The Sims 5: release date speculation, trailers, gameplay, and more

By Jesse Lennox January 4, 2024

It’s time to brush up on your Simlish if it’s gotten a bit 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, however, 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 just yet, but here’s everything we know about The Sims 5.

Contents

Release date speculation
Platforms
Trailers
Gameplay
Preorder

Release date speculation

Two sims take a selfie at prom in The Sims 4: High School Years. — Electronic Arts

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 at best speculate that The Sims 5 won’t come before 2025 at the earliest.

Platforms

A child Sim is riding a bike, while other Sims cheer them on. — Electronic Arts

No platforms are officially listed for The Sims 5, however, it is pretty certain to come to PC. The sneak peek also did mention transferring the game to mobile devices, perhaps suggesting that additional platform.

Trailers

Behind The Sims Summit Stream Event

While it’s technically not a trailer, the Behind the Sims Summit provided all the footage we have of The Sims 5 as of now. It shows off some very early footage of furniture decorating and customization, but leaves quite a bit left to be revealed.

Gameplay

A sofa in The Sims 5. — Maxis

Based on the presentation, there are a few systems we know 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.

Preorder

As the team stated itself, 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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