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25 Sensational Games Like The Sims 4 in 2024
March 20th, 2024 - By Gavin Machetes

Should you have found The Sims 4 engaging, an array of similar games are there to further captivate you.

The Sims 4 is a highly engaging life simulation game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts, serving as the fourth major title in the Sims series. Essentially, the game allows players to create their own virtual characters, known as 'Sims', and control every aspect of their lives within a dynamic and interactive world. With a range of unique personalities and life goals, you have the power to design your Sims' appearances, develop their careers, build their homes, direct their relationships, and even decide their fate. An incredibly immersive game, The Sims 4, also offers various expansion packs that introduce new settings, careers, and gameplay elements. You'd love it if you enjoy games that allow you to express creativity, make decisions, and shape virtual narratives on your terms.

Now, if you find The Sims 4 intriguing, there are several other games within the 'life simulation' and 'sandbox' genres that you might find appealing. These games share similar mechanics, such as interactive environments, character customization, autonomous decision-making, and open-ended gameplay, which contribute to an immersive, player-driven experience. From building vast cities to managing farms, running businesses, and even colonizing planets, the scope and variety are vast, offering the chance for endless enjoyment and exploration. Just imagine having the ability to control virtual life forms or create virtual worlds at your fingertips...


25. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

First, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, like The Sims 4, offers a robust system of personalization and customization. It gives you the freedom to develop your own island over time, place buildings where you want, and decorate your home and the surroundings the way you envision. You can create your dream house or imagine your ideal holiday spot, just like you used to create and decorate your ideal homes in Sims 4. You also get to choose your neighbors and interact with them, similar to how you interact with people in The Sims 4.

Another significant similarity is the passage of time. In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the in-game time syncs with real-world time, providing a unique daily gaming experience. Just like in The Sims 4, where Sims go through day and night cycles and celebrate occasions, villagers in Animal Crossing also celebrate real-world holidays, birthdays, and seasons. Plus, with various activities like fishing, catching bugs, digging up fossils, and participating in special events, there's always something new - exactly the kind of dynamic environment you loved about The Sims 4.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available on Nintendo Switch, typically priced around $60 USD.

24. Cities: Skylines

Like The Sims 4, Cities: Skylines is a life simulation game, but on a grander scale. Instead of controlling individual lives, you're shaping the destiny of an entire city. It's all about creating and managing your own world, just like The Sims. The way you shape the environment, lifestyle, and manage resources in The Sims 4, you will be doing pretty much the same in Cities: Skylines but on a macro level. You decide where to build residential, commercial, or industrial areas, just as you would decide what your Sim's home or workplace looks like. You construct roads, plan public transport and manage traffic flow - pretty much like scheduling your Sim's day. You need to make sure your citizens are happy and well taken care of by providing health care, education, and entertainment. You can pause time, speed it up or let it flow at a normal pace, just like in The Sims 4. And just like in Sims, you can also let your creative juices flow since the game allows you to design every little piece of your city.

Cities: Skylines also offers significant customization options. Whether it's the city layout, individual building designs, transportation options or even laws and policies in your city, the power is in your hands. Like The Sims 4, Cities: Skylines provides a wealth of content to add to your game through expansions and DLCs. These extend gameplay with new challenges and elements, such as weather conditions, nightlife, additional transportation types or unique buildings, whereas in The Sims 4 you can add pets, seasons, magical beings, iconic Star Wars characters, to name a few. The best part is the modding support that both games offer, extending their lifecycles and ensuring your city or your Sim's life is absolutely unique and customised to your liking!

Cities: Skylines is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, typically priced around $30 USD.

23. Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley and The Sims 4 both share an emphasis on personal choice and customization options, making them engrossingly engaging for fans of life-simulation games. Just like in The Sims 4, Stardew Valley allows you to shape your world exactly as you want it. You have the power to design your farmstead, choose your crops, engage with the townsfolk and pretty much lead the life that you desire. You have the autonomy to decide how you spend each day, which is a core feature for players who enjoy the freedom in The Sims 4.

