I couldn't comprehend the woods. As a child in New York, I saw that sleepy horses trotted around the Alice in Wonderland sculpture in Central Park, and I waved to the lonely polar bear at the zoo without wondering why she lived in the Bronx. But the demo I'm playing at Summer Game Fest 2026 for Fractured Blooms, the upcoming farming horror sim from Doki Doki Literature Club publisher Serenity Forge, makes me feel like I've started life over again from a filthy forest in West Virginia, and the odd thing is, I don't mind. I'm also sure that the Fractured Blooms demo available now is more intoxicating than anything you'll touch during Steam Next Fest.

It gives me the sensation that I've walked into someone else's dream – there are some concrete reasons for that, as Fractured Blooms is based on a true story, Serenity Forge founder and Fractured Blooms creator Zhenghua "Z" Yang tells me, though he evades me when I ask him for more details. I suppose I don't need anything as finicky as that, as Fractured Blooms is soaked in the sugar of Appalachian mysticism, and perhaps the wrath of God.

Teen protagonist Angie begins my Summer Game Fest demo with confession: "Can I tell you a secret? I'm not scared." She talks about mud caking the white skirt of her dress on her way to the old church, where I think something covered in fleas is probably waiting for me.

That's the feeling of Fractured Blooms – Angie speaks with a childlike evasiveness I relate to, being a Christian who loves Jesus as much as she is aware His wound is always bleeding. It's obvious something is wrong with these woods, even though Serenity Forge has cleverly depicted them with lovely gauziness, and it makes me want to lie down for a nap among the poppies…

Angie remembers trudging through this particular forest path with a shining white bouquet of flowers, but it's red petals that fall from the sky as I make my way inside the church, where... there's a plate of raw meat staring at me from the altar as a congregation recommends I partake in His flesh.

Yang tells me later that this demo represents the start of Angie's time loop of chores, where she must farm, cook, and pick up after herself to the point of pain. This is the kind of idea that really frightens Yang, who realizes he isn't scared of much else over the course of our interview. Daily dramas – folding the laundry while your unmade bed is pleading for your return, picking all the fresh tomatoes before the bugs get them first – upset him more than the average horror game or film, which he rarely interacts with.

"The most difficult part about launching a horror game in general," Yang says, reflecting, "is to try to break through the noise of a now established and generic formula, which is typically some kind of combination of mascots, jumpscares, asset store flips, and some kind of PS1 graphics." Fractured Blooms is a soft bunny in comparison, eager to lead you to a more contemplative horror rather than shit your pants.

For example, "I think it's very important for players to see the version of God in their own way, because I believe that that is the truth of how it works," Yang says.

The Fractured Blooms demo currently available to play on Steam showcases some of the rituals players will carry out while weighing the idea: harvest a tomato from the golden garden, notice the treehouse is rotting, make venison stew with noodles and thyme. At one point, Angie sobs mid-sentence, because the work never stops. During my Summer Game Fest demo, she eagerly drowns herself at the behest of an anime redhead (Yang tells me there will be "a major payoff" to why Fractured Blooms' character and environmental art styles are so different).

"I split the self apart to bud anew, and shrank into the dirt as she advised," Angie says unremorsefully. I understand. It's complicated – her crying, her temporary suicide don't read as purely tragic to me. Angie seems to act out of commitment.

Again, I relate to her, being a woman who loves life as much as she is aware it requires suffering. Yang shares this grim understanding, as he tells me when I ask for his greatest fear, "I don't think I am scared of death, just like how I'm not scared of before I was born."

"I don't know if you know too much about my history," he says, "but when I was 18 years old, I was diagnosed with a near-fatal illness that caused me to be hospitalized for two years. I was told I was going to die in three hours when I was 18.

"At that point, I was writing my will, I was thinking about how to come to terms with death. For the next two years, I was going through chemo, and I kept on being told by doctors that maybe I have a couple days. Maybe I have a couple weeks. I spent years just expecting to not have a future and to only have a very limited amount of time to live.

"It kind of removed my fear of death, because I just had to be so OK with it from such a young age. It also removed my fear of needles. I find a lot of comfort when needles enter my veins."

Nestled in the burnt heart of the Virginia woods, Fractured Blooms seems like a comfortable place to consider these kinds of human peculiarities. I feel safe here, even with the leaves and sliced venison telling me I should question that, and Jesus' cut continues to drip.

It seems I've finished the journey from New York to Fractured Blooms' cracked porcelain, Appalachian kitchen from just my Summer Game Fest demo. 20 minutes of gameplay has never made me feel this way before.

The most popular Soulslike in Steam Next Fest makes a very powerful argument for adding a shotgun to Dark Souls.

Grow a Garden 2 codes are handy things to find when you're setting up your farm, as they provide useful items such as seeds for you to harvest without having to spend money at the shop first to buy them. This will maximize your profit on those crops, giving you a solid starting point to build on as your plot expands.

The initial GAG 2 codes available will give you a triple helping of green bean seeds, so you can immediately start growing crops to get your farm up and running – remain vigilant though, as when night falls the stealing starts in this Roblox experience. If you're ready for the agricultural life, then these are the codes for Grow a Garden 2 and how to redeem them.

If you're looking for rewards you can apply to all of your experiences, then we've got the latest information on the Roblox promo codes.

All Grow a Garden 2 codes

The following Grow a Garden 2 codes can be redeemed for rewards:

• TEAMGREENBEAN – 3x Green Bean Seed

So far there has been a single GAG 2 code released, which will add a trio of green bean seeds to your inventory that you can grow and harvest for a tidy profit. I expect more promos will be added in the coming weeks, so keep checking back here for updates.

How to redeem Grow a Garden 2 codes

To redeem Grow a Garden 2 codes, all you have to do is hit the Cog icon to open up the Settings menu, which includes a big Redeem Codes section just under the volume sliders. Use the Enter code here... text box to type in a promo, before tapping the Claim! button underneath to receive your reward. Remember that codes for Grow a Garden 2 are case-sensitive, so make sure you type them in exactly as they're written.

Expired Grow a Garden 2 codes

• No expired codes

There are currently no expired Grow a Garden 2 codes, which isn't much of a surprise as the game has only recently launched. However, this situation doesn't usually last long for new experiences, so make sure you claim any active promos as soon as you can.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Of all the different ways you can enjoy Stardew Valley, I doubt most of us here have done so at 50x speed – well, except for Rath Games, that is.

The legendary player who managed to sweep through Final Fantasy 14's free trial content solo has another challenge up his sleeve – this time in ConcernedApe's cozy farming sim rather than the MMO he's so well-known for blazing through.

His latest video on YouTube captures the beginning of his Stardew Valley playthrough… in which he tries to complete the game while on 50x the normal speed.

Now, if that doesn't sound wild enough, let me put it into perspective. "The actual day length of Stardew Valley at 50 times speed is 28 seconds." If you're anything like me, that's about how long it takes you to get out of bed in-game and step outside into your field. I can't imagine getting to do anything like, oh, you know, farming or fishing.

Somehow, though, Rath does it all – sort of, anyway. He has to split up his daily schedule.

Sometimes, he struggles to collect eggs and pet chickens. Other days, he chops trees… or, uh, a tree. It's as hilarious as it is chaotic, and as Rath puts it himself, he's still "discovering some of the craziest exploits to make it possible."

He doesn't manage to nail it all at once, which isn't too surprising, considering just how fast everything is moving. Heck, the poor guy struggles to even see a fish in the 28-second period, let alone catch one.

Rath isn't giving up on his cursed Stardew Valley run, however. He concludes with a promise: "Part two will release soon." I'll be waiting.

Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone walks back any potential infidelity in the farming sim, says "it was just some theoretical idea I've toyed with"

After seeing Planet Zoo 2 gameplay behind closed doors, I've often thought about its sag mechanics. It's a word that made the developers at Frontier laugh and wince at the same time, chuckling that they really couldn't call it that at launch. But, despite the connotations, it really does play a key part in one of the big new additions for Planet Zoo 2 - the aviaries.

These huge new habitats are built on the enclosure mechanics from the original game, but with a key difference being canopies that you can craft as roofs to keep your new feathered pals safely within. Made from essentially gigantic nets, you're given full free-reign to position poles wherever you want around the enclosure to hold the net aloft or adjust the way they're rotated or tilted. Which brings me to that all-important sag mechanic - aka, how the net drapes or sags between poles. You can swap out the canopies for glass or other materials, too. The effect is pretty cool, especially when you realize these new enclosures are completely explorable on foot by your guests.

For me, looking up is often what makes a great zoo or aquarium experience. There's something about having enclosures that you can walk inside with butterflies or birds flying overhead, or being inside one of those tunnels at an aquarium that lets sharks, stingrays, and other water friends swim overhead. Planet Zoo 2 really plays with that experience, adding so much more verticality to your zoo builds than the first game ever made possible.

It's particularly palpable when the developers whizz us round to one of the new aquarium habitats that are also coming with Planet Zoo 2. This aquarium they've built is easily four or five times the height of the guests, with turtles, shoals of fish, and other aquatic creatures floating around inside it - and even a scuba-clad staff member too, sponging the glass clean. There's a shipwreck, huge rock formations, plants and more, and I'm really glad they linger on the view as they really are stunning to watch. Plus, you can absolutely make aquarium tunnels, too.

"It was really clear that at the top of the wish list of things that the community wanted in the sequel were aquariums and aviaries," explains Gareth Hughes, game director on Planet Zoo 2. But in terms of actually getting them in the game, "it was really confidence that we could technically deliver them - feeling that we could do justice to the navigation and motion of the animals. And obviously, that we could portray the actual structures in a way that made sense for the game".

It's interesting the way Frontier Developments has approached the aquariums in particular, with residents essentially split into two categories. There are 'hero' fish of sorts, like the Hawksbill Turtle, or the brilliant but goofy-looking Sunfish, which will have all the usual animal welfare requirements of the Planet Zoo games. But then there are also shoals of fish, which are treated as a group rather than as individuals. It helps keep your aquariums feeling full and really alive, without you having to drown in animal care requirements.

A roaring success

Because you certainly will be busier in Planet Zoo 2, as the sequel is making major changes to animal behavior.

"Pretty much the most important thing in Planet Zoo is the animals," adds Hughes. "We've always wanted to represent them in a really authentic way, both in terms of how they look in the game, how they behave in the game, but also how you manage and look after them. A really important part of the game loop is animal welfare."

Along with advancements in fur, scale, and feather tech to make all your zoo residents look their best, Planet Zoo 2 is making major improvements to animal animations and behavior. The way your animals will interact with their enclosures, environments, and each other has been worked on a lot, with the chimpanzees moving on their climbing frames being the prime example of this in our preview. They can now hang off, sleep on, or interact in other ways with the beams on those frames too, which will no doubt make watching your animals even more enjoyable.

In terms of behavior, there are a lot of new improvements when it comes to welfare. In Planet Zoo 2, you'll be able to physically see the mood of your animals just by looking at them or listening to the sounds they're making.

"As we moved into development of Planet Zoo 2, one of the other new pieces of technology we had access to was a brand new animation system, and that allowed us to do all sorts of new tricks with the animals and get some really, really amazing results. One of those is basically layered animations that allow the animals to be much, much more expressive. In our demo, they've conveniently forgotten to give the tiger any water, and it's clearly subdued, sulky and inactive. It might sound like a comedy take on animal welfare, but it's such a realistic way of gauging your animals' moods.

"That's something that we could never have done in the original Planet Zoo. It's a massive sort of step forward in terms of the realism of the animals," says Hughes, explaining that these new animations allows the team to create "much more expressive" creatures than ever before.

It should also dial down what Hughes calls some of the "crazy volatility" that was present in some of the zoos in the original game. "It's all about things being readable. Something is happening, I understand what's happening, and I understand why it's happening, and I understand what I need to do to fix it. That kind of summarizes our philosophy toward the zoo management side. It's really just making it a more accessible experience without sort of dumbing it down in any way. We don't want to simplify it and make it easy, that's not where we're at."

Creative vision

The team is also hoping that the approachability changes they're making with Planet Zoo 2 also extend to building the zoos themselves. The scale and scope of these parks are now much, much bigger than in the original game, with the park we're shown being an Indonesian island-inspired zoo with different heights, weaving paths, entertainment areas, and expansive habitats.

Hughes says that they're "making sure everyone can create awesome-looking stuff in the game. We want to keep a high ceiling so our dedicated players can continue to create amazing things and really spend the time and effort to make those things. But we want to drop the floor a little bit to make things easier for most players to come in and build, whether it's structures, environments, or habitats."

I've not had a chance to go hands-on, but I really hope that's true. It's one of my key frustrations with the original game: creating things from scratch is really fiddly, awkward, and sometimes seriously frustrating - even on PC with keyboard and mouse. And that's certainly a sentiment shared by the community too.

To remedy that, the team has also integrated the community-powered Workshop, where you can go and grab not only dev-built blueprints for all sorts of building elements, from habitats to facilities, but also community-made creations too, all curated specially by the team at Frontier.

Beyond the park

But I think for me, the real allure of Planet Zoo 2 is how Frontier highlights its focus on conservation. Narratively, the campaign this time around is getting you to play as a member of an organization known as FEN - or the Fauna and Ecosystems network - with the goal being to set up a network of zoos to renew a load of wildlife reserves. Any animal you then release into the wild from your zoos will then join these playable nature reserves.

"You're not just visiting these places, you're actually rewilding them, you're repopulating them, so they're integrated into the wider game loop," says Hughes. "But [it's] also just an amazing experience to see the animals from your zoos moved into that new context, and seeing those animals in their natural environments with other animals around them that perhaps in a zoo setting you wouldn't necessarily put together. It has quite an emotional impact. We've certainly felt it on the dev team, seeing this come together. It looks and feels really authentic."

Watching the animals co-exist in a safari-style nature reserve even just for a few minutes was magical, and I can just imagine the emotional tug watching your animals go live their new lives somewhere else rather than just watching them disappear once you hit the 'release to the wild' button.

From everything I've seen so far, Planet Zoo 2 is going to be quite the sequel, as it's building on everything that made the original game great with more attention to making it a better game for more players. And making the animals even better too, of course. Thankfully, with the game launching on October 13 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X, we don't have too long to wait.

Take a look at our new games calendar for what's coming up next!

The Xbox Showcase had a lot of big announcements. Gears of War: E-Day has a release date, console exclusivity is back, Persona 6 is real even if it didn't give us much. Though none of those actually matter because I was too busy getting dazzled by life-sim Vivarium.

If you thought you saw a Studio Ghibli movie in the middle of the showcase then you were mistaken, but you do know what game I'm talking about now. First announced in 2023, Vivarium is now set for a 2027 release, as revealed in the latest trailer, and it still looks as gorgeous as ever. The Ghibli vibes are largely owed to the game's lovely art, which the trailer notes is hand-illustrated.

Vivarium follows the story of Jenny, an 11-year-old that lives within a terrarium. The game takes place in this perfect pocket world, draped in a nostalgic atmosphere of verdant foliage and sunlight. The game's official site hints that while you'll spend most of your time doing the expected cozy activities of a life-sim, there is a hidden truth that lies beneath.

A fun twist on the life-sim formula that Vivarium brings is its approach to days. According to the game's official site, "days in Vivarium are synced to the player's real-world calendar." This will allow for new unique discoveries. Some of the cozy tasks you'll be able to get up to include cooking, collecting vinyl records, and crafting items to decorate your home. If you've ever wanted to live inside of a Ghibli film, Vivarium is a game that should be on your radar.

Vivarium is set to release in 2027 for Xbox Series consoles and PC.

My favorite indie game of 2024, a perfect mashup of Sailor Moon and Stardew Valley, just got a massive new update adding romance – and I already know who I’m dating

For Glass Gecko Games, the developers of fishing game Scale the Depths, blowing up wasn't all good news. After winning a game jam in 2024 the title became the victim of countless AI rip-offs. The official version released this May, and its creators say it may have to thank the clones after all.

The game's lead artist, Serpexnessie, took to Reddit and laid out the highs and lows of development. The story begins in an almost dream scenario for developers. Scale the Depths won the 2024 GMTK game jam. Serpexnessie explains that honor was probably because of the core gameplay loop, "It was incredibly addictive," they write, "and we pretty much hit gold with it." Following the jam, Glass Gecko Games made a browser based version of the game (this is important), saw two to three thousand views a week on itch.io, and surpassed 7000 wishlists by the end of the year.

That's when things went south.

While some unofficial versions begin popping up the real problem arose when the team noticed clones were ripping the browser-based version of the game in its entirety then running it through AI filters. The number of clones became so large that, "It eventually became unrealistic for us to try to take all of these down without significant effort and taking time away from development," writes Serpexnessie.

