Lagos Life is a free, browser-based multiplayer life-simulation game set in a virtual version of Lagos, Nigeria.
It is a Nigerian take on The Sims where you create a character, find a place to live, get a job, and manage your needs. In addition, you can make friends, date, party, and navigate everyday Lagos realities, while sharing the same city with thousands of other real players. Other versions like Abuja Life and PH Life have also spawned from it.
How it Started
On the night of September 30, 2026, software developer and entrepreneur Shalom Rayhamen made a choice to build a game. After 8 hours, she took a short nap, woke around 7 AM still sleepy, posted the link on X, and went straight back to sleep. By the time she opened her eyes again at 10 AM, the game was already trending. 
In a candid interview with tech analyst and creator Fisayo Fosudo, she said,
“That night I decided I was going to start building it. I think it was like around 9 PM. And I started, and then I worked up until 5 AM-ish. It was ready.”
SEE ALSO: Lagos Set for 24/7 Electricity as FG Unveils Energy Zones Pilot
The Shock Wasn’t the Numbers
“My shock is not that we got to 1 million. My shock was that the space of sleeping from 7am to waking up again at 10 am to see that people love what I’ve built, it is trending. That was when I was like, oh my God. The fact that I saw that people were able to relate to it.”
Rayhamen, a longtime Sims player who once wished she could socialize inside those worlds on her Nokia phone, had finally built the Nigerian version she always wanted.
Lagos Life is a free browser multiplayer life sim packed with local Lagos life texture including Amala Shitta, nights at Quilox, NEPA cuts, agberos on the road (inspired by her taxi-driver father’s stories), and the random starting fate of “Nepo babies” or “Lapo babies.”
How X Reacted and How She Responded
Players flooded the timeline with jokes about being stuck as Lapo babies, chaotic club nights, class commentary, and sharp takes on the virtual economy. Some found it hilarious; others treated it like a mirror of real Nigerian life.
Rayhamen is unfazed by the noise. “Some of the things that are currently happening, they are not things that I want. I don’t want classism.” She says she runs an AI agent connected to the X API that collects bugs and feature requests straight from players.
“They are the ones telling my agents what they need. And then I’m now implementing it because I love my fans.”
SEE ALSO: Global Cities Index: Lagos Leads Nigeria at 485th, Sokoto Ranks Last Out of 1,000 Metropolis
$100,000 Is Small
Amidst the banter on X, offers started rolling in, especially one of $100,000.
“$100,000 is small. Lagos Life valued at $1 billion. Yes, 1 billion. So if they want, they should talk,” Rayhamen said.
As a software developer and entrepreneur who previously focused on B2B products, she deliberately shifted to consumer experiences after building ALA. Although she did not think Lagos Life would be this big, she sees it as the foundation of something lasting.
The UK-based software developer who has created other games previously is thinking, “How can I make what I have built into a company that stays?”
“I’m seeing this as an investable company… longer than five years. Lagos Life is just one game,” Rayhamen said in the interview.
Rayhamen says since it wasn’t a game that took a long planning process, her team has learnt their lessons, is fixing loopholes, and working on the game’s economy. She says to expect more features and an app for Lagos Life.
About The Author
