Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • Saros review
  • Arc Raiders
  • The Boys S5
  • Best turn-based RPGs
  • Submit your clips. Win prizes
  • Delta Force giveaway
Don't miss these
Upcoming Switch 2 games 2026: four images featuring The DuskBloods, Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
Nintendo Switch 2 Upcoming Switch 2 games: New Nintendo Switch 2 games for 2026 and beyond
A group of Miis celebrating a birthday during Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream
Simulation Games Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream review: "Real Nintendo Housewives meets the OC in my own personal Mii fever dream"
GamesRadar+'s upcoming Switch games for 2026 banner image shows a big woman looming over another character in Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, Kanan Yuki in Digimon Story Time Stranger, Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid Collection Vol 2, and a trainer in a battle in Pokemon Champions
Action Games Upcoming Switch games for 2026 and beyond
Upcoming indie games for 2026 showing images from Mixtape, Toem 2, Find your Words, and Grave Seasons
Games Upcoming indie games for 2026 and beyond
Tomodachi Living The Dream
Simulation Games I love Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, but having no Switch 2 version is a mistake
Pickmon
Survival Games Pokemon and Palworld clone Pickmos removed from Steam: "We are revising the game"
Tomodachi Life: living the Dream
Simulation Games Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream demo leaves Miis "lobotomized" after you progress too far
Pickmon
Survival Games Pokemon and Palworld clone Pickmon changes its name by one letter to "better align with our brand identity and lore"
InZoi zois taking photos together
Simulation Games InZoi boss isn't fazed by "a few hundred thousand returns" as the 1.0 launch looms
Pokemon Pikachu
Adventure Games The 10 best games like Pokemon for the discerning trainer
Yoshi stands near some flowers in Yoshi and the Mysterious Book
Platforming Games New Yoshi game follows Tomodachi Life, gives fans the sort of creative control Nintendo will probably regret
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream
Simulation Games As Tomodachi Life's lack of filter goes viral, former marketing lead says Nintendo may be "rethinking" its approach
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream
Simulation Games Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream demo is already producing some of the wildest Miis I've ever seen
Best games like Stardew Valley: a screenshot of a Stardew Valley farm during spring.
Simulation Games 10 Games like Stardew Valley that'll keep you working on the farm until the cows come home
Screenshot from Windrose, showing a pirate aiming down the sights of her rifle while standing in front of tropical trees.
Survival Games "It would just be Palworld 2": Pocketpair says adding a feature from the viral game it's publishing is impossible
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
  1. Games
  2. Simulation Games
  3. Animal Crossing
  4. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

After unsuccessfully attempting to launch a Monster Hunter clone, this controversial dev is now supposedly releasing an Animal Crossing-like game on PS5

News
By Anna Koselke published 14 January 2025

Anime Life Sim sure looks familiar

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Anime Life Sim
(Image credit: Maksym Vysochanskyy)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Subscribe to our newsletter

There may not be any new Animal Crossing: New Horizons updates coming from Nintendo, but the community certainly isn't dead - and it's recently caught wind of what looks to be a pretty close copy of the beloved 2020 life sim.

Anime Life Sim isn't at all what it sounds like. It's not an anime-themed game featuring some fan-favorite protagonists or settings, but rather a series of ideas drawn substantially from Animal Crossing - from the gameplay detailed on its PlayStation Store page to the colorful visuals, Anime Life Sim screams New Horizons through and through. It features no mention of Nintendo's own title, however.

"Create your perfect anime life in this charming social simulation," reads the eerily similar project's description. "Build your dream home, befriend quirky animal neighbors, and live out endless adventures in a vibrant world inspired by your favorite life sims." In other words, it plays like New Horizons as much as it looks like it - it's all about bug catching, building, crafting, collecting, fishing, and befriending animal-esque villagers.

Article continues below
You may like
  • A screenshot of Isabelle doing the daily announcements on an Island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons As Animal Crossing turns 25, I love how Pokemon Pokopia and Tomodachi build on its cozy life sim legacy
  • Palworld Pocketpair publishing head reacts to Pokemon and Palworld ripoff Pickmon: "Someone is a fan of the genre, I guess"
  • Screenshot from Pokopia. A ditto is in the centre of the frame sat in a cave Pokopia "doesn't force you to wait" like Animal Crossing – the Pokemon life sim lets you knock stuff out as you wish

Anime Life Sim also isn't the first controversial title to come from developer and publisher Maksym Vysochanskyy, who trades under the alias "IndieGames3000." Just two months ago, eagle-eyed Monster Hunter fans spotted a suspicious game on the PlayStation Store dubbed "Monster Hunters." A post on Reddit highlights the now-removed Monster Hunters and its clear similarities to Capcom's legitimate, long-standing series.

