Games like Avakin Life: avatar worlds for grown-ups

Avakin Life has a simple promise: make an avatar that looks the way you want, give it a home, and go somewhere with other people. Lockwood Publishing says it has passed 200 million registered users on mobile, and in May 2026 it came to PC on Steam as well. If you love it, or you have outgrown it and want something different, these are the worlds we would point you to.

They are our picks, not an official ranking. For each one we checked where it runs, how it makes money and what age it is meant for. The sources are at the bottom of the page.

First, what Avakin Life is

Avakin Life is free to download with in-app purchases and a VIP subscription. Apple’s App Store lists it at 13+, while Common Sense Media recommends it for 17 and up because of how social it is. It is on iPhone and Android, and since 27 May 2026 it is fully released on Steam for Windows after an early access period that began in August 2025, with progress shared between phone and PC. The App Store listing talks up its avatar creator, a large fashion catalogue, homes you decorate, and live music and events.

Our picks

1. IMVU

The longest-running alternative. IMVU started in 2004 and is all about 3D avatars, a community-made clothing catalogue and rooms to spend time in. It is free to start, with credits and VIP subscriptions, and its iPhone app also offers voice chat. Apple lists it at 16+ at the time of writing (October 2026), and its most explicit content is behind a paid Access Pass for adults. If you want more fashion than Avakin offers, this is it. See games like IMVU for more.

2. Second Life

Older, deeper and much more creative. In Second Life the residents make almost everything, from shoes to whole islands. A basic account is free, Premium is paid, and you play through a downloaded viewer on Windows or macOS; the mobile apps are listed as in beta. Accounts are open to people 16 and over. It takes time to learn, but nothing else is as big. Read games like Second Life for the browser question.

3. VRChat

Free on Windows through Steam, Meta Quest, Pico, iPhone and Android, and you do not need a headset. Avatars and worlds are uploaded by players, which means anything from a realistic person to a talking sofa. Some instances can be limited to players verified as 18 or over.

4. The Sims 4

Not online in the same way, but it scratches the same itch of making people and homes. EA made the base game free to play on 18 October 2022, on Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Expansion packs are paid. It is a life simulator you mostly play alone; more options like that are in virtual life games.

5. AJ Cities

Our own game, so bear that in mind. AJ Cities is a free 18+ open-world game set on the edge of Ajegunle, Lagos, and it runs in your web browser on a phone or a computer, with nothing to install. It is not a fashion game; it is a live estate with a story. But a few things will feel familiar to an Avakin player:

• An avatar you dress free. In party mode you pick a male or female character, then the Palmline Unisex Salon and Gatefold Clothing by the gate change your hair, skin tone and clothes at no cost.
• A club and a beach. Prizm is the estate’s club house, where the artist Joe-Izzy plays every night from 9 pm Lagos time, and past the bush there is a beach party. Both are virtual, inside the game: there is no real venue, date or ticket.
• Real people. Up to 60 players share each live estate, and you chat with the players around you.
• Grown-up from the start. The whole game is 18+, and you must be 18 or over to sign in to party mode.

Side by side

Why try AJ Cities after Avakin?

Because it is a place rather than a menu of places. Everyone arrives at the same main gate, where the police decide who gets in. Most nights about four in five guests who ask are let in free; the rest can try again or buy a gate ticket, from ₦250, which lasts 24 hours and opens more of the estate. Inside there is June 12 Street, a street football pitch, the beach and the club, and an estate radio that plays the same song at the same moment for everyone.

You pick a world when you join: always day, always night, or real Lagos time. If you want Prizm open whenever you arrive, pick always night, where it is 10 pm all the time. Pick the same world as your friends and you usually land in the same estate.

How to start

1. Open ajcities.com on your phone or computer and choose Party at the estate.
2. Sign in with your email. You must be 18 or over.
3. Pick your character and a world, change your look free, then walk up to the gate.

The full walkthrough is in how party mode works, and every ticket price is on the tickets page.

What games are like Avakin Life?

Our picks are IMVU, Second Life, VRChat, The Sims 4 and AJ Cities. IMVU is closest for avatars and fashion; Second Life for depth; AJ Cities if you want a browser game with no download.

Is Avakin Life on PC?

Yes. Avakin Life was fully released on Steam for Windows on 27 May 2026, with progress shared with the mobile game.

Is there a game like Avakin Life just for adults?

AJ Cities is 18+ throughout. VRChat lets instances be limited to verified adults, and IMVU keeps its most explicit content behind a paid Access Pass for over-18s.

Is the club in AJ Cities real?

No. Prizm and the beach party are virtual places inside the game, with no real venue, date or ticket.