Paralives release dates at a glance
| Milestone | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Early Access date announced | June 2025 | Set for December 8, 2025 |
| Delay announced | November 14, 2025 | Moved to May 25, 2026 |
| Early Access launch | May 25, 2026 | Released on Steam for PC and Mac |
| First major free update (0.2.0) | Was planned for the end of 2026 | Delayed on October 23, 2026; no new date |
| Full release (1.0) | Not announced | About two years of Early Access estimated |
| Console versions | Not announced | No plans at the moment |
If you see an older article saying "December 8", it was written before the delay. Paralives is out and playable now. What the current build includes is on the Paralives Early Access page.
Why it was delayed
On November 14, 2025, less than a month before the planned December 8 launch, Paralives Studio moved Early Access to May 25, 2026. Lead developer Alex Massé said playtest feedback showed the game wasn't up to the standard the team wanted for Early Access. The reported problems were bugs in Live Mode and too few activities to do. The studio published an updated roadmap alongside the delay and shipped on the new date.
Price, platforms and editions
| Price | $39.99 USD on Steam (regional pricing applies) |
|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows and macOS (Apple silicon) via Steam |
| Not available on | PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, iPhone, Android, Linux (no native version) |
| Developer / publisher | Alex Massé and team / Paralives Studio |
| Mode | Single-player |
| Mods | Steam Workshop support |
| Languages | English, French, Italian, German, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Latin American Spanish, Simplified Chinese |
| DLC | None ever: the studio has pledged free updates only |
| Steam reviews | Very Positive: 90% of 14,855 English reviews on November 10, 2026 (score breakdown) |
The price is a discount for Early Access. The studio says it will rise gradually as content is added, up to full release, so buying now is the cheapest it is planned to be outside sales. It was 20% off in the Steam Autumn Sale that ended October 8, 2026. Steam also sells it in 10%-off bundles with other games, such as Unpacking, House Flipper 2 and Dressmaker. Regional prices and every sale so far are on the Paralives price page.
System requirements
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 | Windows 11 |
| CPU | Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 at 2.5 GHz | Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 at 3.0 GHz |
| RAM | 12 GB | 16 GB |
| GPU | GTX 1060 or RX 6600 XT | RTX 2060 or RX 7600 XT |
| Storage | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Mac | Apple M2, 12 GB, macOS Big Sur 11+ | Apple M3, 16 GB |
Steam lists Mac support for Apple processors only, so Intel Macs are not supported, and there is no native Linux build. If the frame rate is low, the developers advise lowering the display resolution and graphics settings. The rest of the store listing, from languages to Steam features, is on the Paralives Steam page guide.
Free · no download · LifeSim
Your Paras, in a real city, today
Import your Paralives household into LifeSim free. They get homes, jobs and neighbors on a real map of Earth.
Import my household →What's in Early Access now
Steam describes Paralives as a life simulation game about building homes, lives and bonds. The studio chose Early Access because it is a small team and wanted players' feedback while finishing a game of this size. Its own description of the current build: you can build and decorate houses, create a diverse cast with the creation tools and clothing catalog, and live in an open-world town where your Parafolk find jobs, build relationships and improve skills, with some bugs, missing content and unbalanced features expected.
- Build Mode: grid-less building with a color wheel and resizable furniture.
- Character creator (the Paramaker) with a large clothing catalog.
- Live Mode in an open-world town: jobs, relationships, skills, shops, restaurants and museums, with a day-night cycle.
- Mods through the Steam Workshop, and a built-in cheat console (see the Paralives cheats list).
Since launch the team has shipped 8 patches and 8 hotfixes by October 2026, mostly bug fixes and quality-of-life changes, and moved the game to Unity 6 in patch 0.1.9 (October 8, 2026) for a small performance gain.
On October 23, 2026 the studio started a new Development Update format on Steam, with the first entry laying out the plan for the first major update below and saying it will miss its end-of-2026 target. It also hired a senior programmer, a senior game designer and more QA staff. Updates, patch notes and the public roadmap are posted on the Steam news page, which is the fastest place to check for the next release date.
What's coming: next update and 1.0
First major update (0.2.0, free, delayed with no new date)
- Deeper relationships: higher relationship levels unlock more, and townies will prompt you through Together Cards.
- More interactions tied to emotions, talking animations in group activities and more autonomous actions based on personality.
- A rework of the Jester vibe trait.
- Better Community Center bundles, townie request rewards and more life goals.
- A tighter economy: less easy money, and pricier furniture that works better.
- Two new skills, new jobs, and more Together Cards and Story Cards.
- New furniture, hairstyles and clothes, and wider fat and muscle sliders.
This update was planned for the end of 2026. On October 23, 2026 the developers said it needs more time and gave no new date. The patch history and the full plan are on the Paralives roadmap page.
Planned for 1.0
Pets, cars, houseboats and a town creation tool, plus more furniture, clothes, personality traits, social interactions, skills and town activities. In its pre-launch plan (September 2025), the studio also listed weather and seasons, a family tree, boathouses and cats, dogs and horses as additions during Early Access, plus more worlds and world-editing tools.
Not in the game yet
- Pets and cars
- A town creation tool
- Active jobs and schools you follow your Para into
- Supernatural or occult life states
- First-person or WASD/arrow-key controls
Buy now or wait for 1.0?
| Buy now if | Wait if |
|---|---|
| You want the lowest planned price: it rises as content arrives | You want a finished game with pets, cars and every system in place |
| You mostly build houses and make characters, the strongest parts today | You mainly play Live Mode and want long-term goals; the first major update targets exactly this |
| You like giving feedback and watching a game grow | Bugs and balance issues bother you |
| You never want to pay for DLC later | Your PC is below the minimum specs |
Steam reviews give a fair picture: 90% positive overall in English, but 79% positive across the 376 reviews of the last 30 days (November 10, 2026). Whatever you decide, every future update and expansion is free for owners.
How to get Paralives
- Install Steam on Windows or a Mac with an Apple M-series chip.
- Search for Paralives in the Steam store, or add it to your wishlist to get sale alerts.
- Buy it for $39.99 (or your regional price) and install it; it needs about 8 GB.
- For mods and community builds, browse the Paralives Steam Workshop and subscribe to items.
Paralives is sold through Steam. Other sites offering it free or as a "full version" are not official.
Is Paralives coming to PS5, Xbox, Switch or mobile?
Not for now. In a video FAQ on April 30, 2026, the team said there are no plans for console versions at the moment and no phone or tablet version. It hasn't ruled consoles out for later, but with about two years of Early Access planned, any console version would not come before the PC game is finished. If you want to play on a console or phone today, Paralives is not an option. Be wary of console or mobile "Paralives" listings: none are official. Handheld PCs are a separate question: Valve rates the game Unsupported on Steam Deck.
Want to play a life sim without the PC requirements?
Paralives needs a fairly modern PC or an Apple silicon Mac. If your laptop or phone can't run it, LifeSim is a free online life simulator that runs in the browser on a computer or phone, with no download and no packs. You can be anyone in any real city on Earth and live a life day by day. Characters have needs, jobs and relationships, and the townspeople are driven by AI, so the town keeps living around you.
It is a different game from Paralives, with real cities instead of a built town, and a way to play a life sim on the device you have while you wait for Paralives 1.0 or a bigger PC.