What are one of the best life video games on PC? Effectively, it is dependent upon what you’re on the lookout for and what sort of fantasy you envision. As we stay up for the likes of Life by You and The Sims 5, we’ve constructed some various lives in a variety of the most recent and biggest life sims so we will information you to one of the best one to make your goals a (digital) actuality.
There’s extra right here than simply farming and relationship – although there’s loads of that as properly. Like life itself, life simulation video games are available all kinds, and whereas your thoughts would possibly leap to video games like The Sims 4 and different staples of the style, there are a bunch of ingenious takes on the components. A few of the greatest PC video games that imitate life probe what it means to be alive, whereas others merely allow you to bake, date, or reside as a witch. Be they adjoining to administration video games, farming video games, or relationship sims, listed below are one of the best life video games in 2025.
Listed below are one of the best life video games on PC in 2025:
Stardew Valley
Fields might wither, however Stardew Valley by no means loses its bloom. ConcernedApe’s farm-and-life sim presents so a lot, from significant relationships with fascinating characters, to creating your individual megafarm, and all the pieces in between – actually, when you plan properly and handle your sources. The broad objective helps revive the city and holding the sinister, definitely-not-Amazon firm JojaMart from taking on.
What that interprets to by way of your day-to-day motion is just about no matter you need. Investing in your crops and constructing an agricultural empire is simply as viable as not doing that, or elevating animals, or specializing in relationships. Some farm video games, together with the older Harvest Moon video games Stardew attracts numerous inspiration from, fell into the entice of getting characters who existed solely to fall in love with you.
Everybody in Stardew has a narrative to inform, and it typically unfolds in surprising and emotional methods. And in order for you much more management over your fantasy farm, take a look at one of the best Stardew Valley mods. Should you’re already accustomed to Stardew Valley, then maybe our record of video games like Stardew Valley with have one thing new to pique your curiosity.
The Sims 4
It’s taken just a few years and a complete lot of content material packs, however now The Sims 4 has nearly all the pieces you may need from both a life sport or a Sims expertise. It’s a large dwelling world that offers you almost limitless freedom, and you may fill in any gaps when you’re taking part in on PC by both putting in Sims 4 CC or among the finest Sims 4 mods.
Whereas the providing was somewhat naked at launch, the mechanics backing it up – an improved construct mode and a way more strong interactions system – gave Maxis and modders sturdy foundations, and the visible and animation overhauls have stood the check of time. Now that the Sims 5 launch date is off the desk, we’re excited to see what modifications Venture Rene will deliver to the Sims ecosystem.
Spirittea
Spirittea takes the Stardew Valley components however trades within the farm for a conventional bathhouse with a twist. Not like common bathhouses with human clientele, your prospects are stressed spirits inflicting hassle with the native townsfolk. It’s as much as you to furnish them with a comfy spa to chill and loosen up, resolve their unfinished enterprise, and make sufficient cash to handle your repairs. Spirittea is the reply for all times sim lovers on the lookout for an alternative choice to the myriad farming video games within the style. It brings all of the staple “cozy” mechanics to the identical desk as Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away. Simply don’t soak for too lengthy – you’ll get all pruney.
Echoes of the Plum Grove
In relation to rifling by way of a sport style, there’s typically numerous similarity between video games. Hardly ever does one thing pop up that’s actually distinctive. Echoes of the Plum Grove is that uncommon incidence, although, as this life sport, with its Paper Mario-style aesthetics and Victorian setting, actually stands out from the gang.
Given the old-timey setting of this cute sim, you must deal with greater than the standard on a regular basis duties. Certain, there’s farming and fishing and all the pieces else you would possibly count on from the video games on this record, however there’s additionally loss of life and illness as you try to outlive the varied plagues of the period. Sure, Echoes of Plum Grove is that darkish, however in some way it does it in an extremely cute and enjoyable approach.
