Paralives

Paralives is a life simulation for single players. You create your own characters, known as Parafolk, design their apartments and houses, and guide them through work, friendships, family life and the daily demands of an open town. The focus is on self-developed stories rather than a set campaign.

The independent team led by Alex Massé combines a particularly free build mode with a character editor and an everyday system in which needs, feelings, traits and relationships interlock.

Early Access since May 25, 2026. The life simulation is available on Steam for Windows and macOS. The full version has not yet been released.

The team is continuing to develop the simulation during Early Access. Larger free updates are set to expand existing everyday systems, among other things. The studio has not announced a fixed date for version 1.0.

Paralives is available for Windows PCs and Macs. Both systems use the same Steam purchase. No separate console version has been confirmed.

The user interface supports German, English, French and Italian, among others. Steam Cloud and Steam Workshop are available.

Parafolk pursue careers, improve skills, maintain friendships and partnerships, and react to wants, emotions and needs. Children, aging and death are also part of the game. Shops, restaurants and other places are located in a freely accessible town.

Characters can be selected for shared activities. Their relationships and traits affect how stories develop in individual households.

New content is set to arrive without paid DLC. The studio plans to expand the life simulation during Early Access with free updates. The first major update is planned to bring deeper relationships, additional everyday actions, more careers, and improvements to house building and the character editor.

Weather and seasons, pets, vehicles, gardening and tools for town design are part of the long-term development plan. These systems should not be equated with the current scope of the game.

On Windows, at least 12 GB memory, 8 GB free storage and a GTX 1060 or RX 6600 XT are required. Steam lists an Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 at 2.5 GHz as the processor. Recommended are 16 GB RAM and an RTX 2060 or RX 7600 XT.

On Mac, Paralives requires at least an Apple M2 chip with 12 GB RAM and macOS 11. For the recommended configuration, Steam lists an Apple M3 with 16 GB RAM.

Houses can largely be built without a rigid grid. Curved walls, freely placed room corners, different floor heights and multiple storeys allow unusual floor plans. Furniture can be moved, scaled and recolored.

Existing walls can also be changed later. The build mode suits both small apartments and multi-storey houses with detailed interiors.

In the Paramaker, you set your Parafolk's height, face, body shape and clothing. Colors, patterns and layered clothing items can be combined. A genetics system is available for families.

Besides appearance, personality and traits affect how characters behave in everyday life.

Paralives supports the Steam Workshop and its own modding tools. Players can edit or create extra content and share houses and characters with others. These features are part of the PC version and do not require a separate expansion.

Paralives is a single-player simulation. A shared multiplayer mode is not among the listed features. The Steam Workshop is for sharing self-made content, not for playing together in one town.