Tousheng。
Right now, about four babies are born every second. Next, it's your turn to become one of them. Where you're born, your family, your sex — all decided by the world, just as it once was for you. Then you live that person's whole life in a few minutes.
The Book of Lives
- Be born somewhere in the world.
- Choose what matters as the years pass.
- Keep the moments that make this life yours.
If you were born right now
Weighted by each country's yearly births — being born in India is about 175× as likely as in Taiwan.
Child death, poverty, disease, war and loss appear here in the proportions real statistics say. Figures come from public data by the UN, World Bank and WHO; the events and writing are original. Ages 15+.
One in 8 billion: where would your life begin?
Start a life and get straight to the next choice. Use the game controls to adjust the pace, switch on automatic choices or pause when a moment catches your attention.
1in8b means one in 8 billion: a way to think about one life among many. Tousheng is a life simulation game that gives you a random birthplace and lets you follow the years, make choices and read what happens.
Use the controls to reach the next choice
Choose 1×, 2×, 4× or 8× speed. Next event fast-forwards until an event, then returns to normal playback; use Pause when you want to stop and read. A manual decision waits for your answer. Auto picks a random available answer, including an unanswered decision when you enable it. Auto does not undo a pause you set yourself.
Keep a life, then decide whether to start again
Star events you want to keep, open the character profile and choose Save & return to the start to leave the life. Continue this life reloads saved progress in a paused state. Starting another life asks you to confirm replacing the current unfinished life; completed-life counts and achievements stay in the Book of Lives. Saves remain specific to this browser and domain.
How birth probabilities work
The game uses a dataset of 172 countries. It draws a birthplace using each country's annual births as a weight, so the countries do not each have a 1-in-172 chance. A country with more births in the dataset is more likely to be selected. The result describes the game's model, not your own probability of being born there.
Play a year, or let life unfold
Start a new life, read the birth certificate and choose a focus as the years pass. Make event choices yourself, or turn on automatic choices. Change the speed, pause to read the timeline and star moments you want to keep. The profile shows the character's circumstances; the final summary looks back over that life.
Statistics set the background
Country indicators help shape the simulation, while random events and decisions create the story. A national average does not describe every person. The character, lifespan and cause of death are game outcomes, not a prediction of your health, future income or life expectancy.
Questions before you begin
Is Tousheng the official 1in8b.life website?
No. Tousheng is an independent life simulation game. It is not the official 1in8b.life website and does not claim an affiliation.
Can I play without an account?
Yes. The game is free to play in your browser and does not require an account.
Where is my progress saved?
Progress is saved in this browser on this website when local storage is available. Different domains and devices have separate saves; clearing site data can remove them.
Can I change the language during a life?
Yes. There are 14 language options. Switching languages also translates the life history and cause of death without starting the life again.