Battlefield 6 - Community Update - Ongoing Quality of Life Improvements
Hey everyone, I’m Florian Le Bihan, Principal Game Designer on Battlefield 6. I’ve been working closely with our gameplay, networking, animation, and audio teams to improve the core combat experience. My focus has been on connecting these systems to deliver encounters that feel consistent, responsive, and exciting every time you step onto the battlefield. With Season 2 underway, I want to take a deeper look at several foundational systems that directly impact the feel of the game. Hit registration, Netcode, Time to Kill, soldier visibility, and audio clarity are tightly connected systems. While we’ve delivered numerous improvements since launch, our work is ongoing. We will continue to analyze, evolve, and enhance the experience based on feedback because the connection between the game and the player sits at the heart of Battlefield. Combat reliability is not driven by a single system, but by how these layers interact with one another. Improving this experience requires careful sequencing. In many cases, stabilizing one system is necessary before adjusting another. Networking behavior affects how Time to Death is perceived. Visibility influences pacing and damage clarity. Animation alignment impacts “shot behind cover” scenarios. Because these systems overlap, changes must be validated carefully to ensure they improve consistency without introducing new issues. This process takes iteration and large-scale testing, which is why Battlefield Labs plays such an important role in our approach. Today, I want to walk you through where we are, what we’ve already improved, and what we’re continuing to refine based on your feedback. In parallel, our broader efforts continue across performance, stability, UI clarity, progression, and other player experience improvements. Hit Registration / Netcode Extreme Measures (Season 2 Phase 1) introduced the first round of networking changes aimed at improving combat reliability. Bullet data is now handled more efficiently, and additional stability updates are planned for our next major update. These refinements continue to be validated through Battlefield Labs to ensure improvements hold up under full live service conditions. Since launch, this topic has been one of the most discussed aspects of Battlefield 6. We’ve seen examples of shots appearing to land but not registering, and situations where players felt they were eliminated after reaching cover. Some of these experiences are influenced by perception - especially when some of our weapons have a particularly fast Time to Kill combined with limited visibility - but technical issues have also contributed. We’ve addressed several of these issues already, and we are continuing to work to stabilize and refine others. With our recent update, we optimized how bullet-related data is being transmitted between client and server. In rare cases, too much information exchanged within a single update could delay damage feedback for either the shooter or the player taking damage. These changes prioritize critical interactions, such as shots landing or damage being applied, so they are processed more reliably and in a more timely manner. Another key area involves how clients remain synchronized with the server, often referred to as Time Nudge. In online shooters, the game client cannot display events at the exact same moment the server processes them due to network latency - information is never transmitted instantaneously between client and server. Instead, it buffers a small amount of incoming data to smooth out network or performance fluctuations. When functioning correctly, this results in fluid movement and stable hit registration. At launch, this system could drift outside safe bounds under unstable network conditions or heavy system load, contributing to desynchronization. We are targeting configuration adjustments to better constrain and stabilize this behavior in the next major update. The goal is to ensure that what you see on screen more closely matches what the server sees, even when performance fluctuates. Internal and Labs testing shows improved alignment, but more player impressions are needed before we consider this resolved. In addition to this, we will look into refining the responsiveness and clarity of both incoming and outgoing damage indicators. When you take damage or land shots, feedback should be immediate and readable across UI, audio, and visual effects. Improvements in this area will continue alongside our networking efforts. We’ve also corrected cases where the soldier health bar updated a few frames after the actual damage occurred and where incoming damage animations lacked clarity, which could have compressed multiple hits into what looked like a single hit. We are also examining how the server validates damage during close encounters. In multiplayer shooters, the server decides whether damage should count, since players are never experiencing the exact same timeline due to latency. In some cases, if the server determines that a player was already eliminated, it may invalidate incoming damage to prevent unintended trade eliminations. This behavior exists to preserve fairness, but it comes with some trade-offs, particularly in fast close-quarters fights where a shot may feel like it should have landed. We are reviewing how these server-side damage rejections behave to ensure the balance between fairness and responsiveness. Lastly, we identified cases where third-person character visuals do not always accurately reflect what is happening in combat. One example involves enemy facing direction, where a character model may appear to be oriented away from you while they are in fact aiming and firing in your direction. We have a fix scheduled for the next update. Separately, we have also observed inconsistencies when transitioning from standing to prone, where a player’s first-person view may suggest safety while their third-person character model remains partially exposed to others. The fix for this behavior is planned for later in the season to better align visual representation with actual gameplay. Time To Kill (TTK) / Gunplay The first phase of Season 2 delivered improvements to recoil consistency and a weapon balance pass to ensure weapon handling feels more predictable and responsive. We’ve heard concerns that Time To Death (TTD) can feel too fast, and it remains an active topic of discussion within the team. Before we make broad changes, we’re concentrating on strengthening combat clarity, including responsive audio-visual damage feedback, improved enemy readability, continued Netcode refinements, and more. TTD is heavily influenced by how clearly combat events are communicated. When multiple bullets land in rapid succession and feedback is unclear, even a four-shot kill can feel instantaneous. At the same time, many players report that TTK from the shooter’s perspective feels satisfying and responsive. Introducing broad changes before stabilizing the underlying systems risks creating a “bullet sponge” experience, elongating TTK, weakening weapon satisfaction and unintentionally shifting pacing. Our priority is to strengthen systems that support gunplay, especially those that affect TTK. One approach currently being validated in Battlefield Labs involves reducing damage dealt to limbs across several weapon archetypes. Shots landing on arms or legs may require an additional bullet to secure a kill, while headshots remain unaffected. If a bullet passes through an arm and strikes the head, it will correctly register as head damage. This approach rewards accuracy without fundamentally changing the feel of gunplay. In addition, we are validating adjustments to the economy of the Hollow Point and Synthetic Tip ammunition attachments through Battlefield Labs as well. Our aim is to make them more meaningful and competitive choices when customizing weapons, ensuring that attachment selection reflects intentional trade-offs rather than default picks. Weapon control has also been a central focus. Since launch, recoil compensation could behave unpredictably, sometimes requiring more input than expected to counter weapon kickback. This season introduced tighter alignment between recoil output and the aim input required to manage it, improving overall recoil stability. With that foundation in place, we will continue to evaluate recoil balance across weapon archetypes to determine whether additional tuning adjustments are needed. Ongoing refinements will continue through Battlefield Labs as we gather live in-game data across skill brackets and modes. Our goal is to ensure that when you win or lose an engagement, it feels