The Sims 5 release date prediction and latest news
The Sims 5 release date has yet to be revealed, and from what we’ve seen so far, the game could be quite some time away from launching.
This doesn’t mean that The Sims 5 isn’t coming soon, however, as EA confirmed last year that the game is being worked on, and even showed off prototype gameplay. The next mainline The Sims game is called Project Rene for now, and seems to be offering up even more customization options than ever before.
Here’s everything we know so far about The Sims 5, including a look at the Project Rene gameplay reveal. As more details are announced, this page will be updated. Stay tuned for all of the latest news.
The Sims 5: cut to the chase
- What is it? The next generation of The Sims
- When can I play it? TBC
- Which can I play it on? PC and mobile confirmed so far
The Sims 5 release date
The Sims 5 currently doesn’t have a release date or release window, but it’s likely we won’t get our hands on it for a few years yet. Expect to be waiting until late 2024 at the very earliest.
During the Behind The Sims Summit Stream Event in October 2022, Maxis confirmed the next generation of The Sims (AKA Project Rene) is in the early stages of development. “Over the next couple of years, we’ll continue sharing updates with all of you on Project Rene”, Sydnay Pearson, VP of franchise creative for The Sims, said in the video. These updates will also go alongside early access software being opened up to select groups over time.
The Sims 5 platforms
The Sims 5 will be available on PC and mobile, according to EA Maxis. While not confirmed, it’s likely The Sims 5 will come to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S eventually, given this will be a “next-generation The Sims game”. Historically, main entries in The Sims series have been released on PC first and then are reworked slightly for consoles and other systems.
The Sims 5 trailers
The latest teaser for The Sims 5 was released in January 2023 and provides a behind-the-scenes look at Project Rene as well as an interview with product manager Grant Rodiek – alongside updates on The Sims series generally.
The video shows early concepts for Project Rene, including customization of rooms and furniture, while Rodiek discusses anticipated updates to The Sims and findings from early Project Rene playtests.
The Sims 5 gameplay
Thanks to the Behind The Scenes video, we can better understand what The Sims 5‘s gameplay could look like. So far, we know that platform compatibility, multiplayer, and greater customization will be critical to Project Rene.
With platform compatibility, “you can now play The Sims, wherever you are without barriers and restrictions”, Rodiek said. Gameplay across platforms will also be fluid as you can instantly switch between PC and mobile. However, the experience on a PC will be “the true rich experience you’re used to”, Rodiek said.
What we’ve seen of the gameplay so far amounts to a short gameplay demo showing furniture and other objects being edited. There appears to be much more freedom this time around, with furniture able to be placed close to other objects, and sometimes at diagonals to other large pieces of furniture.
Patterns and color palettes have much more options too, with individual pieces of furniture having separate selections for different components, like the headboard on a bed, for example. This all points to a much more robust editor when compared to what we saw in The Sims 4, so hopefully it all ends up coming to fruition when The Sims 5 does eventually launch.
The Sims 5 multiplayer
The Sims 5 will have a greater emphasis on multiplayer rather than just single-player. “We think we can be both”, Rodiek said. However, “one thing to keep in mind is that Project Rene is not an MMO (massively multiplayer online game)”.
At present, it’s unclear just how many ,multiplayer options will be available to players when The Sims 5 does launch. At the very least, the development team is clearly considering multiplayer, and the game will have some functionality to interact with your friends.
The Sims 5 latest news
Will it make use of AI technology?
A patent filed by EA back in April 2020 and approved in October 2021 reveals AI technology could be used in The Sims to turn pictures of people into in-game characters.
Reported by Sims Community, the patent discusses the AI technology, explaining that it will allow players to upload photographs of themselves or characters, which can then be converted into an accurate Sim.
EA owns the patent outright, so we’ll have to wait and see how and if they’ll implement the tech. It also isn’t clear if this will be implemented in The Sims 4, which is expected to have fresh content churned out for a few years yet, or if development is far enough away for The Sims 5 to be where it makes its debut.
EA continuing to improve The Sims 4
Following the release of The Sims 4: Cottage Living expansion, EA Maxis hasn’t revealed exactly what its future plans for The Sims 4 look like, but the developer stated in a March 2021 blog post that its roadmap “continues to be focused on improving content that is in the game”. It didn’t entirely dismiss the idea of future expansions that could involve “werewolves, faeries, and zombies”.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t bode particularly well for The Sims 5 release any time soon, and we’ll probably be lucky to get our hands on it before 2024. The Sims 4 was in development for over three years, so it makes sense that EA Maxis is continuing to maintain The Sims 4 in the meantime. It’s been making improvements to the base game for those who have already spent their hard-earned cash on it, kits, game packs and expansions.