Both games also encourage social interaction, providing you with a community of diverse characters. In Stardew Valley, you can build relationships with villagers, participate in town events, and even marry and start a family, mirroring the interactive social aspect of The Sims 4. As in The Sims, Stardew Valley also presents a certain level of 'reality', as crops take time to grow and your choices have consequences, emphasizing a charming and engaging life-simulation experience.

Stardew Valley is available on various platforms including PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, typically priced around $15 USD.

22. Terraria

Well, if you are a big fan of The Sims 4, then you will really get to enjoy Terraria. Much like The Sims, Terraria is a sandbox style game that values player creativity and autonomy. It offers complete freedom in designing and building your own world, from your characters' homes to their surrounding environment, exactly the way you want. Each building block at your disposal lets you tailor your world to your imagination, similar to how you would construct dreamlike homes and neighborhoods in The Sims.

Another way in which Terraria mirrors The Sims 4 is in its rich elements of simulation. You can share your beautifully constructed world with other players, or venture out into theirs, much like the interactive social dynamic found in The Sims. The game characters, much like Sims, have their own unique abilities, wants and interactions which you can explore, shape and grow over time. Additionally, Terraria has RPG elements, with battles, boss fights, and adventures, providing an extra level of entertainment that makes the game even more engaging, but still reminiscent of The Sims' familiar gameplay with life events and challenges.

Terraria is available on pretty much every platform including PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices, typically priced around $10 USD.

21. Harvest Moon

Harvest Moon and The Sims 4 share a lot of commonalities that might interest you, particularly if you're a fan of simulation and life managing games. Both games allow you to have complete control over the lives of your characters. In The Sims 4, you have control of a household, making decisions for your Sims from what they'll eat to when they'll sleep. Similarly, Harvest Moon places you in the shoes of a farmer, where you decide on your daily routines, the crops you'll grow, the animals you'll raise, and how to expand your farm capabilities. Both games allow you to interact with other non-playable characters, build relationships, get married, and even have children.

Looking specifically at the aspects of customization and variety, The Sims 4 grants you the ability to tailor your Sims’ behaviors, appearances, and living conditions just the way you want them. In the same vein, Harvest Moon lets you customize your farming tools, choose your personal clothing, upgrade your home, and choose the layout of your farm. Moreover, as your days and seasons pass, you'll notice differing weather conditions and festivities in both games. Just like in The Sims 4, Harvest Moon ensures that each gaming situation isn’t a loop of endless monotony, instead providing players with an evolving environment and varied scenarios to keep game-play interesting and fresh.

Harvest Moon is available on multiple platforms including PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC, typically priced around $30 USD.

20. RimWorld

Well, if you're a fan of The Sims 4, you'll find a lot of similarities in RimWorld. Both games give you the ability to create, manage, and dictate the course of your inhabitants' lives, but RimWorld delivers it with a distinct space colony setting and a significantly deeper level of complexity. In The Sims 4, you lay out the house, take care of your Sim's basic needs, and guide them through their careers and personal lives. RimWorld takes the life simulation management aspect further by adding in survival elements. You'll be dealing with manhunting packs of animals, random incidents like solar flares or disease outbreaks, hostile colonies, and more - all while managing the unique personalities, needs, and relationships of your colonists.

One of the areas where RimWorld and The Sims 4 share similarities is in the intricate system for the emotional and psychological state of your characters. Just as in The Sims 4, where your sims can feel anything from joy, anger, hunger, tiredness, or love, in RimWorld, your colonists also have a mood system influenced by a multitude of factors such as hunger, sleep deprivation, their environment, or the loss of a loved one. This mood system can impact their productivity, relationships, and even mental health, adding another strategic layer. Therefore, if you enjoy the detailed life simulation and character management in The Sims 4, RimWorld will definitely satisfy you with its strategic depth and simulation intricacy.

RimWorld is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux, typically priced around $34.99 USD.