earned or fair. Soldier Visibility Soldier visibility continues to influence pacing and perceived fairness, especially in close-range and interior engagements. We are exploring improvements to lighting transitions and visibility systems without breaking immersion. This includes refining how characters read against dynamic environments and varied lighting conditions. Larger art-direction shifts are unlikely in the near term, but targeted changes and longer-term exploration remain active. Visibility impacts more than spotting an enemy. It affects decision-making, reaction time, and how combat feels overall. When you cannot see who eliminated you, fast TTD feels even more abrupt. One significant factor involves transitions between interior and exterior areas. Current exposure calculations consider first-person weapon and arm models, which can exaggerate lighting shifts. We are investigating adjustments that exclude these models from the calculations of the exposure in favor of world lighting, with the goal of reducing instances of blinding exteriors or overly dark interiors. While this will not eliminate every scenario, it should meaningfully improve how exposure and lighting transitions between exterior and interior environments behave during gameplay. Battlefield environments are intentionally grounded and detailed. Debris, destruction, dust, and environmental effects all contribute to immersion but can also make soldiers blend into their surroundings. The game uses a visibility filter and a brightness boost that increases at range to help separate characters from the environment. We are targeting testing in Battlefield Labs once improvements are in place, focusing on improving close-quarter and long range clarity while ensuring characters do not appear out of place within the world. Achieving the right balance between immersion and readability requires careful iteration. While large visual shifts are unlikely in the short term, we are continuing to make targeted adjustments and researching longer-term solutions for both live updates and future Battlefield experiences. Audio Audio clarity plays a critical role in combat awareness, especially when it comes to footsteps and vehicle positioning. Since launch, we’ve been working to address cases where footsteps were unclear, vehicles were difficult to track, or sounds would unintentionally drop out in intense moments. Extreme Measures introduced initial fixes to raise footstep clarity and rebalance audio priorities, with more comprehensive changes planned for our next major update. Audio challenges in Battlefield are rarely caused by a single issue. Footstep clarity, vehicle audibility, and positional accuracy are influenced by memory limits, file size constraints, performance considerations, and how different sounds compete for priority in large-scale engagement. In scenarios like buildings collapsing while multiple players are firing, the system must decide which sounds take precedence. That prioritization is complex, especially at scale. With this season, we addressed several of these constraints by reducing file sizes, optimizing performance, and adjusting audio priorities so that footsteps and key combat cues stand out more consistently. These changes were an important first step, but they do not fully solve every scenario players have reported. In the next update, we are introducing more updates to how footsteps behave within the mix. Footsteps will interact more dynamically with surrounding sounds and feature improved built-in prioritization. Close enemies will be more audible without relying on heavy volume boosts, and distinctions between enemies, friendlies, and your own movement will be clearer. The reliability of obstruction will also be increased, ensuring that sound behaves more consistently when blocked by surfaces, and reduces cases where footstep assets fail to play due to performance constraints. Vehicle audio is also receiving targeted adjustments. Multiple jets will contribute less to overall noise-floor buildup, and enemy ground vehicles will be prioritized more clearly in the mix, particularly in REDSEC. These changes are intended to improve spatial awareness without overwhelming other critical audio cues. We’ve also made global mix adjustments to improve clarity and positioning accuracy overall, including updates to stereo and headphone mixes and new width settings in the audio menu that allow for further customization. Default settings are tuned for balanced comfort and positional accuracy, but players who prefer a narrower or wider soundstage will now have more control. As with all improvements, audio clarity requires continued testing under live conditions. Feedback from the community has been essential in identifying edge cases we could not reproduce internally, including unintended vehicle silence. We will continue refining these systems and keep you updated as further adjustments are validated. Thank You Large-scale validation can only truly happen in a live environment, which makes your feedback and the data we gather from real matches incredibly valuable. If you encounter issues, enabling the Netgraph in the System settings and sharing clips that include it helps us investigate more effectively. We will continue to speak openly about Netcode and combat reliability, answer questions where we can, and keep you informed with a clear and direct approach as this work evolves. //Florian Le Bihan, Principal Game Designer This announcement may change as we listen to community feedback and continue developing and evolving our Live Service & Content. We will always strive to keep our community as informed as possible.
Temporary Console Gallery Changes: March 17 Base Game Update
Simmers, We want to share an important update for PlayStation and Xbox Simmers regarding The Gallery following the upcoming PC and Mac Base Game update on March 17. Consoles will receive this Base Game update at a later date, and therefore will temporarily experience a different version of The Gallery. During this time, players will see a "Version Mismatch" error when attempting to download some content. We want to make sure this update delivers the best experience possible for console Simmers. By launching on PC and Mac first, we’ll be able to validate performance, stability, and overall quality before bringing the update to Xbox and PlayStation. Taking this extra time helps ensure everything works exactly as intended on consoles. To help make this transition as smooth as possible for everyone, our team will roll out Marketplace updates for Xbox and PlayStation Simmers as soon as we’re able, with a focus on supporting a great experience for all players. We’ll share more details on console timing as soon as they’re confirmed. In the meantime, you can still download content that was made and uploaded by PC and Mac players prior to the March 17th update. You can also avoid mismatch errors while browsing The Gallery on console by using the platform-specific filters to view only console compatible content. The Most Popular and Maxis Curated filters should work as well, but there may be some exceptions. There will be no impact to previously downloaded content you have in My Library. Thanks for your patience and understanding, - The Sims TeamLaundry List: Upcoming Bug Fixes - March 10, 2026
Hi Simmers! Welcome to the Laundry List, where we share the top community concerns that we’re currently investigating and hope to resolve. If you’re hitting crashes, infinite loading, or missing lots, please read our post here to see how you can share affected saves so we can gather some critical information to aid our investigations. Please note; this Base Game update will launch on PC and Mac on March 17th, with PlayStation and Xbox coming later. During this time, console players may experience a temporary version mismatch when using the Gallery. For more details you can read the full blog on EA Forums here, follow Sims Direct on X and join our Discord community. We’ll share updates as soon as they’re available. The Sims Team Here’s the list of the top community concerns you can expect to see resolved in our next update: Top 5 Most Voted Fixes: [EA Forums][EA Forums] Extensive updates to ensure that Sims' eye blinking will now show fully closed eyes for most interactions, see the blog post for more information on these changes. [EA Forums] Prom will once again appear on Calendars and Sims will be able to attend, this fix will ensure it is working for both new and old saves. Alongside this fix, we fixed another issue where Prom goals weren't able to be completed. (High School Years) [EA Forums] We fixed an issue where Pet and Horse data was being lost in