The Sims 4 is a social simulation game created by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released on September 2, 2014, for Windows, and is the fourth main game in The Sims series, following The Sims 3 (2009). Like earlier games in the series, The Sims 4 allows players to create and customize characters called "Sims," build and furnish homes, and simulate daily life across different in-game areas. This version introduced a new custom game engine with improved tools for character creation, home building, and a more detailed simulation system.

At first, developers planned to include more online features, but these were removed after the poor reception of Maxis' online-only game SimCity in 2013. Before the game's release, Maxis announced that some features from earlier Sims games, such as swimming pools and toddler Sims, would not be included due to time and technical challenges. This decision upset many players. When The Sims 4 was released, it received mixed reviews. Critics praised its visuals, improved AI for Sims, and easier building tools, but criticized the lack of content compared to earlier games, frequent loading screens, and technical issues.

The Sims 4 reached the top of the Ukie all-format video game chart in 2014. As of 2024, it has been played by over 85 million people worldwide. A version for macOS was released in February 2015, and versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One followed in November 2017. In 2022, the game changed to a free-to-play model, supported by paid downloadable content (DLC) packs. These DLCs include twenty-one expansion packs and twelve game packs, adding new features, objects, and worlds. The most recent expansion pack, Royalty & Legacy, was released on February 12, 2026.

Free updates have added features like swimming pools and toddler Sims, as well as more options for character customization, building tools, and diverse gender identities, sexual orientations, and gameplay scenarios. A new multiplayer-focused Sims game, currently called "Project Rene," is being developed.

Gameplay

The Sims 4 is a social simulation game. Like earlier games in the series, it has no set goals or story to finish. Instead, players explore creativity and experimentation by managing the lives of virtual characters called "Sims." Players control Sims, help them meet their needs, and guide them toward personal goals. If players want, they can also follow goal-oriented tasks, such as completing lifelong aspirations or achieving "wants and fears" goals that change based on gameplay.

Simoleons (§) are the money used in the game. Sims speak a fictional language called Simlish. Sims have six needs—hunger, bladder, hygiene, social, fun, and energy—that decrease during the day. These needs are restored by using items like showers or cooking food. Sims earn money through jobs, and they improve their job performance by developing skills, such as cooking or mixology for a chef. Cheats, like unlimited money or hidden features, are also available.

Optional paid downloadable content (DLC) adds new items, worlds, and clothing. The macOS and Windows versions allow players to use modding tools, such as custom-designed items like hairstyles, makeup, and furniture.

Create-a-Sim (CAS) is the main tool for designing Sims or households. Players adjust facial and body features directly. Sims go through eight life stages: newborn, infant, toddler, child, teen, young adult, adult, and elder. Toddlers were added in a 2017 update, and the baby stage was replaced with newborn and infant in a 2023 update.

Adult Sims have three personality traits, while children and teens have two. Each Sim also has an aspiration, which acts as an extra trait. Traits influence behavior, and aspirations are long-term goals that reward Sims with helpful traits when completed. A "Play with Genetics" option lets players create relatives with inherited traits like eye color or hair color. A 2021 update added "likes and dislikes," which show a Sim’s preferences and are set in CAS or developed during gameplay.

Expansion packs and game packs introduce special Sims, such as aliens, vampires, and werewolves. Pets like cats and dogs were added through the Cats & Dogs expansion pack. A 2016 update expanded gender options, including more inclusive clothing and pregnancy features. A 2020 update added more skin tones and makeup choices.

A 2022 update allowed players to assign preferred pronouns for Sims, developed with It Gets Better Project and GLAAD. Another 2022 update added sexual orientation options, allowing Sims to have different romantic and sexual preferences.

Build mode is the main tool for designing homes and lots. Players can build structures, save custom designs, or use pre-made rooms. New in The Sims 4, players can move and copy rooms. Water features like fountains and pools can be built. Interior options include doors, stairs, and wall coverings. Players can customize homes with multiple floors, adjustable foundations, and free placement of doors and windows. Furniture and appliances, such as beds or fridges, are purchased in Build mode and used to meet needs, build skills, or decorate.

