Tomodachi Life, known in Japan as Tomodachi Collection: New Life, is a social simulation game created and released by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It is a follow-up to the Japan-only Nintendo DS game Tomodachi Collection (2009). The game shows how Mii characters live on an island, interact with each other, and work together to solve problems. The player guides these characters throughout their daily activities.
Many members of the original Tomodachi Collection team returned to make the sequel, including directors Ryutaro Takahashi and Eisaku Nakae. The team wanted to create a more focused and realistic experience compared to the first game. They aimed to build a friendly and warm environment that would encourage players to think about their real-life relationships in a positive way. Art director Mai Okamoto wanted to improve the game’s visuals and worked with returning programmers Nakae and Masanori Nakagawa to create funny and unusual situations.
The game was first released in Japan on April 18, 2013, under the name Tomodachi Collection: New Life. Unlike the first game, Nintendo released it in other countries and made changes to fit different cultures. It was released internationally as Tomodachi Life on June 6, 2014, in North America and Europe; June 7, 2014, in Australia; and July 17, 2014, in South Korea. It sold over 400,000 copies in Japan during its first week and sold 6.72 million copies worldwide by March 2025, making it one of the most successful Nintendo 3DS games. Reviews of the game were mixed: some praised its humor and charm, while others criticized its repetitive gameplay and limited control options. The inability for Miis to form same-sex relationships was also criticized and became a topic of online discussion. Over time, some media outlets have called Tomodachi Life a cult classic, meaning it gained a dedicated fanbase despite mixed opinions.
A sequel for the Nintendo Switch, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, was released on April 16, 2026. The game is also compatible with the Nintendo Switch 2. It includes new features, such as the ability for players to choose their Miis’ romantic preferences, including same-sex pairings.
Gameplay
Tomodachi Life is a social simulation game that focuses on the daily lives of user-created Mii avatars who live on an island. The player acts as the creator and observer of these characters. Players can create Miis from scratch, use the 3DS's Mii Maker app to import them, or scan a special QR code to bring in existing Miis. When making Miis, players choose personality traits to define their behavior. Miis speak using a robotic voice that can be changed manually. Many game actions, like talking to Miis or visiting places on the island, are done by tapping the 3DS touchscreen. Time on the island matches the time set on the 3DS's internal clock.
The game starts with the player naming the island and creating a Mii "lookalike," which is designed to resemble the player. These Miis, including the lookalike, live in apartments within the Mii Apartments building, which can hold up to 100 residents. As players add more Miis and complete tasks, new buildings, shops, and attractions appear on the island. These include places to buy food and clothes, an amusement park, a concert hall for music performances, a café, and other locations where Miis can visit. News updates in the game inform players about recent events on the island.
Tomodachi Life does not have a specific ending. The main goal is to keep all Miis happy, which is shown by a happiness meter for each Mii. At random times, Miis will tell the player about problems they need help with, such as needing food, advice about relationships, or playing short games. Helping a Mii increases their happiness, giving the player in-game money to buy items. This money is also earned through daily donations from Miis and selling items at a pawn shop. Each Mii has a "level" that increases when their happiness meter is filled completely. When this happens, the player must give them a gift. Players can also choose to listen to the Miis' dreams while they sleep.
Miis can form friendships or have arguments. The player can help fix arguments between them. If two Miis of opposite genders and similar ages are friends for a long time, one may start to like the other. If the player agrees to the relationship, the Mii will confess their feelings. If the confession is accepted, the two become a couple. After more interactions, they may get married. Married couples can have children. When the child grows up, the player can move them to the Mii Apartments or send them to other players' islands using the 3DS's StreetPass feature.
Development and release
Tomodachi Life was created by Nintendo SPD as a follow-up to Tomodachi Collection (2009). Many of the main developers from Collection returned to work on New Life, including directors Rytaro Takahashi and Eisaku Nakae. In an interview with Satoru Iwata, Nakae said he worked with programmers and designers to set clear goals for New Life. This approach was different from the one used for Collection, which Nakae described as less focused. Like its predecessor, the team wanted to give the Miis unique personalities to contrast their usual role as simple symbols. Producer Yoshio Sakamoto said a main goal was to create entertainment that is enjoyable to watch.
Mai Okamoto was the art director for New Life, just as she was for Collection. Okamoto aimed to improve the visuals of Collection to look more modern but wanted to keep the Miis’ robotic voices, which she believed were important to the series’ identity. A key goal for Okamoto was to include funny and unusual situations, and she worked closely with returning programmers Nakae and Masanori Nakagawa. One new feature in New Life is the ability for married Miis to have children. A problem during planning was the possibility of pairing children or a child with an adult, as the game’s system could not tell the difference between the two groups. This was partially fixed by adding an “adult spray” item that changes an underage character into an adult. New Life’s StreetPass feature, which lets child Miis visit others’ islands, was designed to help players form emotional connections with their Miis. The team wanted to create a sense of “familial love” in the game and hoped it would encourage players to view real-life friendships and family relationships in a more positive way.
Nintendo had earlier planned to release Tomodachi Collection in Western countries but canceled the idea because the voice system used for the Miis, which was designed for Japanese, could not produce English sounds. Concerns also existed about whether the game would be popular outside Japan. Sakamoto remained interested in the idea and believed it could be revisited if better technology became available. In late March 2014, Nintendo of Europe posted a survey with images of what appeared to be localized versions of Tomodachi Collection: New Life in English, French, and Spanish, though an official global release had not been confirmed.