Premade Households. This will no longer occur in fresh saves. However, if this occurred in an old Save, it will still be occurring in that instance. (Cats & Dogs, Horse Ranch) [EA Forums] We've implemented a notable change to how Sims determine who they speak with on a lot. Now, Sims will generally prefer speaking with familiar Sims they already have a good rapport with, and Sims are less likely to engage with strangers spontaneously. [EA Forums] Animals can be assigned to an Animal Shed after moving the Household to a new lot. They no longer become stuck in Household or Sim Inventory. This is also fixed for saves where the animals were already stuck. (Cottage Living) Sims Autonomy Improvements “Sim autonomy” is one of our key focus areas based on community feedback, and this update delivers on 3 of our top autonomy issues : Sims socializing with strangers, excessive flirting, and Sims using certain objects obsessively. Base Game [EA Forums] We've addressed the issue where Sims were excessively flirting with each other. [EA Forums] We've heard your feedback and wanted to address Sims using Computers and Phones too often. We've added a few new preferences to the Base Game including: Likes Phones, Likes Computers, Dislikes Phones, and Dislikes Computers. If you don't want your Sims to autonomously use these objects, please give them the "Dislikes Phones" or "Dislikes Computers" Preferences. If you want them to be obsessed... you know what to do. [EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously uses the Computer, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for half of a Sim day. This cooldown does not exist for non-active Household Sims, for Sims who are Geeks, Sims who Like Computers, or when it is a preferred interaction for Getaways, Clubs, Small Businesses, or Dynasties. Sims who Dislike Computers (a new Preference we added) will never use them autonomously anymore. [EA Forums] The "Troll teh Forums" Computer Interaction has been added to the same cooldown that is used for other Computer interactions. Sims will also now need Mischief Skill of 6 or higher to consider this action autonomously unless they have the following Sims Traits: Evil, Childish, Geek, Hot-Headed, Erratic, or Mean (who always have it available). (Base Game) [EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously destroys a Doll House, it will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for some time. We also made a change so that only Sims with certain Traits (Evil, Hates Children, Mean Hot-Headed) will ever autonomously decide to destroy a Doll House while Angry. Before this update, this autonomous behaviour could occur for any Sim who was feeling Angry or Dazed. [EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously mixes a drink, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for a Sim day for non-NPCs. Previously this would occur frequently for Sims who were Inspired, or Sims with the Bro or Foodie Trait. [EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously Swims, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for some time. This cooldown does not exist for non-active Household Sims, on Pool Venues, during Pool Party or Birthday Party events, when Swimming is a preferred interaction for Getaways, Clubs, or Small Businesses, or if the Sim is a Mermaid or Plant Sim. [EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously plays the Violin, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for a Sim day. This cooldown does not exist for non-active Household Sims, for Sims who are Music Lovers, Sims who Like Violins, or when it is a preferred interaction for Getaways, Clubs, Small Businesses, or Dynasties. [EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously plays the Guitar, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for a Sim day. This cooldown does not exist for non-active Household Sims, for Sims who are Music Lovers, Sims who Like Guitars, or when it is a preferred interaction for Getaways, Clubs, Small Businesses, or Dynasties. [EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously plays Chess, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for a Sim day. This is for non NPCs only, and not applicable during clubs or getaways revolving around chess. [EA Forums] We've added a cooldown for Sims dancing while on a lot that the Sim owns. Sims who Like Dancing, Dance Machine Trait Sims, and certain situations will not receive this cooldown. This cooldown is not for Non-Active Household Sims. This cooldown will disappear when Sims move lots in case they are going to a lot where they want to dance. [EA Forums]We're reducing how often a Sim considers turning on the radio. Sims with the Music Lover trait will consider listening to music more often than other Sims. [EA Forums] Though practically a staple of Sim culture (I'm being cheeky), we've added a cooldown for autonomous Push-Ups, Sit-Ups, and Stretches. Now, only Sims who are Energized at the Gym Venue or Sims with the Active trait will consider doing this autonomously. [EA Forums] We've added a cooldown for Foodie Sims watching Culinary Training Videos on the television where they won't do this autonomously for two days after doing it. [EA Forums] If a Child Sim autonomously uses the Space Ship playground, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for a Sim day. This cooldown does not exist for non-active Household Sims or when it is a preferred interaction for Getaways, Clubs, or Small Businesses. Leaving the current lot also removes the cooldown. [EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously plays with the Lump of Clay, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for a while. This cooldown does not occur for Creative Sims or Sims who Like Pottery. Discover University [EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously plays with the Soccer Ball they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for a while. This cooldown does not occur for Sims who Like Fitness or non-Household Sims. Cottage Living [EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously does Cross-Stitch, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for some time. This cooldown does not exist for Sims who Like Cross-Stitching or when it is a preferred interaction for a Club. Lovestruck [EA Forums] Sims will no longer consider playing Thumbs Up or the WooHoo Card Game while in the middle of writing a book on the computer. Adventure Awaits [EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously plays with the Paper Airplane, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again for a while. This cooldown does not occur for Sims who Like Papercrafting. Spa Day [EA Forums] If a Sim autonomously uses the Yoga Mat, they will receive a cooldown on wanting to do this autonomously again right away. This cooldown does not exist for High Maintenance Sims or Sims who Like Wellness. (Sims must be Level 2 to Autonomously use a Yogo mat - previously and still.) The cooldown is removed when leaving the lot, and when it's the preferred interaction for Getaways, Clubs or Small Businesses. Movie Hangout Stuff [EA Forums] A cooldown has been added to the Popcorn Popper so that after it has been used by a Sim that Sim will not want to immediately use it again for some time. Pet & Animal Fixes With two of our Top Community Issues being around animals and pets, we fixed a few other bugs also in this category to provide a better overall experience with these systems. [EA Forums] Animals in the Animal Shed, Chicken Coop, Mini Goats, and Sheep will no longer be multiplied. This was happening when these animals were placed into a Sim inventory, then back in the world, and after that the Sims moved their Household. (Cottage Living, Horse Ranch) General Bug Fixes We addressed a handful of other important issues that were quickly rising, particularly problematic, or easy fixes to get in. Base Game Sims with the Unflirty trait will no longer get the ick when hugged. Placing a painting on the wall and then returning it to the Sim's inventory will no longer result in a Simulation error. Seasons [EA Forums] Flowers will no longer get stuck midair while crafting a Flower Arrangement. For Rent [EA Forums] The "Do Inspection and Maintenance" interaction is now available on broken objects in a Tenant Household for Landlord Sims. Life & Death We've adjusted design elements on some of our swatches for the Ornate Mystery Run which were concerning to some players. Royalty & Legacy [EA Forums] There was an issue where the updated Family Tree could cause wrong connections and overlapping which has now been fixed. [EA Forums] We fixed a crash that could occur when resuming the