It’s time to brush up on your Simlish if it’s rusty because the long-awaited The Sims 5, aka Project Rene, is officially on the way. This has been the longest gap between main entries since the series began, and while we did get tons of expansions for The Sims 4 to hold us over, plus the change to it becoming free to play, we’re more than ready for a new entry. Each time a new game in the franchise comes out, die-hard fans always need to have a bit of skepticism about what features will be there — both new and returning. Again, the last entry eventually got to a great spot, but it certainly wasn’t there at launch. We can’t answer all your questions yet, but here’s everything we know about The Sims 5.
Release date speculation
Still referred to by the code name Project Rene, The Sims 5 (which we will call it until the official title is revealed) does not have a release window as of now. Developer Maxis did state it was working on it in October 2022 at the Behind the Sims Summit presentation. The only clue we got there was this statement from Lyndsay Pearson, franchise creative vice president: “Over the next couple of years, we’ll continue sharing updates with all of you on Project Rene.” Based on that, we can speculate that The Sims 5 won’t come before 2025 at the earliest.
Platforms
No platforms are officially listed for The Sims 5; however, it is pretty certain to come to PC. The sneak peek also mentioned transferring the game to mobile devices, perhaps suggesting that additional platform.
Trailers
While it’s technically not a trailer, the Behind the Sims Summit provided all the footage we have of The Sims 5. It shows off some very early footage of furniture decorating and customization but leaves quite a bit left to be revealed.
Gameplay
Based on the presentation, we know a few systems will be available in (or at least planned for) The Sims 5. First is a much more robust version of the Create-A-Style tool previously used in The Sims 3. You can now upload your own custom designs to a gallery to use and place on furniture, which can also be further tweaked and edited on a smaller scale than ever before.
The other big detail here is that The Sims 5 will have multiplayer, though the full extent of it is still unclear. We know that you can collaborate on sharing and creating with friends but also play completely on your own. We don’t know if this will extend to actually bringing our Sims together just yet.
Rumors and Leaks
Everything we’re going to talk about below should be considered rumors until EA officially confirms any of the details.
The biggest reported leak comes from a Reddit post in which a user claims to have datamined the entire Sims 5 map through a leaked playtest build of the game. This leaked map shows the area of the map accessible in said playtest in relation to the entire map, which is also said to be open world. The map itself is based on Paris compared to actual pictures of the real-world location.
A more disappointing rumor comes in the form of DRM. Some are suggesting that the title will come with the much-maligned Denuvo anti-cheat.
Object placement is also supposedly getting an upgrade with attached physics that lets you place and drop objects in your world more naturally. This can cause objects to tip if placed on uneven ground or if enough weight is placed on one side.
Preorder
As the team stated, The Sims 5 is years away. We will see it many more times, and perhaps even have a chance to enter some betas, long before preordering becomes an option. When those details do arrive, we will make sure you have all the info you need.
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