19. Minecraft

In many ways, Minecraft can be similar to The Sims 4. Like The Sims 4, Minecraft is a sandbox game that gives you the freedom to create and design your world. You would love this if you have loved designing the dream homes for your Sims. However, in Minecraft, this design process reaches another level. You have the freedom to create majestic castles, towering sky scrapers, intricate underground passages or even recreate real world landmarks, the possibilities are endless. Just like how you have the thrill of seeing your family's life unfold in The Sims, in Minecraft too, you will get to experience the thrill as you see your creations come to life.

Just like The Sims 4, Minecraft also has a multiplayer aspect where you can join your friends and build projects together, adding a whole new level of fun and collaboration. And, if you loved the elements of survival and skill progression in The Sims, you'd also enjoy Survival mode in Minecraft where you get to hunt for your food, build shelter, defend from creatures and mine for resources. Although the visual graphics are quite different with Minecraft having a retro blocky aesthetic as compared to the realistic aesthetics of The Sims, you will still feel right at home with the way the game allows you to control and shape your virtual world.

Minecraft is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, mobile, and more platforms, typically priced around $26.95 USD.

18. Second Life

If you enjoyed molding a virtual world in The Sims 4, then Second Life will definitely pique your interest. Much like The Sims 4, Second Life allows you to customize and control your avatar, engaging in a variety of activities such as buying properties, designing homes, or starting businesses. Just like in The Sims 4 where you have full control over your Sim's personal aesthetics, in Second Life you can freely express yourself by creating a unique and personalized character. Nevertheless, Second Life takes the customization a step further, giving you an ability to script your world using a simple programming language, thus giving you more control over how things work.

Another aspect where Second Life mirrors The Sims 4 is the social interaction. Nurturing relationships and socializing is an integral part of both games. In Second Life, you meet other players, interact, make friends, and even involve in romantic relationships, much like in The Sims 4. But what makes it more engaging is the fact that all characters you meet in Second Life are other real players from around the world, giving you a more livelier and unpredictable social experience. Together with this, Second Life also offers the potential for real-world crossover in certain situations. For instance, a virtual concert inside Second Life can be conducted by a real-world actor. In this way, Second Life transcends the boundary between real and virtual world.

Second Life is available on Windows and MacOS platforms, typically priced around $0 USD as it is free to play with optional in-game purchases.

17. My Time at Portia

One of the key similarities between My Time at Portia and The Sims 4 is the freedom they both offer. Like The Sims 4, My Time at Portia provides endless opportunities to define and design your own lifestyle, albeit in a more atmospheric, post-apocalyptic setting. You can take control of every aspect of your character's life - build your workshop your way, interact with different characters, farm, raise animals, and even socialize with the townsfolk during festivals and competitions. Just as in the Sims, there's constant room for creativity and strategy in refining your lifestyle and tasks.

Character interactions, relationships and nuanced artificial intelligence are also key shared elements. Much like The Sims 4, My Time at Portia enables forging relationships with other characters, including opportunities to date and marry. The in-game characters have their own unique personalities, stories and routines, very similar to the Sims. Every decision you make affects your standing with them, so it adds a nice layer of strategy to interactions: befriending certain people can give your character bonuses in workshops for example.

My Time at Portia is available on multiple platforms including PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One, typically priced around $30 USD.

16. Spore

If you loved the unending creativity and player agency in The Sims 4, Spore is another excellent choice. Like The Sims 4, it's a sandbox game with an open-ended storyline, allowing you to shape your own unique journey. Both games allow an unprecedented level of customization, with Spore letting you create your own organisms, species, and civilizations. In essence, you can shape your lifeform from a single cell to a space-traveling civilization. The sense of achievement while scaling the evolutionary ladder is comparable to the domestic victories in The Sims.

The games also share developers which becomes evident in the distinctive style of humor and quirkiness both games portray. Just like The Sims, Spore is divided into various stages, each offering a distinct play style and objectives. The Tribal stage, for instance, strongly reflects the social interactions and community building aspects of The Sims games. Spore's customization mechanic also parallels The Sims 4 with its extensive options for designing your creatures and worlds, enabling you to vary your gameplay experience each time you play.

Spore is available on Windows and macOS platforms, typically priced around $20 USD.

