EntertainmentgamingGame Development
The Sims-like Paralives delayed until May 2026.
Alright, folks, buckle up. The life sim community just got hit with some serious news that’s rippling through the forums and Discord channels.Paralives, the highly anticipated indie challenger to The Sims’ throne that was supposed to hit Steam Early Access this December, has officially been delayed to May 2026. Yeah, you read that right—a nearly six-month pushback.The announcement came straight from the top, with lead dev Alex Massé dropping the bombshell via a community post, explaining that expanded playtests revealed the game just wasn’t meeting the team's own high standards for that crucial first impression. The core issue seems to be a classic case of feature imbalance; while the character creator and build mode are reportedly in a solid, meme-worthy state, the actual 'live mode'—you know, the part where your little digital people actually *live*—is still plagued by 'impactful bugs' and a concerning lack of things to do in the town itself.It’s the gaming equivalent of building a stunning, fully furnished house only to find out the town has no coffee shops, no parks, and your neighbors are just T-posing on the sidewalk. Massé and the small, dedicated team at Paralives Studio, which has slowly grown from a passion project of two or three people to an average of ten over its six-year development cycle, made the tough but respectable call.They’ve been alternating long stretches of work on the game’s three pillars, and now they need to focus that final polish on the simulation guts to ensure the Early Access launch isn’t just a pretty shell. This delay is a massive moment for the life sim genre, which is suddenly looking more competitive than ever.While Paralives fans are understandably bummed, the landscape is shifting rapidly. We’ve got KRAFTON's visually stunning InZOI making waves, the charming Pokémon Pokopia slated for a March release on the Switch 2, and even Animal Crossing: New Horizons getting a next-gen glow-up in January.Meanwhile, in a parallel universe, EA is quietly sunsetting The Sims Mobile. The pressure is on for Paralives to deliver something truly special, and this delay shows the team is unwilling to compromise.To keep the hype train chugging, they’re planning a 45-minute raw gameplay stream on November 25th, giving us all a transparent look at the current build, warts and all. It’s a bold move, and honestly, it’s the kind of community-focused dev behavior that builds lasting goodwill.The planned two-year Early Access period means this isn’t a final product; it’s the start of a long-term relationship with the players. So, while the wait just got longer, the hope is that this extra time in the oven will transform Paralives from a promising alternative into a genre-defining masterpiece that finally gives The Sims a real run for its money.
#Paralives
#game delay
#early access
#life simulation
#indie game
#featured