Bill Trinen, a senior director at Nintendo, said a main goal of localization was to make the game more appealing to people outside Japan without changing its core gameplay. Some Japanese cultural elements were adjusted, such as replacing a sumo wrestling minigame with gridiron football in North America. Trinen said the localization process for Tomodachi Life in North America was similar to that of the Animal Crossing series, with marketing decisions guided by creating a “relatable cultural context.” This process took over a year. The Japanese word “tomodachi,” meaning “friend,” was kept in the game’s name overseas to create curiosity and stand out. Sakamoto said localization required major changes to make the Miis feel like real people from other cultures. These changes included using gestures from different cultures, showing local money, and reviewing translated dialogue to sound natural. Sakamoto hoped the game would be as popular in North America and Europe as it was in Japan, saying, “I honestly do not know if Tomodachi Life can be accepted overseas, but I believe caring for others is a universal feeling.”
On March 13, 2013, Nintendo announced in a Nintendo Direct presentation that a follow-up to Tomodachi Collection would be released, along with two new special edition 3DS LL colors. In another Nintendo Direct on April 3, 2013, Nintendo shared more details about the 3DS sequel, titled Tomodachi Collection: New Life, including the ability to transfer Mii data from Collection to the new game.
On April 10, 2014, Nintendo posted a dedicated Nintendo Direct video for Tomodachi Life on YouTube, featuring Mii caricatures of Nintendo employees like Bill Trinen, Reggie Fils-Aimé, and Satoru Iwata. Other employees and fictional characters, such as Eiji Aonuma, creator of The Legend of Zelda series, were shown interacting with Princess Zelda to demonstrate gameplay.
On the North American Tomodachi Life website, QR codes were included for adding celebrity Miis, such as Christina Aguilera and Shaquille O’Neal, each with custom clothing. Nintendo of Australia partnered with singer Dami Im to promote the game, sharing videos of her playing with her personalized Mii on YouTube.
On April 18, 2013, Tomodachi Collection: New Life was released in Japan, along with a special edition Mint x White Nintendo 3DS LL. A fashion catalog-style booklet featuring Miis wearing in-game clothing was also released as a reward for Club Nintendo members.
On April 10, 2014, Nintendo announced in a Nintendo Direct that the localized version of Tomodachi Collection: New Life would be released as Tomodachi Life in North America and Europe. In May 2014, a playable demo was given to Platinum members of Club Nintendo in North America, with data transferable to the final game to unlock a bonus item. In North America, the game was released alongside the Sea Green color variant of the Nintendo 2DS on June 6, 2014. Tomodachi Life was later released in Australia on June 7, 2014, and in South Korea on July 17, 2014.
Reception
Tomodachi Life received mixed or average reviews from sites like Metacritic. Another site, OpenCritic, gave the game a fair rating, with 49% of critics recommending it. After its release, some publications called it a cult classic. Scott McCrae of GamesRadar+ said its popularity grew because of funny social media videos showing strange events between Miis.
Critics praised the game's humor as fun and different. Polygon’s Griffin McElroy and Nintendo Life’s Damien McFarren said the humor was the game’s strongest feature. GamesRadar+’s Henry Gilbert called the cutscenes showing Miis interacting amusing and "well-written," comparing the jokes to those in games like WarioWare and Rhythm Heaven. IGN’s Jose Otero liked that Miis spoke in real language, unlike The Sims, which used a made-up language. He said the Miis’ dialogue added more depth to the game. Sam Machkovech of Ars Technica had mixed views, saying the writing felt aimed at younger players and might not appeal to older ones. Many critics called the game an informal crossover, where players could create Miis of friends, celebrities, or fictional characters, adding to its humor. Robert Marrujo of Nintendojo enjoyed the exaggerated, silly jokes but said not all players might like them. Eurogamer’s Martin Robinson criticized the game’s humor, saying it couldn’t fix its gameplay problems.
Some reviewers said the game lacked player control, making it feel repetitive. They criticized the inability to choose which Miis, especially those based on real people, would form romantic relationships, which they said hurt the game’s goal of mimicking real-life interactions. Robinson called the main gameplay loop of making characters happy too simple. Some reviewers said the mini-games were too basic, and McElroy said some were frustrating to play. Daniel Bischoff of Game Revolution said the simple touchscreen controls made the game feel boring and disconnected. Machkovech agreed, saying the game would work better as a mobile game. McFarren said the game might not appeal to serious gamers, comparing it to mobile titles. Famitsu’s reviewers were more positive, saying the simple gameplay felt comfortable.
Critics criticized the game for not allowing same-sex relationships, calling it unfair. Machkovech said this was confusing, as the game focused on relationships. Otero said the lack of same-sex romance didn’t match real-world culture.
After the game was announced for worldwide release, fans argued online about this issue. In May 2013, a rumor spread that a Japanese version glitch allowed same-sex relationships, but Nintendo denied this in 2014, saying the patch fixed a different problem. Nintendo explained the confusion came from players sharing screenshots of a workaround. Trinen of IGN said the issue was mostly a Western misunderstanding.
Nintendo said it would not add same-sex relationships later, as it never intended to make social commentary and changing the code would be too hard. This caused backlash from LGBTQ+ players, including a campaign called #Miiquality. John Oliver joked about the controversy on his show. Nintendo later apologized, saying future games in the series would aim to be more inclusive. A gay fan, Tye Marini, said he believed Nintendo was not homophobic but that the exclusion was an oversight.
Tomodachi Life sold 404,858 copies in Japan during its first week. By September 2014, it had sold 3.12 million units worldwide. As of March 2025, Nintendo has sold 6.72 million copies globally, making it one of the best-selling 3DS games.
Sequel
On March 27, 2025, Nintendo shared news about a follow-up game called Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream during a Nintendo Direct presentation. The game was released for the Nintendo Switch on April 16, 2026, and also works with the Nintendo Switch 2. Players can customize how Miis look, and the game allows same-sex relationships. It also includes options for Miis to be non-binary or aromantic.