The clones even ran ads that used the real version of the game's gameplay, pulled from YouTubers playing Scale of the Depths. The only silver lining, according to Serpexnessie, was that the clones were poorly rated because they were crammed with ads and microtransactions.

While the AI clone problem continued, Glass Gecko eventually secured a publisher. A demo was released on Steam in 2025, which raised interest but also led to even more clones. Right before release, Scale of the Depths had about 175,000 wishlists on Steam says Serpexnessie.

Funny enough, Serpexnessie partially credits the AI clones with the game's popularity. "Those stolen copycats ended up becoming advertisements for our game," they write, "This was quite literal sometimes, because some of them paid for ads that featured gameplay from OUR ORIGINAL GAME."

Serpexnessie ends the Reddit post with some main takeaways from Scale of the Depths development. Most of them are genuine pieces of advice for developers, but it does end with the evergreen statement, "AI SUCKS."

The 15 best fishing games to play right now

We've uncovered the latest Re Aura codes to help you ascend that seemingly endless staircase a little easier. Whether it's the perks from a new Sin or Shards to buy new pets, these code rewards all grant stat boosts in one way or another.

You see, in this Roblox walking simulator, you're tasked with climbing a staircase. While you that might sound easy enough, insanity quickly sets in, and you'll find yourself back on the ground floor before you can even think about taking a rest. With the Yen, Shards, and Rerolls granted by these Re Aura codes, though, you can help yourself reach greater heights with each attempt.

If you're after some more general rewards that can be used across all of your favorite experiences, check out the latest Roblox promo codes.

All Re Aura codes

These are all the Re:Aura codes you can redeem in-game right now:

• HAPPYBIRTHDAY - 45x Shards, Aura Crate Reroll new!
• AURAMONSTER - 50x Shards
• 3KCCU - 25x Shards, Aura Crate Reroll
• FREEROLL - Aura Crate Reroll
• UPDATE4 - 250x Yen, 20x Shards
• 2KCCU - 50x Shards
• 1MILLION - 30x Shards
• DANIEL - Daniel pet
• NATSUKIDANIEL - 50x Shards, free Daniel pet
• REAURA - 50x Yen, 1x Shard

Most Re Aura codes can be redeemed for Shards, but there are often a few Aura rerolls in there, as well as the odd pet. Everything you obtain and equip in Re:Aura helps you climb farther and faster, so be sure to redeem codes when they're available.

How to redeem Re Aura codes

To redeem Re Aura codes, you just need to launch the game and click on the Redeem button at the top of the screen. Then, simply enter your code into the box and hit Submit to redeem your rewards.

Re Aura codes aren't case sensitive, so you only need to double check your spelling if you have any issues redeeming. It's probably easier to just copy and paste them from the list above, though.

Expired Re Aura codes

• SOMESHARDS - 35x Shards
• 1400LIKES - 250x Yen, 5x Shards
• 380KVISITS - 250x Yen, 5x Shards
• AURALESS - 15x Shards

As you can see from this list, Re Aura codes do have an expiry, so it's best to redeem them as soon as you see them to avoid missing out, especially if you're after a new Aura or Sin.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Paralives, the charming indie life sim that plays a whole lot like The Sims 4, is finally here – and, as an Early Access title usually does, it boasts a plethora of very silly bugs, one of which the devs are desperately trying to fix.

Some bugs are sillier than others – and, no, I'm not just talking about your Paras clipping through the floor and smiling like there's absolutely nothing weird about that at all. I'm talking about the random naked dude who can show up on your property and just… live there. Use your bed. Flush your toilet. Sit on your couch. All while nude, of course. Folks over on Reddit noted the man as soon as Paralives launched: Charlie.

Just loaded back in, who is this guy?? from r/Paralives

He can jump scare players, seemingly out of the blue, and just act as a strange pseudo-family member. Although I somehow managed to evade the, erm, bug (?) myself, I'm happy to report that Paralives Studio is on it.

Over on Twitter, the team outlines as much with "an updated list of the known issues we're working on" – and, yeah, one of these issues is none other than Charlie. Sure, there are corrupted save fixes and tweaks to make playing with mods better, but the one that catches my eye (much like Charlie does himself) reads as follows: "A naked Charlie Parafolk can appear in your household if after giving birth, you exit without saving."

For now, the devs provide a solution – simply "enter the Paramaker with the cheat EditCharacter and then delete Charlie." It feels like The Sims 4 (and 3… and 2) all over again, eh? Some of the other notes amplify this feeling even more.

Just see "babies teleporting to the ocean" – another one of my faves. It's like the whole baby on the barbecue debacle, except now it's… baby by the ocean?

Anyway, the most important takeaway here is that Paralives Studio is on the case. Until a patch rolls out, though, it provides temporary fixes like the Paramaker one. The Paralives modding scene is expanding as well – NSFW and all – so I'd suggest keeping an eye on mods, too.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go try and simulate this whole Charlie situation so that I can say I was one of the (un)lucky players who witnessed him in all his unclothed glory.

The Sims rival Paralives won't have paid DLC, even after early access: "The sales we made so far will sustain us for many years."

Driving Empire codes can help you get ahead in this detailed driving experience, which stands apart from others as it has realistic open-world locations and simulated races. It also has officially licensed vehicles from brands such as Porsche, McLaren, and Lamborghini, but naturally if you want to own any of those it's not going to be cheap!

That's where these Driving Empire codes come in, as you can use them to claim free in-game currency for hundreds of thousands of dollars to help with purchases, as well as stocking up on tuning gear and fresh rides for your garage in this Roblox experience. If you're ready to hit the road, then here are all of the codes for Driving Empire and how to redeem them.

If you're looking for some general rewards that can be used in all experiences, then check out the latest Roblox promo codes.

All Driving Empire codes

The following Driving Empire codes can be claimed for rewards:

• 10KITS – 10x Tuning Kits
• MARCH2026 – 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
• HAPPY2026 – 2015 Renault Twizy
• CALL911 – $50,911
• GOBBLEGOBBLE – 10x Tuning Kits
• SPOOKY – $80,000
• VEGAS2025 – $50,000
• WHOOPS – $75,000
• RDCNASCAR25 – NASCAR Toyota Camry XSE with Roblox Japan livery
• 2MLIKES – 2017 Nissan GT-R Bolt
• BADGUYS2 – Betty Beater
• NASCAR100M – 200x Trophies
• CUSTOMIZATION2025 – 10x Tuning Kits
• ZOOM – 2023 Fairway Zoomer
• 200KMEMBERS – $50,000
• NEWYEAR2025 – $75,000

There a plenty of codes for Driving Empire available, which are pretty generous with their rewards as you can see. In addition to a big chunk of cash plus a stock of tuning kits and trophies, you can also collect six new cars to drive without having to spend a dime.

How to redeem Driving Empire codes

To redeem Driving Empire codes, you just need to hit the Cog icon to open up the settings menu, which should have the Codes option already open at the top of the list. Use the Input code text box to type in a promo, then tap the green Submit button to receive notification of your reward. Codes for Driving Empire are not case-sensitive, so all you have to do is get the spelling right.

Expired Driving Empire codes

• HAPPYXMAS
• 1MILCASH
• 950klikes
• THANKYOU
• 50YEARS911TURBO
• CARCRUSHERS
• 1MILLIONLIKES
• 900KLIKES
• 1BVisits
• 900Mil
• 850kLikes
• Winterfest2023
• 800kLikes
• 750KLIKES
• 700MV1SITS
• 650KL1KES
• 600kL1kes
• 550KLIK3S
• 500KLIK3S
• 100MVISITS

As time has passed by the list of expired Driving Empire codes has grown, so we've included the most recent ones in the list here for reference. While some promos do stick around for a long time, you should always make sure you've redeemed all of the active codes so you don't miss any bonuses.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Factorio, the legendary management sim that proved a smash hit on Steam – and later, the Nintendo Switch – will no longer be receiving updates.

Or, well, significant updates, anyway. With patch 2.1, indie developer and publisher Wube Software plans to step away from gameplay development on Factorio and move on to other projects.

The team announces as much in a new blog post on its website, first outlining what the plan with 2.1 is. There are no major additions to the game, perse, but rather quality-of-life tweaks and "some small features," as the studio puts it. The real highlight is the fact that 2.1 marks the end of Factorio – or, at least, its updates.

"We envision 2.1 as our last major update of Factorio," as Wube Software explains, "and we will shift the focus onto long-term support… things like bug fixes, platform support/compatibility, modding features, etc. Other than that, we feel we've reached a good place to conclude the active gameplay development."

It's certainly bittersweet, but it makes sense.

After all, Factorio began its journey sometime in 2012. Its devs grew into the team we now know as Wube Software in 2014, and early versions of the game went up on the studio's own site before its official debut on Steam in 2016. Then came its full release out of Early Access in 2020.

On Valve's platform, it racked up "Overwhelmingly Positive" reviews and a perfect 5/5 rating – no small feat for a title that boasts such humble origins. Factorio went on to drop on other platforms like the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, reaching an even wider audience, too.

It's safe to say that Wube Software has more than made a name for itself with the unique construction and management sim – one that's now revered as one of the greatest to date.

Thankfully, even though 2.1 closes the book on Factorio, the devs are working on other games. In fact, it sounds like they're doing so quite actively.

As per their post, "We have been starting work on projects other than Factorio. Honestly, there will not be anything to share for a long time, but you might notice some of our team members less active fixing bugs and working on Factorio as they spend their time on other game prototypes/experiments. We have hired a few new humans to help with development of Factorio and the new projects."

No word on what those are, of course, but still.

Here's hoping we hear more from Wube Software later down the line on what those "new projects are" – and, for now, get to enjoy Factorio 2.1.

Palworld lead calls Factorio "one of the most influential games" on Steam, and "can't imagine" how different the gaming landscape would be without it.

As Factorio confirms that its next major update will be its final one, Palworld lead John 'Bucky' Buckley has paid tribute to the construction management sim.

After just over a decade since its launch into early access, Wube Software announced over the weekend that Factorio's 2.1 update will be the "last major update" for the game, with the dev team shifting "the focus onto long-term support" like bug fixes and compatibility changes.

The game has been consistently updated since its release, with the full release in 2020, a massive DLC pack titled Space Age in 2024, and, most recently, a Nintendo Switch 2 edition releasing in December 2025, but it's finally time to say goodbye.

Naturally, fans are sad to see it go and are reminiscing about the 13 years since the game was first announced on Indiegogo. Among those is Pocketpair's head of publishing and communications, Bucky, who said: "Factorio, perhaps one of the most influential games to ever release on Steam, will end 'active gameplay development' after 13 incredible years."

Bucky continues, "I can’t imagine how different [the] Steam gaming landscape would have been if there was no Factorio. Thank you for making an incredible game!" Bucky has been an outspoken fan of the game for years. Back in 2024, when Palworld was doing well in The Game Awards' "Player's Voice" category vote, he noted that, despite Palworld's success, "The two best games of the year weren't even in round 1 at all… Satisfactory and Factorio: Space Age."

Steam blocked this Factorio homage's early access release 5 times, so its developer threw caution to the wind with a full release instead - and now he's sold 2 million copies

June 22, 2026: I searched for new Build A Ring Farm codes, and added a fresh promo to our list for 50 Honey Tokens!

Build A Ring Farm codes are a great way to improve your farming operation, as you grow plants to harvest before selling them for a cash. The easiest way to become more profitable is to expand, especially as you earn while you're offline, and that's where these promos come in handy.

By claiming Build A Ring Farm codes you'll receive free packets of seeds to sow, along with fertilizers and sprays to boost output and even a chunk of cash to spend in this agricultural Roblox experience. If you're set to get growing, then here's all of the codes for Build A Ring Farm and how you redeem them.

If you'd prefer more general rewards that apply to all of your experiences, then here's what you need to know about Roblox promo codes.

All Build A Ring Farm codes

The following Build A Ring Farm codes are currently available to claim:

• BZZBZZ – 50 Honey Tokens new!
• CARNIVAL – 100 Carnival Pass Tickets
• UPDATE5 – 1x Super Pet Treat
• 250KUSERS – 3 Minute Time Skip
• PLANTRUSH – 1x Plant Rush Boss Box
• UPDATE2 – 1x Tropical Seed Pack
• THANKYOU – 1x Autumn Spray
• BARF:3 – 1x Acid Spray
• 100KVISITS – $1,720
• 2KLIKES – 1x Tropical Seed Pack
• UPDATE1 – 3x Strong Fertilizers

As you can see from the list above, there are currently a generous number of codes for Build A Ring Farm available that will give you plenty of rewards to help you grow. There are packs of seeds you can plant plus fertilizers and sprays to give them a boost, as well as cash to spend on expanding your farm further.

How to redeem Build A Ring Farm codes

To redeem Build A Ring Farm codes, all you have to do is open the Settings menu by hitting the Cog icon at the top of your screen, then look for the Enter Code text box down at the bottom. Type in a promo, then hit the Redeem button to receive your reward, noting that codes for Build A Ring Farm not case-sensitive so you don't have to use all caps when entering.

Expired Build A Ring Farm codes

• No expired codes

As this experience has only recently launched, the promos are stacking up but there are no expired Build A Ring Farm codes to report. This situation won't last forever though, so don't sleep on the active codes listed earlier while they're still available.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Now that Paralives is finally here, fans of other genre gems like The Sims 4 are wondering if they can use more, erm, NSFW mods to spice things up a bit – and developers say yes. Well, within reason, anyway. Over on Reddit, Paralives Studio confirms as much in a Q&A with players.

Upon one fan asking "the messy question," as they say, of what the devs' stance is "on adult content being modded into the game" as "games like these tend to be very popular for that sort of thing" – because, let's face it, they really are, we learn how the team truly feels about WickedWhims-esque mods coming to Paralives.

Pretty neutral, apparently. "Regarding adult content on the Steam Workshop," respond the devs, "so long as it follows Steam's guidelines on user-uploaded content and is properly tagged as adult content, it is OK!" Keep in mind, this only applies to mods on Steam.

"We also only moderate mods inside of the Steam Workshop, so anything out of there will be out of our jurisdiction, so to speak," as Paralives Studio states, after all.

Comment from r/Games

Honestly, that seems pretty fair – and seeing as WickedWhims itself stands as one of the most popular Sims 4 mods to date, I'm sure Paralives' own, ahem, 18+ content will take off soon enough.

Heck, a quick look at the Steam workshop shows me that we've already got a very aptly named "UncensoredParas" mod available to download. Over on NexusMods, which is notably out of the devs' "jurisdiction," as they say, it's no different.

I'm not going to name others here because, surprise, surprise, they get quite NSFW indeed, but it's safe to say Paralives players are hard (sigh) at work on adult content for the otherwise cozy little life sim.

There are plenty of safe-for-work mods to browse through as well, however, so it's not all an 18+ hellscape – or dreamscape, if that's your vibe. Considering how much the devs seem to promote fan creativity, there are sure to be more underway, too.

Only time will tell what new NSFW creations are to come out of the Paralives community, but I'm certain they'll only get wilder – much to no Simmer's surprise.

Searching for more new games to wishlist? Here are the best games like The Sims 4 out there right now to explore.

Buying every single The Sims 4 expansion and pack can easily put a dent in your wallet worth around $1,536, but genre newbie Paralives is going in the complete opposite direction. The life sim apparently won't have any paid DLCs whatsoever, even after its early access tenure is over.

Paralives lead developer Alex Massé said as much in a recent Reddit AMA where the topic of paid expansions came up quite a few times, to no one's surprise. After all, the biggest and, for long stretches of time, only big life sim on the market regularly shoves out stuff packs, house packs, game packs, and expansion packs.

"There will never be paid DLCs, only free updates! Even after the Early Access," Massé says plainly. "As life sim fans, we wanted to make a game we would like to play ourselves without the need to purchase a lot of extra content and we are happy to deliver that."

Paid DLCs aren't the norm for games in Steam Early Access anyway - that's a given - but what about everything that comes after Paralives 1.0? Can the studio afford to keep expanding the life sim post-launch without charging extra?

Yes, apparently, and it's all because the team is substantially smaller than EA Maxis. Massé says the team only staffs around 15 people and "the sales we made so far will sustain us for many years, even if we increase the size of the team, so we're safe and really grateful for that!"

"The Patreon is being closed this week and the sales we made from the game so far will sustain our small team of 15 for many years so we are happy to be able to offer free-only updates in the future because it's what we would like as life sim fans ourselves," he reiterates in another response.

The developer's much lower headcount makes the prospect of free expansions sound feasible, especially since the team doesn't need to work on Paralives forever should it become financially tricky to do so. EA Maxis seemingly works to keep The Sims 4 going in perpetuity, hence the need for regular injections of cash, but nothing's holding back the parafolks from eventually making a sequel or another game entirely after their life sim hits 1.0.

