Nintendo has finally announced a sequel to its cult classic life sim game -Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream. The originalTomodachi Life, first released for the 3DS in 2014, was itself a sequel to the Japan-exclusiveTomodachi Collection. It allows players to take their custom Miis and move them into a shared apartment complex, where Miis react dynamically. They’ll forge friendships, have arguments, even get married and have children. The player must resolve their problems - and can also put them into all sorts of wacky situations - to earn money and customize their living spaces.
The sequel,Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, was revealedduring the March 27 Nintendo Direct, and will be released in 2026. It promises more delightfully bizarre interactions between Miis on a scenic, tropical island. It’s scored by chilled-out synth music, while the gloriously flat text-to-speech voices of the Miis intone over it all.
Living The Dream Looks Like The Perfect Tomodachi Life Successor
So Much To Do
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dreamlooks like everything you’ve ever wanted out of a next-genTomodachi Lifegame. The trailer showsall manner of Miis interacting in all kinds of ways, enjoying their own hobbies, forging new friendships, and even bitterly fighting. Miis are seen chatting, breakdancing, gardening, and even having prophetic dreams about one another.
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The sequel appears to be set on a tropical island, which seems to be pretty customizable: a shop called Quik Build could allow players to adjust the placement of different houses and businesses around their island. Also visible are a furniture store, a clothing shop, a grocery store, and what certainly looks like a pizzeria with its tiered red roof.
All that’s really missing here are the mini-games, which were synonymous with the originalTomodachi Life. From quiz shows to babysitting to live opera, mini-games injected some much-needed variety intoTomodachi Life, and (barring the random interactions) were the primary source of its absurd humor.
A Tomodachi Life Revival Is Just What The Switch (& Switch 2) Needs
An Unexpected Surprise
Announced alongside virtual game cards, the Nintendo Today app, and a newRhythm Heavengame,Tomodachi Life: Living the Dreamis just one of many unexpected surprises from today’s Nintendo Direct. I can’t say that I saw it coming, nor do I expect it to beat outPokémon Legends Z-AorMetroid Primeon most people’s lists of anticipated games, but I sure was glad to see it.
I poured a lot of hours into the originalTomodachi Life, carefully constructing my Miis' apartments and orchestrating forbidden romances and dramatic breakups between them. It has all the silliness of a good game ofThe Sims, but without the overwhelming customization, the astronomical DLC prices, andthe heartbreak over canceled sequels. It really is baby’s first life sim, and I mean that as a compliment - it’scharming in its simplicity, but doesn’t compromise on creativity.
A newTomodachi Lifefeels like it completes the Switch’s library, in some bizarre way - between it andRhythm Heaven: Groove, Nintendo brings back two of its best forgotten franchises right before the end of its lifecycle. It makes me hopeful for the Switch 2’s library - I’d love to see Nintendo dig up some more of its abandoned series to build outits mostly-exclusive launch title selection. WithTomodachi Life: Living the Dreamso far away, it could even be a cross-generational release - whatever the case, though, I can’t wait to see more of its gameplay.