game after deleting the Capp Household in Ondarion. [EA Forums] Ondarion's Verdemar lot is no longer reversed. Parenthood Child and Teen Sims who grew up in the same Household but weren't related could get the Super Sibling relationship, despite not being related and then could later romance each other. Because we didn't want to prevent stories where children could have possibly been in the same Household at one point while not related and end up in a relationship, we decided to fix this by renaming the relationships to Childhood Besties and Childhood Frenemy. StrangerVille There should no longer be a Script Call Fail error when the Plant Containment Cell is on the lot and the player tries to place other objects. CAS & Build Mode Tagging Updates We had the opportunity to address a large swath of simpler tagging bugs, making CAS and Build Mode sorting more accurate overall. Here are related issues we fixed: Base Game All Makeup that was in the Everyday Category has been added to both Hot and Cold Weather Outfit Category as a sorting option. We've sorted 43 existing items under the Kids Decoration category. Various lights (that were previously considered wall lights) have been sorted into the Lighting > Outdoor Lights Build Mode Category. “Cute Critter Basket” is now sorting under Objects by Function > Kids > Decorations. Updated the swatch color for (yfMakeupLipstick_EF28GlossyLips_RedRuby) to appear more accurate. (yfBottom_SDX040CCHSkirtPleated) will no longer appear for masculine frame Sims. The Pencil Holder object has been additionally sorted into the Clutter Category in Build Mode. The "Wicker-Work Diaper Storage" object is now sorting under Objects by Function > Kids > Kids Furniture. The "Bow, Bow, Bow!" object is now sorting under Objects by Function > Activities & Skills > Life Events. The "Martian Soil" wall pattern is now categorized under the Misc category rather than the Paneling Build Mode Category. The (wall_V_Clapboard02SGBrick_NT_PeachWhiteBrick) and (wall_V_Clapboard02SGBrick_NT_BlueRedBrick) wall patterns are now sorting into Masonry and Siding. The Sycee of the Prosperous Moon, Right Side Up Gnome, and Bob the Butler Fancy Sculpture have been removed from their previous sorting category and are now sorted under Function > Decorations > Sculptures. Multiple We updated a large amount of love seats and benches to properly be identified as "Benches" for lot requirements when placed. Lovestruck We've adjusted the Lovestruck Beard swatches to display in the correct order. (ymBottom_EP16Jeans) will now appear as a Masculine Fashion Choice in CAS filters. (Lovestruck) Life & Death "Perilous Paneling" and "Patterned and Perilous Paneling" now sort into the Paneling category, and "Lunar Reverie" sorts into the Wallpaper category. Enchanted by Nature "Wild Uncanny Cane" plant is now sorted in both Roof Sculptures and Outdoor Plants. Backyard Stuff (yfTop_SP08TeeBoatNeck_GradientPink) no longer sorts as Yellow in CAS filters. (Backyard Stuff) Moschino The "Libearian" bookshelf and the "I’m So Shiny!" surface have been removed from the Sculptures category. Free Holiday Stuff The "Kinara" and "Menorah" light objects are now sorting under Lighting > Table Lamp. "Holiday Snowman" and "Pre-Strung Tree of Lights" are now sorting under Lighting > Outdoor Lighting. Kitchen Clutter All clutter items from the Kitchen Clutter pack are now visible when sorting by the pack filter and looking under the Misc Decorations category in Build Mod's room view. The Forever Friends Event (ymTop_EV0641TankTwistBack_SolidBlackCyan) will no longer appear for masculine frame Sims. The Nature’s Calling Event The Cove Stone - Round, Cove Stone - Flat, and Cove Stone Cluster objects are now sorted in the Outdoor Plants > Rocks category in Build Mode. Updates on Top Community Voted Issues As part of our investigation into Save Corruption, we began gradually relocating Scratch files from the Documents folder to AppData on PC back in January. This change was designed to help prevent conflicts with cloud backup services, and we rolled it out in phases so we could carefully monitor the impact. The transition is now complete for all PC players. Since the roll out has completed, we have observed improvements in Infinite Load occurrences just shy of what we’d classify as a “statistically significant” shift, which is a great step in the right direction and observed improvements thus far are encouraging. Our team continues to investigate other community concerns for future fixes. Please note that some topics can be complicated to replicate and require an extended investigation on our end, so even though we are actively reviewing, it’s not a guarantee that we’ll have an immediate fix for it in the upcoming patch. This includes the following top voted issues: We’ve been working on some “Player Redundancy Solutions” which would add more long term saves in our “Recover Save” feature. We are currently testing these solutions and plan to be providing more information in the future. To learn more about our current implementation of the “Recover Save” feature please see our instructions here. [EA Forums] We've been investigating adding safeguards in the game to check against inappropriate sibling relationships with spouses or fiances. Despite a heavy focus to reproduce the issue, we’re still struggling to reproduce this naturally through gameplay, and the saves we’ve received have the issue already occurring in code (even if it hasn't been updated to UI yet where players can see). This has made it particularly difficult to nail down a preventative fix. These safeguards would fix it after it occurs, rather than preventing it, so we’re being extra careful with our approach for this and need more time and thought to get it right. [EA Forums] [EA Forums][EA Forums][EA Forums][EA Forums] We’ve been investigating a handful of Black Photo/Texture issues that were recently reported after the February Patch. We’ve been able to verify that none appear to be newly introduced issues, with most going back years. This means, most of our recent fixes have made progress towards cutting down on the number of black photo issues that exist in the game. This is important to clarify so we know if we’re breaking things with our fixes or making progress towards fully eliminating all instances. Thankfully, it’s the latter! Each issue has a very unique set of steps to reproduce and as equally unique a fix required. At this time, fixing the remaining Black Photo issues is one of our highest prioritized areas of focus. [EA Forums] [EA Forums][EA Forums][EA Forums][EA Forums][EA Forums][EA Forums][EA Forums][EA Forums][+ More] We know that “Infants” and the experiences you have playing with them are one of the top areas of community concern. We’re currently investigating a bunch of different infant bugs, including: Sims picking up infants from the cribs and putting them down on the ground, “Check Infant” interactions happening too frequently, and more. These are particularly difficult bugs to address, so we’re hoping to be able to make progress and update you on them soon. [EA Forums] Another important community issue is a situation where Build Mode items can become unplaceable, new objects disappear immediately, and existing objects cannot be moved or deleted. We believe we have a fix, but it will still need testing to verify, so stay tuned! [EA Forums] [EA Forums] We’ve also noticed there are an array of comments and posts concerning various, different sleeping issues that are very highly rated with the community. As simulation remains a top area of focus for us, we’re planning to try to address these concerns holistically with another set of fixes pertaining to “Sims sleeping.” For the latest news, follow Sims Direct on X and join our Discord community - we’ll share updates as they’re available. Thank you for your patience and for all the helpful reports. Please keep posting any issues you encounter on The Sims 4 EA Forums. We’ll keep checking in, and together we’ll make this game the best it can be.
Season 3
