8 Things Paralives Does Better Than The Sims

Though EA has had much longer with The Sims 4 to polish it and make it shine in its own genre-defining way, there's something about an indie passion project like Paralives that serves to come along and challenge the long-established titan series for its title and dominance in the genre.

Though the game is in early access, there's already plenty to love about Paralives if you're looking for a good competitor to The Sims 4. Whether you'd like some pace changes, unique qays to interact with a new world, or something else from the game, Paralives will have you covered.

Paralives is still in early access, so we'll update this list if anything changes or new and improved features get added later on down the road.

8 An Open World

Anyone who played the older entries in The Sims series, specifically The Sims 3, has not quite gotten over the concept of having an open-world life sim again. We could run anywhere, seamlessly moving between lots with only minor loading screens if we had any of them between actions at all.

Paralives Early Access Review: A Charming New Home For Storytellers

I've been living my best Paralife in Paralives.

Thankfully, Paralives has an open world system that shows you the neighborhood at a glance, and it even makes for a seamless town management menu segue, with you able to buy and sell lots, visit different locations, and so much more all from a zoomed out version of wherever your Para currently is.

7 More Player-Friendly Build/Buy

Anyone who loves to build custom houses will always be on the lookout for a good builder, and while The Sims 4 has eventually come along with plenty of content to keep people playing, Paralives has a Build and Buy system that's vastly easier to navigate than the one in TS4, despite the heavy inspiration.

Categories feel more succinctly broken down, even when you do end up using the Room Tool to more seamlessly group together like items. While TS4's Build/Buy does have these functions, Paralives gives you a more condensed menu with more information available at a glance, and organization can be key when you've got a menu as rich as this.

6 Deeper Character Customization

The first thing you'll need to do when you begin playing Paralives is make your character, called Paras in this life sim, and though you'll find the same kind of characterization options, we feel that the Paramaker is much more fleshed-out than Create-a-Sim is in its most current iteration.

You have so much more control in the Paramaker, able to use all kinds of customization sliders and color-choosing options to make the Para of your dreams. There's better inclusivity for skin tones, hair types, body types, and more, and the system with Vibes is definitely something we've been wanting an easier version of for a bit now. Who hasn't

5 More Unique Graphics

The graphics in The Sims 4 have become somewhat classic by now, but we can't pretend it's not refreshing to see Paralives come through with a vastly more unique art style that makes the world feel just a little more detailed than the ones in TS4.

22 Best Online Life Simulation Games

Online life simulation games might initially sound boring, but they can be so addictive - let's check out the best of them!

The more hand-drawn art style comes through clearly with the Paras, with so much room for customization already even in early access. Though you'll likely encounter some graphical hiccups during the Early Access period, as the developers outlined before launch, the world is physically beautiful to be in, and you'll find yourself wanting to explore more and more.

4 More Intuitive Modding

The Sims 4 has plenty of mods available now, after so many years on the market and dominating the life simulation genre the way it has, but Paralives makes it much easier to download, install, and access mods than TS4 ever has. You don't even have to mess around in the files on your PC!

Check out the Steam Workshop page for good mod sets in Paralives, download the most popular mods by subscribing to the creator, and switching them on in your own game via the main menu. The game's developers actively encourage modding, too, so have at it!

3 Attention To Tiny Details

While we won't deny that the worlds in The Sims 4 are all their own unique kinds of beautiful, we definitely think there's more packed into the town of Melina than any world The Sims 4 has put out quite yet. There's only one town in early access (other than the one made specifically for building), but it's already packed full of little details that make it feel more lived-in.

There's graffiti on some of the buildings. You'll find washed-up sea debris along the beach. The NPCs walking past you on the street all have small intricacies from the Paramaker that make sure no two characters feel too similar. It all makes the world feel a bit realer in the end, having more things around to notice.

2 Story Progression

If you remember the old-school console Sims games, then you know how paramount the story progression goals were back then, and man, do we miss that! The modern Sims have tutorials galore, but none feel as fun as the old story modes from the consoles. Paralives isn't quite there yet, but having goals both set and optional alike makes a world of difference.

Not sure how to get started? Here's a checklist of what to do. Want an extra challenge to your gameplay? Choose a different Storyteller when you make your next Para in the Paramaker. Need something to do from there? Explore for optional requests and goals. The world of Melina is your oyster!

1 No Paid DLC

EA has shut down rumors of there being a Sims 5, what with so many years and dollars poured into The Sims 4 by this point after more than a decade of the game on the market and players somewhat apprehensive to leave behind thousands of dollars in DLC they've purchased for the game along the way.

Paralives, however, has sold so well during early access that the developers are saying they have no plans to release any kind of paid DLC, more than able to release new content in patch updates to keep money in the pockets of the players after their initial investment. We'd rather pay more up-front for a seemingly infinite game than get a free base game that all but requires paid content to feel fleshed-out.

Best Life Sim Games Where You Don't Live On A Farm

There's more to life than just farming.