As for what's next, the Paralives roadmap for early access includes details on gardening, pets, and changing weather. Though one thing that caught my eye in particular was the mention of pools, AKA one of the most lethal sims-deletion tools in any of the mainline games.

Paralives is usually available on Steam for $40, though a launch discounts slashes its price tag down to $36.

Are you playing the new life sim already? Be sure to check out our guides to Paralives cheats and how to get more money in Paralives.

Big new additions are coming to Planet Zoo 2 in the form of aviaries and aquariums, and fans will also be delighted to know that it's coming later this year.

Dropping on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X, Planet Zoo 2 now has a release date of October 13, 2026.

Revealed in a stunning announcement trailer that gives fantastic sneak peeks at the two new habitat types, Planet Zoo 2 will let players create immersive aquariums in their zoos and let new feathered residents take flight in custom-built aviaries.

Aquariums will allow players to add critters such as black-tipped reef sharks (though I doubt they'd like to be called "critters") and hawksbill turtles to their zoos. These new habitats are, as you'd hope from a Planet Zoo game, completely customizable. Staff will need to keep things clean by hopping through airlocks and donning scuba gear, too.

As for aviaries, you'll unlock friends like toco toucans and secretary birds, all housed beneath sprawling canopies that can be custom-placed for maximum creativity. I love the fact that guests will be able to walk through these spaces, too, so they can get up close and personal with our new residents.

Narratively, Planet Zoo 2 also really dials in on its conservation focus, with players able to take on conservation projects across the globe, working towards revitalizing expansive wildlife reserves that you can actually release animals into.

Of course, there are graphical and quality upgrades too, from improvements to fur, feather, and scale tech, to more authentic behavior from your animals and how they interact with their environment.

Pre-orders start now ahead of launch on October 13. Expect more news during the Summer Game Fest schedule, specifically at Wholesome Games on June 6 and PC Gamer's very own PC Gaming Show on June 7.

It's not just Planet Zoo 2, there are oodles of other new games in 2026 and beyond to look forward to.

Paralives is finally here, gracing fans of The Sims 4 with a viable competitor – one that folks already can't get enough of, apparently.

Those of us with a penchant for life sims have been waiting quite some time for a new title to play. Sure, inZOI is still receiving updates, but it's still arguably a bit empty – and sadly, other promising projects like Life By You have simply fallen to the axe of cancellation.

Paralives is proving to be a strong contender already, however, having only just launched yesterday and boasting a "Very Positive" rating on Steam with thousands of reviews to back it. It's colorful, fun, and a cozy breath of fresh air for the community – so much so, in fact, that Paralives has managed to reach over 250,000 excited players.

The developers reveal as much in a new post, celebrating the nearly-300,000 sales they saw in eight hours and stating that they "look forward to the future" of the game. So do Paralives fans, I'd argue, judging by all of the feedback thus far (hi, it's me… I'm "fans").

One review sees a player declare that they'll "probably never go back" to The Sims 4, while another exclaims, "We've all needed a proper Sims competitor for a long time, and every project has to start somewhere. I recommend giving the game a try and supporting it – it has good potential and the right direction!"

Plenty of others cite EA's own life sim, praising Paralives in the process – which I get as a Simmer myself, honestly.

As one such review reads, "For the price of one Sims 4 expansion, you'll get this lovely indie game with ALL future updates being free." They certainly do have a point, seeing as all of The Sims 4 DLC adds up to some $1,500 or so.

Overall, the vibes are positive, though – lots of people are pleased with the build mode, Para creation, and the fact that it's Early Access, which means that there's a plethora of features yet to come.

Only time will tell just what we'll get, but judging by the Paralives roadmap, we've got a lot to look forward to – pets, pools, seasons, and all.

Searching for more new games to wishlist? Here are the best games like The Sims 4 out there right now to explore.

We all have different player archetypes when it comes to life simulators like Paralives – in particular when playing that titan of the genre, The Sims. You've got type-A perfectionists micromanaging every move their character makes, roleplayers who embrace themed challenges and make their own narratives, and those who plot the downfall and murder of everyone that stands in their way. Me? I'm a builder. I'll routinely spend several hours putting together the perfect character – an outfit for every occasion, carefully considered traits to fit their backstory – only to birth them into a world where they are cursed to stand forever idle while I faff around in Build Mode for another few weeks. This poor avatar will probably never see a single in-game sunset, let alone find a chance to use any of the endless clutter I'm meticulously placing around their home.

Building, decorating, and abusing the vanilla versions of these games is my idea of a good time, but much to my annoyance, I've increasingly come to rely on mods as my architectural ambitions have developed. Which makes what I experienced while playing Paralives such a big deal. If the game keeps moving toward the promise it's already showing, I might never have to download another mod again.

If you build it...

What is immediately clear is that the Paralives devs have been listening to the fans of their closest contemporary. We've been asking EA for curved walls, color wheels, in-game image upload, and layered clothing for years, getting nowhere. But Paralives gives us all these features and more, allowing for incredible levels of customization without the need to use cheats or edit any settings. I started off with a bungalow build, a safe bet. The basic build is intuitive, and handles very similarly to The Sims – you draw walls, snap on windows, level terrain, and place objects. But there's something more tactile about the way Paralives handles these actions. Place a window on a long wall, and you can drag it to fill the space. If a door is too tall, you can simply pull it down to make it shorter. If you don't like the wood grain on the flooring, you can rotate, remove, or even replace it with another pattern entirely. Everything can be tweaked through color wheels and texture maps… you can even play around with the ceiling.

Already, Paralives feels like it might soon be a more capable diorama tool than anything else on the market. A fully custom-built dolls house rather than a standardized playset. It's an interesting achievement, though, given how limited the options are at this stage in the game's development. My Sims game has more than 200 wallpaper types with all the mods I've wedged inside, but somehow Paralives' meager Early Access selection still feels more appealing. It could be that it's just a shiny new toy, but I think it's more to do with the game giving the player more control from the outset.

My personal favorite feature of Paralives' interior design tools is incredibly simple – the ability to freely place clutter. Not being stifled by a snap-grid by default feels revolutionary. I can finally live out my lofty dreams of replicating my own house, in which almost every surface is home to some sort of trinket. You can back chairs right up to the wall, rather than leaving them out at an awkward angle, and objects pushed toward the edges of a room automatically slice off the back end rather than poking through into the next room.

It's hard not to gaze forward into the far future and become giddy with the potential of Paralives, but to bring things back down to earth is, sadly, my job, and expectations have to be set. The game is currently undeniably very limited and incredibly bug-ridden for its Early Access launch. I ended up with a phantom bath tub in my living room, for example, which could neither be removed nor interacted with, and at one point the floor just vanished.

Once you dip into gameplay, you find more and more of these odd quirks. I dragged myself away from endless color wheels to try giving my character, Margaret, a shot at being the art teacher she was so clearly destined to be. As the sun rose on her first day, she took care of business – applying for a job, and painting three identical anime girls in a row, stopping only to do push ups inside a wall.

Now hungry, Marge decided to look for a place to eat. The map is scattered with restaurants and fast food joints. I picked what looked like a fine-dining establishment – after all, we were celebrating a new job. Inside, there were no staff and no menus. It was every man for himself, but Marge wasn't easily deterred. She cooked herself a frozen pizza and left it out on the counter for the other bewildered patrons to share.

After speaking to a man about shiitake mushrooms so many times he agreed to be her boyfriend, she came home and cried in the shower in her full clothing, which curiously didn't make her any less smelly. She stood inside the fridge for a while until her new boyfriend came over, just in time for her to immediately ask if he wanted to have a baby, which he did. Things move fast in this town.

Selecting both partners, I directed them to the bed to try for this baby, which didn't take long. I then forgot to actively tell him to not join Marge in the toilet, so he innocently followed her in, watched her pee, and then got so embarrassed he ran all the way home. A successful first day.

Once the baby was born it was somehow more chaotic. Born directly into the pavement and unable to be carried home, the baby was first removed to daycare and then eventually deposited upside down in its crib. Taking care of it was fairly straight forward, and Marge even got a promotion at work the next day. Over time I worked on her skills through the hobby items available – but most of the items in the house still sit there like a pile of unopened presents, or shelves of toys with no batteries.

I know Early Access requires patience. It's a backstage pass before the show. But I can't help but let my imagination run, picturing how they might incorporate actions and wants and skills into the items – video game consoles, baby toys, kitchen appliances, bar stools – I'd so carefully placed in every room.

I am probably the exact demographic the team had in mind when dreaming up Paralives – a hardcore Sims fan looking for a way out after years of weird gameplay bloat, DLC extortion, and increasing sanitization. The Sims has a crushing monopoly over the life sim genre, and any game that skirts its USP inevitably ends up in a pros-and-cons comparison with it, often to the newer game's detriment. But, for once, perhaps it isn't hubris to want people to come from one and go to the other. Despite a sea of glitches and gameplay centered more around future promise than current offering, I'm hooked. If and when Paralives can do all it's set out to do, I may finally be able to drop my other toys.

Want more games like The Sims 4? We've got plenty of recommendations!

While this indie life sim has only recently released in early access, the Paralives roadmap already looks promising and should be steering it in the right direction to become a serious The Sims competitor in the future. While the developer is going to be initially prioritizing hotfixes for the next few months until September 2026, we already have a timeframe for the first major Paralives update coming in Q4 2026, while future major updates over the next couple of years are promising pets, pools, weather, seasons, plus more – and that's just what's been announced so far!

The game already features an extensive list of Paralives cheats, the ability to upgrade Paralives personalities, various ways to earn Paralives money, and a detailed, quirky world full of locations to explore, the Paralives Studio team has a host of new content, major updates, and more planned for the next two years.

According to the official Paralives roadmap, which outlines the team’s current early access development plans, Paralives Studio has ambitious plans for its life sim, with upcoming content to include social events, houseboats, garages, and the ability to use cars and bikes. Below, we break down the highlights from Paralives early access road map.

Keep in mind that the Paralives Studio team consists of only 15 developers at the time of writing and, as with any roadmap, content plans are subject to change.

Paralives early access roadmap

The Paralives roadmap, which you can view in more detail on the official site, offers an excellent insight into what Paralives Studio has planned for the game’s early access release. While there are no timings for exactly when these updates and new content will roll out, we do know it’ll be between 2026 and 2028.

Let’s start with the developer’s exciting plans for Live mode, which include some welcome improvements to day-to-day Para life, such as the ability to store leftovers in the fridge or chat with Paras on the phone (or online), improvements to the in-game shops and what they sell, the addition of more town activities, and the addition of a sexual orientation and preference system.

However, what’s particularly piqued our interest is the addition of The Sims-like features, including social events (weddings, birthday parties, etc), weather, seasons, a family tree menu, gardening, the ability to use cars and bikes, and pet gameplay. There’s also something called “secrets and more” that has us curious.

Like Live mode, the studio has plenty planned for Build mode, including the addition of a basic pond and lake tool, pools, more objects, furniture, and decoration, a tool to create new worlds, garages and parking spaces, and houseboats. Outside of this, much of what’s planned for this mode appears to focus on refining and improving build tools.

Similarly, the Modding Tools section of the roadmap focuses on improvements as a result of feedback from modders and more considered features, while General features outlines plans to improve lighting, create more Steam improvements, and roll out other improvements following player feedback.

Paramaker is also set to receive several updates and new features, including a voice pitch slider, a wider array of clothing items, hairstyles, and accessories, plus the ability to create dogs, cats, and horses.

Paralives Studio is certainly ambitious in its plans, but if the developer manages to pull even some of them off, Paralives has the potential to rival The Sims in a serious way.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Understanding how to upgrade personalities in Paralives is essential knowledge, if you want to mold your Parafolk into a particular type of person. While you'll begin by developing the physical appearance of your Para and laying the foundation of their personality through the Paramaker, you'll want to level up their Paralives personality to better define their character and affect what actions they take in the world.

Your Paras’ personality profile can impact their needs, how they interact with other Paras, how quickly they learn new skills, the wants and goals they’re presented with, and even their career prospects. By leveling up their personality, you can unlock upgrades to stats, social perks, talents, and more to make your Paras' daily lives less challenging and refine their characteristics, making them a well-rounded (albeit simulated) person.

Below, we break down how to earn the experience points needed to level up personalities in Paralives, what benefits leveling up unlocks, and how to upgrade your Para’s personality the easy way.

Find out about how to get more money in Paralives, or take a look at the Paralives roadmap to see what's coming next in early access.

How to level up your Para's personality in Paralives

To level up your Para’s personality in Paralives, you need to earn personality experience points. Your Para’s current personality level – and number of personality points they need to level up – can be viewed by selecting the ‘Profile’ menu on the left-hand side of your screen (the person icon).

At the top-left-hand side of your profile, next to your Para’s name, you’ll see a large number; this is your Para’s current personality level. By hovering over that number, you’ll be able to see how many personality points are required to level up and how many you currently have. When you obtain enough personality experience points to upgrade your Para’s personality, return to this screen, and there will be a green ‘Level Up’ button next to the large number.

Leveling up allows you to upgrade an aspect of your Para’s personality, including unlocking new social perks, talents, and vibes, and improving their base stats, including charisma, mind, physique, and creativity. For example, levelling up from level three to four offered me the ability to evolve my Para’s “Good at making friends” base social perk by offering the choice of one of two social perks: “Good first impression” that grants a new Together Card or “lingering first impression” that boosts the happiness of Paras my character meets.

It's worth noting that, according to an in-game caution label from the developer, personality upgrades in Paralives are "still being worked on and improved."

How to earn Personality experience points in Paralives

In Paralives, there are two main ways to earn personality experience points: completing wants or life goals. Completing wants is the easiest way to earn small amounts of personality XP quickly, which is particularly helpful in the early stages of your household.

Wants are short-term objectives that you are offered in response to your Para’s various emotions. For example, if your Para is feeling sad, you may be offered a want that requires them to watch TV for two hours or eat a snack. By completing that want, you earn personality experience points. So, watching TV for two hours may grant you 10 personality points while simultaneously making your Para less unhappy.

Wants are displayed above your Para’s needs bar on the left-hand side of the screen. However, you can only have three active wants at a time, and they are reset when your Para goes to sleep unless you pin it – this can be done by hovering over the task and selecting the thumbnail icon.

The second way to earn personality experience points is by completing life goals. These long-term objectives are more challenging to complete, as you’re assigned larger life tasks such as having babies, earning higher salaries, or getting married. However, they offer more points than completed wants, around 40xp each.

Earning new life goals isn’t as straightforward as getting new wants, either, as they are randomly obtained through Story Cards. So, if you want to earn more points, less frequently, prioritize completing life goals (viewable in the Goals menu) and then select new ones whenever they are available in your Story card draw.

How to use cheats to upgrade personalities in Paralives

If that sounds like a bit too much work, you can always cheat your way to a dazzling personality using Paralives cheats.

If you open the cheat commands console (hold Ctrl + F1 on your keyboard) and enter the code ‘leveluppersonality’, your currently selected Para will instantly be granted enough personality experience points to level – without losing the experience points you gained yourself. To actually level up, you’ll still need to go into the profile menu and select the green ‘Level Up’ button, but it’s a much easier way to get ahead.

If you only want to cheat a little bit, you can follow our guidance on collecting wants above and then use the cheat ‘completeallwants’ to instantly complete them, earning the personality experience points without any of the work.

If you’d like to start from scratch with your Para’s personality, you can use the cheat code ‘resetpersonality’ to clear their entire personality . However, we highly advise against this as it will impact gameplay, and – in early access – you cannot then use the level-up personality cheat to rebuild your Para’s personality, as the cheat will no longer work.

What is the max personality level in Paralives?

In early access, Para personalities are capped at level 10. At the time of writing, Paralives Studio hasn’t decided whether this maximum level cap will be increased in the future. A spokesperson for the studio informed GamesRadar that it is “possible” that the cap will be increased during early access updates, but said it's also possible that the developer will "keep it at 10 and improve the individual effects of each level instead.”

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Knowing how to get more money in Paralives means you can give your Para the virtual life you've always dreamt of, without any pesky financial constraints getting in the way and limiting your options. Of course, as in real life, if you want to live a luxurious lifestyle (or even just a reasonably comfortable one) then you need to know how to make money in Paralives. That initial 30,000 Paradimes (the in-game currency) you receive may seem like quite a generous starting point, but it's quickly eaten away when you factor in property costs, bills, general living expenses, and the occasional little treats.

While making your Para get a job is the most straightforward way of earning a regular income, there are plenty of other ways to earn a bit of extra cash that utilize your Parafolk’s creative skills, luck, philanthropy, or neighborliness – or, if that sounds like too much work, you can always cheat to speed things up. Below, we’ve broken down our top tips for making more money in Paralives.