They’re not even trying to hide it being a ripoff from r/MonsterHunter

Upon browsing through Vysochanskyy's library of releases on PS Deals, it becomes obvious that pretty much every single game operating under his name is a near-identical clone of another title.

It's all questionable, to say the least. Anime Life Sim likely won't come to fruition and launch in 2026 as it's supposedly meant to, however, judging by the fate of Monster Hunters. After all, it's not as though Nintendo takes such situations lightly. Palworld and the lawsuit filed against its developer Pocketpair for infringing "multiple patent rights" prove as much - and Palworld is arguably much tamer in comparison when considering similarities.

Looking for something new to play? Here are great games like Animal Crossing to check out.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
CATEGORIES
PS5 Nintendo Switch Platforms PlayStation Nintendo
Anna Koselke
Anna Koselke
Social Links Navigation
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

Read more
A screenshot of Isabelle doing the daily announcements on an Island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Simulation Games As Animal Crossing turns 25, I love how Pokemon Pokopia and Tomodachi build on its cozy life sim legacy
 
 
Palworld
Survival Games Pocketpair publishing head reacts to Pokemon and Palworld ripoff Pickmon: "Someone is a fan of the genre, I guess"
 
 
Screenshot from Pokopia. A ditto is in the centre of the frame sat in a cave
Pokemon Pokopia "doesn't force you to wait" like Animal Crossing – the Pokemon life sim lets you knock stuff out as you wish
 
 
Pickmon
Survival Games Pokemon and Palworld clones are officially out of hand, as fans react to "lawsuitmaxxing" new game Pickmon
 
 
Pickmon
Survival Games Pokemon and Palworld clone Pickmos removed from Steam: "We are revising the game"
 
 
Zera Myths Awaken cover art
Platforming Games Dev accused of stealing Spyro-inspired platformer, recoloring it, adding an AI cover, and selling it on Switch for $15
 
 
Latest in Animal Crossing
Photo of the original Switch box of New Horizons with a pair of Switch 2 Joy-Con sitting on top.
Animal Crossing Woot has dropped the Animal Crossing New Horizons Switch 2 Edition to a record low at the most perfect time
 
 
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing Animal Crossing: New Horizons update fixes a bunch of bugs and DLC issues – but most importantly, adds a special gift
 
 
Animal Crossing characters look up at the moon
Animal Crossing Animal Crossing helped me process grief, and I'm not alone: "Visiting her island has brought me a lot of peace"
 
 
Close up photo of the Brewster toy set from the Animal Crossing Happy Room Collection.
Toys & Collectibles I put together a tiny Animal Crossing room thanks to these adorable Re-ment blind boxes, and now I'm obsessed
 
 
A widescreen image of the Animal Crossing PC port
Animal Crossing Unofficial Animal Crossing PC port is here, offering a widescreen 4K experience
 
 
A player character sat surrounded by books in a cozy room in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Animal Crossing Animal Crossing: New Horizons update ensures Timmy and Tommy never let you out of their sight again, stops fence cloning
 
 
Latest in News
Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano
Star Wars TV Shows Star Wars has seemingly confirmed Ahsoka season 2 is coming in 2026
 
 
Antony Starr as Homelander in The Boys season 5
Superhero Shows The Boys creator says season 5's latest death was on the cards since the character was first introduced
 
 
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced reveal screenshot shows Edward Kenway aiming his gun.
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced lead confirms "social stealth is back," but hidden blade combat isn't
 
 
Mood Swings box and cards on a rough, gridded background
Tabletop Gaming Magic: The Gathering head designer reveals Mood Swings, a new card game 28 years in the making
 
 
Viggo Mortensen in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Lord of the Rings Movies Original Aragorn actor Viggo Mortensen approves of his Lord of the Rings recast in Hunt for Gollum
 
 
Screenshot from Outbound, showing four people sat in a caravan staring toward the camera.
Survival Games Subnautica 2 pulls a Hollow Knight Silksong, shoves one of Steam's most-wishlisted games out of its release date
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Antony Starr as Homelander in The Boys season 5
    1
    The Boys creator says season 5's latest death was on the cards since the character was first introduced
  2. 2
    Asus ROG Cetra Open wireless gaming earbuds are as comfortable as they are flashy, but the audio sadly misses the mark
  3. 3
    007 First Light isn't about mowing down foes because "it's important that every encounter feels crunchy and dangerous"
  4. 4
    I need you to look at the sheep in this cozy ranch-building game that's launching on Steam this year
  5. 5
    Moomintroll: Winter's Warmth has finally made me care about the worst season in all cozy games

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...