Malta Living: the free Malta life simulator

Malta Living is a Malta life simulator: a Sims-like game where you live an everyday life on the islands. The places are real, the business names are real, and the clock is the actual time in Malta. When it's 22:00 in St Julian's, it's 22:00 in the game. It's free to play and runs in your browser, on a phone or a computer, with no download.

A life sim on Malta time

Malta Living runs on Malta's clock. Mornings are for Identità, the government office for ID cards and residence permits, which in the game opens on weekday mornings only. The big clubs in Paceville, St Julian's nightlife quarter, open at 22:00. Payday for what your money earns is 18:00, and rent is due every Saturday at 18:00. A night's sleep in your own bed is real time too: you sleep until you wake on your own, your alarm goes off, or you tap Wake up.

You don't have to keep Maltese hours to play. Streets, beaches and gardens are open at any hour, no place is ever empty, and closed places tell you when they open next. You can even explore the live map before you sign up.

Pick your way in

Every life starts with one choice: how you're coming to Malta. You can arrive as a tourist on a 90-day stay, on a permit to work, or as a local born here. The game then draws your background (most players start self-made) and shows you your home and money. A self-made tourist starts in a budget apartment in Żurrieq, someone on a permit in a studio in Gżira, and a local at home with Mum in Rabat, rent-free.

Each way in has its own papers and first steps, set out in our guide to arriving as a tourist, on a work permit or as a local.

What you can do in Malta Living

A few of the things people do in their first week:

• Work. The Jobs app has careers to climb, each with six ranks. A shift is 10 minutes, with situations to answer and moves that can help or backfire.
• Find a home. The Homes app has six homes, from a budget apartment in Żurrieq to a villa with a pool in Mellieħa, to rent or buy at game prices. Start with renting a flat in Sliema.
• Look after yourself. Six needs keep you busy: Hunger, Energy, Fun, Social, Hygiene and Bladder. Cook at home, order on Wolt, or grab pastizzi, Malta's flaky ricotta or pea pastries, at Is-Serkin in Rabat.
• Get around. Walk, take the bus, call an eCab, drive your own car, or take the ferry to Gozo, Malta's smaller sister island.
• Learn Maltese. Classes at the Lifelong Learning Hub teach real phrases, five phrase cards a class and a quick quiz, and your Phrasebook keeps them.
• Meet people. Tap anyone for their card, chat, start a club, throw a party at home or knock on a friend's door.
• Play. The Games app has Maltese favourites like Bixkla, a card game for two, and Tombla, Maltese bingo, plus Ludo, Snooker, Bus Rush and more.

Your phone holds most of it: Jobs, Messages, Homes, Get around, Wolt, Identità, the Bank and Bonġu!, the island's own news. The tour of the phone's apps goes through them one by one.

A free browser life sim, on your home screen

Malta Living is a free browser life sim: no app store and no download. On a phone, you can put it on your home screen, and it then opens full screen, like an app.

• iPhone: in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen, then Add. Open it from the new icon and log in once more there with the same username and password.
• Android: tap Install the app at the top of your phone in the game, or use Chrome's menu ⋮, then Install app.
• In Instagram or Facebook: open the page in Safari or Chrome first, as those in-app browsers can't add it.

Real places, real names

Of all the games about Malta, this Malta life simulator puts the whole island on the map. Stand at the Upper Barrakka over the Grand Harbour, shop at Lidl in Mosta, take the ferry from Ċirkewwa, and visit Ħaġar Qim, Popeye Village and the Citadel on Gozo. Businesses go by their real names, with no logos, and a few places still being built show a 🚧 Soon pin.

Those temples at Ħaġar Qim are among what Visit Malta calls "some of the oldest free-standing temples in the World". For how close the game's hours and prices get, read getting around Malta, with real places and real prices.

When you're ready, play Malta Living free in your browser: choose your look and your way in, and your first-day guide walks you through the basics.

Questions people ask

Is Malta Living free to play?

Yes. Malta Living is free to play in your browser: sign up free, pick your way in and start a life in Malta.

Do I need to download anything to play Malta Living?

No. It runs in your browser on a phone or a computer, with no app store. On a phone you can add it to your home screen, and it opens full screen like an app.

Can I play Malta Living on my phone?

Yes, it's made for phones. On an iPhone, tap Share in Safari, then Add to Home Screen; on Android, tap Install the app in the game.

Is Malta Living like The Sims?

It's a life sim in the same spirit: you look after your needs, work, decorate a home and make friends. The difference is that it's Malta, on Malta's own clock, and many of the people you chat to and visit are other players.