The Sims 4 is going free to play. Come October 18, EA announced that the longest-running Sims game ever created will become a free-to-play experience.
"The Sims has always been about celebrating new ways to play and offers so many possibilities to discover," wrote EA in today's announcement. "Beginning on October 18, 2022, The Sims 4 base game will be available to all new players to download for free on PC via EA app or Origin, Mac via Origin, Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One systems."
There are the usual asterisks in that statement for games that go free to play. While the base game will be free, DLC will still need to be paid for separately. The Sims 4 has a habit of releasing $5 "kits" containing clothes, furniture, and other cosmetics built around a specific theme, as well as larger expansions that add more in-depth game mechanics, such as the recent High School Years expansion.
But what of players that already own The Sims 4? Well, depending on your platform, you've got an assortment of goodies coming your way. All platform owners of Sims 4 will receive the Desert Luxe Kit as a free "thank you" gift, which includes "luxurious indoor and outdoor furniture, inspired by the natural landscape of the Southwestern desert and materials like stone and wood." EA Play members will be enticed with a free Get To Work Expansion Pack if you don't already own it, and EA Play Pro members will get that as well as the Toddler Stuff Pack.
"With The Sims 4 going free to play, our team is more dedicated than ever to developing new and meaningful The Sims 4 experiences for our players and we will continue to develop and release packs, kits, and Sims Delivery Express drops into the foreseeable future," EA added.
The Sims 4 just recently celebrated its eighth birthday earlier this month, so it seems like a bizarre time to suddenly make the base game free to play. One could speculate that a Sims 5 announcement might be just around the corner.
We might not have to wait long to find out. EA says a "special-edition" Behind The Sims Summit is scheduled for October 18 at 10 AM PT where more info will be shared.