Dictating digital people’s wants, needs, dreams, goals and even what they look like, The Sims is one of the most popular video game franchises of all time for a reason. If you’re looking for something different but similar, then you’ll want to check out the following collection of video games.
Two Point Hospital/Campus
While it may not offer the kind of individual control available in The Sims, Two Point Hospital is a thoroughly engrossing management game that’s elevated by its presentation. While it would have been easy to just create a down-the-middle replica of a real-world hospital, Two Point is oozing with tongue-in-cheek charm and witty writing, resulting in a game that’s mechanically dense but doesn’t necessarily want you to take it too seriously.
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This is even more pronounced in Two Point Campus, the most recent release in the series, which may be more likely to scratch your itch for the zany antics of The Sims. For my money, it feels a little less focused in its management systems than Hospital, but there’s no denying that the denizens of Campus have a ton of personality. Plus, it’s set in college, and you KNOW there’s plenty of room for hijinks between lectures.
Disney Dreamlight Valley
You may not be controlling a small army of virtual people in Dreamlight Valley, but you will be spending a ton of time decorating, building, and designing the aesthetic of your in-game character. While the chaos of The Sims may be absent in the feel-good world of Disney IP, there’s certainly something to be said about leaving your worries at the door and just enjoying hanging out with some of the most iconic characters in media.
If you’re really wanting an experience closer to The Sims, spend some time inside your house in Dreamlight Valley. The comprehensive and exhaustive suite of items that can be used to furnish your abode is genuinely staggering and helps make the game feel more like a project at times. If there’s one thing fans of The Sims love more than anything else, it’s sinking their teeth into a big refurbishment effort.
House Flipper
Again, this is more for those Sims fans who are more into the process of building and designing houses than governing the lives of some silly little people. If you spend hours pouring over menus of furniture and paint colors, then you’ll likely lose yourself in House Flipper. A game that tasks players with purchasing, renovating, and then selling old houses for a profit, there’s a wealth of content on offer here if you’re willing to give it some attention.
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Now granted, it may not be as polished as some other games on this list, but frankly, that doesn’t get in the way of the experience. House Flipper is a simple simulation game that boasts more options that you’d think at first glance. There’s no greater feeling than arriving at a derelict cottage, trash strewn about the place, and leaving it as a wonderful slice of contemporary modern architecture. The best part is – you get paid for your troubles!
BitLife
While it may seem like a very simple little game, the amount of things one can do in BitLife is rather impressive. Ditching the graphics of most modern video games, this mobile title takes players through the life of a fictional character one year at a time, tasking them with making decisions on their behalf. All the scenarios are entirely random, meaning that no two lives will ever be the same. From birth all the way through to death, you’ll have to monitor your personal attributes, relationships, and wealth to ensure you get the most out of the experience.
If anything, it’s a pretty brutal reminder that life is fleeting, disappearing in the blink of an eye when compared to the grand vastness of the cosmos. If you can shove those thoughts of existential dread to the back of your brain, you’ll probably get a major kick out of BitLife‘s simple yet compelling gameplay loop.
Rimworld
Granted, the idea of taking a random assortment of settlers and managing their day-to-day affairs on a far-flung planet doesn’t really give off major Sims energy. Yet, when it comes to telling emergent stories with a cast of characters that players can control, you won’t find much better than Rimworld. Shockingly deep in its system, the amount of free-form expression is unprecedented as scenarios you’d never imagine suddenly become shockingly real in the middle of a game.
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They tend to be quite a bit more grim than the stuff you’ll find in The Sims. I don’t think Maxis’ game has instances of villagers capturing, imprisoning, and then slowly devouring a lonesome space raider over the course of several weeks. That’s dark, but Rimworld wants players to experiment and tell a story that’s unique to them. If there was ever a time to let loose and play the kind of horrific god only found in Greek mythology, it’s in Rimworld.
Fallout Shelter
While it’s easy to write off Fallout Shelter as a cash-in on the beloved post-apocalyptic franchise, there’s much more to this game than meets the eye. Players will need to carefully micromanage their group of survivors if they want to make it through the end of the world successfully. This means assigning them jobs, having them procreate, and even equipping them with enough firepower to facilitate a daring adventure out into the Wasteland.
There’s a bunch of cruft that you’ll need to navigate to really get to the good stuff, unfortunately. Such is the nature of the beast when you’re dealing with a free-to-play game. Yet, if you’re able to look past the microtransactions, Fallout Shelter has the capacity to keep you entertained for dozens of hours. Just make sure you don’t let those Deathclaws stroll too far into your Vault…