Find out more about how to upgrade personalities in Paralives, or take a look at the Paralives roadmap to see what's coming next in early access.

Get a job

Let’s start with the most obvious way to make money in both real life and Paralives: getting a job. Paras can look for jobs by selecting the ‘Find a job’ option when using a phone or computer, or by searching for job advertisements outside workplaces or in the daily newspaper. The job positions available change every day.

Job postings show the pay per day for each occupation and the requirements for that position, so even if a job looks well paid, you need to ensure your Para has the required number of application points needed to apply. Most likely, you’ll have to work your way up from the bottom, starting with a few hundred dollars per day.

However, by performing well at work, you can earn upgrade points that can be used to upgrade your job rank and therefore increase your salary and chance at applying for better positions. While there is the option to choose a work perk instead, from a random selection of cards, we recommend taking the job rank upgrade, as these perks often come at a cost. For example, one card offers you a 500 Paradime bonus, but there’s a 33% chance your Para will lose a random perk.

Complete Townie requests

Fulfilling Townie requests is a great way to make some extra money in Paralives. Scattered around the town are request boards featuring daily requests for Parafolk in town, which you can choose to accept or ignore. These tasks can also be picked up from Parafolk wandering around Town who have exclamation points over their heads.

Accepting a request adds it to your Goals menu, accessible from the left-hand live mode menu. By hovering over a task, you can see the rewards that completing it will grant you, which is typically around 100 Paradimes and a Friend relationship label card (granting you one Friendship level with the requester).

Complete all the listed objectives within the request and then find the Townie who made the request. Speak to them, choose the relevant Together card to hand in the completed request, and then claim your reward from the Goals menu. It’s worth picking up as many requests as possible and completing them as and when you can for extra cash, as these long-term goals have no time limit.

Pull the right Story Cards

This method is mostly down to luck, and just how lucky you are will depend on which Storyteller you have activated. Each night, your Storyteller will offer you one Story Card, which directly affects a Parafolk by offering them bonuses, temporary buffs, new life goals, and more.

Occasionally, these Story Cards will offer a monetary bonus or free item (like a computer) that you can sell for more money. We’ve found that Story Card books themed around work are worth opening, as you have the chance to get a work bonus card that can net you a tidy sum.

However, this is the riskiest method to make money in Paralives, and we advise using Stella the dog as your Storyteller for the kindest card draws.

Donate collectibles to the museum

Feeling adventurous and/or philanthropic? Making donations to the town museum can help you make some extra cash. The museum will accept donations (select the box beside the front door) of various artifacts, gems, and mushroom species you find in the world, and will reward you for every five items you donate. Sometimes that reward is a gift like a laptop, and other times it's a tidy little sum of Paradimes. The more you donate, the better the rewards.

The catch is that you can only donate an item once, so if you donate a Quartz, you cannot donate a Quartz again. This means that, as time goes on, gaining rewards through donations becomes more difficult as you try to find rarer artifacts, gems, and mushrooms that you’ve not already donated. In some cases, you can donate duplicate items to the community center, which offers rewards for fulfilling donation bundles, but this can often cost you more money than it saves. So, if you have duplicates, we advise selling them – though not every collectible will earn you extra dough.

Sell paintings

It pays to level up your Para’s Painting skill, because you can sell finished paintings for a good chunk of change – so you’ll soon pay off the price of the easel and materials.

Para’s begin with the ability to paint small, illustrative, studies, and abstract paintings, which sell for less than 50 Paradimes each. As their Painting skill increases, more styles and sizes become available, which you can sell for even larger sums of money, from a few hundred upwards. Though the cost of the materials also rises, the profit is well worth it.

Use money cheats

If all that sounds like simply too much work, you could always cheat your way to riches. Paralives cheats are the easiest way to make Paradimes quick, with various money cheat commands available to instantly increase your household funds. One that’s worth remembering, for those after a quick and painless injection of cash, is “jackpot,” which adds 50,000 Paradimes to your funds. Who needs a silly job anyway?

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Having a set of Paralives cheats to hand can make things a whole lot easier, as you set about running the day to day lives of your virtual Parafolk. There's plenty to keep you busy here, as you manage everything from their relationships, careers, and families, to helping them achieve their wants and needs while developing their individual personalities. This presents plenty of challenges, but fortunately we have a long list of Paralives cheat commands available that will easy that burden.

Much like The Sims, Paralives cheat codes can instantly increase your household funds, level up specific skills, change the time of day, make your road to promotion a breeze, reverse (or speed up) the aging process, and even set your Para on fire. What’s more, developer Alex Massé and team have even thrown in a few cheeky easter egg codes for your amusement – and which we’ve tried not to spoil.

As a result, there are a lot of cheats for Paralives available, so our list below isn’t a complete one. Instead, we’ve highlighted those that we believe are the most useful for the majority of players – covering work, relationships, money, and more – and, most importantly, that we've confirmed are working for ourselves.

Make sure you check out the Paralives roadmap for details on what's to come next during early access.

How to enable cheats in Paralives

To open the cheat command console in Paralives, either hold the Ctrl, Shift, and C buttons on your keyboard when in live mode (like you would to open The Sims 4 cheats console) or simply hit Ctrl and F1. This brings up the cheats command console on the right-hand side of the screen. To activate a cheat, type the relevant code into the text box at the bottom of the console – where it says “Type here…” – and press Enter.

If your cheat command has been entered correctly, you’ll see a message confirming that the activation has been successful. However, if you enter a cheat incorrectly or one that doesn’t exist, a message will appear stating that the command does not exist. If the command does exist, but you’ve not followed the correct formatting for it – for example, you forget to include a number after using the money cheat – the message may say “Invalid command arguments” or "Invalid format."

To view all the available cheats for Paralives, open the command console and use the cheat "Help" (or "Cheatlist"). This brings up the long list of console commands available, but doesn’t tell you what each does. To repeat a cheat you've already successfully used, without having to retype it, simply click the message that stated it was successful.

Paralives money cheats

These cheat command codes will have you rolling in Paralives money in no time. Just make sure to replace the “[number]” in the command with an actual number when typing in your code; for example, setmoney 5000.

• printmoney [number 1-1999999999] – Gives you Paradimes equal to the number entered
• setmoney [number 0-just over 2000000000] – Set household fund amount to number entered
• jackpot – Adds 50,000 Paradimes to funds
• makeitrain – Adds 10,000 Paradimes to funds
• piggybank – Adds 1,000 Paradimes to funds
• lottery – Adds a random amount of Paradimes up to 100,000 to funds
• payday – Adds Paradimes equal to the salary of the selected Para to funds
• printhouseholdfunds – See household funds of all households in world
• clearbills – Cancel all pending bills for the household

Paralives skill cheats

While it can feel fulfilling to watch your Para grow gradually more competent at painting, cooking, or playing the piano, sometimes you may want to gain the skill levels without any of the actual work. Maybe you’re a few skill levels short of a promotion or don’t fancy paying a repairman to fix your shower?

Fortunately, these skill cheats allow you to view your character’s skill levels, how close they are to leveling each of their skills up, and upgrade any of those skills instantly. Keep in mind, in early access, the maximum level for each skill is 20.

Here’s the list of Paralives knowledge and skills available in early access:

• Music [Guitar/Piano/Triangle]
• Food [Cooking]
• Fitness [Dance/Exercise]
• Technology [Graphic Design]
• Art [Painting]
• Repair
• Science [Surgery/Biology/Astronomy]
• Outdoorsiness [Fishing]
• Kids [Language/Potty]

• showskills – Shows all skill levels of selected Para
• setskilllevel [skill name] [level] – Lets you set the skill level of a specific skill for selected Para
• Levelupskill [skill name] – Adds one extra level to the specified skill of selected Para

Paralives relationship cheats

While there aren’t a huge number of relationship cheats available in Paralives’ early access build, there are a handful that can help you become better acquainted with your neighbors or remove pesky Paras from your life.

• showcharacterrelationships – Shows all relationships for selected Para
• becomeacquaintancewitheveryone – Earn the acquaintance labels for all Paras in your world
• removerelationship from [name:to name] – Removes relationship labels between named Paras
• removestrangerrelationships – Removes all stranger relationship labels
• resetrelationshipsforselectedcharacter – Resets relationships for selected Para
• kickcurrenthouseholdintonewhousehold – Selected Paras are kicked from current household into a new one
• kickselectedcharactersfromhousehold – Selected Paras are kicked from current household, they won't be part of any household and this could cause bugs

Paralives character cheats

Paralives features a large number of cheats that can affect your Parafolk, adjusting aspects such as their age, needs, wants, Paralives personalities, and more. These are the cheats you will likely use most often, so memorize as many as you can!

• getpregnant [number 1-3] – Selected Para becomes instantly pregnant with number of babies specified
• givebirth – Selected Para instantly has a baby
• makebabies – Select two Paras and use cheat to make them have baby
• setage [number] – Sets your selected Para's age to the number specified
• editcharacter – Edit selected Para in Paramaker
• reviveallselectedcharacters – Revive selected characters
• nextlifestage – Progress to selected Para's next life stage
• previouslifestage – Return selected Para to previous life stage
• killcharacter – Instantly kills selected Para
• leveluppersonality – Increase selected Para's personality level by one
• bringbackselectedcharactersfromsocialservices – Brings back a selected Para from social services
• clearstatuseffects – Clear status effects for selected character
• clearstatuseffectsonallcharacters – Clear status effects on all characters
• clearwantcooldowns – Clear want cooldowns for selected character
• completecurrentwants – Complete all current wants for selected character
• gainstorycard – Gain a story card
• reliefallneeds – Relieve all selected Para's needs
• reliefallwants – Relieve all selected Para's wants
• reliefallneedsofallcharacters – Relieve all Para's in household's needs
• nextgrowthspurt – Progress selected child to next growth spurt
• previousgrowthspurt – Return selected child to previous growth spurt
• changeneed [need name] [value] – Change value of specific needs
• reliefneed [need name] – Return need to full for selected Para
• decayneed [need name] – Decay need by one
• randomizealldeformations – Randomizes a Para without adhering to slider limits, creating an ugly character

Paralives work and occupation cheats

Climbing the career ladder in Paralives is much easier with cheat codes, and the ones below will help you secure coveted promotions, finish work early, clear any strikes on your record, and even give your Para a much-deserved extra vacation day.

• upgradeoccupations – Unlocks an occupation upgrade for your selected Para
• addstriketooccupations – Add a strike to your selected Para's work record
• addvacationday – Add an extra vacation day to your selected Para's work record
• clearstrikes – Clear all strikes from selected Para's work record
• endworkday – Finish selected Para's work day
• gainexpertise [expertise name] – Gain level in specified expertise
• skipto5minutesbeforework – Set time to five minutes before selected Para begins work

Paralives miscellaneous cheats

Paralives’ miscellaneous cheats allow you to change the time of day, avoid the legwork when donating to the museum, and even set characters on fire. Our favorite cheats in this section are the developer easter egg codes, which do a bunch of weird and wonderful things. So, make sure to give them a try.

• advanceday – Advance time to next day
• advancehour – Advance time forward one hour
• clearsun/afternoonsun/dawnsun/midnightsun/dusksun/noonsun – Set sun's position in the sky
• sethour [time as written in 24-hour clock] – Set time of day
• setmuseumdonations [number] – Set number of museum donations
• clearallbills – Clears all bills
• clearselectedcharactersbills – Clears bills for selected Para
• causeoutage – Causes electricity and water outage on your lot (as if you didn't pay your bills)
• fixoutage – Fixes water and electricity outage on your lot
• showmasterstates – Shows whether there are electricity or water outages caused by unpaid bills or cheats
• setselectedcharactersonfire – Set selected Para on fire
• extinguishallfires – Extinguish all fires on lot
• extinguishselectedcharactersonfire – Extinguish fire on selected PAra
• unspoilallitems – Unspoil all items
• repairallitems – Repair all broken items on your lot
• learnallskins recipes – Learn all cooking recipes
• cat – Type it in for a furry feline easter egg
• 8ball – A developer easter egg that is surely referencing billiards…right?
• eighteightball – A developer easter egg that doubles down
• bear – A developer easter egg that would make Yogi proud
• hotel – A developer easter egg or an advert?
• equifax – This developer easter egg requires some French
• okslackbot – An ominous developer easter egg

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

The Sims has ruled over the life simulation kingdom for decades, but incoming entrant Paralives is hoping to claim a chunk of land for itself when it hits early access in mere days and as it heads toward 1.0 with pets, seasons, and pools that may or may not threaten the lives of Parafolk worldwide.

Ahead of early access launch on May 25, its developer posted a brief Paralives roadmap onto social media with a list of features. Between June and September, the team will pump out hotfixes for performance improvements, quality-of-life features, squashing bugs, and general tweaks.

Post-Release Roadmap! from r/Paralives

A first major update will then hit nearer to the end of 2026, followed by other updates that promise pets, weather and seasons, pools, and more during its roughly two-year early access tenure.

Any long-time The Sims player knows how essential swimming pools are to the life sim game - not because of aesthetics or how they might provide a morale boost for sims in need of exercise, but because even the most tame player has lured their least favorite sim into the water before deleting all exits and then waiting for the Grim Reaper.

We also know that Paralives does, thankfully, in fact, let you kill Parafolk by pulling off an evergreen Sims murder tactic: trapping 'em in a room without doors. So, I'm willing to bet pools will send murder rates skyrocketing in Paralives just as they did in The Sims, too.

As always, roadmaps are subject to change and that's doubly true for early access games that are so often nudged in different directions based on player feedback. Paralives is shaping up to be a worthy, colorful contender in the genre, though, so I'm excited for these post-launch additions.

After many disappointments, The Sims 4 fans desperate for cozy competitors find hope in indie gem Paralives as new gameplay showcases height sliders and more: "My jaw dropped"

Paralives – the promising, colorful indie competitor to The Sims 4 first unveiled in 2019 – is on life sim fans' minds thanks to a plethora of new gameplay videos ahead of its release.

Just in case you're out of the loop, Paralives is set to launch in a few days on May 25, and in preparation for the big day, content creators have been uploading new gameplay footage – footage that has impressed many of us life sim stans.

It's no secret that many folks have felt as though EA is letting us down with The Sims 4, after all, and there's not a plethora of other games to look to. In fact, most of them have met some sort of ill fate.

Sure, inZOI is still receiving updates and all, but it's arguably far emptier than The Sims 4 is still, and other promising projects like Life By You have straight up just… been canceled. So, yeah, it's brutal out here – but Paralives may turn things around for the cozy community.

One of the first elements that has excited fans, for example, is the game's opening. It's not your run-of-the-mill Create-A-Sim knockoff, but rather a more immersive start.

In Paralives, as one fan notes in an online post, you begin on a train and are "able to select or create a household and NPCs to customize your gameplay experience" – something that's "so cool." I certainly agree, and lots of prospective players do, too.

"My jaw dropped when I saw it," exclaims SimMattically, a well-known Sims 4 creator. Another person comments, "Ong this is low-key giving Animal Crossing vibes with the train start; I can't wait."

The train is an adorable throwback to openings like that of Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but it's not the only reveal from all the new gameplay clips that has fans thrilled.

As YouTuber OnlyAbiDoang shares in a thread, there are height sliders – yes, really. No longer will you need to sift through various lists of the best Sims 4 mods to find a way to make your Sims tall or small, as Paralives has that built in as an actual feature.

"Short and tall kings and queens, your time to shine starts here," reads the top comment – and it so is. Another fan chimes in, "Not even most recent AAA games bother adding a height slider anymore when they have character creators… If an indie game can manage to do it well, what excuse do the rest of games have not to?"

I suppose they've got a point, as a big Sims 4 player who has yearned for proper height sliders for years now.

There's more, as well. The build mode has us Simmers in a chokehold, too. Over on Reddit, somebody admits, "videos of the Paramaker and build mode have completely convinced me on the potential of this game."

Honestly, mood – I mean, just have a look on YouTube at the building… "Being able to flip the toilet paper orientation is ridiculous attention to detail, and I love it," as a fan puts it in the replies. Need I say more?

I suppose we'll find out how Paralives truly runs once it releases to the public in a few days – I know I'll be holding my breath waiting until then, anyway.

Searching for more new games to wishlist? Here are the best games like The Sims 4 out there right now to explore.

K2 Climbing Simulation codes can provide you with a handy assist, as you attempt to conquer the second highest mountain in the world after Everest. Whether you team up with friends or attempt the climb solo, there are plenty of perils ahead in this harsh and unforgiving climate.

