If you like The Sims 4, there are plenty of other games that might strike your fancy. EA’s simulation game is one of the best slice-of-life experiences out there. This type of gameplay can be found elsewhere, though, and it spans genres. Here are the best games to play if you like The Sims 4.
16 Best Games to Play if You Like The Sims 4
Terraria
Starting off our list of best games to play if you like The Sims 4 is one of my all-time favorites, Terraria. Known to some as 2D Minecraft, this open-world sandbox is distinctly different from The Sims but captures the whimsy of EA’s powerhouse life simulator with its art direction and builder gameplay. As you play and build homes and bases, interesting NPCs arrive with specialized traits, and you can learn more about them to create a close-knit community similar to The Sims 4.
The town grows as you build homes, and you can get detailed when it comes to building, even though you’re restricted to 2D. The thing is, you have to deal with the harsh world and protect your town when monsters come.
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life
Harvest Moon is a farming simulator with a diverse city, cast, and set of mechanics. You build your farm and grow relationships with the townspeople in a calm environment. You can also grow a wide variety of crops while tending to tons of adorable animals (one of my favorite parts).
Over time, crops and animals produce many items that are perfect for recipes, letting you cook up some truly delicious dishes for you and the games’ NPCs. In your off time, you can look for love among the townspeople and eventually build a family. The amount of personalization you have for your life in this game is impressive and worth the play if you like The Sims 4.
House Flipper
Can’t get enough of the house building in The Sims? Check out House Flipper, which is all about making gorgeous homes and turning them into profit. You start by purchasing dilapidated homes and spending the time to bring them back to life. The process is an intricate construction and cleaning job where you rehab houses by doing everything from adding new rooms and slapping on fresh coats of paint. When they’re done, you’ll furnish them with the sofas, chairs, tables, and more, upping the resale value in the process.
Fallout Shelter
When it comes to managing the lives of little digital people, Fallout Shelter is a great example of how in-depth the simulation genre can be. Here, you manage the lives of vault-dwellers after a nuclear apocalypse. You’ll have to track their food intake, make sure they exercise, and keep them happy.
You can even send them out on missions to search for more resources as needed. The game plays out across a 2D plane, similar to Terraria, and there’s combat to manage when survivors run into Ghouls, Mole Rats, and Super Mutants — or they venture too close to your vault. The best part, though, is that it’s free to play.
60 Parsecs
60 Parsecs is another management game — but this time, it’s in space. Four astronauts take to a shuttle to escape from an exploding space station. From there, you play as the captain and manage your team. You choose who to feed and when to give out resources while making the best decisions you can for the longevity of the group.
The story of your intrepid survivors will end eventually, but that outcome depends on you. A lot of the exposition comes from reading text logs that pop up daily, but it’s a calm, fun game to check when you’ve moved on from The Sims 4.
Fantasy Life
When it comes to The Sims 4, the main idea of the game is to build a life. Fantasy Life takes this and multiplies that by giving you a more traditional RPG flavor rolled up in a life simulator. You can battle enemies and take part in society by learning new jobs. You can pick a different outfit and change your character style at any time. What’s more, this fantasy adventure comes with missions to level up your character further. All of this takes place in a cute world with a decent soundtrack. It’s a must-play.
Stardew Valley
If you want a calm farming experience, this is the game to play. At the start, you choose what type of land you want for your farm and start cultivating a farm (and life) on that plot from scratch. While returning Grandpa’s farm to its former glory, you’ll meet a wide variety of fun and colorful characters. You’ll grow closer to some, perhaps even marrying the person of your dreams, complete quests, and fight monsters in the mines — if you choose. There’s a lot to do in Stardew Valley, and developer Concerned Ape has steadily provided updates for the game since its release in 2016.
Cozy Grove
Cozy Grove may be more akin to Animal Crossing than The Sims 4 — and it certainly has a deeper story — but it shares some similarities. After making your characters, you’ll find yourself on an island filled with the spirits of animals stuck in limbo, giving you different pieces of their stories and personalities with every mission you complete for them. Like The Sims, this game has a building aspect, as well. You can build a camp as you progress, gathering more materials and learning more recipes. What really sets Cozy Grove apart is the cute art style and immersive ambiance, making it well worth playing.
Animal Crossing New Horizons
This list wouldn’t be complete without Animal Crossing. Aside from having Tom Nook the loan raccoon deep in your wallet, Animal Crossing is a great game to play if you’re a fan of The Sims 4. You can build a community and bring more animals to your island as you progress through the game. You’ll learn more recipes to build bigger and better DIY projects, letting you personalize your island and home. Moreover, your residents take the gifts you make for them and place them in their houses, adding a nice little touch. They even miss you if you take too long to come back to the game, giving everything a real sense of life.
My Time At Portia
My Time at Portia is another simulation game that relies heavily on farming and gathering resources, but many elements adhere to the formula found in The Sims and The Sims 4. Once again, starting you out with an old farm that you rebuild and grow, My Time at Portia relies heavily on your interactions with the town’s NPCs. Perhaps more than any other game on this list, getting to know NPCs is central to the game’s loop — and who knows, maybe you’ll find romance along the way. You live life and decorate your farm over time while taking in as much as you can from the calm world of Portia.
Disney Dreamlight Valley
Disney Dreamlight Valley is a must-play for fans of The Sims franchise because it shares many of the same qualities as EA’s powerhouse life sim. You make your character and take part in saving famous Disney characters that have been infected by The Forgetting. In your off time, you can build your home with Disney-themed decor. The game is also getting new characters and styles you can use for your character. As the world grows in population, you feel attached to the characters you’ve helped, and the house solidifies your place in their environment.
RimWorld
When it comes to construction management, RimWorld is one of the best in its genre. It may seem like an odd choice to include it on a list of games to play like The Sims 4, but you’ll be building a civilization and managing your group of colonists in similar ways to The Sims and Fallout Shelter. Similar to Sims, these characters have their needs, and that’s what RimWorld focuses on, adding to a personal bond with them.
Palia
Palia is a unique simulation experience that differs from some of the others because it is in an MMO format. However, it has all the simulation aspects we love from The Sims: Crafting, fishing, farming, and an overall roleplaying feel. Perhaps even better than the Sims, you can play it with friends online or even make new friends. Plus, it’s entirely free!
Harvest Moon: Winds of Anthos
If you like cozy farming games but want that touch of relationships that Sims or Stardew Valley provide, Harvest Moon is a great option for you. Not only is there a touch of magic to the world that you uncover during the quests, but it allows you to build relationships with characters and eventually create a family. Plus, you’ll have farming tasks as well, from planting crops to taming animals.
Tiny Life
If you want something closer to The Sims, why not try Tiny Life? This is a miniature, pixelated version of The Sims with all the same base features. Pick a lot in the world and build a house from scratch, decorating it from the outside to the inside. Then, they start a family, build relationships and a career, earn money, and, most importantly, care for all their needs.
Yes, Your Grace
Yes, Your Grace is a fun variety of simulation experiences based on the medieval era. It allows you to control the throne, making essential choices that will determine the outcomes of the world. It’s up to you to be a good leader and, at the same time, care for your family and your kingdom. If you like management games with strategy and choice consequences, you will love this one.
That concludes our list of the best games to play if you like The Sims 4. These are just a few experiences that best capture that slice-of-life essence that Sims provides. Try them out for yourself and see how you like them!
Want some more Sims content to enjoy? Check out GameSkinny’s Sims 4 hub.
