Electronic Arts has announced that The Sims 4 free-to-play phase will be starting next month. The release date for this transition will be October 18, 2022, at which point The Sims 4 base game will be free to everyone on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Mac, and PC via Steam and EA Origin. Several other bonus expansions will be made available to those with an EA Play subscription.
The Sims 4 Behind the Sims Summit date and time announced too
To explain The Sims 4 free-to-play transition, EA is asking fans to save the date for the Behind the Sims Summit. Airing on October 18 at 10 am PDT / 1 pm EDT on the official YouTube and Twitch channels for The Sims 4, this special-edition presentation will provide a roadmap for what’s coming next in the game. EA is committed to developing additional packs, kits, and Sims Delivery Express drops “for the forseeeable future.”
On October 18, those with an EA Play subscription will find The Sims 4 in The Play List catalog. The EA Play edition of the game will include The Sims 4 Get To Work expansion pack for free, while those with an EA Play Pro membership will receive The Sims 4 Toddler Stuff Pack on top of that.
The developers also don’t want to leave their loyal fans hanging, so anyone who purchased the base game before the free-to-play date will be able to get the Desert Luxe Kit for free between September 14 and October 17. This gift can be claimed in the main menu of the game and comes with luxury furniture based on the Southwestern desert to fit a “modern oasis” aesthetic.
Considering that The Sims 4 launched on September 2014, this move to a free-to-play model makes a lot of sense. At this point, the game makes money on all of the additional packs and expansions, so getting the base game in the hands of as many players as possible near the end of the game’s lifecycle is a good idea.
In other news, Xbox Discord integration now works but doesn’t have a dedicated app, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the new name for Breath of the Wild 2.