By claiming K2 Climbing Simulation codes you'll receive a boost to your Points, which is the in-game currency used in the Store to purchase fresh gear for your next ascent in this Roblox experience. If you're ready to set off for the summit, then here are all of the codes for K2 Climbing Simulation and how to redeem them.

If you're searching for more general rewards that can be used in all experiences, then we've got the current Roblox promo codes listed here.

All K2 Climbing Simulation codes

The following K2 Climbing Simulation codes can currently be claimed:

• 40KMEMBERS – 50 Points new!
• Beta – 50 Points

There are a handful of codes for K2 Climbing Simulation that are available at the moment, with each of them offering 50 Points when redeemed. You can see your current balance of Points on the display in the bottom-right corner of the screen, and these can be spent in the Store to unlock new gear to use on your expeditions.

How to redeem K2 Climbing Simulation codes

To redeem K2 Climbing Simulation codes, all you have to do is hit the Redeem gift icon on the left side of the screen, which will bring up the Redeem Codes menu. There you can used the text box to type each promo, before hitting Enter or the Magnifying Glass icon to receive your rewards. Codes for K2 Climbing Simulation aren't case-sensitive and are also nice and short, which makes them easy to enter however you see fit.

Expired K2 Climbing Simulation codes

• 30KLIKES – 50 Points
• WEARESOBACK – 250 Points
• 10MVISIT – 50 Points
• 10KLIKES – 50 Points
• 500K – 50 Points
• D1 – 50 Points

Although they are a relatively recent addition, we already have some expired K2 Climbing Simulation codes. This situation is likely to continue, so make sure you've used all of the valid promos as soon as you can.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

After selling more than 70 million copies in its first 15 years, side-scrolling sandbox gem Terraria is done with promising final updates.

Developer Re-Logic is celebrating its iconic crafty-survive-athon's 15th anniversary with some stats, starting off with a humble brag: Terraria's sold about 70 million copies. PC takes up the largest chunk of the pie as 39.6 million people bought it on the platform, while 10.7 million people bought the game across all consoles and 19.7 people bought it on mobile devices.

Not only can Terraria boast about its wild sales stats - seriously, it's the 7th best-selling game of all time - it also holds some impressive concurrent player numbers. On average this year, about 461,000 PC players logged into the game every single day. This past year's daily player count on PC also peaked at 1.4 million people.

Finally, Re-Logic shares that the average Terraria player has sunk 101 hours and 18 minutes into the game over the last decade and a half.

"Fifteen Years?! That is a long time indeed! That's 131,400 hours - which quite a few of you have chosen to spend with our humble game," the dev writes in a recent blog post. "To say that reaching this milestone is equal parts insane and humbling is a massive understatement. It is really hard to put into words what your support for these many years has meant to our little studio."

"Simply put, you all are the engine that makes this all work. Your support allows us to keep going, keep expanding upon Terraria, without having to fall back to price increases or microtransactions. This is becoming increasingly rare in modern gaming, and we cannot thank you enough for making what we do every day possible."

"So, where does the path lead from here? What does the future hold for Terraria and Re-Logic?" The developer then confirms crossplay is in the works, "and that Terraria Updates will continue beyond 1.4.6/Crossplay." Details on that upcoming 1.4.6 update are pretty non-existent for now, but the indie dev "will share when the time is right."

Terraria has become somewhat infamous as its developers promised a final update back in 2020. Over the next five years, fans waited for and eventually enjoyed about five more 'final' updates, though Re-Logic seems done with promising finality for the evergreen hit. No more final updates for Terraria.

After 5 years, Terraria 1.4.5 sees the iconic sandbox game hit another high with over 160,000 players exploring its new Minecraft-inspired world seed and more

Although Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream only officially dropped last month, Nintendo is working to iron out the cozy sim's bugs – and today's new update offers no exception.

In case you missed it, a new Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream update landed a few hours ago, and it's equally as hilarious as it is useful. As per the official announcement and patch details over on Nintendo's support website, version 1.0.2 targets everything from progression halts to, erm, sugar gliders.

The first noted change has to do with softlocking as players build their islands up, for instance – a situation I'm very glad I never found myself in.

Nintendo also remedies a progression issue with the Palette House, as changing your exterior could halt island advancement in some cases. The next change is even more serious: "Fixed an issue where, after a Mii character confesses successfully and the player tries to save, it is displayed that 'your save data is corrupted,' and the player is not able to save." I can't imagine going through the confession minigame, succeeding, and then losing all of my data, honestly.

There are a couple of other save data corruption-related tweaks, along with a more amusing note stating that developers have "fixed an issue where, after a Mii character failed to patch things up with another Mii character after fighting, its crush for a different Mii character would disappear." No more lonely Miis, y'all.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream updated to version 1.0.2 (bug fixes) from r/NintendoSwitch

Another sillier one sees Miis no longer permanently upset, as some wouldn't feel better even after their sadness ran out.

My personal patch notes highlight has to do with the sugar glider pet you can win via the Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream minigames. "Since the game was incorrectly using the image of the southern flying squirrel for the image of the treasure 'sugar glider,' it was changed to the correct image," as Nintendo writes.

I'm not the only one who finds it funny, either. Over on Reddit, a fan jokes that their Mii will "find his pet evolved overnight." Just another day in the Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream community, eh? I love it here.

Between all of the mind-blowing Mii creations and the wild bug updates, there's no shortage of fun to be had with Nintendo's new sim – and I, for one, am so very here for it.

For anyone wondering how to update, simply navigate to your Switch home screen and select Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream without opening it. Then, press the + button or – button on your Joy-Con. The current version number will pop up, and you just need to select "Software Update" and "Over the Internet." Et voilà!

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream players turn the life sim into a Pokemon game with pixel art pets, because Pokopia apparently wasn't enough.

Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone sent ripples through the farming sim community this week when he seemed to suggest he was "open to" letting players cheat on their partners in Stardew Valley so long as there were narrative repercussions for doing so, but in a slew of replies on social media, he's now confirming he was talking strictly in hypotheticals and has no plans of doing anything like that.

The confusion stems from an interview Barone did with Game Informer in which he was asked if there were any changes he'd previously considered for Stardew Valley but decided against for fear of negative reactions from the player base. Barone replied by saying he's half-jokingly entertained requests from players to romance already married characters like Caroline and Demetrius, which would of course involve infidelity, but decided against it for moral reasons. For the purpose of full transparency, here's the full, unedited quote from Barone:

"I mean, one thing I have mentioned before, which I kind of was half joking about. It was like, people want to marry Caroline or Robin or Demetrius, and in order to do that, you would have to break up families in town. And personally, I'm against that on a moral level. But I feel like in a sandbox game, you should be able to do wicked things and then face the consequences. I wouldn't just make everyone be totally chill about it. Everyone would hate you. It would cause a lot of chaos and disaster and suffering, and people would be angry, and you would ruin the family. I would be open to doing something like that, but I wouldn't baby people about it. There would be very serious consequences. But then part of me is like, 'Well, maybe this is just too real.' Maybe Stardew Valley is supposed to be, to some degree, an escape from those kinds of things. It’s too realistic, you know?"

Many outlets and online commenters including GamesRadar+ interpreted the above quote to mean Barone hasn't completely taken the idea of infidelity in Stardew Valley off the table, even if it only exists as a hypothetical for now. That said, Barone took to Twitter to blast off a few fairly sharply worded replies to online speculation and confirmed, in no uncertain terms, there will be no cheating on anyone's spouse in Stardew Valley any time soon.

"The quotes are taken out of context, and don't capture the whole spirit of what I was saying," reads one such reply. "They make it seem like this is something I am planning on adding, but if you read the actual interview it's clear that I'm not going to add it."

In another tweet, Barone says, "the only thing I had ever 'considered' was allowing players to break up Pierre/Caroline or Robin/Demetrius, but even that is probabl too heavy and serious, and would be a ton of work to adjust all dialogue and tone of everyone in town in consequence, and Grandpa ashamed of you.

"It was just some theoretical idea I've toyed with. I don't condone doing it either. but there is precedent for things like that in Stardew, like going to the DARK SHRINE OF SLEFISHNESS to turn your kids into doves, and then they haunt you forever."

Obviously, I can't speak for any other outlets or commentators, but I can say with confidence that it wasn't our intent to present an out-of-context view of Barone's words, but I also understand that it can be frustrating when you feel something you've said has been misconstrued, especially in such a public-facing environment. Regardless, it's good to have confirmation from the developer himself that Stardew Valley couples will continue to be faithful to each other.

Better yet: Eric Barone says Stardew Valley and Haunted Chocolatier will forever be AI-free because people "should take priority over a soulless machine"

Roll an Anime codes can give you an advantage when you're trying to unlock the rarest characters around, to earn you money faster once you place them in your base. Opening blocks will spin to give you new Anime characters, and the scarcer they are the higher their cash output rate will be – which keeps running even when you're AFK!

If you claim the Roll an Anime codes currently on offer you'll instantly get an Epic Mufei character to deploy, along with some boosts to improve the stock available at the Store for a set period of time in this Roblox experience. To start earning some serious cash, here are all of the codes for Roll an Anime and how to redeem them.

If you're looking for some general rewards that can be used in all experiences, then find out about the current Roblox promo codes here.

All Roll an Anime codes

The following Roll an Anime codes can be claimed now:

• BELUGA – 2x Cash for two hours new!
• RICHEST – 2x Cash for three hours
• STOCKLUCK1 – 1.5x Stock Luck for three hours
• STOCKQUANTITY1 – 2x Stock Quantity for three hours
• WELCOME – Luffy (Mufei) character

There are a few codes for Roll an Anime available right now, with the initial welcome promo unlocking a Luffy (sorry, 'Mufei') character to add to your base. Other codes give you certain boosts for a set period, but these run down in real time regardless of whether you're actively playing or AFK, so consider when is the best moment to redeem those.

How to redeem Roll an Anime codes

To redeem Roll an Anime codes, you first need to open the Store menu by hitting the shopping basket icon on the left hand side of the screen. Scroll right to the bottom of the Store where you'll find an Enter Code text box, so type in a promo there before using the Verify button to collect your reward. Keep in mind that codes for Roll an Anime are not case-sensitive, so it doesn't matter if you use all caps or not.

Expired Roll an Anime codes

• 1MIL – 2x Stock Quantity for one hour

There is already an expired Roll an Anime code, though there have at least been more promos released to replace it. Still, you don't want to miss out on any rewards available, so make sure you're claiming all of the current codes as soon as you can.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Stardew Valley mastermind Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone has been hard at work on both his beloved 2016 farming sim and new game Haunted Chocolatier – a title that's apparently set to be much larger than his previous cozy gem.

It's no secret that Haunted Chocolatier will feature a bigger world than its predecessor – heck, ConcernedApe himself admitted that the "world of Haunted Chocolatier" will somehow be even "larger" than that of Stardew Valley nearly a year ago now.

He's back with more to say about his upcoming project in a new interview with Game Informer, though, and boy, does Haunted Chocolatier sound like it's shaping up to be absolutely massive.

"It's way bigger than Stardew Valley, at least in terms of the amount of maps, the amount of monsters, the depth to the whole item system, and all the equipment slots and all the stuff like this," as ConcernedApe reveals. "Everything is cranked up."

And, yeah, that checks out – it sounds like Haunted Chocolatier has still got a ways to go before its release as well, with the creator describing his current state as "knee deep" in development.

Previously, he explained that he wants to "take a more 'creative director' role" on Stardew Valley's 1.7 update, the farming gem's upcoming big patch, so that he can "focus the vast majority" of his attention on Haunted Chocolatier.

So, no matter how far away or along his next title is, I'm certain he's been focusing on it for quite some time now. I mean, he does also say he spends five days a week on Haunted Chocolatier… and just two on Stardew Valley.

It's evidently "a lot harder" to make a game. There's more pressure on ConcernedApe now, too, as he's got fan mail to sift through and "business people asking me for this or that all the time." It's not as simple as cracking down and just focusing on Haunted Chocolatier, as nice as it would be.

Plus, although he's taking a bit more of a backseat on it, I'm sure the Stardew Valley 1.7 update takes up a hefty chunk of space in the developer's mind.

Here's hoping Haunted Chocolatier isn't too far off, even if it's still in the distance – or that we at least get a new look at the game soon. A whopping four years have passed since the last video of its early build came to light, and I'm itching for more.

"I am not going to abandon Haunted Chocolatier," says Stardew Valley's Eric Barone: "I know, I shouldn't have announced the game so early."

There's very little you can scratch off your bingo card in the age of AI, but one thing seems pretty certain: you won't see an AI-generated ear of corn or romanceable NPC in any of Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone's games.

That comes straight from the man himself, who explains his hardline stance against AI in a new interview with Game Informer (paywalled). Barone says he can understand AI's appeal when it's "being used for very specific zoomed-in cases, maybe," but says anything creative is better left to humans.

"You're offloading creativity to an algorithm, which I think is always gonna undermine the pure and authentic human element of what you're doing," Barone says.

"So for me, as someone who wants to express myself in an artistic way, I wouldn't ever want to use AI for any sort of creative thing, because it's beside the point of what I'm doing. My goal is to express myself in a creative way. Why would I let an AI do that for me?"

Of course, as is always the case with stories about AI in game development, it's critical to differentiate automation from straight-up AI-generated art, stories, music, performances, what have you. Barone is clearly outright rejecting the latter, but it remains to be seen whether the tech is being used in any capacity on Stardew Valley or Haunted Chocolatier. In Barone's view, if there's a task that allows for any sort of human expression, it had better be made by humans.

"At the very least, let another human being express themselves if you need help. That's probably what I would say. There are plenty of humans out there that would like an opportunity to express themselves. I feel like that should take priority over a soulless machine," he says.

As more and more developers express public views on AI, I'm increasingly curious to see what sort of consensus forms about whether there's a threshold for acceptable AI use in games, and if so, where that line lies. Personally, just taking a stand against AI-generated art, acting, and narrative writing doesn't stir me very strongly, since the majority of legitimate studios are still separating AI from creative tasks.

Rather, I'm more interested to hear takes on AI-assisted quality assurance, localization, and animation tools like the one PlayStation used on Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered. Those are the real gray areas I want to see more notable game developers get specific about. Even so, I'm glad to hear AI slop is a hard no for ConcernedApe.

ConcernedApe spends 5 days a week on Haunted Chocolatier and 2 on Stardew Valley, says the new game is "a lot harder" to make

Stardew Valley creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone is still considering following through on his quarter-joking suggestion that a good life sim should include homewrecking and all of its ugly aftermath.

Stardew Valley is a farmland sandbox, and Barone explains to GameInformer in a new interview that he believes, "In a sandbox game, you should be able to do wicked things and then face the consequences." So while he disclaims he's against destroying a household just because you find kindly step-father of two Demetrius too erotic to bear – "I'm against that on a moral level," Barone says about infidelity – being able to do so slots perfectly into his game where almost anything is possible.

But "I wouldn't just make everyone be totally chill about it," Barone says about his hypothetical divorce update. "Everyone would hate you. It would cause a lot of chaos and disaster and suffering, and people would be angry, and you would ruin the family."

"I would be open to doing something like that," he continues, "but I wouldn't baby people about it. There would be very serious consequences."

But Barone's commitment to realism, when it comes to making sure Caroline would have an awkward time at aerobics class should she become an adulteress, is also what's keeping his foot on the brake. He hasn't yet introduced the divorce update that lingers on his mind, he says, because he's scared of what fans will think.

"Part of me is like, 'Well, maybe this is just too real,'" Barone says. "Maybe Stardew Valley is supposed to be, to some degree, an escape from those kinds of things. It's too realistic, you know?"

He certainly isn't wrong – Stardew Valley helped popularize the cozy game genre around 2020, and many veteran players return to the game for its sleepy moments and meditative tasks, like weeding the garden, or making crab cakes. But Barone must remember that we are all freaks for love, and there's an r/StardewValley post discussing his occasional threats about a divorce update with nearly 10,000 upvotes.

"I have no idea how mods work," says one comment with almost 500 upvotes, "but everyday I want to download the one where I can breakup Pierre for my future wife Caroline."

Another comment reminds a divorce skeptic that some Stardew players have never been completely kindhearted, saying, "I just spent 6 hours murdering dust sprites for an achievement." You hear that, Barone? Give them the scarlet letter!

Stardew Valley 1.7 update leaks "are fake," confirms ConcernedApe – and he has "no plans to ever add" Harvest Moon-style romance rivalries to the farming sim.

Catch and Cook codes are useful to have in this fishing and catering simulator, where you need to use your angling skills to land fish before preparing them into a wide variety of meals and serving them up to earn dabloons. By improving your nets and equipment, you can catch bigger and better fish to serve up in more valuable meals.

