How to play hklifesim
Your first run does not need a perfect plan. Learn what the screen is asking, see which stat each choice moves, and play through age 25 once before trying to optimise anything.
At a glance
- The game advances by year; choices change Health, Happiness, Smarts, Face and Stress.
- Higher stats are not always better; Stress is a capacity you have to protect.
- Progress is stored in the browser, so clearing site data removes the local save.
What you are actually playing
The public build is a browser demo that runs from age 6 to age 25. It covers school, DSE, university, Final GPA, the first job market and early relationship consequences. The full age 6–99 game, including later property, migration and legacy routes, is still in development.
- Start with the current demo, not with rumours about the full game.
- The demo ends at 25; that is not the end of the designed life.
- Numbers and events can change after an update.
Starting a first run
Choose an era first. New players should pick the era they understand best, because housing, exams, migration and family events will make more sense. Then read the character's starting Health, Happiness, Smarts, Face and Stress before making the first choice.
- Pick the era whose Hong Kong you recognise.
- Starting stats are a position, not a report card.
- Make the first choice without a guide and observe the result.
How the yearly loop works
The game moves one year at a time. Within a year you make choices, handle events and allocate time, then advance to the next year. Study, part-time work, social time, rest and risk-taking all change stats or trigger events. Do not look only at this year's gain: a cash-making choice can remove a study opportunity next year.
- Ask what the year is for before spending actions.
- Event choices usually have a short-term and a long-term cost.
- When a stat looks dangerous, stop and deal with it.
What the five stats do
Health is your ability to absorb pressure. Happiness is quality of life and affects some events. Smarts drives study, DSE star rolls and some jobs. Face affects social, partner and family reactions. Stress is the pressure load; when it stays too high, health, study and work all get worse. The classic beginner mistake is pushing Smarts or Face high while ignoring Stress.
- Health is the floor; do not let it stay near zero.
- Smarts is built through study, not a last-minute roll.
- Face is useful, but not worth trading health and cash for.
Saving, settings and restarting
The demo keeps progress in browser storage. You can restart from the in-game settings, but a restart clears that run. Clearing the site's browser data also removes the save. There is no account and no cloud save, so if you want to compare routes, note the year and the choice that failed before starting again.
- Do not assume a save follows you to another device.
- Write down the key year before restarting.
- Clearing site data means losing local progress.
FAQ
Answers follow the build noted above. When the demo changes, the dated developer log takes priority.
Does hklifesim need an account or payment?
No. The current browser demo loads on the home page with no sign-in or payment step.
How far should I play in the first run?
Play to age 25, the current demo limit, then identify which system caused the most trouble.
Why does Stress keep rising?
Study, work, part-time shifts and some events add stress. If you never rest, stress and health drag each other down.
First-party sources and editorial note
Version data comes from the official game page, the owned browser build and dated developer updates. These pages do not publish unverified success formulas or present unreleased systems as current facts.
Try one run, then compare the consequences
A guide cannot replace the game. Play to age 25, note the first decision that closed a route, then come back with a specific question.