Disney Dreamlight Valley
Disney Dreamlight Valley would possibly nonetheless be in early entry, however that didn’t cease it turning into among the finest breakouts of 2022. Should you’ve ever lived alongside the likes of Mickey, Elsa, and Wall-E as soon as upon a dream, DDLV is a life sim to make all these childhood fantasies come true. There’s no higher time to dive into your individual valley than proper now, both, with Encanto’s personal Mirabel Madrigal having moved into the village within the Mini-Casita. It seems like there will probably be loads extra new characters to come back within the the subsequent Dreamlight Valley replace in 2025, too.
Coral Island
Beginning life on Kickstarter, Coral Island smashed its unique objectives by over 2,300%, making it an prompt success. If that isn’t sufficient by itself to make you surprise what you’re lacking out on, then you definately would possibly like to listen to that this life sim is basically what life ought to be: farming, fishing, flirting – all on a surprising tropical island. And if that’s nonetheless not sufficient, you possibly can romance mermaids. Now I do know you’re offered.
Lemon Cake
Should you wished life and life sims revolved extra round making scrumptious confectionaries and holding cats joyful, rejoice, for Lemon Cake exists. This cute cooking sport duties you with restoring an deserted bakery, however it doesn’t cease there.
You’ll must put money into and rebuild the greenhouse and gardens for substances, discover furnishings to draw new prospects – together with cats – and produce your candy imaginative and prescient to life. It’s not a simple process, however there’s a tangible sense of progress after each job properly executed.
My Time at Sandrock
The desert neighborhood of Sandrock wants your assist! The distant city has fallen into disrepair, and it wants a builder to revive it to its former glory. That’s the place you are available. Together with your instruments in hand, you possibly can carve out somewhat piece of Sandrock for your self. Your workshop serves as your base of operations as you assemble elaborate farms and manufacturing traces to generate sources, whether or not that’s crops or constructing supplies. Naturally, you should utilize these sources on your personal functions, both in constructing the house of your goals or helping the townsfolk of their endeavors.
Sandrock itself is chock-full of NPCs you possibly can help, befriend, and even romance. You can even enterprise past the boundaries of Sandrock and into the desert past, to scavenge for relics that may reveal extra in regards to the historical past of the city. Your survival within the desert wilds hinges on a serviceable hack-and-slash fight system consisting of ranged and melee weapons to fend off the hostile creatures roaming free. Irrespective of the way you select to spend your time in Sandrock – be it farming, fishing, or romance – your time is certain to be properly spent.
Little Witch within the Woods
In Little Witch within the Woods, you play as Ellie, an lovable little pixelated apprentice witch. Stay out your days as Ellie as you study witchcraft, honing your spells and potions data, assembly new associates, and serving to to make the world a greater place with using magic.
Comparable in model to numerous different cute, in style life sims like Stardew Valley and Littlewood, Little Witch within the Woods is a pixelated, top-down journey, with the USP of brewing potions as an alternative of recipes, and assembly magical creatures and neighbours. You’ll be used to farming in these video games, and that is no completely different, as you’ll want substances for stated potions and spells. And naturally being a witch wouldn’t be full with out a acquainted, so you’ll want to befriend and talk with the woods’ varied feline residents, every with their very own distinctive personalities, till you discover one that desires to remain by your facet ceaselessly.
Develop: Track of the Evertree
Develop: Track of the Evertree has one thing for nearly everybody. It deftly blends crafting, relationships, farming, exploration, and dungeon crawling in an enthralling package deal. A part of what makes it so endearing is the dream-like world your journey takes place in.
Legendary creatures frolic within the fields below big mushrooms, whereas nearer to house, your new neighbors are speaking foxes. Your objective is defending what makes the world lovely by restoring everybody’s connection to nature and the Evertree itself. It’s a touching premise that provides a extra compelling sense of objective and helps set this one other than comparable life-crafting sport hybrids.