15. Tropico

Just like The Sims 4, Tropico places you in a position of omnipotence where you can create, build and oversee the life of your own online community. In Tropico though, instead of a family or individual people, you control an entire Caribbean island, dictating its economic, political and social structures. You'll find the same degree of simulation complexity as in The Sims 4, where your decisions on resource allocation, building placement and political policies directly influence the prosperity of your island.

Another quite captivating similarity is the life-like needs of your subjects. Tropico citizens, like Sims, have needs and desires, and they're not afraid to voice them. They require shelter, employment, healthcare, entertainment and political freedom, among other things. If you fail to provide these, you'll witness protests or even rebellions, adding a unique layer of realism to the whole city-building concept. Furthermore, you can shape the cultural narrative of the island, allowing for nuanced storylines akin to those The Sims 4 offers.

Tropico is available on PS4, Xbox One and PC, typically priced around $39.99 USD.

14. Banished

One of the prime connections between Banished and The Sims 4 is in the realm of gameplay control. In both games, you have direct control over the lives and tasks of your characters. This means you're not only their mentor, but their provider, making decisions that will directly impact their lives, happiness, and success. Both games are centered around building and managing a community, from erecting structures to managing the economy. You'll need to ensure the well-being of your people, looking after their health, happiness, and even their education, just like in The Sims 4.

Another similarity between Buried and The Sims 4 lies in the art of creation. Each game gives you the freedom to design unique spaces and build your own world. The creative freedom is ample, giving you authority to design and modify your settlements or homes however you see fit. Alongside, you also have to efficiently allocate resources to ensure survival and manage the growth of your space. So, whether you're building a bustling city in Banished or a swanky, ultra-modern house in The Sims 4, your architectural creativity is at the forefront, encouraging you to let your imagination flow.

Banished is available on platforms like PC, MAC and Linux, typically priced around $20 USD.

13. Two Point Hospital

Just like The Sims 4, Two Point Hospital boasts an incredibly immersive and engaging simulation experience. The core gameplay focuses on the same kind of simulation activities that have made The Sims such darling of the community. Both games offer a sense of progression and achievement as you invest in building and managing respectively. You create, customize different aspects of your environment, and watch your grand design play out, just like The Sims. However, the unique twist in Two Point Hospital is that instead of managing a house or apartment, you are now running a hospital where the objective is to cure patients with quirky, humorous diseases.

The level of customization available in Two Point Hospital could be argued as even more comprehensive than The Sims 4. You choose not only the layout of the hospital but the placement of every piece of equipment in each room. As the game progresses, you manage employees - deciding who to hire, who to fire, and how to train staff, not unlike the career aspects in The Sims. The games share open-ended creativity, offering an excellent layer of depth and complexity in management and simulation, engaging your interest through the challenges you face in running a flourishing hospital.

Two Point Hospital is available on multiple platforms including Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam, typically priced around $35 USD.

12. Planet Zoo

Just like The Sims 4, Planet Zoo offers you the same level of realism and depth in its gameplay. In Planet Zoo, you're given control over a zoo that you manage all the way from stage one: the design of the zoo itself. This aspect of the game mirrors the house building and decorating feature seen in The Sims 4, where you have the creative power to build your dream home from scratch. In Planet Zoo, this home just happens to be a top-rated zoo.

Planet Zoo, like The Sims, also relies heavily on its Sim-like systems of management and caretaking: both of your guests and your animals. Similarly to your Sims, the animals in Planet Zoo have personal needs that you have to meet in order for them to thrive in your zoo. The Sims 4 teaches you the management of lives within your household and fulfilling their needs, and Planet Zoo transfers the same principles into the management of a zoo. The 'open sandbox' structure and the Sims-like progression make you feel like you are running a live, growing entity which can be both challenging and rewarding.

Planet Zoo is available on Windows platform, typically priced around $45 USD.

