"Don't expect hundreds of hours of gameplay": Sims 4 competitor Paralives unveils early access plans, showing what "won't be ready for launch" and what's coming "within the next 2 years"

Paralives stands as a colorful competitor to The Sims 4, featuring everything from modding tools to some seriously in-depth customization – but it probably won't boast all of its exciting elements right off the bat, according to its developers.

It's difficult out here for us Simmers. Between the unpopular $55 billion deal that's set to sell EA to private investors, to the nightmare that is the life sim genre as a whole, the community feels as though it's split more often than not. With no Sims 5 on the horizon and cancellations like the one Life By You saw, we're itching for viable new games to build our virtual dollhouses in. Sure, there's hyper-realistic competitor inZOI – but what about Paralives?

Set to release on December 8 this year in early access on Steam, Paralives is about as cozy as a life sim can get – and now that it's right around the corner, devs are sharing more about the features fans can expect to see this winter. A new post from the indie team shows a roadmap, but it also warns that early access is... well, early access: "It's when developers release a game before it's complete to receive feedback from players while it's still being shaped."

The message from the Paralives devs continues, explaining that we'll be able to manage our Paras' "needs, wants, life goals, and career," but there are bound to be bugs. Paras can befriend others, find love, and engage in all the "social life basics" – that means no organizing events or calling other Paras. There aren't going to be any birthdays, weddings, or funerals on launch, but the team will work on adding them later down the line.

Paralives might also feel a bit empty at first, with a town "lacking activities outside of some shops and collectibles to find." However, the Paramaker – basically the new game's version of Create-A-Sim – is set to be pretty fleshed out, with just some hairstyles and clothes missing. Thankfully, "a good selection of furniture and objects" will be available from the get-go in build mode, too, with more to come in the future.

Basements, more "flexible" stairs (please, winding staircases), pools, roof tools, and the like are all arriving sometime post-launch. Excitingly, modding will work right away – and there's bound to be loads of fun custom content if Sims 4 mods offer anything to go by. The devs do stress again, though, that Paralives is a work in progress: "Over the six years of development, some features have been teased but have been put aside and won't be ready for launch."

They continue: "Within the next two years of Early Access, we plan to add content to every part of the game as well as new features, like cars, pets, and deeper parenting gameplay. Don't expect hundreds of hours of gameplay just yet; we aim to get there by adding more content and depth based on the feedback we get from you." Breathe a sigh of relief, fellow Sims stans – cars are confirmed. That's not all, either.

"ALL future updates and expansions will be free." Yes, you read that right. Here's hoping that Paralives proves to be a worthy Sims 4 competitor in what is undoubtedly a difficult genre to crack – the free DLC will certainly help, if nothing else.

Searching for something else to play while waiting for Paralives? Browse through our list of the best games like The Sims 4 for more.