A "world" includes several neighborhoods with lots players can customize or build. Lots can be residential or community spaces. Sims can visit any lot in any world, and other Sims appear as non-player characters. Unlike The Sims 3, The Sims 4 does not have open worlds. Traveling between lots triggers a loading screen, though some neighborhoods have limited open-world features.

The base game includes three worlds: Willow Creek and Oasis Springs have pre-built homes and families, while Newcrest, added in 2015, has empty lots for building. Expansion packs and game packs add new worlds, often as the pack’s main feature. These worlds are inspired by real places, such as the tropical Sulani in Island Living or the mountainous Mt. Komorebi in Snowy Escape.

The Gallery is an online tool where players can share Sims, rooms, and buildings. Emotions are a new feature that affects how Sims react to actions and events. Emotions range from happy to sad or angry. Sims can multitask, such as cooking while talking to someone.

Development

Maxis started creating The Sims 4 under the temporary name "Olympus," with a focus on online multiplayer gameplay. This was part of publisher Electronic Arts (EA)'s goal to release games with online features. In 2012, EA's president, Frank Gibeau, said, "I have not approved any game to be made for only single-player use. All of our games now include online tools and digital services that keep them active all the time." These plans changed after the poor reception of Maxis' SimCity in March 2013. SimCity had many technical and gameplay issues because it required an internet connection. In 2013, Maxis confirmed that The Sims 4 would be a single-player and offline experience. Development was also affected by layoffs at EA Salt Lake in January 2014, which was helping with the game. The failure of SimCity led to the closing of its developer, Maxis Emeryville, in 2015. Employees working on The Sims 4 from EA Salt Lake and Maxis Emeryville were moved to Maxis' Redwood Shores studio in Redwood City.

The Sims 4 uses a new special game engine developed by Maxis, called "SmartSim." Along with this engine, Maxis worked on creating a new system for Sim emotions, as well as more detailed and complex Sim animations. Maxis described Sim behavior in earlier The Sims games as "robotic" compared to the improvements in The Sims 4. Development of walking animations and facial expressions aimed to better show Sims' emotions during gameplay and make social interactions between Sims look more natural and realistic.

British composer Ilan Eshkeri created the orchestral soundtrack for The Sims 4. The music included over 140 short sound effects to match key emotional moments for Sims, such as a fight, a first kiss, a wedding, or a broken toilet. The soundtrack was designed to highlight the impact of Sim emotions during these events. Eshkeri said it was difficult to write music for the game because of its open-ended, player-driven nature, which is different from his previous work on film scores. All music was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London and performed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra.

Release and marketing

The Sims 4 was announced by Maxis on May 6, 2013, and was scheduled to be released in 2014. Early gameplay demos and trailers were shown at Gamescom in August 2013. Additional gameplay trailers were shared on YouTube in May 2014, including a Create-a-Sim trailer that demonstrated the many ways players could customize their Sims, and a Build mode trailer that highlighted the game’s new interface and building tools. A presentation at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) on June 9, 2014, included gameplay demonstrations and the release dates for the Windows version of the game in September 2014: September 2 in North America, September 4 in Australia and Europe, and September 5 in the UK. A free playable demo of the Create-a-Sim feature was released on August 12, 2014, for Windows.

A macOS version of the game was released on February 17, 2015. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions were released on November 17, 2017, developed together with Blind Squirrel Games. Unlike previous console versions of The Sims, the console versions of The Sims 4 are direct copies of the macOS and Windows versions and are compatible with the same DLC packs.