11. Real Lives

Real Lives is a life simulation game that resonates very strongly with The Sims 4. The former embraces the core idea of "virtual living" with a perspective that is quite unique yet still familiar. Just like Sims, here you create your own unique character, not limited to a single nation but the entire globe. It cranks up the element of realism by allowing you to be born anywhere in the world, giving you an engaging platform to navigate life's milestones like education, careers, marriage, children and aging. What's more, it incorporates an educational element about cultures and socio-economic conditions around the world that Sims players would find refreshing.

Both Real Lives and The Sims 4 offers numerous challenges and scenarios that require managing resources, making decisions and setting life goals. One of the greatest similarities between these games is the unpredictability factor. Your characters in both games can face random life events such as accidents, health issues or natural disasters that can dramatically impact your virtual life. In comparison to Sims, Real Lives might not offer the intricate design customizability or neighborhood interactions, but it compensates with introductions to diverse cultures, ways of life and even international migration. If you are a die-hard fan of the Sims 4, and you want to explore beyond designing beautiful houses and controlling your characters' everyday activities, Real Lives may just be the journey you're looking to embark on.

Real Lives is available on Windows, typically priced around $30.00 USD.

10. Avakin Life

Avakin Life is highly reminiscent of The Sims 4 due to its vast array of customization options. Just like in The Sims, you can obsess over every detail of your Avakin's appearance, from hairstyle and facial features, down to the clothes and accessories they wear. You will love the in-depth character customization that lets you sculpt the perfect persona that is either a mirror likeness of you or someone you'd aspire to be. The ability to define your character's style and personality, just like in The Sims 4, truly makes the gameplay an immersive experience.

One of the fun aspects in The Sims 4 is the freedom to design your own home, and the same joy can be found in Avakin Life. In fact, Avakin Life offers an array of houses, apartments, villas, and even a tropical island! The expansive catalog of furniture items and decorations allows you to shape your living space to suit your tastes, whether you're into sleek minimalism, rustic charm, or eclectic kitsch. Indeed, the freedom to build and modify interiors on Avakin Life parallels the limitless home customization options that The Sims 4 brings to its fans.

Avakin Life is available on PC, Android, and iOS platforms, typically priced around $0 USD as it is a free-to-play game which also features in-app purchases for additional content.

9. Touch

Touch is a wonderful life simulation game bearing several similarities to The Sims 4, meaning you’ll feel right at home! Just like The Sims, you’ll have the opportunity to customize your character's appearance, home, and lifestyle exactly the way you want it. The game provides a huge variety of options for customization, creating a unique avatar and decorating your virtual home. It allows you to express your individual style and creativity, and the experience can be just as addictive and entertaining as designing and personalizing Sims and their homes.

Another striking similarity is the social aspect of the game. In Touch, much like in The Sims 4, you can interact with a thriving online community. You can build and nurture relationships, foster friendships or romantic connections, just as you can in the Sims. Communication between players is encouraged, providing you with a lively and dynamic social environment. Activities vary from dancing, hanging out in communal spaces, to attending live music events. The bonus? All of these take place in full 3D graphics, which is equally impressive as The Sims 4 graphical interface.

Touch is available on PC, typically priced around $20 USD.

8. Imvu

If you're a fan of The Sims 4, you'll probably find Imvu an exciting alternative to get hooked on. Think about this: just like in The Sims, Imvu allows you to customise your character - or avatar - with hundreds of hairstyles, eye shapes, and body types. The fashion outfit options are even more extensive, with millions of items to choose from to define your unique style. But wait, there's more - you even have the freedom to shape the virtual world around you, designing and decorating your own rooms and spaces, akin to building and furnishing homes in The Sims. You can breed virtual pets, too!

Just like The Sims 4 is an engaging social simulation, Imvu delivers a rich, multi-player experience, enabling you to interact with people from all over the world. You can join parties, go to virtual concerts, or just hang out in your virtual space with friends. What's more, there's a storyline to follow, filled with a series of quests and mini-games to keep you entertained while you're not busy sprucing up your avatar or your space. Much like creating your Sims’ life scenarios, Imvu lets your avatar build dating relationships, embark on adventurous journeys, or find their dream jobs. The additional cool part? You can take 3D photos of your avatar's life and share them!

