EA Has Confirmed The Sims 5 Will Be "Free To Download"

13.09.2023 - 01:25 / thegamer.com / Ea / Will

The Sims 5, also knows as Project Rene, was announced last year, though further details on the title are pretty light so far. We've only had a few job listings and a handful gameplay features to go off of since then, with more recent rumors suggesting the title will be free-to-play when it does launch. Thankfully, publisher EA came out with some more details earlier today, confirming that the game will be "free to download" and that it will exist alongside The Sims 4.

This confirmation comes from Lyndsay Pearson, the vice president of Franchise Creative for The Sims at developer Maxis, who explained that Project Rene can be played "without a subscription" and "without core game purchase or energy mechanics" in a recent behind-the-scenes video (thanks VGC). Pearson explains that they want people to be able to play with each other easily, so the game will be "extending an open invitation for everyone to play".

Related: The Sims 5 Needs To Change The DLC Model

"We intend for Project Rene to be free to download, and that means that when it’s ready and fully open to our players, you’ll be able to join and play and explore Project Rene without a subscription, without core game purchase or energy mechanics," says Pearson. "We want it to be easy for you to invite or join with a friend, and that means extending an open invitation for everyone to play."

Pearson also went into some detail about Project Rene's monetization options, confirming that while "new experiences and content" will be added to the game over time, players will also be offered content packs similar to how The Sims 4 is monetized. Pearson specifically uses the weather as an example, explaining things like basic weather will be added to the game for free, but certain activities surrounding it like ice dancing and snowman-building competitions would be offered as optional purchases.

As for what will happen with The Sims 4 once Project Rene is ready to be shipped out, Pearson states that the two games will "continue to exist side by side", and that Maxis will "continue to bring even more exciting content to The Sims 4 for the forseeable future". They don't mention any specifics, but it's understandable that EA wouldn't want to ditch The Sims 4 so quickly considering how much of an audience its manage to build over the past 7 years.

Unfortunately, we still don't have a release date for Project Rene, and the fact they're still calling it that suggests it might be a ways away. Still, at least The Sims 4 isn't going anywhere any time soon, so at least there's that to tide you over until Project Rene ships.

Next: EA Sports FC 24 Has Ultimate Team's Biggest Upgrade And Downgrade Ever