026, as it “isn’t up to the standard we wanted it to meet.”
A separate thread covering the stream reads, “Oh boy… the Paralives video…” The poster prefaces that they’re “a long-time Sims player, so I do have to admit that my expectations might’ve been a bit lofty” – but, ultimately, they “wouldn’t be surprised if May comes around and devs delay it further.” They conclude, “I definitely think delaying it was the right move after seeing the state of the game, but I also wouldn’t be overly upset if it is delayed again.”
Elsewhere, a master post shows similar feedback – with a bit of hope mixed in for good measure. “Definitely looks early access, with the pathfinding issues, phasing through doors and people, lack of people in the shops, etc. The additional six months of production are more palatable after seeing this,” as one fan responding lays out. They add, “But it’s cute and a good foundation to build on, I think.”
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried myself – especially considering the state of the life sim genre right now. With cancellations like the one Life By You saw, the fact that EA has no plans for a Sims 5, and the turbulent journey inZOI is on… I’ll just keep my fingers crossed.
