The Sims 5 gameplay, news and everything we know so far
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EA Maxis has confirmed The Sims 5, codename project Rene, is finally in production – but don’t expect to get your hands on it any time soon.
According to E. A. Maxis, The Sims 5 will have a greater focus on customization and multiplayer play and will let you play smoothly on PC and mobile for the first time in the history of the series.
Early playtests have begun for the much-anticipated next-gen of The Sims, but the developer has stated that “this is just the beginning of an incredibly long journey.” Want to know more? Read on for everything we know The Sims 5 so far.
The Sims 5: Getting to the Point
- What is it? The next generation of The Sims
- When can I play it? To be determined
- What can I play it on? PC and mobile confirmed so far
The Sims 5: release date and platforms
The Sims 5 doesn’t currently have a confirmed release date or window, but it’s likely we won’t get our hands on it in the next few years.
During the Behind The Sims Summit Stream event (opens in new tab) in October 2022, Maxis confirmed that the next generation of The Sims (AKA Project Rene) is in early stages of development. “We will continue to share updates with all of you about Project Rene for years to come,” Sydnay Pearson, VP of franchise creative for The Sims, said in the video. These updates also come with early access software that will be opened up to select groups over time.
The Sims 5 will be available on PC and mobile, according to EA Maxis. Although not confirmed, it is likely The Sims 5 will eventually come to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S as this will be a “Next Generation The Sims game”. Historically, the major entries in the Sims series have been released first on PC and then slightly reworked for consoles and other systems.
The Sims 5: trailer
Last trailer
The latest teaser for The Sims 5 was released in January 2023 and features a behind-the-scenes look at Project Rene, as well as an interview with product manager Grant Rodiek – along with updates on The Sims series in general.
The video showcases early concepts for Project Rene, including room and furniture customization, 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 more customization will be critical Project Rene.
With platform compatibility, “now you can play The Sims wherever you are, without barriers and limitations,” Rodiek said. Cross-platform gameplay will also be fluid as you can instantly switch between PC and mobile. However, the experience on a PC will be “the real rich experience you’re used to,” Rodiek said.
The Sims 5 will put more emphasis on multiplayer rather than just single player. “We think we could be both,” said Rodiek. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that Project Rene is not an MMO (massively multiplayer online game).
On the other hand, the Behind The Sims Summit showed detailed editing tools. A bed was broken down and built piece by piece, with customization looking much more in-depth than what we’ve seen in the series. Next was a sofa and we saw patterns applied to individual pieces. Interestingly, the edits are saved to a PC and a mobile game file.
The Sims 5: News
Will it use AI technology?
a patent filed by EA (opens in new tab) back in April 2020 and approved in October 2021 reveals that AI technology in The Sims can be used to transform images of people into in-game characters.
Indicated by Sims community (opens in new tab)the patent discusses the AI technology and explains that it allows players to upload photos of themselves or characters, which can then be converted into an accurate Sim.
EA fully owns the patent, so we’ll have to wait and see how or if they’ll implement the technology. It is also not clear whether this will be implemented in The Sims 4which is expected to have new content for another few years, or if development is far enough away for that The Sims 5 to be where it makes its debut.
EA continues to improve The Sims 4
Following the release of The Sims 4: Cottage Living ExpansionEA Maxis has not revealed exactly what its future plans are The Sims 4 look like, but the developer stated in March 2021 blog post (opens in new tab) that the roadmap “remains focused on improving the content of the game”. It didn’t completely dismiss the idea of future “werewolves, fairies, and zombies” expansions.
Unfortunately, this does not bode well for it The Sims 5 release soon, and we’ll probably be lucky enough to get our hands on it before 2024. The Sims 4 was in development for over three years, so it makes sense for EA to keep maintaining Maxis The Sims 4 in the meantime. It has made improvements to the base game for those who have already spent their hard earned money on it, kits, game packs and expansions.