Play SimLife online — the original 1992 DOS game Works — the full original game runs via DOSBox in your browser
Guide updated October 2026 · Runs via DOSBox + WebAssembly
SimLife: The Genetic Playground — Maxis' 1992 simulator of evolution. Design species of plants and animals gene by gene, release them into a world whose terrain and climate you control, and watch them compete, mutate and die out or thrive. Click Play to begin.
Tap the screen to click · ENTER: confirm · ESC: menu
⌨ Keyboard — for menus & name entry
Controls — what does what
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse / touch |
|---|---|---|
| Choose tools and windows | — | Click |
| Place species | — | Click on the map |
| Menus | Alt+letter | Click the menu bar |
Runs in your browser tab with DOSBox + WebAssembly — nothing is uploaded. Click the screen to capture input; press Ctrl+F10 to release mouse.
SimLife is no longer sold anywhere, and its publisher is gone or has left it unsold for decades. It is hosted here on the same footing as the Internet Archive's software collections. That is a practical position, not a legal claim. This page carries no advertising. Provenance: /apps/simlife/NOTICE.md. Rights holders: it comes down within 48 hours on request.
About SimLife
SimLife is the most open-ended of the Maxis 'Sim' games. Each creature has editable genes for size, speed, diet, lifespan and more, and the simulation tracks food chains and population graphs as generations pass. Scenarios set tasks like keeping a species alive on a hostile island, but the experimental mode has no goal at all.
How it runs here
This is the original DOS release of SimLife, unmodified, running in DOSBox compiled to WebAssembly. The whole game is about 1 MB, so it starts within seconds on a normal connection. Sound and music play once you click into the game.
Frequently asked questions
Can I play SimLife online for free?
Yes. Click Play and the original 1992 DOS version starts in your browser, running in a WebAssembly build of DOSBox. Nothing to install and no account.
Why is SimLife hosted here?
SimLife is not sold anywhere today; we checked the stores listed in its provenance note. It is preserved here the way the Internet Archive preserves old software. That is a practical position, not a legal claim. If the rights holder (Electronic Arts (Maxis)) asks, it comes down within 48 hours.
Does my progress save?
Saved games persist in this browser between visits, best-effort. Clearing site data removes them.
Can I play on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Touch buttons for the keys SimLife uses appear under the game on touch devices.
More you can play in your browser
Related guides
- SimEarthPlay SimEarth in your browser: Maxis' 1990 planet simulator. Shape a world from molten roc
- SimAntPlay SimAnt in your browser: Maxis' 1991 ant colony simulator. Lead the black ants against
- SimCity ClassicPlay SimCity Classic in your browser: Will Wright's original city builder, the DOS version
- SimFarmPlay SimFarm in your browser: Maxis' 1993 farming simulator. Plant crops, raise livestock,
- Run your own DOS gameHave another DOS game on disk? Drop it into the DOS player.
Want a game like this on your own site?
SimLife isn't ours to give away — we host it, we didn't write it. But eleven of the games here we did write from scratch, and those are free for anyone to put on their own page: one line of HTML, no account, no permission, no attribution beyond a credit line.