The Hub What’s in Season 3 The Return to Isle of Grom New Features and Improvements skate.Pass for Season 3 Updated Events Welcome to skate.’s Season 3, starting March 10, 2026, and running until June 2, 2026! Quick highlight of what’s coming in Season 3: New skateable areas: Tri Towers Garage New Challenges: Speedlines Seasonal events: Skate Paddy’s, Grom Event, Creator Challenge New Areas: Isle of Grom New and updated tricks and Skatepedia updates: Dark Tricks New Brand partners: huf and Jenkem Additional cosmetics and customization: Tattoos, more hairstyles New tracks to the soundtrack: 25 new tracks A new skate.Pass (with improvements and tuning), as well as Brands and tattoos in the skate.Pass, and introducing skate.Premium Pass+ Quality of life improvements - Improved Bonelesses, more Replay Editor features (Effects) Bug Fixes (details coming on March 10, 2026 via the 0.30.0 patch notes) With Season 3: Fluid Flashback, we’re “going back” to skateboarding’s first major era, when the sport began to evolve rapidly. Back when polyurethane wheels replaced clay and metal ones, skating became more accessible and appealing. So what’s in Season 3? Parts of the city have gotten a 70s-inspired makeover, featuring new locations to explore (including a skateable shortcut through the Tri Tower Parking Garage and the newly opened Isle of Grom Water Taxi in Hedgemont). We’ve also added enhanced features in the Replay Editor, new tricks, and a large variety of customization—170 skater clothing options, 140 skateboard options (including decks, wheels, trucks, stickers), 13 new gestures, and over 52 tattoos. Fluid Flashback puts the 70s back in focus with vibrant colors and bold designs. The update replaces neon accents with period-inspired hues, expanding these looks across Rolling Waves, The Block Party, House of Rolling Reverence, Eelside Tunnels, The Skateway, and other new skateable areas. We’re also opening up a shortcut through Tri Towers Parking Garage, as a new place to hit a fresh sesh in San Van. The Return of Isle of Grom Like we mentioned in the last Dev Update, we’re headed back to the Isle of Grom. But trust—it’s not the old tutorial spot you remember. The Full Circle crew’s been putting in work, flipping the place with all-new lines and even bigger skate vibes. Hit the Water Taxi in Hedgemont and head over for new Challenges and an updated Isle of Grom. Quick reminder: Season 3 skate.Premium Pass members will be able to hit Isle of Grom early, starting March 10, 2026 until April 14, 2026, and then we’ll hold a grand opening for everyone with a multi-week event on April 14, 2026. After the event ends on May 5, access to Grom will be available through the skate.Premium Pass or via a Water Taxi Day Pass (valid for 24 hours from purchase) using 500 Rip Chips (earnable through completing Challenges and Tasks) per Day Pass. Exact dates are subject to change. We’re really stoked to bring you even more on the island! Get ready for fresh new spots to skate and explore, bigger hills to bomb, and massive gaps to send. We’ve taken inspiration from Skate 2 and 3 to deliver epic spillway action that’s going to blow your mind. Plus, we’ve packed in a ton of Tasks and Challenges to keep you on your toes while you’re out there shredding. And here’s the best part—we’ve got an awesome surprise dropping in April with a special in-game event that everyone can get hyped about and jam together. Get ready to dive in! New Features and Improvements New Mode: Speedlines Similar to Line Challenges, but focuses on moving as fast as possible. There are two types of Speedlines: Technical and Time Trial. Let the best line-for-time videos begin. Speedlines will be available in San Van and on Isle of Grom. Technical Speedlines* You already got a sample of these in Season 1 and 2 as we experimented with them. And now we’ve got them as an actual mode. These speedlines mimic our current line challenges, but they add a time criterion that must also be met. These speedlines aim to combine technical skill with speed, and the challenge for the player is often to complete all other criteria while maintaining their momentum. Time Trial Speedlines* These speedlines will feature multiple time criteria that increase in difficulty. These speedlines try to encourage the player to find the quickest route possible while picking up all the tokens. *Note: Technical and Time Trial are the types of Speedlines, but will not be labelled as such in-game. They will be differentiated by the tasks in the challenges. If you see tricks, it’s Technical. If you see the SVCC times to beat, that’s a Time trial. GO FAST! New Feature: Loadouts Changing your skater’s customization is a lot easier in Season 3, as we’re introducing skater loadouts. You’ll start out with 3 character loadouts to configure, where you can save your skater customization, style, deck setup, gestures, etc. More will be available to purchase via 250 SVB in-game, with a max of 10 slots. New Customization: Tattoos Time to get inked! We’re bringing tattoos to your skater in Season 3, and opening up the Tattoo Parlor in the Extravert Shop. You’ll be able to grab some tattoos through the skate.Pass (Standard and Premium tracks), the in-game rotating shop, and the Tattoo Shop section of the Essentials section of the Extravert store. For the first iteration of tattoos, you can place them on your arms and legs, and you can resize, reposition, and rotate. As this feature continues to expand, we’ll have more details. But first, a quick Q&A from one of the team members who worked on tattoos for skate.: We’re super excited tattoos are coming to skate. in Season 3. What can you tell us about the designs? Well we worked really hard to ensure the design approach matched what you would expect in the real world. We broke down the stenciling process to better understand how to layer color or grayscale, and kept the themes close to what you’d see on flash sheets. We even partnered with a couple amazing Austin-based tattoo artists. Were there any challenges to having realistic tattoos added in game and have them able to be applied to a variety of body shapes, sizes, and skin types? I think the most R&D went into tattoo design was ensuring we did our due diligence for inclusivity. We wanted to make sure we were capturing negative space as skin, which required a fair amount of work from both the teams designing the tattoos and the team implementing them in the engine, to ensure the designs show up on a variety of skin tones in the game. We aimed to offer more than one style of tattoo, from Stick and Poke to American Traditional to Realism to provide a variety of options to accommodate different skin tones and personal preferences. What’s your favorite in-game tattoo design that’s showing up in Season 3? I have three! The Reaper Side and the Four-Eyed Lady are my favorites. They really demonstrate the boldness of American Traditional tattoos, which is my personal preference when I get tattooed. Also, with Fuzzy Scorpion, we really tried to capture the look of a DIY tattoo, good or bad. How many designs are going to be available in Season 3? We have 52 unique tattoo designs throughout Season 3. Do I have to pay for all of the tattoos? What SVB range will they fall into? Will there be tattoo packs available? There are many ways to get tattoos in-game. Default tattoos are available in the character menu, as are earnable or purchasable tattoos through the skate.pass, unlocked as mission rewards, and earnable in our first season event. Currently, there’s no tattoo packs to acquire, but we will keep expanding how we bring tattoos to San Van. Will more placements be available soon? Over time, we would like to expand the number of available tattoo placement slots and offer more options for moving tattoos around. Can you share anything about what’s coming down the pipe with Tattoos? We want to continue bringing on new tattoo artists as we progress. There is a level of authenticity that is invaluable through these partnerships, and it’s been a fun experience to see what each artist comes up with based on a phrase or idea. We’re very excited for everyone to see the UI update in-game. New & Improved Tricks Dark Tricks You asked for them - and have been asking for them - so they’re back: Dark Tricks are coming day one in Season 3. They took a little while, but they are finally here and better than ever. Here’s what you can do starting in Season 3 with Dark Tricks. And you can add some extra steeze by performing Late Dark Tricks - just make sure you land it, or you’ll go sprawling. Dark Catches and Nollie Dark Catches Kickflip Dark Catch / Nollie Kickflip Dark Catch Heelflip Dark Catch / Nollie Heelflip Dark Catch FS Pop-Shuvit Dark Catch / Nollie FS Pop-Shuvit Dark Catch BS Pop-Shuvit Dark Catch / Nollie BS Pop-Shuvit Dark Catch Varial Kickflip Dark Catch / Nollie Varial Kickflip Dark Catch Varial Heelflip Dark Catch / Nollie Varial Heelflip Dark Catch 360 Flip Dark Catch / Nollie 360 Flip Dark Catch Laserflip Dark Catch / Nollie Laserflip Dark Catch Hardflip Dark Catch / Nollie Hardflip Dark Catch Inward Heelflip Dark Catch / Nollie Inward Heelflip Dark Catch FS 360 Pop-Shuvit Dark Catch / Nollie FS 360 Pop-Shuvit Dark Catch BS 360 Pop-Shuvit Dark Catch / Nollie BS 360 Pop-Shuvit Dark Catch 360 Hardflip Dark Catch / Nollie 360 Hardflip