Summary

  • EA has confirmed it has no plans to make The Sims 5.
  • The company is instead choosing to focus on continuing to update The Sims 4 in an effort to bring it in line with what fans might expect from a brand-new sequel.
  • The other part of EA's current plan for the franchise is to keep working on the mysterious Project Rene, which will get a new invite-only playtest in fall 2024.

Electronic Arts has no plans to make The Sims 5, a senior company executive has revealed. Instead, the gaming giant remains fully focused on continuing to add to The Sims 4 and working on the mysterious Project Rene.

While a fifth numbered entry in the franchise may not be part of EA's current plans, that's not to say that the company never considered or even pursued it. On the contrary, one former EA character artist has recently claimed that The Sims 5 was once in development but ended up being canceled, which happened no later than early 2024.

The Sims 5 Isn't Happening, EA Says

Regardless of the veracity of that account, EA is definitely not planning on making a fifth numbered entry in the series right now. That's according to a new report from Variety citing Kate Gorman, EA VP and general manager of The Sims franchise. The official said that the company is wary of having to start over with a potential new series installment. Continuing to put out content for The Sims 4, a game with over 80 million lifetime players, seems like a safer bet for EA.

EA Teases 'New Era' of The Sims Franchise

Part of that decision ties back to the fact that all prior The Sims sequels were essentially direct replacements for their predecessors, something that EA wants to avoid moving forward. "We are not going to be working on replacements of previous projects; we’re only going to be adding to our universe," Gorman said of the company's current strategy, calling it "a new era" for the franchise. Part of this approach will involve continuing to churn out The Sims 4 DLCs like the newly announced Life and Death expansion pack, with Gorman stating that EA now intends to keep supporting the game "more than ever." The other part of its present franchise strategy is Project Rene, a cross-platform title that the company has been working on for years.

We are not going to be working on replacements of previous projects; we’re only going to be adding to our universe.

And while fans hence shouldn't hold their breath for The Sims 5, EA still wants its future updates for the game to gradually bring it in line with what players might expect from a completely new entry in the franchise. The hope behind this approach is to continue delivering innovation without forcing fans to start over. "We don’t want to reset your progress," Gorman said.

According to recent job listings, The Sims team has recently also been working on a game code-named Project Dolores. Whether that undertaking is—or was—in any way connected to the supposedly canceled The Sims 5 is currently unclear. As for Project Rene, which is planned to be available on everything from PC and consoles to mobile devices, a September 17 blog post from EA promised that this mysterious game will hold an invite-only playtest in fall 2024.

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The Sims 4 Tag Page Cover Art
7 /10

The Sims 4

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Simulation
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Systems
PC-1 PlayStation-1 Xbox-1
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Top Critic Avg: 70 /100 Critics Rec: 26%
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Released
September 2, 2014
ESRB
T for Teen: Crude Humor, Sexual Themes, Violence
Developer(s)
Maxis
Publisher(s)
Electronic Arts
Engine
Proprietary Engine
Cross-Platform Play
Xbox, PlayStation, and computer versions of Sims 4 are all separate games incompatible with each other
Cross Save
no
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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Unleash your imagination and create a unique world of Sims that’s an expression of you. Download for free, and customize every detail from Sims to homes and much more. Choose how Sims look, act, and dress, then decide how they’ll live out each day. Design and build incredible homes for every family, then decorate with your favorite furnishings and décor. Travel to different neighborhoods where you can meet other Sims and learn about their lives. Discover beautiful locations with distinctive environments and go on spontaneous adventures. Manage the ups and downs of Sims’ everyday lives, and see what happens when you play out scenarios from your own real life. Tell your stories your way while developing relationships, pursuing careers and life aspirations, and immersing yourself in this extraordinary game, where the possibilities are endless

Franchise
The Sims
Steam Deck Compatibility
yes
Platform(s)
PS4, Xbox One, PC
Genre(s)
Simulation
How Long To Beat
N/A
X|S Optimized
No
File Size Xbox Series
22 GB (November 2023)