15 Great Games Like The Sims

If there was ever a game for these times of self-quarantine and social distancing, Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the Nintendo Switch is that game.

The new installment of the long-running series puts you in charge of developing an island by building infrastructure, recruiting villagers, and performing tasks.

Like The Sims, there is also an element of customizing your character and decorating your house.

While there is an end goal, New Horizons lets you get to everything in your own time, creating a peaceful gaming experience.

If you choose to subscribe to the Switch Online service, you can even visit your friends' islands and trade items with them.

Free at Apple.com

Released in 2018, BitLife: Life Simulator (iOS, Android) is a text-based life simulator where you make various choices through different life stages, monitor character stats, and play mini-games.

The outcome of your run-through depends on the choices you make, and once your character dies, you earn achievements for the life they led.

You can then choose to start a new life, replay the same character again, or continue on as one of their children.

Free at Apple.com

If your favorite part of The Sims is where you pair up different characters, you may also enjoy a dating simulator like Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator.

In this interactive visual novel, players choose between different dads they want to date while also playing through mini-games to unlock multiple endings.

You can even create your own dad.

The game is available for PC, Mac, and Linux.

It has also since been released on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.

$14.99 at Steam

In Dream House Days (iOS, Android), you create and control your own building as both architect and landlord.

Furnish apartments and decide what kind of businesses should move in.

Then take control of your tenants, and help them through life choices, including romance and career goals.

Free at Apple.com

You don't have to be a fan of the Fallout series of post-apocalyptic video games to enjoy Fallout Shelter.

The game puts you in charge of a fallout shelter buried under the ground.

You manage resources, build specialized rooms, and keep citizens happy by meeting their basic needs.

The game moves into RPG territory by making each citizen's stats unique and customizable.

Need more of a certain resource? Build specific rooms to help enhance certain characters' abilities.

Want more workers? Pair people off and start reproducing.

Fallout Shelter is free-to-play (with microtransactions) across iOS, Android, PC, PS4, and Switch. 

Family House (iOS, Android) bills itself as the ultimate dollhouse experience, where you create a house full of family members, collect rent, and improve on your dream house.

Grow and create your own food, buy new clothing, and design the interior of your home.

The game also puts an emphasis on family history, allowing you to explore several generations of your family.

Free at Apple.com

The Farming Simulator franchise has been going strong for a decade now.

Build and manage your own farm, interact with farming equipment, vehicles, livestock, and crops, and explore an open world filled with farming activities.

Farming Simulator 20 adds John Deere equipment, new machinery and crops, a North American farming environment, and rideable livestock.

Get it on every major gaming platform, including iPhone and Android.

Farming Simulator 19 is also still available.

Check out more niche simulation games here.

$5.99 at Apple.com

Graveyard Keeper is a graveyard-keeping simulation where you command a character who tends to a medieval cemetery.

You control the character's time and energy while clearing the land, digging graves, and placing headstones.

You can also craft goods, gather resources, and interact with residents of the nearby village to complete tasks.

A free DLC adds the ability to reanimate the dead and give them tasks.

Another paid add-on gives you the chance to build and run a tavern.

Though there is an end goal, you can continue playing indefinitely.

$19.99 at Steam

If you enjoy HGTV house remodeling shows or just like to build and design houses in The Sims, House Flipper on PC, PS4, and Xbox One can help expand your interests.

The game lets you buy rundown houses then completely repair and remodel them for a profit.

You do the demolition, construction, wiring, painting, and more.

The game offers additional DLC packs to add customizable gardens, apocalyptic bunkers, and much more.

The simulation RPG My Time at Portia asks you to rebuild society by gathering resources, crafting items, clearing dungeons, and completing assignments.

It's a little more action-oriented than The Sims because you do have to fight enemies, but the game maintains a good balance between both ways to play.

The game is available on PC, Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

If you're more of an animal lover, Planet Zoo is a PC game that allows you to build and maintain a zoo.

You care for the animals, who all have their own specific needs, characteristics, and stats.

The game also includes several different modes of play that have you follow a character's career, develop your zoo into a franchise, complete challenges, or enjoy unlimited building.

Frontier Developments, the creators of the game, also have several other simulation management games, including theme park manager Planet Coaster and Jurassic World Evolution, which allows you to create your own Jurassic Park with dinosaurs.

Each game has a collection of paid DLCs to keep you busy.

$44.99 at Steam

If you’re a lapsed Sims player who wants a game with a more concentrated focus, Two Point Hospital could be the game for you.

Build and decorate a hospital, cure patients with utterly bizarre maladies, train your staff, and upgrade machines to create the most effective facility possible.

$34.99 at Steam

If you're an old-school Nintendo fan, you might remember a farming simulator game called Harvest Moon.

The makers of Stardew Valley were inspired to recreate the look and feel of that original game.

Create your own character, build the farm of your dreams, become a master rancher, socialize with other characters, and explore the world around you.

While more of an RPG than a simulation game, it will still scratch that same itch.

$7.99 at Apple.com

Virtual Families is designed to be similar to, but simpler than, The Sims.

Players "adopt" an adult with pre-assigned characteristics, put them in a house, and help them develop full virtual lives, from careers to families.

While not as time-consuming as The Sims, the inhabitants of Virtual Families still require babysitting so they don't run out of food or fall ill, both of which have dire consequences.

The sequel, Virtual Families 2: Our Dream House, puts more emphasis on home life.

You can renovate your house, adopt a pet, and purchase new items for the home.

Both are available on PC, iOS, and Android.

If you're also a fan of open-world adventure games, check out Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles.

The game requires you to collect magical items throughout the land, but you can also create your own character, farm, fish, and craft items.

It's a far more relaxing experience than most home console games might offer.