By redeeming the current Catch and Cook codes you'll receive free Enchant Spins, which can be used with Cyrus the enchantment vendor to reroll the enchant attached to your net, giving your fishing a boost in this Roblox experience. To find out more, we have all of the codes for Catch and Cook plus details of how to redeem them.

If you want more universal rewards that can apply to all experiences, then check out the current Roblox promo codes.

All Catch and Cook codes

The following Catch and Cook codes can be claimed now:

• SHIPWRECK – 3x Mutagen, 3x Groundbait, 3x Splitbait Lure, 3x Cooking Oil, 1x Bloodmoon Totem new!
• HOTFIX – 1x Trophy Net, 1x Mutation Net new!
• TOTEMPOWER – 3x Enchant Stones, 5,000x Dabloons
• MILOSNACK – 1x Luckyworms, 1x Mutagen, 3x Enchant Spins
• CHUBBYTHECALICO – 3x Enchant Spins
• JASPERTHERAGDOLL – 3x Enchant Spins
• MILOTHEORANGECAT – 3x Enchant Spins

There are a handful of codes for Catch and Cook that are currently available, with each giving you three free rerolls once redeemed. We don't know if there are any different rewards planned for the future, but these Enchant Spins can help you improve your net for a better fishing experience.

How to redeem Catch and Cook codes

To redeem Catch and Cook codes, all you have to do is select the Codes button in the top-right corner of the screen to bring up the Claim Game Codes menu, then use the text box to enter each promo before hitting the big green Claim button to receive your reward. Codes for Catch and Cook are not case-sensitive, so as long as you use the correct spelling it doesn't matter how you type them in.

Expired Catch and Cook codes

• 5MFAVS – 5x Enchant Stones
• FREESPINS – 3x Enchant Spins
• 1MIL – 3x Enchant Spins

There are just a few expired Catch and Cook codes, as this is a relatively new experience and most of the promos released so far remain current. This situation is unlikely to continue in the long term, so ensure that you redeem all of the active codes as soon as possible to get the rewards.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

For about 26 years, I've been waiting for Sega to bring back the adorable pet simulation elements slotted into the two Sonic Adventure games. While mainline Sonic releases in the decades since haven't exactly let us raise, grow, or train cutesy little critters in quite the same way, one new indie game called Bobo Bay is brilliantly taking the baton from the Blue Blur and sprinting with it.

Bobo Bay has been in development for a good few years, but the wholesome pet-breeding and training sim finally launched late last month to near-perfect user reviews. On Steam, a whopping 96% of players gave it the thumbs up for an impressive 'Very Positive' score.

The game basically puts you in charge of looking after creatures called Bobo, who look a whole lot like the fairy-ish Chao from Sonic, only this time slightly shorter and adorably chubbier. You can dress them up, train them to compete in mini-games and competitions, and breed them to unlock "thousands of combinations" made up of different personality traits or eye colors.

While Sonic Adventure had you taking care of critters in between super-fast platforming stages, Bobo Bay lets you off the leash, too. Your blue-skinned protag can explore the town with a little Animal Crossing flavor, jetski around randomly-generated islands everyday, and sprint like she's running alongside the kids from Naruto or Weapons.

"This is something I have wanted for a long time, and always wondered why there was nothing to scratch that same itch from SA2," one player reviews reads. "I can tell that this game was made with love for the original source, and I really like all of the secrets you can randomly stumble across. Shoutout to the seedling I found at the top of a ridiculously difficult mountain."

Another player writes, "when a specific company accidentally pioneers one of the best creature collection minigames, of course its fans will beg for it to come back, but when those cries get ignored over the period of 25 years, it only makes sense that someone out there is gonna say, "Fine ill do it myself.""

In the meantime, check out the upcoming indie games of 2026.

By redeeming the latest Survive the Apocalypse codes, you can significantly boost your Emerald count, thus letting you buy new classes in the survival sim. For quite a new game, there are tons of cool classes to choose from, so you may even want to try a few of them out. Luckily, some of them cost just 40 Emeralds, while the rarer ones can set you back by 1,000.

Naturally, if you want to survive the apocalypse in this Roblox experience, you need the best weapons, and those are going to come from those more expensive classes. While these Survive the Apocalypse codes don't offer many Emeralds, by checking back and redeeming them often, you'll soon be on your way to unlocking that Commander.

While you're here, have a look at the latest Roblox promo codes that give rewards for use across multiple experiences.

All Survive the Apocalypse codes

These are the active Survive the Apocalypse codes you can redeem right now:

• apocalypseperks - 25 Emeralds new!
• forestpt2 - 25 Emeralds

Since it's the only constant currency (other than Robux), all Survive the Apocalypse codes so far have awarded Emeralds. This is no bad thing, though, as these Emeralds unlock new classes and weapons, and you're going to need a lot of them if you plan on playing this game for the long-term.

How to redeem Survive the Apocalypse codes

To redeem Survive the Apocalypse codes, simply launch the game and then click on the Emeralds button, either on the left-hand side or in the bottom left-hand corner. Here, hit the Codes button in the bottom right-hand corner of the window, enter your code in the box, and click Claim. Simple!

Expired Survive the Apocalypse codes

• forest - 25 Emeralds
• newclasses - 25 Emeralds
• weaponupgrade - 25 Emeralds
• 100million - 25 Emeralds
• bloodharvest - 25 Emeralds
• release - 25 Emeralds
• survivor - 25 Emeralds
• onemillion - 10 Emeralds
• quest - 25 Emeralds
• military - 25 Emeralds
• tenmillion - 25 Emeralds
• lazyslygems - 25 Emeralds
• militarytwo - 25 Emeralds
• birthday - 25 Emeralds
• twomonths - 25 Emeralds

As you can see from the long list above, Survive the Apocalypse codes expire quickly, so you want to make sure you redeem them right away, and keep checking back here often so you don't miss out on future codes.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

You'll need these Slime RNG codes if you plan on getting the rarest Slime in the game, after all, Slime RNG is based on luck and random rewards, so some bonus luck potions are going to come in handy.

This adorable Roblox experience sees you pitting your team of slimes against wild enemy slimes that get tougher as you progress, so your team needs to, too. And while I love that cute Leafy slime, you're going to need someone a little tougher to take you through the later biomes. That's where these Slime RNG codes some in handy, boosting your luck and your bank balance so you can increase your odds of getting those valuable rare slimes.

While you're here, take a look at the latest Roblox promo codes that grant rewards to your Roblox account for use across experiences.

All Slime RNG codes

These are the active Slime RNG codes you can redeem in-game right now:

• WHEELIE - Big Dice, Coin Boost potion new!
• GULLIBLE - 1x Coin

Generally speaking, you're going to get Coins and Luck potions from these Slime RNG codes, but as you can see from these lists, there is a chance to get Ultra Luck potions =, too, which triple your luck for a time. All these rewards are great, though, and Coins are a valuable resource for progressing through biomes and unlocking great upgrades.

Slime RNG codes aren't case-sensitive, so you don't need to worry about how you enter them, just make sure they're spelled correctly, To avoid any issues, you can always copy and paste them from our list above.

How to redeem Slime RNG codes

Redeeming Slime RNG codes is easy, simply launch the game, then click on the Shopping Basket button on the right-hand side of the screen. Scroll right down to the bottom where you'll find the code redemption box, pop in your code, and hit Redeem to claim your rewards.

Don't forget you can also set your Slime rolls to auto-roll, and let them roll in the background while you redeem your codes!

Expired Slime RNG codes

• spin2win - Rewards
• dinoStomp - Coin Boost potion, Roll Speed Boost potion new!
• slimeTime - Rewards
• beammeup - Big Dice
• Sliming - Big Dice, Roll Speed Boost potion
• AAisComing - Big Dice
• goingBananas - Ultra Luck Boost potion, Roll Speed Boost potion
• TEST - 100x Coins
• aliensarehere - Jackpot Dice
• fruitfeast - Big Dice
• outofthisworld - Big Dice
• GIVEMELUCKNOW - Ultra Luck Boost potion, Luck Boost potion
• 2muchluck - Rewards
• time2grind - Ultra Luck Boost potion, Big Dice
• craftAway - Ultra Luck Boost potion, Roll Speed Boost potion, 4 Apples
• mutationPLS - Jackpot Spin
• Semils - Ultra Luck Boost potion, Roll Speed Boost potion, 6 Apples
• stonks - 1 Luck Boost potion 1 Roll Speed Boost potion, 122,000 Coins

The list above shows us that, sadly, Slime RNG codes do expire in time, so it's always best to check back here regularly and redeem codes as soon as you see them so you don't miss out on any more rewards.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Subnautica 2 is really channeling its inner Hollow Knight Silksong by shoving not one, but two games out of their original release dates that don't want to be swept up in the impending tidal wave.

Earlier this week, the developers behind another anticipated open-world survival game called Outbound had to move their release date from May 14 to May 11 on PC and Xbox to avoid getting in the way of Subnautica 2's soon-to-be huge Early Access launch, despite the camper van adventure itself courting lots of attention and well over a million Steam Wishlists.

The problem? That May 11 release date had actually belonged to, yes, another crafty simulation game, Farm to Table, a restaurant management sim with base-building and farming elements. What started out as a friendly move has now turned into release date dominoes.

"Followed by [Subnautica 2] recent date reveal, [Outbound] recently announced its new release date, which now falls exactly on our planned Early Access launch date," the solo developer of Farm to Table tweets. "We're genuinely excited for both games, but we also want our players to have a more relaxed launch experience and enjoy Farm to Table without feeling rushed between big releases."

I'm not sure two days is really enough time to have a more chill dinner service, but the dev has "decided it would be better to open our restaurant doors a little earlier" on May 9 instead.

Hollow Knight Silksong had previously strong-armed at least eight games out of their original release dates - no surprise there, it was Steam's most-wishlisted game at the time. But Subnautica 2 seems to be following in its footsteps as Steam's most-wishlisted game since the hit, bug-infested Metroidvania.

Subnautica 2 devs won't touch generative AI despite "AI first" pivot at owner Krafton: "It's interesting technology, but it's not something we're using."

If you ask me, the best part of Stardew Valley, Story of Seasons, or any farming sim is filling your land with loads of cute animals, and, in case its name didn't give it away, upcoming cozy ranch-builder Little Sheep Valley seems to be all about that life.

Created by Redknot Games, a team of only three devs, Little Sheep Valley will see you build your own ranch out in a "beautiful Mediterranean landscape," placing things like buildings, decor, plants, and ponds seemingly freely to make the whole thing uniquely yours. Obviously, the titular sheep are a massive part of this, too – as you'd hope, you can pet them as much as you like, shear their wool, and play with them as you develop the ranch.

You'll also have to keep their needs in mind as you play – the game's Steam page notes that you'll need to "make smart use of your ranch layout" and "provide the resources your sheep need" to keep your woolly friends happy.

Cute as the sheep are, it's honestly the decoration aspect that's speaking to me as I watch the game's trailer. Seeing how fluidly things like bushes, plant pots, and posts are placed down, it doesn't appear that items will be stuck down to a grid like they are in a lot of games like this. I adore Pokemon Pokopia, for example, but it does have a level of rigidity to the placement of things like furniture, which at first glance doesn't appear to be the case here, although I suppose we'll have to wait and see how it plays in practice. The more freedom we have to customize things, though, the better.

Speaking of which, Little Sheep Valley doesn't currently have an exact release date, but it's currently on track to launch at some point in Q4 2026 on Steam, so PC players should be able to get their hands on it by the end of the year.

Be sure to check out our list of new games for 2026 to find out what else is launching this year.

Tomodachi Life Living the Dream personality types are what makes the game feel alive, and are important to pay attention to if you want a thriving island. They keep your Miis feeling unique, determine how they approach interactions with other island residents, their feelings, and their overall general attitude.

Personality types also determine your "Island Vibe" in the island Info menu, and house colors. And if that wasn't enough already, in my Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream review, I mention how collecting all of them is one of the best parts of Nintendo's new social sim.

That may seem stressful at first glance, but luckily, you can edit your Miis at any time and change personality types whenever you want. If you're after an easy guide on how to grab them all quickly, then you've come to the right place. Scroll on for a complete overview of all the Tomodachi Life Living the Dream personality types and what you'll need to do to get them.

All personalities in Tomodachi Life Living the Dream

There are 16 personalities in Tomodachi Life Living the Dream, each divided into four main groups that are all colour-coded and will also determine what colour variant house your Mii moves into once you place them on your island.

These four main groups are: Easy-Going (yellow), Energetic (red), Reserved (green), and Confident (blue). In each of these groups, there are four additional personalities you can choose when you make your Mii.

In total, all the personalities that you can get are as follows:

• Easy-Going: Softie
• Easy-Going: Optimist
• Easy-Going: Carer
• Easy-Going: Dreamer
• Energetic: Charmer
• Energetic: Adventurer
• Energetic: Bubbly
• Energetic: Hot-Blooded
• Reserved: Patient
• Reserved: Perfectionist
• Reserved: Introvert
• Reserved: Thinker
• Confident: Busy-bee
• Confident: Leader
• Confident: Individualist
• Confident: Headstrong

How to get each personality type in Tomodachi Life Living the Dream

In the Mii creator, you'll have to pick different values for your Mii's movement, speech, energy, attitude, and overall vibe. Your choices will determine which personality your Mii's have and will also affect how they greet and speak with you, as well as other residents on the island.

Below I've got all the values that I used to get each personality type, as well as a brief depiction of each personality for you below!

Softie personality type

Sensitive and emotional Miis who are in tune with their feelings and sentimental.

Optimistic personality type

Positive and enthusiastic Miis who are always smiling.

Carer personality type

These Miis are trustworthy and considerate; they put their friends first and work hard to keep the peace.

Dreamer personality type

The idealistic and romantic Miis on your island. They get lost in their own ideas and have their heads in the clouds.

Charmer personality type

Admired by all, and easily adapts in situations, they are passionate and follow their instincts.

Adventurer personality type

These are your bold Miis who are never dull to be around; they are also captivating and light up any room.

Bubbly personality type

Outgoing and pleasant Miis who can find the silver lining in every situation. They make friends easily, too.

Hot-blooded personality type

Assertive Miis who trust and follow their instincts. They easily command respect from other island residents.

Patient personality type

Unique, carefree Miis who are also very creative and think outside the box.

Perfectionist personality

Logical and imaginative Miis who are happiest creating and appreciating even the smaller details in life.

Introvert personality type

Self-sufficient and individual Miis who don't like to let their emotions show but have a lot going on deep down.

Thinker personality type

These are your thoughtful and introspective Miis who are great at thinking things through and analyzing situations.

Busy-bee personality type

Diligent and highly efficient Miis. They are explicit in planning and always follow through.

Leader personality type

Ambitious Miis that are full of energy and don't mind taking risks.

Individualist personality type

These Miis are intelligent and aren't afraid to show it. They are knowledgeable about a lot and speak with confidence.

Headstrong personality type

Determined self-starters who don't let anyone stand in their way. They make their own path and execute plans quickly.

Is there a personality compatibility system?

The good news is that Tomodachi Life Living the Dream doesn't have a compatibility system when it comes to Miis' personality types. So your Miis personalities won't affect romance or friendships. Relationships between Miis are instead dictated by their chosen dating preference and are also influenced by the real-life relationship options that you have the opportunity to decide on when making your Miis.

In terms of personality, romance and friendships are random. So feel free to pick and choose any kind of personality that you desire without worries, folks.

For more on Nintendo, you can head over to our guide on all the upcoming Switch 2 games still on the way next.

Ahead of today's 1.0 release of Shapez 2, its lead developer acknowledges that his first attempt to launch an answer to Factorio didn't go quite as smoothly as his second. The sequel has already secured thousands of overwhelmingly positive reviews during its 20 months in early access - but for the first Shapez, Springer admits that "everything that you should do" for a successful launch, "I ignored."

Unsurprisingly, Springer's journey to creating his own factory sim series started with Factorio. Annoyed by the hordes of insect enemies that plagued his carefully laid-out conveyor belts, however, he decided to build his own game. Planned out as a hobby project made solely in Springer's free time over just a few months, the game that would kickstart the Shapez series was initially made with "no commercial intent" whatsoever.

To release the project, Springer turned to indie platform Itch.io, where positive sentiment pushed it to a featured spot on the front page. Buoyed by that success, he considered publishing it on Steam as well, but Shapez wasn't "ready" for a full release yet. Early Access was the obvious solution, but that's where Tobias hit the series' first major roadblock: "I filled out the accreditation and everything, and then Steam rejected my store page around five times because they said 'we don't like the reason why you're going into Early Access'."

Any game releasing into Early Access on Steam has to justify that decision to both Valve and its players. When it came to Shapez, the company said that none of the four different descriptions Springer wrote about his development plans could "fully explain what a customer can expect from your app." Eventually, he got so annoyed by the process that in June 2020, he simply unchecked the Early Access box; "We're going to do full release, I don't care."