Dark Catch 360 Inward Heelflip Dark Catch / Nollie 360 Inward Heelflip Dark Catch Impossible Dark Catch / Nollie Impossible Dark Catch Front Foot Impossible Dark Catch / Nollie Front Foot Impossible Dark Catch Dark Flips Dark Kickflip Dark Heelflip Dark FS Pop-Shuvit Dark BS Pop-Shuvit Dark Nollie Kickflip Dark Nollie Heelflip Darkslides FS Darkslide BS Darkslide FS Dark Lip Slide BS Dark Lip Slide Updated Boneless Tricks Bonelesses have been pretty inconsistent up til now, but we have really improved the responsiveness, reliability, and behavior of boneless tricks when performed from the ground or in transition. Developer’s Note: We needed to make some large changes to how Bonelesses were originally implemented in order to improve their consistency and quality. A side effect of these underlying changes was the removal of some Boneless-specific “pop glitches.” We’re gonna update Skatepedia, so if you need to brush up on your moves or catch some fresh trick tips, it’s all there. Don’t sweat it—just cruise through, catch the vibe, and you’ll be pulling off those tricks like a total pro. Replay Editor Additions and Improvements We’re bringing more features and tools to the Replay Editor in Season 3. With this update to the Replay Editor, we’re hooking you up with new Effects to make your footy look even cleaner. Time to get creative and show off those clips in true style! Effects Tab will allow you to adjust: Exposure - adjust the brightness Color Temperature - cool tones or warm tones to add variety to your clips Color Saturation - increase or decrease the color vibrancy Barrel Distortion - which can help achieve a fisheye lens effect; make sure you’re keeping your lens wide (larger FOV) to really lock it in Vignette - subtle darkening of the edges to draw the viewer’s focus to the center Opacity Size Sharpness More granular volume control Your skater's audio, other skaters' audio, and world ambience Playback speed can now be keyframed, so you can slo-mo one keyframe section, then speed up the next keyframe section Dive in. We can’t wait to see the content you create with the new replay editor features, so share it with us on social and community channels, or drop your videos on skate.REEL for a chance to be featured on our carousel. New Settings and UI Improvements Opt-In Party Collision You’ve asked for collision, and we’re bringing it to parties. When in a party, you’ll be able to toggle collision on/off and let the chaos ensue with your friends. As development continues, we’ll look for other places to bring this fun. The setting is disabled by default in the menus, and collision only occurs if everyone in the party has it enabled. It’s experimental, and there will be bugs - or even some weirdness in the goofy fun of collisions in parties. Throwdowns Notifications for nearby throwdowns with the ability to opt-in or out. Control over what Throwdown notifications you see so you don’t clutter your UI. Sense of Speed Audio Improvements Improved passbys and tunnel transitions End of Challenge Celebration During the celebration screen for Co-Op Challenges, your skater can now gesture and celebrate! Default gesture played = the gesture equipped in your first slot. Player override - You can override the gesture played at any time. Player Activity Visualization Indicators beside the player name when those players are in an activity, in the menu, or away. You’ll know what folks are doing when you roll up to them. Challenges and Tasks Monthly seasonal events aren’t the only thing to do during Season 3. We’ll have 50+ new Seasonal and Event Challenges, plus returning Challenges and Tasks from previous seasons – spread out through Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Event tasks. We’ve also got 3 new OTLs (2 in Isle of Grom and one in Brickswich). Seasonal Challenges Tuning Details Seasonal Challenge Details Season 2 Season 3 Amateur (3 Goals/Challenge) 14/Goal, 42 Total 14/Goal, 42 total Semi-Pro (4 Goals/Challenge) 16/Goal, 64 Total 16/Goal , 64 Total Pro (5 Goals/Challenge) 18-20/Goal (based on difficulty), 90-100 Total 18-20/Goal (based on difficulty), 90-100 Total Total Possible Challenges 30 Challenges, totaling 120 rotations in the season 61 challenges, totaling 149 rotations in the season **skate.Pass Progression in Tix (Standard/Premium)** 19,530/36,826 14,165 / 51,751 skate.Pass Total Tix for Standard/Premium 56,356 65,916 **Max Earnable Tix (Tasks, Challenges, Missions, Daily Grants)** 76,357* (includes OTL) 85,304* (includes OTL and Speedlines) skate.Pass for Season 3 Quick reminder on the skate.Pass: The skate.Pass has two tracks - the Standard (free) and Premium track - where you earn currency called “Tix” each season to exchange for items from the skate.Pass, which you can get via: Daily, Weekly, Monthly Tasks, and Special Event Tasks (including completion bonuses) Seasonal Challenges Own The Lot Tasks and Challenges Daily grants (Premium skate.Pass only) Exchange for San Van Bucks Don’t forget, having the Premium skate.Pass for Season 3 will give you unlimited access to Isle of Grom for the entire season. With Season 3, we're also introducing Thrasher, Vans, and adidas brands into skate.Pass. Each will have an item in the free track and multiple items in the Paid track. skate.Premium Pass can only be obtained from the in-game store during the seasons in which they are released. You’ll always be able to complete the Standard (Free) track without having to purchase the skate.Pass, but you’ll need to upgrade to the Premium track for 1000 SVB to get access to the Premium items, and you’ll be able to continue progressing and unlock rewards for up to one additional Season. Once the following Season ends, you can’t complete progression against the legacy skate.Pass. We’ve also added a new bundle to the skate.Pass: skate.Premium Pass+. For 2000 SVB, you can get the skate.Premium Pass and start off with 4000 Tix to begin unlocking skate.Pass items. Skate.Pass content requires gameplay & all game updates to unlock. Premium and Premium+ content also requires skate.Pass Premium or Premium+ (sold separately). There will also be some SVB discounts on select packs running the first week of Season 3 via the in-game store, platform stores, and webstore.† Check it out! Note: the SVB sale the first week of Season 3 will not stack with EA Play subscription discount. †Offers may vary or change. See retailer site for details. Mar 10-17 Sale Info 2800 SVB Pack - 15% off (sale discount)† 5900 SVB Pack - 20% off (sale discount)† 12000 SVB Pack - 25% off (sale discount)† Reminder: SVB purchases on the skate.Shop gives you 10% extra SVB.** For EA Play subscribers,†† you can also get 10% off any purchase on the skate.Shop, including add-on content packs and SVB purchases. (EA Play discount does not stack with other discounts or sales.) **Bonus based on the cost of the same bundle when purchased in the in-game store. ††Conditions, limitations and exclusions apply. See EA Play Terms for details. So what are the rewards in Season 3? Alright, let’s chat about the Season 3 skate.Pass. Here’s the deal: you’ve got 108 tiers to shred through—31 on the Standard side and 77 if you go Premium. Stack up 26 free cosmetic goodies and 5 SVB tiers on the Standard track, or boost it to 73 cosmetic swag and 4 more SVB tiers with Premium. That’s 99 killer cosmetic items and 9 full tiers of SVB if you go all in: up to 500 SVB once you hit the finish line. We’re talking new board gear - decks, stickers, trucks, griptape, wheels - the works. Plus all kinds of threads for your skater: clothes, shoes, wild costumes, hats, tattoos, even fresh gestures. Don’t forget profile upgrades, like banners and avatars. Get ready to earn it and show it off at every session! What are some of the cosmetics? We’ve got some new cosmetics in the skate.Pass - for both the Standard (Free) and Premium tracks. And don’t forget, we’ve got brands in both tracks for Season 3. The skate.Premium Pass track also has a Premium reward, and this season we’re bringing the Crash Out Costume. And like any crash test dummy, when you crash out, parts go flying. Every season, we’re bringing new brand partners, and we’re stoked to bring huf at the start of Season 3. During the season, we’ll be bringing Jenkem (and more coming later in the season), as well as some refreshes from Thrasher, Vans, Santa Cruz, Creature, Slime Balls, OJ, Chocolate, Girl, Dime, adidas, and Sci-Fi Fantasy. Music As always, we know music is part of the soul of skateboarding, and we’ll be updating the soundtrack by bringing 25 new songs to help drive that 70s vibe into the rotation to get your groove on via Grabster in-game. Judas Priest - Running Wild The Germs - Lexicon