Sims-Like Paralives Release Delayed At Last Minute To 2026

GAMING NEWS

A few weeks ahead of its expected early access launch, the Sims-like life simulation game Paralives has been pushed back to May 2026 so the developer can resolve “impactful bugs” and expand the number of activities available in the game.

Created by Alex Massé over a six-year period, Paralives is a cozy life sim focused on building homes, forming relationships, personalizing characters, and shaping daily life in an open-world town. Players can design houses, customize furniture, raise families, work, garden, fish, swim, and discover traits—much like The Sims. The game was originally scheduled for early access on December 8, but Massé announced on Steam that the release has been delayed to May 25, 2026.

“We had to make the difficult decision to delay the release,” Massé said. “We are truly sorry for the last-minute announcement. After thoughtful consideration, we feel it’s best for the game and the community. This year, we ran many playtests with friends and fans, and we were confident we could improve the game enough in time for December. But as we expanded our playtesting to a more varied audience, the latest feedback made us realize the game isn’t up to the standard we wanted for release. Players enjoy the flexibility and customization of the Paramaker and Build Mode.”

Massé added that “impactful bugs in Live Mode” and a “lack of activities to do in the town” were key issues highlighted by players. Because these problems diminished the experience, the team felt they needed more time to address them before releasing the game.

Along with the delay, Massé pointed to an updated roadmap outlining fixes and improvements coming over the next several months. These updates include resolving significant issues and improving the first-time user experience to ensure the early access launch meets expectations.

“We are so proud of what we have built, but now, we just need a bit more time to polish the simulation part of the game,” Massé said. “This will ensure Paralives offers a great first experience when it launches, making players come back for every exciting free update and expansion we release afterward.”

When Paralives enters early access in May 2026, new features and additional content will be completely free.

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