# Paralives

*Game* · `paralives` · status: **sourced**

An indie life sim, in early access since May 2026, in which players build grid-less homes and guide Parafolks with needs, emotions, traits, skills, and careers in an open-world town.

| field | value |
|---|---|
| year | 2026 |
| developer | Paralives Studio |
| platforms | PC |
| subgenre | Life sim |
| sim domain | Domestic / personal, Social / interpersonal |
| player role | Caretaker |
| agency model | Direct unit control, Indirect incentive, Zoning / placement |
| time model | Real-time with pause |
| sim scale | Household / crew |
| fidelity | Stylized |
| perspective | Free 3D camera |
| win structure | Open sandbox |
| failure model | Soft / recoverable |
| narrative mode | Emergent |
| multiplayer | Single-player |
| modding | Content |
| production tier | Indie |
| agent count order | ~10 |
| emergence | 2 |
| influence | 1 |
| influenced by | [The Sims](../game/the-sims.md), [Cities: Skylines](../game/cities-skylines.md) |
| cluster *(computed)* | C02 |
| core count *(computed)* | 2 |
| mechanic count *(computed)* | 12 |

## Summary

An indie life sim, in early access since May 2026, in which players build grid-less homes and guide Parafolks with needs, emotions, traits, skills, and careers in an open-world town.

## Core Loop

design Parafolks in the Paramaker -> build a grid-less home -> Parafolks pursue needs and wants -> socialize, work, and build skills around town -> relationships, children, and aging change the household -> share homes and Parafolks on the Workshop

## Design Notes

Paralives began as Alex Massé's solo project, was funded through Patreon (over 15,000 supporters by November 2023), and entered Steam early access on 2026-05-25 with about two years planned before 1.0. Its building tools are its most distinctive system: walls and furniture resize, recolor, and stack, walls can curve, floors can split level, and a road-style wall tool was inspired by Cities: Skylines. Conversation fills a together bar that unlocks together cards, multiselect lets several Parafolks act as a group, and procedural animation adapts to preceding animations.

## Relations

**influenced by**

- [The Sims](../game/the-sims.md)
- [Cities: Skylines](../game/cities-skylines.md)

**uses**

- [Building placement](../mechanic/free-placement.md) (core): Grid-less building with curved walls, split-level floors, and resizable, recolorable, stackable furniture; walls are drawn with a road-style tool modeled on Cities: Skylines.
- [Needs decay](../mechanic/needs-decay.md) (core): Parafolks carry needs, wants, and emotions that steer their autonomous behavior and set the player's care tasks.
- [Personality traits](../mechanic/personality-traits.md) (supporting)
- [Agent skills](../mechanic/agent-skills.md) (supporting)
- [Relationship values](../mechanic/relationship-values.md) (supporting): Conversation fills a together bar between two Parafolks, and a full bar unlocks together cards.
- [Romance and family](../mechanic/romance-family.md) (supporting)
- [Career ladder](../mechanic/career-ladder.md) (supporting): Jobs with flexible career progression paths.
- [Lifecycle and aging](../mechanic/lifecycle-aging.md) (supporting)
- [Content sharing](../mechanic/content-sharing.md) (supporting): Steam Workshop distributes community houses, Parafolks, and mods.
- [Modding API](../mechanic/modding-api.md) (supporting): An in-game modding interface lets players edit or add content.
- [Pause and speed control](../mechanic/variable-speed.md) (supporting)
- [Utility action selection](../mechanic/utility-action-selection.md) (supporting)

## Sources

- [Paralives](../source/src-wikipedia-paralives.md)
- [Paralives on Steam](../source/src-steam-2026-paralives.md)

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Provenance: created in run `2026-10-24-catalog-gc`; reviewed in `2026-10-24-review-fixes`.