SteelSeries released a Sims-themed gaming headset, mouse, and "Plumbob" USB light as part of the game’s launch in 2014. LED lights on the accessories change color based on the playable Sim’s mood. A 2019 collaboration with Italian luxury fashion house Moschino included clothing with pixel art inspired by the franchise and a Moschino-themed stuff pack titled Moschino Stuff. A reality competition TV series, The Sims Spark’d, premiered on TBS from July 17 to August 7, 2020, featuring twelve contestants from popular YouTube channels in the Sims fan community. Contestants completed gameplay challenges in The Sims 4 and created characters and stories following the challenge’s themes and rules. The "Sims Sessions" in-game music festival was a limited-time event hosted from June 29 to July 7, 2021, within a special area in the game world. Singers Bebe Rexha, Glass Animals frontman Dave Bayley, and Joy Oladokun performed Simlish versions of their songs "Sabotage," "Heat Waves," and "Breathe Again," respectively, during the event. A free update released in 2026 added items designed by American luxury fashion house Coach.

Reception and criticism

In the months before The Sims 4 was released in September 2014, Maxis said that some features from earlier games, like swimming pools and toddler Sims, would not be included. Also, features from The Sims 3, such as open worlds and the "Create-a-Style" color tool, were not part of The Sims 4. These changes upset many players, who started a petition on Change.org. Maxis explained that they had to focus on new tools, like the game engine and artificial intelligence systems, and updates to Create-a-Sim and Build modes. They said it was not possible to include all features from The Sims 3, but they left the door open for future updates or DLC to add them back.

The Sims 4 received mixed reviews when it was released. Critics said the game lacked many features from earlier versions, like the "Create-a-Style" tool and open worlds. They also mentioned long loading times and glitches. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions, released in 2017, faced more criticism for poor controller controls, bugs, and performance issues.

James Stephanie Sterling of The Escapist called the gameplay "boring" and said the game felt "shrunken and sterile." Kallie Plagge of IGN said the game lacked "cool objects" and had fewer options in Build mode. Nick Tan of GameRevolution said the game showed how players felt frustrated about missing features, calling it "woefully incomplete." Steve Hogarty of PCGamesN said the base game had "few features" and needed DLC packs. Reviewers thought the lack of content was a plan to sell future DLC. Lee Cooper of Hardcore Gamer said the game felt like a "freemium app" with expansions that should have been included from the start. Griffin McElroy of Polygon said players felt they had seen everything in the game, making it hard to want to play again.

On the positive side, reviewers praised better graphics, easier Build mode and Create-a-Sim tools, new systems for Sim emotions and multitasking, and the Gallery feature. Plagge of IGN said the multitasking system made managing Sims easier. Cooper of Hardcore Gamer called the new Create-a-Sim tool "a mix of many options," even without "Create-a-Style." VanOrd of GameSpot said the visuals and sounds were good, and the emotion system made the game more enjoyable. Tan of GameRevolution said the animations were excellent and the game ran better than earlier versions. Chris Thursten of PC Gamer said the Gallery allowed players to download celebrity lookalikes, and the emotion system changed how the game felt. Alexander Sliwinski from Joystiq said the new search function in Build mode was helpful. Hogarty of PCGamesN said the game was more stable and had deeper Sim simulations than The Sims 3.

As of May 2024, The Sims 4 has over 85 million players worldwide. This includes 31 million players since the game became free-to-play in October 2022. EA reported in 2019 that the game made over $1 billion in total revenue, including DLC sales. After its 2014 release, The Sims 4 topped the Ukie video game chart and was the first PC-only game to do so since 2012. EA said in 2018 that all expansion packs sold over 30 million copies.

Post-release

In response to player feedback about missing features, Maxis promised to support the game with free content and updates. These updates include features from earlier versions of The Sims that were not included at launch, such as swimming pools, genealogy, toddler life stages, and basements. Other major additions include a new sandbox world, gender and pronoun customization in Create-a-Sim, gameplay scenarios, tools for changing terrain, a "Neighborhood Stories" storytelling system, a "wants and fears" goal system, newborn and infant life stages, and polyamory. Some reviewers noted that certain features, like newborns and infants, required additional DLC packs to be fully completed. As of 2026, Maxis continues to develop content and feature updates for the game.

