Play The Sims 4 for free beginning October 18th 2022

More updates to follow during a special stream, Behind The Sims Summit

We’ve welcomed millions of players to The Sims™ and watched in awe as they unleashed their imaginations, discovered and connected with ideas, experiences and versions of themselves, both in-game and real life. Our community has continued to inspire us with the billions of unique Sims they’ve created, the countless stories they’ve told, and the remarkable builds they've designed.

We’re excited to continue to welcome in more players than ever to create new stories, and explore without boundaries. The Sims has always been about celebrating new ways to play and offers so many possibilities to discover. 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.

https://youtu.be/ZFkqTSU9tSo

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. We’ll be sharing more about what’s in the works during a special-edition stream, Behind The Sims Summit on October 18, 2022 at 10 am PDT via The Sims YouTube and Twitch channels, also available on demand!

EA Play and EA Play Pro members will receive an upgraded experience when member-only bundles of The Sims 4 go into The Play List on October 18. The Sims 4 EA Play Edition includes The Sims 4 Get To Work Expansion Pack, while the EA Play Pro Edition includes both The Sims 4 Get To Work Expansion Pack and The Sims 4 Toddler Stuff Pack.

And last but not least, to our longtime Simmers, we want to say thank you – we wouldn’t be where we are without your continued love and support to help make The Sims community what it is. From September 14 through October 17, all players who have purchased The Sims 4 base game will receive the Desert Luxe Kit as a gift**. With the Desert Luxe Kit, Sims can relax in their modern oasis with luxurious indoor and outdoor furniture, inspired by the natural landscape of the Southwestern desert and materials like stone and wood. To redeem the Desert Luxe Kit, simply log into the game and it will be available in the main menu for you to claim.

We can’t wait to share what else is in store for The Sims 4 in the near future, so be sure to tune into the stream on October 18, sign up on TheSims.com and follow us on social media for more updates!

*Additional content requires separate purchase & all base game updates. Applicable platform account, internet connection, and EA account may be required. Age restrictions apply.

**Conditions & restrictions apply. See https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/packs/kits/the-sims-4-desert-luxe-kit for details.

expansion packs

filipomel
New Spectator
3 years ago
https://twitter.com/TheSims/status/1570064830815420420

Thoughts on this change? For all players who already own the base game we're getting the new Desert Luxe Kit for free.

My personal thoughts is I'm not at all surprised, I actually predicted this would happen in this thread here: https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/959542/sims-4-is-free-for-a-limited-time#latest

I do wonder what this means for the game and the direction it's headed in.
Olala_1986
3 years ago
I think this means that the main profit right now comes from the DLC. You get base game for free, you starting to feel that the experience is a little hollow, so you read about the packs and suddenly you want them all. That’s how it started for me. I got base game on PS4 when it costs 9.99 USD which I considered to be extra cheap at that time. I resisted buying packs for barely 6 months. Now I have almost all of them. From marketing point of view this seems pretty logical move. Especially if the game is going to have a support for a long time.

Edit: as for the kit I think it could be way of apologizing for the recent patch that locked people out of the game and slower fixes.
FatTribble23
New Scout
3 years ago
Well I was a latecomer to sims 4 and got the base game for $5, so I'm not mad about it being free now, 7 years or whatever later. I suspect it may mean Sims 5 is coming sooner than expected? I'm usually wrong though, so take that for what it's worth. :D
l33tp33tNW
New Spectator
3 years ago
I also got the base game for $5 a few years ago, so i'm not that mad about it being free. Had a friend that was unsure if they would like the sims and hesitant to get it because of the price. Already messaged them haha. Mostly just happy about the free kit <3
cyncie
Seasoned Veteran
3 years ago
I got the base game when it was on sale years ago. No idea how much I paid but it was a lot less than full price. I’m fine with it going free to play. Pulls in new players and keeps things going. I appreciate the free kit, as well. I agree that it was a good will gesture to current players, given the latest issues with packs.
InuMiroLover
New Spectator
3 years ago
I remember getting the game for like $20 some years back and to that I say,

"The Sims 4 is going to be free? Huh that's nice."

No issue from me over here.
LaBlue0314
Rising Scout
3 years ago
I bought the game when it first came out, but instead of paying 60 for it, I purchased it for 40. I had a $20 coupon from the store for anything I wanted to purchase. When I first heard about them giving the game away for free, my thought was I really hope that they have a gift for the rest of us who already own that and other packs belonging to it. Then I found out we were getting something free, I was very happy.

I told my former daughter-in-law about this. She was really excited about this because her ex (my son) is the one who owns it. So now she will once again get to play it.
logionX
Seasoned Hotshot
3 years ago
Part of me feels that it's not a big thing but I want to believe that we might see some bigger changes because of this new summit that they are going to have next month.

After all, they are giving up the revenue they would get from people buying the full game, so surely that must mean that they are counting on making it back on people buying DLC? So I wonder if we might see some changes when it comes to their live service.

I'm hoping this will actually result in that they will put in more resources into supporting the game, less bugs, packs will have more or better content because now they actually have to be good, or they won't make any money back.
UniqueKhaos
3 years ago
It’s a slap in the face for those that bought the game at release or full price later, especially after they keep making paid pack content free for base game. And if the rumor is true about one of the stuff packs and the country kitchen kit being free soon as well, it’s a further slap in the face. This does nothing and means nothing to loyalists that own everything. If they want to reward loyalty or discreetly apologize for all the bugs and slow or lack of fixes, they should’ve just done a free TS3 ultimate edition.

This does not make me want to run and buy more content, it makes me just want to wait until they start giving things away. Actually it makes me want to be done with EA/Maxis/whoever decides this.
Gamer_Cat24
New Traveler
3 years ago
I got the digital deluxe version of Sims 4 for $7, and I have seen the price drop lower.
It is actually a diuble-edged sword, though, because most fans spent $40 bucks on an unfinished game, and getting kind of screwed over a few years later. I bought my Sims 4 game in 2018, so it had most things by then.
Also, with the kits is why charge $5, and then give it away for free? Did they not sell well for them to do that?
I don't have all the DLC, and haven't gotten anything after werewolves, because I want to see what happens in the future regarding their plans.