Paralives sells 25k copies in 8 hours on Steam

Paralives hit Steam Early Access on May 25, 2026, and sold 250,000 copies in eight hours. By midday, it had peaked at 78,603 concurrent players and taken the top spot on Steam's seller chart.

What Paralives is and what ships at launch

Paralives is a life simulation game from Montreal-based Paralives Studio, built by creator Alex Massé with a team that never exceeded fifteen people. The project launched on Patreon in 2019 and has been funded entirely that way, with no publisher and no paid DLC. Every update through Early Access and beyond will be free.

The launch build covers building, character creation, and social simulation. The character creator, called Paramaker, lets players sculpt Parafolk in height, physique, and personality using grid-free construction tools that set it apart visually from The Sims. Weather, pets, vehicles, and gardening are planned but absent at launch. The Q4 2026 update is the first major content push, with Early Access scheduled to run for roughly two years.

Steam reviews after 3,200 responses ran at 86 to 89 percent positive—Very Positive on Steam. The consistent caveat across player feedback: bugs, performance issues, and a UI that needs iteration. The bones are strong enough to justify the price now, but players wanting a complete experience should plan to revisit around 2028.

The hardware InZOI comparison

Paralives launches with a GTX 1060 minimum. That undercuts InZOI, the Korean life sim that entered early access in 2025 with an RTX 2060 floor and a steep player drop after its opening week. InZOI peaked at 87,000 concurrent players and fell fast. Paralives opened at 78,000 midday, with early signs of better retention. Players on mid-range 2018 to 2021 hardware who found InZOI unplayable now have a life sim that runs.