Make that a little more cartoonish and I would be fine with it
https://www.feedride.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/the-sims-5-release-date-rumors.jpg
The Sims 4 is pretty close to what I want, but it could be just a little more realistic and detailed for my tastes.
I experimented how far I would push it using The Sims 4 and CC.
Basically, more detail to the eyes: eyelashes, irises, sharp eyeliner with smoother curves. Eye brows that look like growing hair, not something painted on. More skin details to lips, but
very subtle detail to face skin textures. There should be blush effects, freckles and beauty marks, but they should be controlled by the simmer.
This is alpha hair, but it's not as stringy as most alpha hairs you see. There should be evidence of a few strands of hair, but no more than two or three visible at a time. This hair is also more cartoonish than realistic.
This is alpha hair, but it looks more like a clay/alpha hybrid.
I wouldn't mind clay if they could find a way to show a few individual strands.
Actually EA has stepped up their clay-hair game lately. Clay 2.0 could be interesting.
Ignore the cat sim, but look at her thighs.
They need to fix that. Sims 5 should have more detailed body meshes. No angular thighs in 2025. (Rhymes with thighs.)
We also have to consider their world.
More realistic sims require a more realistic world.
I found myself turning to TS2 and TS3 textures for TS4.
That yellow cottage cheese looking carpet in the center is TS4 base game carpeting.
The surrounding carpet is from The Sims 2.
Pavement from TS2 and grass from TS3.
I am not a fan of TS4's moss grass, so I replaced it.
This isn't the best either, but I'll take it.
CC trees on the left, a TS4 tree on the right.
Seasons was problematic with my CC tree replacements, so I had to remove some.
I need to check if someone fixed the issue, but I really prefer this.
Also, I like Windenburg's clouds, but Willow Creeks clouds are way too cartoonish.
As far as build objects go, I find TS4's build/buy too thick and blocky and textures too subtle or washed out.
Most of the content I add in is to reduce the doll house aesthetic.
More texture and more thin objects to contrast with thick.
Plus less blocky meshed objects. I want bricks that look like manufactured bricks instead of a wall painting of bricks.
Also the new lighting TS4 added a few years later helped a lot with realism.
I don't believe TS5 needs to be a dramatic shift towards realism.
It can be a small shift. TS4 is almost there. I hope EA spends more time and money on game play than the look.