Summary
- InZOI, a potential competitor to The Sims, offers detailed character creation and world customization.
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons remains a top life simulator in the 2020s due to island control and gameplay variety.
- Palia, My Time At Sandrock, and Disney Dreamlight Valley offer interactive, community-focused gameplay for life simulator fans.
Although we're only halfway through the 2020s, there have been plenty of interesting new releases since the start of 2020. Across each and every genre of gaming, great new titles have been released.
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The life simulator genre has had many exciting new titles so that players aren't stuck enjoying the likes of Stardew Valley, even though this game has also received plenty of updates in recent years. Though the 2020s are nowhere near ending, these are some of the best life simulators released so far, ranked by how enjoyable they have been for players.
8 Palia
Take On Life With Other Players
Palia
- Released
- August 10, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Tobacco
- Developer(s)
- Singularity 6, Inc.
- Genre(s)
- Simulation, MMO
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC
While the majority of life simulators have players creating a life for themselves solo, there are a few games in the life simulator genre that allow the player to simulate their life with others. Palia is one great example of this, which was released in 2023, where players were able to explore a world in which they could also visit other players in.
The game relies heavily on the community and, therefore, to earn certain resources in this cozy simulator, a player will have to work with other real-life players to chop down a tree or mine a rock. However, there are plenty of other relaxing activities to do together in Palia.
7 My Time At Sandrock
Take Care Of A Desert Community
My Time At Sandrock
- Released
- November 2, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Comic Mischief +
- Developer(s)
- Pathea Games
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Simulation, Farming
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
My Time at Sandrock is another life sim title from Pathea Games, with this title taking players to a desert community where the town is rundown and the water supply is draining.
Besides the incredible story unraveling in My Time at Sandrock, players are also able to spend time by themselves by meeting the townsfolk of Sandrock that they can perhaps start a family with or even explore the desert to do a spot of sandfishing.
6 Disney Dreamlight Valley
Become Fast Friends With Disney Icons
Disney Dreamlight Valley
- Released
- December 5, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Everyone / In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Gameloft
- Genre(s)
- Life Simulation, Casual
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, iOS
Fans of Disney who wish they could live in the magical worlds that these characters are from were lucky to be introduced to an all-new life simulator game in the 2020s called Disney Dreamlight Valley. As the name of this game suggests, Disney Dreamlight Valley is a life simulator title that puts the player into a valley where they must tend to the world and make it inhabitable so that they can finally bring back the various Disney Mascots.
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Players can define their Disney style by decorating themselves and the Valley however they see fit while also forming bonds with the Disney and Pixar characters of their childhood, as well as plenty of Disney characters from the new films.
5 Coral Island
Players Can Live An Idyllic Life
Coral Island
- Released
- October 11, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ Due To Alcohol Reference, Comic Mischief, Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Stairway Games
- Genre(s)
- Farming, Simulation
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
The 2020s have been a great time for players who enjoy farming simulators with life simulator mechanics. Coral Island has impressed players with its interesting take on the farming simulator genre, but also due to the large amount of content that has continued to be added, even after its full release.
Coral Island has plenty of captivating characters for the player to meet, with lots of potential bachelors and bachelorettes. Like any life simulator, players are able to give gifts to befriend and then eventually marry one of these characters to finally start a family while running their farm. This is only one element of Coral Island to enjoy, with cleaning the ocean being incredibly fulfilling.
4 Crusader Kings 3
Live The Life Of A Noble
Crusader Kings 3
- Released
- September 1, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teens: Drug Reference, Language, Mild Violence, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Paradox Interactive
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Grand Strategy
- Platform(s)
- PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
Players may be surprised to see a Grand Strategy title like Crusader Kings 3 when talking about life simulator games. However, although players are expected to wage wars in Crusader Kings 3, there are plenty of life-simulator elements to the game, too, as players must go much deeper than wars as they have to manage their kingdom and the intrigue of court.
Those who want to successfully keep their kingdom whole will need to quickly find themselves a potential spouse to start having children to keep the kingdom to their blood. Players can even host various parties or even encounter various events that may see certain things happen to themselves or their family.
3 Fields Of Mistria
An Early Access Life Simulator With A Lot Of Potential
Fields of Mistria
- Released
- August 5, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
While Fields of Mistria may not have been fully released yet, the current content within the game already highlights it as an incredible life simulator that will take players by storm when it eventually fully releases during the 2020s.
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With an adorable pixel art style that mimics the likes of classic simulators such as Harvest Moon, Fields of Mistria already has plenty to keep players enthralled. Even if the characters cannot be fully bonded with yet, they already have staple personalities, and the player is already tasked with lots of activities to see the town of Mistria flourish once more.
2 InZOI
A Game To Finally Challenge The Sims
InZOI
- Released
- March 28, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
Few games have been a possible contender against the popularity of The Sims franchise, though InZOI shows itself to be a potential competitor for this life sim that has surprised players. Releasing in early access in 2025, InZOI already has a lot of content for players to enjoy, from creating their own characters and starting a life for themselves.
With the player taking on the role of the creator of this world, they can freely take control of not only their own made characters but also any others they meet in the world, as well as customize the world around them. With InZOI also taking a more realistic approach to allowing players to make lifelike people, players can make some of the most throughout stories as long as they have the creativity.
1 Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Chat With Adorable Animal Villagers Daily
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Released
- March 20, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Everyone / Comic Mischief, Mild Fantasy Violence, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
Unsurprisingly, out of all the life simulators to be released so far in the 2020s, the best that players have continued to return to is Animal Crossing: New Horizons. As the only A nimal Crossing game available on the Nintendo Switch, players have become entirely invested in their island, as this life simulator has given players the most control out of all the Animal Crossing games.
Not only can players be a little pickier about which animals are allowed to set up on their island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but players are also given the tools to create ponds and cliffs to sculpt the island to look like their perfect vacation spot. In between all this, players can once again spend their days catching bugs, fishing, or digging up fossils.
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