Unpacking
Unpacking removes you from the equation for a extra introspective tackle life, exploring the issues we discover vital, and the way we create intimate areas even in disagreeable locations. The indie sport‘s premise is easy: take belongings out of containers and put them away. Every stage represents a distinct milestone within the lifetime of Unpacking’s unseen protagonist – her first room as a baby, for instance, or the primary time she lives with another person – and the issues that persist from house to house naturally change over time.
That assortment of robots and collectible figurines she beloved as a child? It’s been yeeted by the point she hits puberty, changed by books, music, and garments. Unpacking is a surprisingly emotional expertise that, like one of the best life sims, manages to imply one thing completely different to everybody even with its minimalist method to gameplay.
The Good Life
The Good Life is definitely one of many more strange life sim video games, which is a part of what makes it so fascinating. In principle, you’re meant to be uncovering the reality behind a dreadful homicide in a rural village, investigating clues, chatting with locals, and finally bringing the case to an in depth.
In apply, you’ll spend your days just about nevertheless you need – using round on sheep, anticipating social media developments, planting flowers, and making associates with alcoholic clergymen. As an alternative of getting a pet, you flip right into a cat or canine and have a complete new suite of exploration choices open up in consequence. The weirdness means it gained’t work for everybody, however when you’re after one thing a bit much less conventional, The Good Life is a must have.
Spiritfarer
Whereas we’re excited about life, so too should we take into consideration loss of life, and that’s the place Spiritfarer is available in. Enjoying as Stella, you tackle the position of the Spiritfarer, a job tasking you with fulfilling the ultimate requests of spirits earlier than serving to them move on. Nevertheless you might need skilled grief and loss in actual life, Spiritfarer is a phenomenal, painful, and cathartic journey, supported by humorous and candy dialogue with its forged of vibrant characters.
Every of those characters has a heartfelt story, whether or not it’s Stella’s previous good friend reminiscing about their time collectively or a kindly hedgehog chatting about her grandkids. Once you’re not studying extra about their previous lives, you’re cooking their favorite meals, crafting new gadgets to construct new rooms that may assist make passengers really feel extra at house – all that can assist you and them come to phrases with the inevitable parting simply over the horizon. It’s not a simple sport to play, however it is a crucial one.
Littlewood
Littlewood is a singular twist on the life sim-RPG sport hybrid, because it takes place after the battle is already gained. Your hero is solely on the lookout for a spot to relaxation, so that they work with their associates – additionally heroes within the ultimate struggle towards evil – to determine and construct a village the place everyone seems to be welcome.
Littlewood presents a larger diploma of freedom in the way you construct the village, letting you design all the pieces from house interiors to fencing across the city’s borders. The fabric gathering loop will get a bit grindy at instances, however the heat and attraction Littlewood exudes greater than makes up for it.
Two Level Hospital
Hospitals are the final place you wish to spend free time, however Two Level Hospital is an exception. This quirky administration sport duties you with defending life – and your money movement – by constructing probably the most environment friendly and fascinating hospital round. Threats to affected person security embody cubism and lightheadedness – and even you, relying on how properly you design your amenities – however with the suitable analysis and planning, you’ll quickly have all the county lining as much as be admitted. Wait, is {that a} good factor?
Two Level Hospital options plenty of DLC packs for even larger challenges and a free Sonic the Hedgehog collaboration with costumes certain to deliver a smile to your sufferers’ faces or trigger irreversible psychological trauma. It might go both approach.
And if hospitals actually aren’t your factor then the sequel, Two Level Campus, applies numerous the identical administration rigor and slapstick humor to varsity campus life. Take a look at our Two Level Campus assessment for our full take.
And there you’re, one of the best life video games you may ask for in 2025. Settle for no substitutes, as it is a 100% factual record. For extra gaming greats, why not take a look at one of the best technique video games on PC? Since life video games are your factor, take a look at our record of video games like Animal Crossing, doing their greatest to deliver the lovable model of the Nintendo-exclusive to your PC rig.
Authentic contributions by Josh Broadwell.
