Reviving the Charm of Life Simulation: Embracing New Beginnings in The Sims

January 31 was not exactly the most favorable day to launch a life simulation game. Hello Kitty Island Adventure made a solid debut, and EA quietly released a controversial revival of the two mainline The Sims titles. However, if you are among those who were disappointed by the simplistic ports, I encourage you to take a look at another charming life simulation game that was released on the same day.

My Little Life faced the unfortunate challenge of launching alongside The Sims Legacy Collection, but it is performing significantly better, with 93% of user reviews giving it a thumbs up on Steam for combining Maxis’ life sim elements with the joys of having a little Tamagotchi companion.

In fact, you can create a character that resides at the bottom of your desktop and needs a little assistance in meeting their daily requirements. Initially, they will need a restroom for their basic needs. After that, they will need a job that you can select along with tools to help them succeed—like an easel for a painter or a computer for a tech-savvy character. From that point forward, you can use their hard-earned funds to continue expanding and decorating their home, enhancing their skills, and meeting friends/neighbors to keep them entertained while you are occupied pretending to work or browsing for Steam deals instead.

What begins as a relatively straightforward task of managing a single four-walled home quickly grows—after just a few hours, the space at the bottom of your screen resembles an ant colony teeming with rooms and tiny inhabitants hustling for money and interacting with one another. It’s visually appealing, relaxing, and offers plenty of customization options.

There is currently a 10% introductory discount available, or you can grab it in a bundle that also includes another delightful idle sim that I recently got hooked on: the one featuring a sleepy frog that spends all day napping and farming. You definitely won’t regret spending $4 on it. I assure you!

Keep an eye out for the upcoming indie games of 2025 and beyond for more surprising gems.