If there was ever a game for these times of self-quarantine and social distancing, Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the Nintendo Switch is that game.

The new installment of the long-running series puts you in charge of developing an island by building infrastructure, recruiting villagers, and performing tasks.

Like The Sims, there is also an element of customizing your character and decorating your house.

While there is an end goal, New Horizons lets you get to everything in your own time, creating a peaceful gaming experience.

If you choose to subscribe to the Switch Online service, you can even visit your friends' islands and trade items with them.

Free at Apple.com

Released in 2018, BitLife: Life Simulator (iOS, Android) is a text-based life simulator where you make various choices through different life stages, monitor character stats, and play mini-games.

The outcome of your run-through depends on the choices you make, and once your character dies, you earn achievements for the life they led.

You can then choose to start a new life, replay the same character again, or continue on as one of their children.

Free at Apple.com

If your favorite part of The Sims is where you pair up different characters, you may also enjoy a dating simulator like Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator.

In this interactive visual novel, players choose between different dads they want to date while also playing through mini-games to unlock multiple endings.

You can even create your own dad.

The game is available for PC, Mac, and Linux.

It has also since been released on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.

$14.99 at Steam

In Dream House Days (iOS, Android), you create and control your own building as both architect and landlord.

Furnish apartments and decide what kind of businesses should move in.

Then take control of your tenants, and help them through life choices, including romance and career goals.

Free at Apple.com

You don't have to be a fan of the Fallout series of post-apocalyptic video games to enjoy Fallout Shelter.

The game puts you in charge of a fallout shelter buried under the ground.

You manage resources, build specialized rooms, and keep citizens happy by meeting their basic needs.

The game moves into RPG territory by making each citizen's stats unique and customizable.

Need more of a certain resource? Build specific rooms to help enhance certain characters' abilities.

Want more workers? Pair people off and start reproducing.

Fallout Shelter is free-to-play (with microtransactions) across iOS, Android, PC, PS4, and Switch. 

Family House (iOS, Android) bills itself as the ultimate dollhouse experience, where you create a house full of family members, collect rent, and improve on your dream house.

Grow and create your own food, buy new clothing, and design the interior of your home.

The game also puts an emphasis on family history, allowing you to explore several generations of your family.

Free at Apple.com

The Farming Simulator franchise has been going strong for a decade now.

Build and manage your own farm, interact with farming equipment, vehicles, livestock, and crops, and explore an open world filled with farming activities.

Farming Simulator 20 adds John Deere equipment, new machinery and crops, a North American farming environment, and rideable livestock.

Get it on every major gaming platform, including iPhone and Android.

Farming Simulator 19 is also still available.

Check out more niche simulation games here.

$5.99 at Apple.com

Graveyard Keeper is a graveyard-keeping simulation where you command a character who tends to a medieval cemetery.

You control the character's time and energy while clearing the land, digging graves, and placing headstones.

You can also craft goods, gather resources, and interact with residents of the nearby village to complete tasks.

A free DLC adds the ability to reanimate the dead and give them tasks.

Another paid add-on gives you the chance to build and run a tavern.

Though there is an end goal, you can continue playing indefinitely.

$19.99 at Steam

If you enjoy HGTV house remodeling shows or just like to build and design houses in The Sims, House Flipper on PC, PS4, and Xbox One can help expand your interests.

The game lets you buy rundown houses then completely repair and remodel them for a profit.

You do the demolition, construction, wiring, painting, and more.

The game offers additional DLC packs to add customizable gardens, apocalyptic bunkers, and much more.

The simulation RPG My Time at Portia asks you to rebuild society by gathering resources, crafting items, clearing dungeons, and completing assignments.

It's a little more action-oriented than The Sims because you do have to fight enemies, but the game maintains a good balance between both ways to play.

The game is available on PC, Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

If you're more of an animal lover, Planet Zoo is a PC game that allows you to build and maintain a zoo.

You care for the animals, who all have their own specific needs, characteristics, and stats.

The game also includes several different modes of play that have you follow a character's career, develop your zoo into a franchise, complete challenges, or enjoy unlimited building.

Frontier Developments, the creators of the game, also have several other simulation management games, including theme park manager Planet Coaster and Jurassic World Evolution, which allows you to create your own Jurassic Park with dinosaurs.

Each game has a collection of paid DLCs to keep you busy.

$44.99 at Steam

If you’re a lapsed Sims player who wants a game with a more concentrated focus, Two Point Hospital could be the game for you.

Build and decorate a hospital, cure patients with utterly bizarre maladies, train your staff, and upgrade machines to create the most effective facility possible.

$34.99 at Steam

If you're an old-school Nintendo fan, you might remember a farming simulator game called Harvest Moon.

The makers of Stardew Valley were inspired to recreate the look and feel of that original game.

Create your own character, build the farm of your dreams, become a master rancher, socialize with other characters, and explore the world around you.

While more of an RPG than a simulation game, it will still scratch that same itch.

$7.99 at Apple.com

Virtual Families is designed to be similar to, but simpler than, The Sims.

Players "adopt" an adult with pre-assigned characteristics, put them in a house, and help them develop full virtual lives, from careers to families.

While not as time-consuming as The Sims, the inhabitants of Virtual Families still require babysitting so they don't run out of food or fall ill, both of which have dire consequences.

The sequel, Virtual Families 2: Our Dream House, puts more emphasis on home life.

You can renovate your house, adopt a pet, and purchase new items for the home.

Both are available on PC, iOS, and Android.

If you're also a fan of open-world adventure games, check out Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles.

The game requires you to collect magical items throughout the land, but you can also create your own character, farm, fish, and craft items.

It's a far more relaxing experience than most home console games might offer.