# Paralives Early Access: What You Get Today

Source: https://paralivesreleasedate.com/early-access

Last updated: 2026-11-10

**Paralives has been in Early Access on Steam since May 25, 2026**, for Windows and Apple silicon Macs, at $39.99. The build has Build Mode, the Paramaker character creator and Live Mode in an open-world town. Pets, cars, weather, pools and a family tree are not in yet. The developers estimate about two years of Early Access, and every update is free.

## Paralives Early Access at a glance

| Early Access start | May 25, 2026 |
| --- | --- |
| Store | Steam only |
| Platforms | Windows 10 or 11, Mac with Apple silicon |
| Price | $39.99 in the US ([all regions](/price)) |
| Current version | 0.1.9b, released October 16, 2026 |
| Updates so far | 8 patches and 8 hotfixes |
| Copies sold | 250,000 in the first 8 hours; 1,000,000 by June 24, 2026 |
| Planned length | About two years |
| Full release (1.0) | No date |

Price, version and update count checked on November 10, 2026.

## What is in the game now

The developers' own launch list, by mode:

- **Live Mode:** an open-world town, jobs (rabbit holes) with career progression, personality traits, emotions, needs, wants and skills, relationships, aging, death and having children, character autonomy, doing things as a group, shops, restaurants and museums, cooking, bills and house fires.
- **Build Mode:** a color wheel for everything, walls that curve or sit at any angle, an optional grid, split-level platforms, multiple floors, movable walls, resizable objects, stairs, roofs and fences.
- **Paramaker:** height, body and face sliders, tattoo placement, layered tops, asymmetry, a genetics system and multiple outfits.
- **Modding tools**, with sharing through the Steam Workshop.

Patches since launch added Steam Cloud saves, three rolling autosaves, appearance editing at mirrors, reworked vacation days, food storage in fridges, bed assignment, street addresses, a classic camera option and after-school classes. The full list is in the [patch history](/roadmap).

## What is missing

Listed by the developers as free updates during Early Access, so not in the game yet:

- Weather and seasons
- Dogs, cats and horses
- Cars, bikes, boats and houseboats
- Pools and swimming
- A calendar, a family tree, and social events such as parties and weddings
- Story progression for townies
- Gardening and fishing
- Basements, advanced roof and stair tools, windows and doors on curved walls
- Tools to edit and create towns

Before launch the team also told buyers plainly not to expect hundreds of hours of gameplay yet, that the town has few activities beyond shops and collectibles, and that births, weddings and deaths get little fanfare for now. There is no multiplayer: Paralives is a single-player game.

## How long will Early Access last?

About two years, by the developers' own estimate on Steam, which they call subject to change. Their public roadmap files upcoming features under "During Early Access (2026-2028)".

The first major update, version 0.2.0, was due in the last quarter of 2026. On October 23, 2026 the team said it needs more time and gave no new date. On the way to 1.0 the price is planned to rise gradually as content is added, and every update stays free: the studio has pledged never to sell DLC. The launch dates and the 2025 delay are covered on the [Paralives release date](/) page.

## Bugs and save safety

This is a real Early Access build. The patch notes from October 2026 still list problems the team cannot yet reproduce reliably: mods going missing, save files getting corrupted, Paras refusing to stay dead and babies teleporting into the ocean. The official advice:

- Duplicate important saves in the Load Game menu. The game also keeps the last 3 autosaves of each save.
- Save households and lots to the library so you can reuse them in a new save.
- If your Paras get stuck, press the Unstuck button in the pause menu.
- Check your computer against the minimum specs. The developers say crashes are common below them.

For how players rate the current build, see the [reviews](/reviews).

## FAQ

### Is Paralives fully released?

No. It is in Early Access on Steam, which began on May 25, 2026. Version 1.0 has no release date.

### When does Paralives leave Early Access?

No date is set. The developers estimate about two years of Early Access from May 2026, and their roadmap labels the period 2026 to 2028.

### Do I have to pay again for the full version?

The studio says all future updates and expansions are free and that it will never sell DLC. The planned price increases apply to new buyers.

### Can I play Paralives Early Access on a Mac?

Yes, through Steam on a Mac with an Apple processor. Steam lists an M2 with 12 GB of memory as the minimum and macOS Big Sur 11 or newer. Intel Macs are not supported.