The Sims 5 open-world map has left fans divided

Since its inception nearly 25 years ago in 2000, The Sims has consumed the lives of its dedicated fans and we expect the upcoming The Sims 5 to be no exception,

With The Sims series being one of the most popular and successful video game properties of all time, it came as no surprise when Electronic Arts announced The Sims 5 in 2022. Yet, since that time, we’ve heard very few details on the upcoming social sim, at least officially.

Check out The Sims 4 - My Wedding Stories trailer below!

The Sims 4 was initially released in 2014 on PC before making its way to other platforms, so in truth, the next The Sims game is long overdue. However, the gap between each sequel in this series is perhaps larger than most video games due to The Sims series being supported by a huge plethora of DLC and content updates.

What’s more, it’s probably fair to say that The Sims format has changed all that much since the release of The Sims in 2000. As the old saying goes “If it ain't broke don't fix it” because fans of the series know what they want and EA will understandably deliver what makes the most money from its consumers.

That being said, it looks like The Sims 5 is going to shake things up for the series somewhat by releasing it as a free-to-play title. Furthermore, if reports are to be believed, The Sims 5 could be open-world, similar to The Sims 3, which has conflicted with the feelings of some purist fans on Reddit.

“I’m cautiously optimistic but the combo of modern Maxis and EA doesn’t fill me with confidence,” said Crimsonclaw111. “I have absolutely zero faith in it. They are also making it for mobile (iOS/Android), so it'll likely be a free-to-play game with online crossplay and plenty of predatory microtransactions and subscriptions,” exclaimed Foamed1.

Yet, some fans are hyped for the release of The Sims 5 such as GoldenTriforceLink who said “I’m really excited for The Sims 5. From what they’ve talked about it seems like an interesting reimagining.”

No release date has been announced by EA for The Sims 5, but I’d be surprised if it was released this year. If I were to take a guess, The Sims 5 might arrive in 2025 if we’re lucky but a 2026 launch is also a possible outcome.