In 2021, EA confirmed its long-term support for the game, stating that the gaming industry is moving toward better community support. In 2024, IGN’s Sarah Thwaites praised The Sims 4 for maintaining high standards in life simulation games and highlighted the strong community support. In 2024, Maxis formed a team to address frequent bugs and improve game performance after receiving criticism about instability.

In 2022, Maxis partnered with CurseForge, a mod distribution platform, to provide an official way for players to share and download The Sims 4 mods and custom content.

In September 2022, EA announced that The Sims 4 base game would become free-to-play on all platforms starting October 18, 2022. This made The Sims 4 the fourth free-to-play game in the series, following The Sims Social, The Sims FreePlay, and The Sims Mobile. For a limited time, players who previously bought the game received a free copy of the Desert Luxe Kit, a DLC pack with furniture and Build mode items.

In October 2022, Maxis revealed a new game in development under the working title "Project Rene." Footage showed features like co-op multiplayer in Build mode and cross-platform compatibility between desktop and mobile versions. Multiplayer is expected to be a core part of the game. "Project Rene" will be free-to-play and not a direct sequel to The Sims 4. In July 2025, EA’s president stated that "Project Rene" would be developed alongside ongoing updates for The Sims 4, as the many existing DLC packs made a direct sequel unnecessary.

In September 2025, a group of investors proposed buying EA. The group included the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and Affinity Partners, an investment firm started by Jared Kushner. This proposal caused concern among some The Sims community members, who worried that EA’s focus on inclusivity might change due to the Saudi government’s policies on LGBTQ issues and conservative views within the Republican Party. Some content creators left EA’s creator program after this announcement. In January 2026, Maxis stated that the game’s values and creative control would remain unchanged. In March 2026, Maxis announced an in-game marketplace for custom content, using a new currency called "Moola." All Kits would be sold exclusively through the marketplace starting March 17. Creator-made items, called "Maker Packs," cannot be offered for free, and creators receive about 30% of the revenue. This announcement led to backlash from fans and creators, who criticized EA’s monetization practices. In response, Maxis offered the Country Kitchen Kit as a free in-game item through the marketplace.

Downloadable content packs

Since 2015, paid DLC packs for The Sims 4 have been grouped into four types: "expansion packs," "game packs," "stuff packs," and "kits." Expansion packs are the largest, adding major new features based on a specific theme. Game packs are similar but include less content. Stuff packs are smaller, containing only a few furniture and clothing items. Kits are the smallest, focusing only on new furniture or clothing. According to Metacritic, expansion packs and game packs received reviews ranging from "generally favorable" to "mixed or average."

Star Wars: Journey to Batuu, the ninth game pack for The Sims 4, was announced on August 27, 2020. Players responded negatively, saying the pack ignored features and content requested by the community. Some believed it was required because EA owns the Star Wars video game franchise. Before the announcement, a poll by Digital Spy asked players about preferred themes for future The Sims 4 content; Star Wars ranked last out of 21 choices. In response to criticism, Maxis shared updates about community-requested features, stating they were not affected by the pack’s development but noted challenges with "foundational technology" during its creation.

My Wedding Stories, the eleventh game pack for The Sims 4, was announced on February 8, 2022. The next day, Maxis said the pack would not be released in Russia because of Russian laws banning content promoting homosexuality as a societal norm. After backlash from Russian players, Maxis changed its decision, including Russia in the worldwide release on February 23, 2022, without altering the content. However, EA paused all video game sales in Russia starting March 4, 2022, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. After its release, My Wedding Stories faced criticism for many bugs and glitches, including issues that made the game’s main wedding event unplayable. The pack received a combined critic score of 62% on Metacritic, the lowest for any The Sims 4 game pack. An update released on March 31, 2022, fixed some of these problems.