Imvu is available on PC, Mac, iOS, and Android platforms, typically priced around absolutely free USD. But remember, extra content and in-app purchases may cost you some bucks, just like those Stuff Packs and Expansion Packs in The Sims 4!

7. House Flipper

House Flipper shares a lot of familiar elements with The Sims 4, particularly when it comes to the creative/personalization aspect. Much like how you can construct and decorate houses in The Sims 4, House Flipper lets you buy, renovate, and sell houses all according to your own creative vision. You can paint walls, lay down new flooring, and position furniture however you like. Instead of controlling multiple Sims, you're essentially playing as a single Sim whose main focus is all about home renovation and property trading.

An exciting feature of House Flipper is the transformation of your projects. You get to experience turning decrepit, mess-ridden buildings into beautiful, modern homes. Similar to the satisfaction you get when you successfully manage your Sims' lives to the point where they thrive and succeed, you'll feel a great sense of accomplishment from turning one man's trash from auction into another's dream home. Additionally, the game entails a level of strategy as well, since you have to make decisions that will increase the home's appeal for potential virtual buyers.

House Flipper is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, typically priced around $30 USD.

6. Subnautica

Subnautica is a game that will often remind you of your creative experiences in The Sims 4, albeit with a twist of survival and exploration added to the mix. While The Sims 4 allows you to construct, furnish, and manage a home to your liking, Subnautica also gives you the freedom to personalize your underwater base, plan out its design much like designing floor layouts in Sims, creating different rooms, corridors, and even observatories, all while ensuring you're efficiently managing your resources in the breathtakingly beautiful but often dangerous alien underwater world of Planet 4546B. This combination of creativity, survival, and exploration make the gameplay uniquely engaging and gritty.

Moreover, much like in The Sims 4, in Subnautica you feel a great sense of progression as you evolve throughout the game, from struggling for basic survival to complex technologies and infrastructure. Character progression is achieved through gathering resources, crafting items, and gradually uncovering the story of the game. Similar to building new rooms or unlocking new items in The Sims, here you'll unlock new blueprints, upgrade your equipment, and discover more about the planet. You also get to interact with the rich marine life around you, akin to the emotional connect you develop with Sim characters after a while. Instead of taking care of your Sims' needs, you're now ensuring your own survival by eating, drinking, and avoiding dangerous creatures.

Subnautica is available on PC, Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch, typically priced around $25 USD.

5. Moving Out

If you are someone who enjoyed The Sims 4, then you'll likely find many elements of Moving Out to be quite familiar and just as enjoyable. Much like in The Sims, Moving Out has a lively and vibrant design aesthetic that's both inviting and fun. The humor in both games is quirky and lighthearted, creating a joyful gaming atmosphere. A major aspect shared by both games is their emphasis on customization. The Sims 4 allows you to customize virtually everything about your sim's life—right from their personality traits, to their home's interior design. Similarly, in Moving Out, you can customize and choose your own mover, and have control over how items are moved and rearranged in different locations—giving you the creative freedom to dictate events in game just like you do in Sims.

At its core, Moving Out is about working together with friends to complete fun and challenging moving tasks, which mirrors the community and relationship building aspects of The Sims 4. In Sims, you interact with neighbors, make friends, and build relationships. In Moving Out, you need to work with your team to successfully navigate through various challenging moving scenarios. This means you'll be interacting a lot, strategizing, and hopefully laughing together at the chaotic scenarios you’ll find yourselves in. The game not only provides an interactive gaming environment, but also a social one, something The Sims 4 players would definitely appreciate.

Moving Out is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows, typically priced around $25 USD.

4. Overcooked

If you enjoyed all the bustling activity and multitasking of The Sims 4, then Overcooked is a game you might appreciate. Much like The Sims 4, Overcooked tasks you with juggling multiple actions at once under a time limit. With various intricate kitchen settings and quirky dishes to prepare, this game is a fast-paced and exciting visual treat, full of strategy and teamwork - it's a bit like running your own kitchen in The Sims 4, but with even more chaos!