Devil Freddie Gibbs, The Alchemist, Anderson .Paak - Ensalada Con Funk Shun - FFUN Eric Burdon & War - Magic Mountain We’ll be dropping the complete list of new music coming to San Van next week, so stay tuned. And, of course, we’ve got Seasonal events and a special in-game Creator Challenges! Events Skate Paddy’s Day Skate Paddy’s is a time-honored tradition with the skate. team, dating back to 2007. We’re expanding the invite to our team party to everyone in San Van. Updated community parks, Tasks/Challenges, and some Skate Paddy’s gear to grab are on the menu. Details to come as we get closer to the event. Isle of Grom Event: Open Access To celebrate the grand opening of Isle of Grom, a few weeks after Season 3 launches, we’ve got a special event open to everyone. We’ll have more details before the event goes live, so stay tuned. Creator Challenges To add to the in-game tasks and challenges, the Full Circle team sat down with a well-known creator to create some challenges (and creator-themed rewards for completing them). These challenges will be available in-game on the Isle of Grom later in the season, and we’ll have more details before the event to talk about them and what you can get for completing them. True to this creator’s style, these will be difficult and will test your skate. mastery. Welcome to Fluid Flashback in San Van, and welcome to Season 3. Keep rollin’, The skate. Teamskate. 0.30.1 Patch Notes
Welcome to the 0.30.1 patch notes! The maintenance period for this patch begins on March 10, 8:55 a.m. PDT, and includes bug fixes, new features, gameplay improvements, and more for all platforms. Originally, this patch was going to be released as 0.30.0, but we had the ability to add a few more bug fixes to address pressing issues, so it will now be released as the new and improved patch 0.30.1. If you haven’t yet, take a look at our Season 3 article to learn more about your Return to Isle of Grom, and new skateable areas, Challenges, Seasonal Events, brands, soundtracks, and more coming to skate. in Season 3. Hub New Features Gameplay Improvements UI Improvements PC Graphics and Performance Updates Bug Fixes New Known Issues for Season 3 New Features Isle of Grom skate.Premium Pass Access Visit the new Ferry Terminal in Blue Light Beach to take the Wet N’ Mild Taxi Co. boat to and from Isle of Grom. For more details about Isle of Grom, visit our Season 3 article. Dark Catches and Darkslides Darkslides and Dark Catches are a fan favorite, returning from previous Skate games with some new improvements. Getting into a Dark Catch is done by holding RB/R1 before or right after performing any flip trick (including Impossible flip tricks from Season 2). Landing into a slide on a rail or ledge while holding a Dark Catch will start a Darkslide, which can now also be leaned and grind adjusted. When exiting, you can Flip Trick out to get some pop with it, or lean exit to ride out smoothly. You'll also find a few new settings to control when and how Dark Catches and Slides are released. Visit Skatepedia for more information about these new tricks. Developer’s Note: After getting the foundational mechanics into a good place, we're excited to add Darkslides and Dark Catches to skate. Similar to our approach with most legacy mechanics, we wanted to ensure Darkslides and Catches feel familiar, are integrated with other new additions to the franchise—such as flip speed control and grind leans—and have been expanded upon to provide more self expression. Tasks Expanded and diversified Tasks, including new varieties that can be completed conveniently while skating. Developer’s Note: We received feedback that some of the previous Tasks were too difficult or tedious to complete. In response, we’re introducing a wider variety of Tasks designed to complement your skating experience, rather than dominate it. Party Collision This feature allows you to collide with others in your party while skating together, adding to the chaos (and fun) of your seshes. Party Collision is disabled by default, but can be enabled in the Settings tab of the Social menu. Developer’s Note: You may experience collision accuracy and timing discrepancies when using this setting. We hope you enjoy this chaotic, but fun, new way to play with your party, and look forward to your feedback. Character Customization Options 4 new Hair and 5 Tattoo options have been added to the Character Customizer. Developer’s Note: 32 ** additional Tattoos can be acquired from Missions, the Skate Paddy’s event, the skate. Pass (Standard and Premium), and the new Essentials Shop. Skater Presets You can now configure up to 3 unique Skater Presets, including appearance and clothing. Additional preset slots can be purchased for 250 San Van Bucks. Maximum 10 slots. Store Up to 5 Product Boxes can now be bought in a single purchase, making your transactions more streamlined. An Essentials Shop was added to the Store, with options for Tattoos, Boards and more. Gameplay Improvements Bonelesses Improved responsiveness, reliability, and behavior of Boneless tricks performed from the ground or transitions. This change also applies to Fastplants and Bean Plants. Developer’s Note: We needed to make some large changes to how Bonelesses were originally implemented in order to improve their consistency and quality. A side effect of these underlying changes was the removal of some Boneless-specific “pop glitches.” Seasonal Missions Some Missions are now only available for the duration of the season they release in. Replay Editor Added an Effects Tab that lets you control Exposure, Color Temperature, Color Saturation, Barrel Distortion, and Vignette (Opacity, Size, Sharpness). Added more granular volume control over your skater's audio, other skaters’ audio, and world ambience. Playback speed can now be keyframed as well. Developer’s Note: Pair the Barrel Distortion effect with a wide Field of View to get that classic Fisheye effect you know and love. UI Improvements Throwdowns A notification system to highlight nearby Throwdowns has been added. You can toggle this feature on via the settings and also control the types of Throwdown notifications you see. Sense of Speed Audio Improvements Improved passbys and tunnel transitions Challenge Celebrations During the celebration screen for Challenges and Throwdowns, your skater’s first equipped Gesture will be played. You can control the Gesture that’s performed by using LB/L1 and the D-pad. Tasks Weekly and Monthly Tasks are now grouped in the UI for increased readability. Player Status A status communicating whether you’re in an activity, menu, or away has been added to the Social and Spectate menu. Store You can now preview items in the Store by hovering over them. We’ve also added a side navigation bar to make browsing the Store more efficient. PC Graphics and Performance Updates Replacing PC benchmark To give you a better PC performance experience, we're updating how we score users Render GPUs and CPUs based on live data. The new scoring system will slot each card into a more accurate global graphics quality tier. This change could potentially move some players up or down in visual quality, in favor of a better performance experience. If you’ve been having performance issues, try resetting your graphics settings to default. Render FPS Adds an explicit 30/60/uncapped FPS render setting. "Uncapped" FPS render setting runs at up to 240 FPS Improves handling of FPS in full-screen mode, particularly when other refresh rates are chosen. V-Sync Defaults V-Sync to ON as we believe this will give most players a better experience. Improves handling of V-Sync in full-screen mode. Minimum global graphics quality New global graphics quality introduced that reduces render settings for devices that don't meet our min spec. Skate PC Min Spec Updates We’ve analyzed our PC min specs and have updated it to ensure a smoother playing experience. Hardware below the minimum specs can still play but will be placed into the minimum global graphics quality. Render GPU High AMD: Changed from Radeon RX 6600 XT to Radeon RX 6700 XT Ultra NVIDIA: Changed from GeForce RTX 3070 Ti to GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Render CPU Low AMD: Changed from AMD Ryzen 3 3100 to Ryzen 3 3300X Medium AMD: Changed from Ryzen 5 3500 to Ryzen 5 3600X High Intel: Changed from Core i7-9700 to Core i7-9700K High AMD: Changed from Ryzen 5 3600 to Ryzen 5 3600XT Ultra Intel: Changed from Core i7-11700 to Core i7-11700K Bug Fixes Gameplay Fixed multiple issues that prevented Neighborhoods from unlocking. Fixed an issue where collision was disabled for Quick Drop Objects placed in Isle of Grom or San Van until you interacted with them. Fixed