That gung-ho approach to release meant that Shapez had only 3,000 wishlists at launch, and little of the pre-launch background work to help it succeed. "Basically, everything that you should do, I ignored," Springer admits. Shapez was saved from relative obscurity by a streaming community that latched onto it, eventually driving more than a million sales. But even that didn't entirely pave the way for Shapez 2. Springer went back to freelance work, and even ran a Mexican restaurant for a while before he came across a funding project from the German government, "which basically allowed you to fund half of the development costs" of a new project.

With financial backing from the government and ideas about how to expand on the "very tight" gameplay loops of Shapez 1, Springer built up his team to 15 people, and after about two years of work, released Shapez 2 into Early Access in 2024. After the series' clumsy start on the platform, it's been a huge hit - 700,000 sales so far added to the original games' 1.3 million copies shipped to push Shapez beyond the two million mark, and Springer thinks that's likely to grow substantially with 1.0. While games like Satisfactory and Factorio might be the genre juggernauts, he argues that his team is extremely well-established in the factory sim genre by virtue of being "the only company that has shipped more than one factory game." An astonishing commitment to player feedback - the sequel's art style was chosen in a community vote - helped make Shapez 2 "the top-rated game in the genre" for a while as it sat at a 98% positive rating.

But there's a touch of irony to what is perhaps the biggest driver of Shapez 2's Early Access success: Springer's philosophy on what an Early Access launch should actually look like. "The game needs to be fully playable," he says, "it needs to be bug-free, it needs to have everything it's going to have." Too many players, he believes, are still wary of the Early Access label from the program's early days, when many projects were abandoned long before they were finished projects. Nowadays, he says, a game's fate "is 90%, 95% determined by the version of the game that you shipped the first time to the public." That's why "internally, we treat early access as 1.0," and why Shapez 2's upcoming 1.0 release could actually be considered its 2.0 version instead. For a series that was kickstarted by being thrust, somewhat unceremoniously, into the Steam ecosystem, such a dedicated approach to the Early Access ecosystem might seem unlikely, but even two million copies later, Springer remains quietly confident in his philosophy: "It's worked well, I think."

Roblox's chief safety officer has responded to concerns about the game's ongoing implementation of age check requirements, noting that "we understand it's unpopular," but "the cost of not acting is greater than the friction of acting."

In the last few months, Roblox rolled out age checks for players who wanted to access its chat function, with users asked to go through a facial age estimation process using their device's camera. What's more, earlier this month, it was announced that age verification is being rolled out further – as well as introducing Kids and Select accounts for children aged 5-8 and 9-15, respectively, new publishing requirements will place fresh restrictions on anyone wanting to publish content on the game platform.

Specifically, in order to publish content available to all ages, users will have to be ID-verified, have two-factor authentication set up, and have an active Roblox Plus subscription, which will cost $4.99 a month (Roblox says it'll be "covering the cost of Roblox Plus for about one hundred thousand of our existing creators for the next 6 months"). Their games will also go through a new evaluation process. In addition, users wanting to publish content to players 16 and over (or to Trusted Friends) will also need to complete an age check, but they'll seemingly be able to use facial age estimation rather than their ID.

Although these changes are being made to "help make sure games are suitable for our youngest users," with it being noted that "keeping the trust of users, their parents, and the policy makers who represent them is incredibly important, and helps make sure Roblox can continue to be accessed around the world," obviously, not everyone is happy about more age checks being rolled out.

Responding to one player in a recent Ask Me Anything session, who calls requirements like the age check to use the chat "some of the least popular changes to date," and asks if the devs are "aware of the impact it may face on the current platform" by enforcing them on developers and influencers, wondering why no concessions are being made "despite the overwhelming feedback and increasing frustration," chief safety officer Matt Kaufman says it has to be done.

"Our job as a platform is to balance the needs of every part of our community – players, parents, creators, and influencers," he begins. "We've heard loudly from parents and policymakers that they need stronger assurances about the content available to our youngest users, and we take that just as seriously as we take feedback from creators and influencers."

Furthermore, Roblox is considering "how to balance that freedom of creativity and the joy that comes with building really anything," and how that's balanced with "making sure that the content that's accessible to our youngest users and young teens is age-appropriate."

He continues: "On age checks specifically: we understand it's unpopular. But the honest reality is that the cost of not acting is greater than the friction of acting. Without these requirements, Roblox risks losing access in entire regions; which means fewer players, smaller audiences, and less opportunity for every creator and influencer building on this platform. Some Roblox everywhere is better than full Roblox nowhere."

Kaufman concludes: "Roblox today is not the platform it was five, ten, almost twenty years ago. There are more responsibilities that come with our scale, yes, but there are also exponentially more opportunities to build a real business, reach a global audience, and access more power tools than ever before."

Age verification is becoming more and more commonplace worldwide – not just in Roblox. After all, by the second half of the year, Discord is set to roll out its divisive "age assurance" update globally, which will lock certain features – like access to adult content – behind age verification, although apparently, many adult users won't need to do anything thanks to the platform's age determination system. Regardless of the implementation, however, changes like these are always controversial – it seems unlikely we'll ever see an announcement like this go down without any backlash.

Discord raises more questions while attempting to quell age verification fury by saying an AI model can look at "patterns of user behavior" to predict how old many folks are anyway.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream has officially been out in the wild for a day, and folks are already coming up with all sorts of wacky creations in Nintendo's silly new life sim – like, I don't know, transforming their Miis' pets into adorable Pokemon.

As if its recent free demo didn't bring enough mind-blowing Mii creations, the community is now sharing even more impressive artwork following the long-awaited game's release – and I can't get enough of the cute pixel-style Pokemon I'm seeing everywhere, personally.

Miis can have pets, but they don't need to be your run-of-the-mill cats or dogs. Thanks to the, you know, ability to draw whatever you'd like, they can be anything.

If you, like me, want pokémon as pets, consider giving their pixel art sprites a shot from r/tomodachilife

And, unsurprisingly, Pokemon Pokopia is still fresh in the air, so many players are opting to add in their favorite 'mons. Just take a look at this precious Eevee recreation over on Reddit, for example – the pixel aesthetic reminds me of older-gen Pokemon games, and I can't get enough of it.

As its creator notes, though, it's not a simple process. "The biggest challenges are color matching and keeping track of where the pixels go," they write.

They're certainly not the only talented players managing to do so, however. Another – possibly my favorite, as I adore the 'mon in question – fan showcases their Sylveon pet in a separate post, amusingly commenting on how small it turned out. Honestly, I think that's the best part… Who wouldn't love a pocket-sized Pokemon, eh?

Elsewhere in a thread, a creative player offers their own recreation: a sweet little Sneasel.

Then we've got people who are going wild with the whole creative tool system in Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, like this one user on Twitter who has concocted everything from Trubbish to Litwick.

Not only are folks turning Pokemon into pets, but they're also transforming their actual Miis into Nintendo's iconic creatures as well. "Here's Pikachu," one such player reports alongside a screenshot of their very yellow and accurate Mii.

This is made all the more mind-blowing when you consider the fact that fans are employing everything from carrots to inside-out bags of chips as styluses. I'm just sad there's no real online feature, though – I need that Sylveon, y'all.

Nintendo says Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is the "ultimate inside joke game," but I'm not sure fans' NSFW vision for the life sim is what they had in mind

Not many publishers still release first-party games for an old console once a shiny new one hits the public. Yet here is Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, a 2026 title made for the Nintendo Switch 10 months after the Switch 2 hit the shelves. Despite being almost 10 years old, the Nintendo Switch is still kicking, and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a delightful, unhinged addition to the already great selection of the best Switch games.

But, despite how much fun I'm having with it, its core mechanics and controls have exposed a very real and gut-dropping truth: It's time for an upgrade, folks.

Moving forward

Now, I'm not normally one to shout about getting a new console. In fact, I was one of the last people to get a Nintendo 3DS in my friend group, convinced that the 2011 handheld's "3D" novelty feature was a gimmick and that my regular old DS worked completely fine. I am, however, a cozy gamer at heart, and once I saw the first trailer for the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive Pokemon Pokopia in 2025, I caved and bought the new system immediately.

Just like with the 3DS, I was convinced that I'd never use the Switch 2's fresh "mouse controls" for the Joy-Cons as I handed Ninty my cash. But, I was wrong. I use the mouse controls every day now, and playing Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream without them has me going through withdrawal and wishing that this was just a Switch 2 game instead.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Switch 2's mouse controls, essentially, they let you turn your Joy-Con's into a PC mouse, when you have a flat surface available (they also work on your thighs if you are lazy like me and can't be bothered to move the coffee table in your lounge).

Being able to quickly click a feature, and have more control when you drag or aim, is a game-changer for life sim fans that want to customize. After trying them out in Pokopia I've become an expert builder, and designing new clothes and patterns has never been quicker thanks to their integration in the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Edition too.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, being a Switch game that is simply playable on the Switch 2, does not support these controls. However, the whole premise of the game is creating and customizing. The iconic surreal life-sim revolves around you making avatars known as Miis, and then working to fulfil their wishes and crushing them in the odd mini-game. In many ways, it's almost like watching a weird cartoony fishbowl of your creations, as they fall in love, fight with each other, and even get depressed.

On top of making Miis, Living the Dream goes one extra step further in pushing you to customize. As I mentioned in my glowing Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream review, in order to get the most out of the game, you'll have to create, and likely spend most of your time in the paint tools, designing clothes, treasures, or, in my case, recreating Sanrio characters as pets to gift my Miis.

Needing pointers

Going from the stable mouse controls of the Switch 2 to using a mix of the overly sensitive thumbsticks or my fingers in order to freehand a Hello Kitty design for my Miis is frustrating because I know how convenient it could be.

Sure, I could try to order a compatible stylus for the Switch, but I also know that I wouldn't have to if this were just made for the new console. Some of Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream's mini-games are also a pain to play with a controller; one asks to click things floating around your Mii's head before the timer runs out, and trying to control your cursor with thumbsticks again will have you wishing for a stylus or mouse.

On top of controls, I've also gotten used to the crisper image of the Switch 2, the improved textures, and I can't stop thinking about how much better my creations would have looked if the title wasn't being held back by the limitations of hardware that is almost a decade old at this point.

When we talk about the differences between Switch and Switch 2 games, a really clear example is Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. The Switch 2 upgrade of the latest mainline Pokemon RPGs vastly improved performance, from being able to spawn in more Pokemon, improving textures, and giving us the experience that we were essentially missing back during the game's launch.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream's performance isn't poor, but I still can't help but feel like it could be better. It does seem flatter visually, and all the customizable textures for things like buildings and clothes just don't have the level of polish that Nintendo have now made me more accustomed to with its new console.

Now, for clarity, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is, in my opinion, still an amazing game that I recommend to all Switch players in the life-sim space. But, playing it in tandem with the likes of Pokopia really showcases the old console's age and that now is the right time to say goodbye to it.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a game that I fully believe could have been even more spectacular if it had all the freedom that the upgraded Switch's hardware allows. It's still a joy and very much worth your time if you love strange and whacky life-sims. But, it also feels like a step back compared to all the exciting things Nintendo has recently released. The Switch era feels like it's officially over, and rather than mourning it, my unhinged Miis have helped me realize that I should be excited for all the upcoming Switch 2 games on the horizon instead.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream would have stood among the best Switch 2 games, if only it had been given the chance...

Anime Power League codes will provide you with a boost in this incremental simulator, as you work on your training to become the most powerful warrior. Defeating enemies will improve your reputation, but losing battles will also harm your standings, so you want to be as prepared as possible when you head into a fight.

By claiming APL codes you'll significantly increase your balance of Tokens, which is the in-game currency used to buy power ups or upgrade your multipliers, as well as receiving training boosts to improve your incremental progress in this Roblox experience. To find out more, here are the current codes for Anime Power League and how to redeem them.

If you want some general rewards that can be used in all experiences, then we've got the lowdown on the current Roblox promo codes.

All Anime Power League codes

The following Anime Power League codes can be redeemed for rewards:

• UpdateV1 – 3x Training Stats for 45 Minutes [expires June 26, 2026] new!
• SoulHunters – 2x Training Stats for 60 Minutes [expires June 24, 2026] new!
• VIETNAM – 2x Training Stats for 60 Minutes [expires June 24, 2026] new!
• enjoy1token – 1x Token [expires June 24, 2026] new!
• DATSU – 2x Training Stats for 60 Minutes [expires June 23, 2026] new!
• AKAMrpanda4 – 2x Training Stats for 45 Minutes [expires June 22, 2026]
• mjauforhanna – 2x Training Stats for 45 Minutes [expires June 22, 2026]

At the moment there are a handful of codes for Anime Power League available, though usually there are plenty that will provide you with a decent amount of Tokens and training boosts – note that training boosts do not stack, so only redeem one of those promos at a time to get the maximum benefit from them.

How to redeem Anime Power League codes

To redeem Anime Power League codes, you can simply tap on the Extras button, which is the three bar icon at the bottom of the stack on the left of the screen. This will bring up three more options, so hit the Rewards button with a gift icon to access the Rewards screen. From there, select the Codes tab and then use the WRITE A CODE text box to enter your promo, which isn't case-sensitive so you just need the correct spelling.

Expired Anime Power League codes

• byNanashi – 2x Training Stats for 45 Minutes
• FingerLickinGood – 2x Training Stats for 60 Minutes
• Wearetheachievers – 2x Training Stats for 60 Minutes
• Tutigame – 200,000 Tokens
• EllGomez23 – 200,000 Tokens
• vyriliq – 2x Training Stats for 60 Minutes
• ViltrumEmpire – 2x Training Stats for 60 Minutes
• LegsWithTeeth – 2x Training Stats for 60 Minutes
• LowkeyMan – 2x Training Stats for 60 Minutes
• ibarkforamalia – 2x Training Stats for 60 Minutes
• BakingBread – 2x Training Stats for 60 Minutes
• OliverGoat – 2x Training Stats for 60 Minutes
• Holy – 2x Training Stats for 45 Minutes
• NotorietyOnTop – 2x Training Stats for 45 Minutes
• PlaySubnautica2 – 2x Training Stats for 45 Minutes
• TheFallenUnc – 2x Training Stats for 45 Minutes
• Nath=Mobility77 – 2x Training Stats for 45 Minutes
• PeakLeveling67 – 2x Training Stats for 45 Minutes
• Viltrumites – 100,000 Tokens
• FreeMoney – 200,000 Tokens

Lots of Anime Power League codes have now expired, so you'd better redeem any that you see as soon as possible to avoid missing out on future rewards.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

I never thought I'd see Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Animal Crossing mentioned in the same breath, but now that I have, it actually makes plenty of sense. If you can get past all the murder, Kingdom Come: Deliverance and its GOTY-deserving sequel are actually remarkably cozy games. I've probably spent an accumulative dozens of hours hanging out in taverns playing dice, drinking with locals, and brewing potions. When I'm not fast-travelling across Bohemia to farm bandit encounters, I'm probably doing one of the above activities, because again, this is a seriously chill game when it wants to be.

It's the exact, extremely niche cozy vibes you get when you combine Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Animal Crossing that have been extracted, distilled, and used for the foundation of new medieval simulator Scriptorium Master of Manuscripts, which just launched today to some pretty darn encouraging Steam reviews.

Developer Yaza Games wisely promoted the game in the Kingdom Come: Deliverance subreddit and said "KCD was actually one of the biggest inspirations for us when we started working on our own project." Gameplay-wise, it's inspired by Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, Tiny Glade, "and other cozy titles," according to a Steam update from Yaza Games.

Scriptorium, as you might've gleaned by now, plops you down into a scriptorium where you're tasked with transcribing and, more importantly, decorating manuscripts with medieval art. There's a story mode with 70 available commissions to guide you toward your masterpiece, or you can dip into sandbox mode and really let your imagination run wild.

Either way, you'll have access to more than 2000 drawable assets inspired by genuine medieval art to use on more than 50 pieces of parchment paper. You can also customize your workshop with all sorts of furniture, lighting, decorations, windows, columns, and carpets, and of course, what would a cozy game be without pets? You can choose to have cats, dogs, and tiny dragons chill out with you while you work, which is just too cute.

I was also delighted to hear that "Scriptorium is a 100% human-made game and the result of years of hard work by real human artists, developers and medievalists," and that the developer has "a strict zero-tolerance policy for GenAI, so everything you see in Scriptorium was human-made, including art and texts."

Scriptorium normally costs $14.99 but it has a launch discount that brings it down to $11.99. Going off the admittedly limited cache of 55 user reviews published on Steam, 96% of which are positive, this one might be worth the money. One review simply reads: "hans capon mentioned therefore GOTY."

