Choose Random Life for a surprise, or create your own character and choose a starting story. You can begin at birth or try a setup that puts you further along in life.

Pick something that makes you curious. Starting as a child gives you time to explore family and school; an older character can bring you closer to work and other adult choices.

If the first-life guide appears, follow it through your first choice, activity and Age Up. You can also choose Skip guide and explore at your own pace.

The Life screen brings together your character’s status, story and quick actions. Start by checking their age, money and stats, then read their latest story entries.

Open the stats to look beyond the headline numbers. Hunger and stamina are worth watching: use Eat when your character needs food, and Rest to restore stamina and lower stress.

Your character’s circumstances affect what they can do. Some activities require a certain age, qualification or situation. If something is unavailable, check its requirements to see what you need to work towards.

You don’t need to open every menu. Check your character, meet someone in their family, and choose one activity that interests you.

The basic rhythm is simple:

1. Check how your character is doing.
2. Choose an activity or respond to a life event.
3. Read the outcome and see what changed.
4. Use Age Up when you’re ready to move time forward.

An activity might change your stats, cost money, affect a relationship or move you towards a goal. Read the result before deciding what to do next.

Age Up moves time forward at your chosen pace: one day, one week, one month, six months or one year. Check your selection before tapping. You can change it in Settings → Gameplay, where you can also enable the pace switcher above the Age Up button.

You might want to spend time with family or complete an activity before moving on. After advancing time, read and respond to any new events. They’re part of your character’s story.

These areas help you find your way around:

• Life: your character’s status, story and Age Up.
• Assets: money-related holdings and things your character owns.
• Activities: school, work, interests, everyday actions and minigames.
• Phone: in-game apps and services.
• People: family, partners, friends and other people in your character’s life.
• Profile: your character and account information, with access to settings and save slots.

Your bottom tabs can be customized, so these areas won’t always appear in the same arrangement. You can open Profile from the three-dot menu beside your character’s name on the Life screen.

If you’re looking for a particular action, try Search in Activities. For education and employment, head to Activities → School & Work.

School and work give your first character something clear to aim for. Open School & Work, then explore Education or Find work, depending on their stage of life.

If your character is in school, Study helps improve grades, Smarts and subject progress. Look at the kind of work you’d like them to do later and check the qualifications it requires.

If they’re ready for employment, browse the available jobs and read the requirements before applying. Some applications include an interview, and even a strong interview doesn’t guarantee an offer.

Once employed, the main work action becomes Do Work. Read its results and keep an eye on the rest of your character’s life. Having a job doesn’t remove their need for rest, relationships and everyday care.

You can change direction later. For a first session, understanding school or finding a job is plenty to aim for.

Open People and choose someone you want to know better. Read their relationship information, try an interaction and check the result.

Make this part of your routine alongside school or work. If someone asks for space, give them a break and return later.

Relationships can also become your main goal. You can find a partner, raise children and follow a family through later generations. At the end of a life, you may be able to continue as an eligible child and carry the family story forward.

Once the everyday loop feels familiar, try something new. Build a business, follow a family across generations or explore a vampire life. Each path brings its own requirements and decisions.

For a change of pace, open Activities → Mini Games. Most minigames unlock from age 13, while some have additional age or situation requirements. Check the requirement shown on each game.

You can spend a life pursuing a big ambition, or enjoy a character whose goal is a home, a family or a job they like.

For your first session, keep it simple: meet your family, try one activity, read the result and use Age Up at a pace you understand.

LifePop is free to download, with optional in-app purchases.

Play on iPhone and iPad through the App Store, or on Android through Google Play, and choose one thing you want your first character to try.