All The Sims News We Expect In 2025

As 2024 comes to a close, The Sims 4 officially crosses over a decade of activity. This advanced age doesn’t mean that the game is slowing down, as EA has confirmed that The Sims 4 will continue to receive updates, with new experiences and content coming in 2025. Alongside an improved The Sims 4 is Project Rene, which is still in development without a set release date going into 2025.

In a recent blog post, EA shared that players have logged over 1.2 billion hours in The Sims 4, with 303 million hours in build mode and 759 million hours in live mode. These massive numbers prove that The Sims 4 is as alive and popular as ever. With another game in the works and an entire team dedicated to improving The Sims 4's core experience, players have lots to look forward to in 2025. Here's what to expect.

Expect More News on Project Rene, But Probably Not A Release Date

Players Will Have To Be Patient In 2025

While The Sims 4 has continued steadily, Maxis and EA have also been working on Project Rene for the last few years. This project was initially thought to be The Sims 5, but developers have confirmed that’s not the case. Instead, Project Rene will be an entirely separate game for players to enjoy alongside The Sims 4, though it is still currently untitled. More solid news will likely come out about Project Rene in 2025, as the game had a small and invite-only playtest in the Fall of 2024, but any release date information is unlikely.

So far, EA has confirmed some aspects of Project Rene. One major update is that it will be free-to-play, as confirmed in September 2023 on Behind The Sims, a series on The Sims’ official YouTube channel. Behind The Sims in January 2023 also confirmed that Project Rene will have multiplayer, but explained that “Project Rene is not an MMO.” Instead, the game will be more akin to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, where players can play in their own separate space and then invite friends to join them. Additionally, a blog post from EA confirmed Project Rene will have crossplay between PC and mobile.

With all this confirmed news, it still doesn’t seem likely that EA will announce a release date in 2025. Project Rene has been playtesting since 2022, and despite the transparent development process, doesn’t seem close to ready. While a long development process can sometimes be frustrating, giving developers the time they need usually means a better product for players to enjoy for many years afterward.

More Content For The Sims 4

New Expansions, Packs, And More

In the aforementioned EA blog post, the company confirmed new The Sims 4 content is coming in 2025. However, what exactly that content will be is still a mystery, though players can enjoy the holiday content that was released for The Sims 4. 2024 saw only two main expansion packs released, Lovestruck and Life & Death, so 2025 will likely have a similar number. While Maxis and EA haven’t confirmed any specific content for 2025, it does seem likely that there will be some sort of anniversary event for the series. February 2025 will be the 25th anniversary of the series, as The Sims first came out on February 4, 2000.

Hopefully, The Sims 4 will release a throwback pack or expansion. Any pack that includes throwback items or clothing for that Y2K vibe of the first game would be fantastic, like the inflatable chairs and the iconic aquarium. One item that should most definitely make an appearance that has still somehow never made it into The Sims 4 is the heart bed. It seems like a no-brainer that The Sims 4 will have some sort of anniversary celebration, but bigger would be better, so ideally it will be more than a stuff pack.

Say Goodbye To The Sims 5

No Sequel For The Main Series Is Coming

EA has confirmed that there is no direct sequel in the works for The Sims 4. The traditional release format of one mainline game with a new number after the title has seemingly been broken, as EA is instead focused on continuing support for The Sims 4. Any players holding out hope for The Sims 5 will have to settle for more The Sims 4 content for now. EA Vice President Kate Groman stated earlier in 2024: “We are not going to be working on replacements of previous projects. We’re only going to be adding to our universe.”

Alongside the confirmation that Project Rene is not The Sims 5, the statement from Groman makes it clear that EA and Maxis see no point in leaving The Sims 4 when it still consistently makes money from its expansions, stuff packs, and kits. Rather than starting over with a new game, the developers would rather focus on building the existing community of creators and players while simultaneously improving The Sims 4 experience. While it may seem ambitious to keep a decade-old game going even longer without a refresh, this business model has been proven to work with a dedicated community, as games like Grand Theft Auto 5 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are still going strong.

Expect A Cleaner Sims 4 In 2025

Fewer Bugs, But More Detail From A Decade Old Game

As The Sims 4 enters its tenth year, the game has received special attention to bug fixes and improvements. In May 2024, EA announced that a special team dedicated to the “core game experience” had been created and in a blog post from September, EA confirmed that the team was even more invested in “efforts to focus on previously reported issues, quality assurance and game optimization for future releases”.

Additionally, the team will continue to release new fixes every two months until otherwise stated, so fans can look forward to a more stable experience with their Sims going into 2025. With such a massive game, and a practically endless number of mods and creator content attached to it, keeping the bugs at bay can be quite an undertaking for developers. Updates include basic bug fixes, like identifying why certain mods crash, or adding fun details to The Sims 4, like Sims reacting differently to other Sims' deaths depending on their relationships.

Whether you're a builder, a family Simmer, or a Create-a-Sim fan, there should be plenty to look forward to from The Sims 4 in 2025. While it's unlikely we'll be getting a brand-new game, it's clear EA and the team behind the game have lots planned to keep us invested in The Sims 4.

Sources: Behind The Sims, EA