Overcooked, like The Sims 4, also brings social dynamics into play. You can play this game alone, or with up to three other friends locally or online, planning, delegating tasks, and collaborating in order to emerge victorious. If you enjoyed the collaborative aspect of building and managing a household in The Sims 4, Overcooked's multiplayer mode will quench that thirst for strategic teamwork. This game will tickle your fancy for exciting gameplay, just like The Sims 4 does!

Overcooked is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC, typically priced around $20 USD.

3. SimCity

SimCity is a city-building and management simulation game that brings out the best aspects of The Sims 4's sandbox and customization mechanics, but packages them into a whole new and exciting context: urban planning. Instead of managing individual character lives, you have an entire city at your fingertips, growing and reshaping it according to your vision. You can nurture your city into a bustling metropolis with towering skyscrapers and lively public spaces or a serene rural haven filled with parks and charming neighborhood communities. The same style of creativity, meticulousness, and storytelling that makes The Sims 4 engaging can be channeled into developing a city that reflects your unique aesthetic and vision.

SimCity also brings with it a nuanced and rewarding challenge: managing resources, infrastructure, and public services while keeping the citizenry satisfied, just as you'd keep your Sims fulfilled in The Sims 4. If the inhabitants of your city are unhappy, it could be because of traffic congestion, pollution, lack of recreational areas, or any of a number of other factors. It's up to you to find the solution and implement it successfully, providing a puzzle-solving aspect that adds depth to the gameplay. Balancing numerous elements while shaping your city is an outstanding way to exercise your critical thinking and decision-making skills, making SimCity not just enjoyable, but also mentally stimulating.

SimCity is available on Windows and MacOS platforms, typically priced around $20 USD.

2. Youtubers Life

Youtubers Life is a thrilling life simulation game that bears striking similarities to The Sims 4, which you're already familiar with. With a major focus on the vibrant and ever-evolving world of content creation, this game enables you to step into the shoes of an aspiring YouTuber. Like in The Sims, Youtubers Life allows you to customize your character, from physical appearance to personality traits, alongside the spaces they inhabit in the virtual world. Managing time effectively is crucial, as you have to juggle creating content, editing videos, studying, and maintaining a social life, which echoes the multi-tasking and time management aspects of The Sims 4.

Classic elements of The Sims 4 also feature in Youtubers Life, including managing personal relationships and professional collaborations, providing a satisfying balance of management simulation gameplay and social simulation, something fans of Sims will particularly appreciate. As you immerse yourself in this game you'll see that strategy and decision-making play important roles in determining your path. Youtubers Life also incorporates an entrepreneurial aspect where you have to devise online marketing strategies, manage your channel's growth, and overcome the hurdles that come with fame. This added layer of business simulation heightens the complex web of life simulation that mirrors the intricacies of The Sims 4.

Youtubers Life is available on platforms including PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS, Android, Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows, and Nintendo Switch, typically priced around $29.99 USD.

1. Cooking Simulator

You'll find that Cooking Simulator actually adds a fun culinary spin to the life simulation genre that you've enjoyed with the Sims 4. Like the Sims 4, you have the freedom to control and customize your environment. From decorating your luxurious 3D kitchen to different types of cookware, every choice can impact your cooking experience. There's that excitement of experimentation that's very similar to the sims. What will happen if you toss in an extra carrot or accidentally drop that steak on the floor? Plus, you'll encounter realistic physics, requiring thoughtful navigation and the careful handling of tools and ingredients - features that will definitely massage your love for the complex mechanics of The Sims 4.

Now, if you're keen on the social aspect of The Sims 4, Cooking Simulator does offer its unique take. Instead of building relationships, you're trying to please every customer and manage your reputation as a chef. You must adapt to different tastes and dietary restrictions. The admired replay value of The Sims comes into play as well. There are innumerable recipes to discover, and mastering them all will require different strategies every time. Much like climbing the career or skills ladder in The Sims 4, Cooking Simulator keeps your motivations high and gameplay indefinite.

Cooking Simulator is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, typically priced around $20 USD.

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