Play out a totally different life in these great games!
Play out a totally different life in these great games!
Image courtesy of Steam
Have you ever dreamed of running a bed and breakfast? Or maybe you want to run a blooming sticker business? Perhaps accept quests from the bulletin board of a tavern? It sounds like you’re in need of a little life simulation game to transport you to a new reality! Life sims usually focus on relationships and individuals living out their lives, and sometimes it’s nice to hop out of your life and into another one, so here are some of the best life sim games on Steam right now.
Today, we’re going to dive into five of the best life sims on Steam, spanning across multiple genres like:
Without further ado, let’s get living!
Bear and Breakfast is a cozy, adventure simulation game where players take on the role of a bear named Hank, who opens a bed-and-breakfast in the forest. Hank (you, the player) designs and renovates rooms, builds new amenities, and ensures his guests have a pleasant stay. Forage for food, decorate and expand your bed-and-breakfast, explore the surrounding forest and attract more customers!
This cozy, laid-back management game has a bit of a darker side too. Searching deep within the forest will allow you to uncover the mysteries of this area…and perhaps your soul. Upgrade your bed and breakfast and become the best in the forest!
🎮Purchase Bear and Breakfast here
The Sims franchise is a staple life sim game and one of my personal favorites. Begin by creating your sim from the ground up. Customize their hair, body, traits, face shape, clothing, shoes, accessories—if you can name it, you can customize it. Once you name your character (or up to 8 characters), find or build them a home and get to decorating! After that, the world is really your oyster.
The Sims 4 has a ton of expansion packs to deepen and enhance gameplay. There are three types of packs: Kit, Stuff, and Expansion. Kits are usually smaller expansions to your game, like more clothing items or decor. Stuff packs usually add more interactable components to your game, like murphy beds for the bedroom or stand mixers for your kitchen.
Expansion packs add a bit of the other two with some major changes to the gameplay of the game itself. For example, the “Get to Work” pack adds the ability to follow your sims into three different work environments, and the “Discover University” pack allows you to send your sim to college in order to further their career in the future. There are so many different ways to play and shape your sim’s life, which is why The Sims 4 is one of the best life sim games on Steam!
🎮Purchase The Sims 4 here
Unpacking is a life sim puzzle game about…well, unpacking! Over the course of eight house moves, you get the chance to experience a bond with a character you never see and a story you’re never told. Unpacking is truly a meditative experience. You get to walk beside this character and unravel their story through the things they unpack and the things they choose to leave behind. With no timers and no scoring, the game is a peaceful and casual gaming experience.
The different moves span from 1997 through 2018, with 35 rooms to unpack across all eight homes or apartments. Unpacking won Game of the Year in 2022 at the BAFTA Games Awards, further cementing its stellar reputation within the gaming community and landing it a spot on our list of the best life sim games on Steam.
🎮Purchase Unpacking here
Sticky Business is a cozy life sim about creating, packing and selling your own stickers. Different designs will attract different customers, so build your brand to attract like-minded individuals. You can add enhancements to your stickers, like holographic film or glitter to enhance your stickers. And, as you level up, you’ll be able to upgrade your materials and packaging items to create higher quality stickers.
And, if you like to stream games on Twitch, the game contains a Twitch integration which allows viewers to become customers in the game! So, while you’d usually be fulfilling the orders of NPCs, the integration allows you to connect with others in real life. Features like this one put the cozy game on our list of the best life sim games on Steam!
🎮Purchase Sticky Business here
Tavern Talk is a Dungeons and Dragons inspired visual novel. You play as the owner of the Wayfarer’s Inn, a popular watering hole in the fantasy land of Asteria. Beyond the walls of this tavern, a world-threatening danger is brewing. Every quest, rumour and conversation is mixed in with the fate of Asteria.
Get to know the patrons that enter your tavern and give them a place that feels like a second home. Mix potions that will change the fates of your patrons lives forever—so choose wisely! And, if you’re lucky (and a really good listener), you’ll be able to connect the dots and uncover the evil threatening Asteria.
🎮Purchase Tavern Talk here
Whether you’re looking for a cozy game to inspire you to become an Etsy seller, or a game that will transport you to a fantasy land far, far away, we’ve got something for you. Dive into a new life and start your latest journey!