Sold.

Baldur's Gate 3 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 may make Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 look like the "small kids in the playground," but star hopes it'll "live in people's memory" anyway

Newly announced cemetery life sim Graveyard Keeper 2 is already among the top 100 most-wishlisted games on Steam, and the head of publisher tinyBuild partly attributes its sudden rise to a carefully planned Steam marketing strategy that highlights the difference between making a game free and giving it away.

On the heels of Graveyard Keeper 2's announcement, the original game was made free on Steam for a limited time, drawing players in and ultimately shifting over $250,000 worth of DLC in the process. A lot of those new players also ended up wishlisting the sequel, pushing it up the charts.

As tinyBuild CEO Alex Nichiporchik explains in a Twitter/X post, Graveyard Keeper very specifically did not throw a "free to try" weekend. Instead, the game was given a 100% discount within the Steam store system. It's still 80% off at the time of writing to keep the ball rolling.

This discount is "why the original game spiked so fast and so hard," Nichiporchick says. And his reasoning cuts to the heart of Steam: tapping into PC gamers. "It’s not about a giveaway per se- it’s about the 100% discount on Steam," he adds. "This sends a notification to every single wishlist. A 'free to try' weekend doesn’t send these." As a result, a lot more people end up hearing about this free game.

Additionally, Nichiporchik highlights the "marketing funnel" for introducing Graveyard Keeper players to the sequel and nudging them toward wishlisting it. Wishlists are a hugely valuable metric for unreleased Steam games, not just because those players can be converted to sales either at launch or via future discounts and events, but also because they help developers size up the scope of their engaged audience and set expectations for launch. It's similar to pre-order metrics, and maybe more so for book pre-orders than games, which have a different pre-order culture around them.

The secret? Don't make it annoying. "The banner in the main menu for wishlisting Graveyard Keeper 2 triggers the Steam Overlay. Not the browser. The Overlay opens up and allows for a frictionless one click wishlist action, since users are already logged in," Nichiporchik says.

Nichiporchik describes this marketing ploy as an "unorthodox approach" and thanks developer Lazy Bear Games for its trust, but this whole flash in the pan strikes me as an increasingly normal way to leverage Steam's systems. PC gaming is largely past the days of 'gaming' Steam with tags or hidden flags of some sort, but we still see developers find ways to maximize or work around Valve's tools and algorithms in order to reach more people.

As marketing goes, it's among the most palatable because it can help developers stay healthy and help players find games (and deals) they're actually interested in. This process also often informs the features that Valve adds to Steam, like with the recent addition of official Early Access 1.0 release dates.

"Gabe's crazy" – Father of Xbox "vastly more excited" about Steam than Project Helix because Valve "f*** up business" and do "weird stuff."

Horse girlies, this one's for us – Barbie is returning in a brand-new horse game reminiscent of franchise greats like Wild Horse Rescue, and no, this isn't a drill.

If you haven't heard of Barbie Horse Adventures: Wild Horse Rescue, click off this article (I'm joking, I'm joking). When I was a little girl, I probably devoted literal days to the cozy horse-rescuing sim on my Xbox, exploring every area as much as humanly possible and riding every new horse mindlessly around maps. It lives on in my heart as some sort of 2003 fever dream, but I'm honestly still that horse-obsessed girlie today.

I've clocked hundreds of hours of trail riding in Red Dead Redemption 2's online counterpart and a good few in Barbie Horse Trails, a wholesome Barbie gem that launched late last year. The latter wasn't exactly what I wanted out of a Barbie horse game, though.

I yearn for more Wild Horse Rescue… and that's exactly what Barbie Horse Ride and Rescue, an upcoming title from developer and publisher PikPok, appears to be packing.

Available to wishlist on Steam (and pre-order on mobile storefronts) already, Horse Ride and Rescue has us, well, rescuing and rehabilitating horses. There are apparently "thousands of combinations of beautiful horse coat colors and patterns to add to your stable," too, which I may or may not be absolutely thrilled to read.

When we're not bonding with or caring for our horses, we can also take part in equestrian challenges, like barrel racing and time trials.

There's a dress-up component as well – as every good horse girl game should have – and mysteries to uncover, adding a bit of Barbie Horse Adventures: Mystery Ride flair to the Wild Horse Rescue-esque mix. All in all, Barbie Horse Ride and Rescue feels like a new, unique mashup of genre giants, and I can't quite get enough.

Its release date isn't too far off either, with a mobile launch set for June 16 of this year. As for PC players (hi, it's me) and folks on the Nintendo Switch 2, we'll get to play sometime in 2027 – so, not as soon, but also not horribly in the super distant future or something.

I'll be waiting very impatiently until then, however, replaying my childhood fave in the meantime.

Searching for something else to wishlist? Here's a roundup of the most exciting new games coming this year and beyond for more.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is almost here, with just a day to go until its big release – but we've already had a taste of the wacky life sim thanks to its recent free demo… a demo that was, unsurprisingly, made all the more chaotic with fans' dirty minds.

There are all sorts of hilarious creations to be found in the old 3DS game, from ridiculous rap songs to exclamations I can't quite repeat here without risking my job. The thing is, though, it's an even more amusing experience than ever before in Living the Dream because there's no filter – really, there's like… none to be found.

Want to add an especially NSFW thought into your Miis' heads? Go on then. Want your Miis to swear like sailors? Have at it.

Countless videos online have been floating about since the free Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream demo dropped, showcasing as much, with Miis discussing everything from, erm, "jerking off" to "cocks."

I'm not sure Nintendo knew this would happen, honestly, and I'm all the more convinced the developers didn't expect it after reading a new interview with director Ryutaro Takahashi and programming lead Takaomi Ueno.

Takahashi explains devs "started development with the direction of leveraging user-generated content – also known as UGC – a system that allows players to create their own content to play with in the game," as it allows for more creative freedom and gives folks less of a chance to grow tired of Living the Dream.

The idea behind Tomodachi Life – its core, if you will – is to offer players the "ultimate inside joke game," apparently.

"The concept of Tomodachi Life is to be 'the ultimate inside joke game' that can be enjoyed among people who are close to each other or share things in common," as the director puts it. "We felt that UGC, which lets players create whatever they want, fit well with this concept. We thought that combining the gameplay provided by the development team with what players themselves create would open up infinite ways to enjoy the game."

Well, uh, it's certainly letting players create whatever they want, all right. And whatever that is – whether it be something totally off-the-rails adult humor or unfathomably wild lines – can influence other Miis, of course.

Think of the 3DS game and how you'd type in a thought or phrase for a Mii, and others could pick it up. This, "the Mii characters' sphere of influence," as Ueno says, has "expanded from the previous game." Oh boy.

In other words, not only is Living the Dream a filter-free fever dream, but it also allows us to plant a far more potent seed of chaos with anything we teach Miis. I don't know about you guys, but I can't wait to see how this goes come tomorrow's launch.

Interested in one of the biggest new games of 2026 yourself? Be sure to read through our own Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream review for an honest rundown of its pros and cons.

Hyungjun 'Kjun' Kim, the director of Krafton's life-sim game InZoi, might be the most honest game developer I've ever met. He admits that he gets scared whenever he releases an update for InZoi, and that he thought he "may fail [making a life simulation game] because it was just too difficult" – that explains why The Sims has dominated the life sim genre since 2000.

But, with InZoi selling over 1.5 million copies in its first year of early access, Kim's life sim has far from failed, even with a barebones launch and a litany of bugs and performance issues. I was invited to InZoi Studio in Seoul for an exclusive Q&A session to hear from the InZoi boss and learn about the struggles of the first year, and how the game is evolving on the road to its full 1.0 launch by March 2027.

Not so Simple

InZoi had a shaky first year. It shot past Kim's target of 500,000 sales, but the director also says via a translator that "a few hundred thousand returns" had been issued – due to the overall sales success of InZoi, Kim says he is actually happy to accept these refunds too. As well as technical and stability problems, there were complaints of soullessness and a general sense of disappointment that it wasn't quite on the same level as The Sims, points we brought up in our own InZoi review.

It's clear that Kim still feels he's bitten off a bit more than he can chew. "If I could go back in time and re-do [InZoi], I think I would be a bit hesitant," he says. "We have a lot of developers on the team because we need to review a bunch of code but the more code you have, the more complex the game is going to get."

Nevertheless, the team at InZoi Studio has persevered through one year of early access to deliver six major updates and one premium DLC, with Kim saying that launching in early access has been essential for development. He's also honest about the state of the game too, admitting that the game is "a bit unstable". "This genre is bound to have a lot of bugs," he says. "As a developer, this bugs me. I feel really sorry for the players."

Looking ahead to InZoi's second year, which is meant to culminate in its official 1.0 release, there's still a lot of work to be done. "This year, the goal is to complete careers and school so that one person's life can be enjoyed in full inside the game," Kim says, affirming that the InZoi team is still committed to building out the foundations of basic gameplay.

Other additions, including prisons, vehicles, and a karma system, are on InZoi's release schedule too. The team plans to ramp up its user-generated content (UGC) features to help make a dent in a list of roughly 200,000 player requests, which Kim admits he wouldn't be able to work through even if he spent the rest of his life working on InZoi.

The main addition for this UGC push is Canvastown, an expansion to the existing social media-like Canvas system that allows players to upload custom save files or craft specific experiences using a vibe-coding generative AI system for other players to try. Overall, Canvastown has been designed to help players get to the fun faster, a goal which Kim says was inspired by surfing YouTube and being repeatedly told by his nephew that becoming a criminal in InZoi by stealing things was taking too long.

Canvastown will also be joined by enhanced support for mods and even optional multiplayer, though this will be tested in phases. Altogether, Kim says that he's "a bit intimidated" and "afraid of how players will receive [Canvastown]". But he ultimately believes that building a robust modding system is important for the health of InZoi too.

Speaking of InZoi's long-term health, I wondered whether Kim saw his life-sim ever getting the same absurdly large and pricey backlog of DLCs as The Sims 4, which currently has around $1,300 dollars' worth of add-ons on the Steam store. Aside from the resort-focused Island Getaway DLC, Kim says there are no plans for more expansions right now, with the focus being solely on the 1.0 launch and PS5 version of the game.

He doesn't rule out a change of direction from those above at Krafton, but Kim does jokingly wonder why InZoi Studio should have to pump out premium expansions. "InZoi is making a lot of money already, PUBG is making a lot of money," he says. "So, I always think 'why do I have to contribute to it?'"

With InZoi feeling more like a sandbox with each update, baking all these UGC features into the game this early feels like a good way to set it apart in the life-sim bubble before the 1.0 launch. Offloading development to fans in early access seems cheeky but given how ambitious InZoi is and how challenging it is to develop, I can hardly blame the team.

I'm still left wondering if InZoi really can take on The Sims. Its four-figure player numbers on Steam and bustling Discord indicate it's found a small and engaged audience, but with such an extensive roadmap and Krafton's recent shift towards making its Korean studios go global, it feels like InZoi's success hinges on being able to crack the Western market – not unlike PUBG's ongoing refocus on the West.

InZOI is one of many games like The Sims 4 if you want a little variety in your life simulation games.

The Sims is dead. Long live The Sims. The death rattle began in September 2024, when publisher EA officially announced that The Sims 4 was to graduate into an ongoing, Fortnite-like platform. The same announcement revealed there would be no Sims 5 incoming, and that upcoming multiplayer venture Project Rene is set to exist alongside The Sims 4 instead. Whatever wariness I had for the end of the life sim's generational format can't compare with the truth of seeing the thing I love being taken out back and quietly put down.

The Sims 4's future is hanging over it like a guillotine, and in a selfish way, it's a distraction. I can't even enjoy its latest expansion – Royalty and Legacy, something I was so hyped for as a huge lover of The Sims Medieval – in good faith. How can I crown myself princess of the realm when the new microtransaction system cements The Sims 4 as just another live service game?

Not with a bang, but with a "glarch"

The Sims 4 Marketplace is my nemesis. I'm not here to slate battle passes and paid add-ons as a business strategy – what goes on between you and your credit card is none of my business, pal – but rather how and why these premium currencies put me off games as a 31 year-old.

Battle passes, seasonal content drops, and the "exclusivity" factors ascribed to them are there to feed our FOMO in this age of instant gratification, and unfortunately, it's proven to be a lucrative cash grab. Anyone can fall victim to such a siren song. Nickel-and-diming isn't exactly a new phenomenon in the world of gaming.

Premium in-game currencies and microtransactions have been around longer than battle passes, following a proud tradition of shoving quarters into arcade cabinets. And there I was thinking gaming had come such a long way since Pac-Man. Part of the reason you'd stump up the big bucks for something like those massive Neo Geo carts was to get away from the money hungry machines.

Alas, the beast has only transformed. Free-to-play games (FTP) with optional microtransactions, once heavily identified with mobile gaming, have now become the de-facto way to play online with pals across devices, with games like Fortnite being played by millions and the game itself having peaked at 44.7m players as of 2023.

EA took The Sims 4 free-to-play on Steam in 2022, and at the time, I shrugged it off. Despite its obvious positioning as a tempting ground, dangling exciting expansion packs in front of gamers on a budget, The Sims 4 is one of the best free Steam games as long as you can ignore the upselling that has been rampant ever since The Sims 4 adopted a more storefront-like splash page.

But now it's 2026, and The Sims 4 has just received its very own microtransaction system to boot.

Dag dag for now

If Royalty and Legacy really does turn out to be the 21st and final Sims 4 expansion pack, as the rumor mill claims, players will still be able to purchase in-game currency called Moolah using their real-life pennies and exchange it for new build or buy-mode items.

You can buy acne patches with Moolah. You can buy new t-shirts with Moolah. I used to download things like that for free from community modders back in 2007, or at least I would have if pimple patches as fashion choices had been a thing when I was 12. There's nothing about the Sims 4 Marketplace that serves me as someone who's been playing it since launch. I already have all the Sims expansion packs I want, and I'm not going to be buying a handful of acne patch accessories for £5 just because.

The end result is the unfortunate commodification of something that was once the life sim’s biggest strength: its creative community, and all the clever things it would come up with to enhance one another’s Simming experiences through the best Sims 4 mods.

It's confronted me with the fact that the free-to-play business model is precisely that: a money-making business model. In this case, one that caters to the younger end of the admittedly broad age spectrum of Sims 4 players, for whom microtransactions have always been a loud and proud norm in their games since they can remember.

If this is the future EA thinks we want for The Sims 4, it's certainly not the one I had in mind. Maybe it's time I return to The Sims 2 for good. At least it has pizza.

Explore some games like the Sims 4 if you're also on the hunt for your next life sim obsession.

Animal Crossing just celebrated the big 2-5, if you can believe that. It's been 25 years since the original game debuted on the N64 in Japan, and to celebrate, Nintendo has sent a free Leaf Statue to your in-game mail box. Of course, you'll need to actually own a copy of New Horizons to get the villager-sized display item, and fortunately, Woot has arrived with the most opportune discount if you have yet to give it a whirl.

Animal Crossing New Horizons Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is down to $54.99 at Woot today, which is perfect timing if you ask me. This Switch 2 boxed version includes a cart with the full Switch game and access to the $4.99 Switch 2 Edition upgrade pack. That means you can experience New Horizons for the first time with the speedy load times and smoother performance, while making me jealous in the process. Not only that, but today's price is lower than the physical original Switch copy at other US retailers - a bargain that even Tom Nook would struggle to ignore.

PSA - If you own the Switch version, just grab the Switch 2 upgrade pack

Unless you have cash just lying around and are desperate to own every physical Switch 2 game that exists so far, you don't have to pick up this version of New Horizons.

Those of you who have a physical version of the older Switch game on the shelf can save more by grabbing the Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade pack for $4.99 from Nintendo, or directly from the handheld's eShop app instead. This will grant you the exact same benefits, including the new 12-player online sessions, compatibility with the best Nintendo Switch 2 cameras, the new megaphone item, mouse controls, and of course, those new performance upgrades.

If you're wondering about the Happy Home Designer DLC, that's sadly not included with the Switch 2 upgrade, physically or digitally. Instead, you will have to buy it separately for $24.99 (Nintendo) online or from the eShop. If you're new to the Switch 2, I recommend you grab a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership instead, as the New Horizons DLC is included in its $49.99 annual cost.

You'll also get the Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom Switch 2 upgrades included with the annual membership, which is more than enough to keep you busy on your new handheld. Though, do be prepared for New Horizons to zap up all your free time.

• View all Nintendo Switch 2 games at Amazon

Our guides to the best Nintendo Switch 2 cases, the best Nintendo Switch headsets, and the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers are full of accessories that can expand your new handheld horizons.