an issue where Rip Card changes were not saved after rebooting skate. Fixed an issue with how the Playstation progress display appeared. Fixed multiple issues with world collision. Fixed multiple issues where world objects and textures appeared or disappeared unexpectedly. Fixed an issue where switching between tabs while creating your player, and returning to the game, could cause your skater to appear with no limbs. Fixed an issue where VFX would continue to play after performing the Gabber Dance. Fixed an issue where the player would be unable to progress to the San Van portion of the tutorial if subtitles were turned off. Fixed an issue where quickly skipping through cinematics with the Next button caused issues with subtitles. Fixed multiple issues where criteria to complete a Challenge were met but not tracked. Fixed an issue where after teleporting to another player, traffic, pedestrians and the other player may disappear. Fixed an issue where if the player selects Delete All, they are unable to place additional Quick Drop Objects. Fixed an issue where the player can delete another player’s Quick Drop Objects by wedging their item underneath and deleting it. Fixed an issue where an object can become invisible after accessing the Radial Menu quickly. Fixed an issue where the player can be teleported out of bounds when joining a party. Fixed an issue where flickering dots could be visible after changing the game settings to Low Presets. Fixed an issue where the accessibility screen would no longer show during game boot. Fixed multiple issues where game settings would change after a reboot. Fixed an issue where the audio in Party Voice Chat is of lower quality on consoles. Fixed an issue where the Shader Precompilation Progress indicator was missing. Fixed an issue where the lighting in Skatepedia was incorrect. Fixed an issue where Landing Modifiers for Sketchy or Clean do not appear. Fixed an issue where the player would wipe out while performing a handplant if the board direction was changed. Fixed an issue where the game would revert to regular stance, even if goofy was selected during the intro of the game. Fixed an issue where a trick’s sound effect might not play when listening to other players. Fixed an issue where the resolution would change to 640x480 after logging in on PC. Fixed an issue where Board Stickers would not display on PCs with NVIDIA GPUs. Fixed an issue where objects could not pass through the basketball hoop in the Eelside Tunnel. Fixed an issue where party and invite settings would not save correctly. Fixed an issue where timers for Stunt Challenges would only display when there was 20 seconds left. Fixed an issue where challenges would not restart after choosing the Retry option. Fixed an issue where replays would fail to export on PlayStation 5. Fixed an issue where characters would appear to have bloodshot eyes. Fixed an issue where vehicles could spawn on top of players. Fixed an issue where players in Mission dialogue would be excluded from co-op challenge enrollment. Replay Editor Fixed an issue where the Replay Editor would capture stuttering when exporting. Fixed an issue where replays only showed the last 10 seconds of the video, versus the portion with the best trick. Fixed an issue where visual effects from Emotes and Gestures are still visible in the Replay Editor, even with player filtering turned on. Fixed an issue where camera movement and speed is not accurate between keyframes in the Replay Editor. Fixed an issue where rewinding or fast forwarding with the mouse in the replay menu was unavailable. Stability and Performance Fixed various stability and performance issues. Fixed an issue where if the player is in a Challenge and gets pulled into a Co-op Challenge, they are disconnected from the server. Fixed multiple issues where clothing clipped through the skater. Fixed an issue where character models will sometimes stutter when moving onboard or offboard in a busy server. UI Fixed an issue where certain UI elements would disappear after starting a challenge. Fixed an issue where the friends list would not display completely. Fixed an issue where the Store would show grey borders when using an ultrawide monitor. Fixed an issue where the Coffin Air trick would not appear on the score ticker if done in mid-air. Fixed an issue where Stunt Challenge targets would display a Mission Waypoint icon. Fixed an issue where the Double Ground Grab trick would not properly display on the score ticker. Fixed multiple issues where the incorrect item rarity was displayed. Fixed an issue where all Footplant tricks were named inaccurately when skating Regular. Fixed an issue where the purchase button incorrectly displayed Buy text instead of Get More text if you didn’t have enough currency to buy an item. Fixed an issue where Tasks would stop registering, but still show progress in the Tasks UI. Fixed an issue where a notification wouldn’t trigger after events roll over. New Known Issues for Season 3 Below is a list of known issues introduced with Season 3 that are still being investigated. Each week on Tuesdays, we communicate the latest news about known issues in The Weekly Grind. Be sure to check in weekly. Rarely when players enter the Store tutorial, the Social Menu accidentally opens instead, and the controller becomes briefly unresponsive. Scrolling through Session Type options in the Throwdowns menu causes descriptions to mismatch with the selections. The game sometimes crashes when a fourth player joins your Party. Adjusting your video settings on PC can cause other settings to change. After accepting a skate. party invite via Xbox Live or PlayStation Network, the invite reappears after the player is already in the party they were invited to. When travelling as a party to the Isle of Grom, if the party leader has a menu open while the timer is ticking, the timer will get stuck at 0. Workaround: Canceling the queue will resolve this issue. The progression bar sometimes incorrectly tracks your progress during Tasks.
Service Update: Garden Warfare on PS3
Since its launch, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare has brought the Backyard Battleground to life for millions of players. From epic Garden Ops sessions to all-out multiplayer mayhem between Plants and Zombies, this community helped grow something special. Today, we have an important update to share. As we continue updating our online services, we’ve reached a point where the PlayStation 3 version can no longer support the changes we need to make. Because of this, online services for Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare on PlayStation 3 will sunset and be permanently discontinued on April 28, 2026. PS3 was home to many of the earliest backyard battles, and we’re incredibly grateful to the players who’ve been with us since the beginning. The good news is that Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare (and Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2) remain fully playable on PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 (GW), Xbox One, and PC, and are not affected. Players on those platforms can continue the fight between Plants and Zombies without interruption. To our Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare players who have supported us since the early days on PS3, thank you for your longstanding support. Your battles, strategies, and backyard moments mean everything to us. FAQ Section : Which platforms are affected? PlayStation 3 only. Will PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC be affected? No. The game will continue to be playable on those platforms. When will the change happen? April 28, 2026. Will players be able to transfer progress to the corresponding Gen 4 platform? (ex PS3 to PS4) No. Will players be able to play offline once the game is sunset? No. Will entitlement be migrated to not-sunset platform? No.Battlefield 6 - Community Update - Battle Royale Solos Testing Live Now
Hey everyone, This weekend, we’re putting Battle Royale to the test. From March 6 at 12:00 UTC (7:00 AM EST / 4:00 AM PST) through March 9, Battle Royale Solos is available through a new Battlefield Labs section directly in the live game. There is no separate client or additional download required. Just launch Battlefield 6, head to the Battlefield Labs section, and deploy onto the battlefield. Battlefield Labs Battlefield Labs has always been our space for experimentation. With Battle Royale Solos, the dynamics of coordination and pacing shift completely. Every engagement is personal. Every rotation matters. Every vehicle encounter carries a different weight. By bringing this test into the live environment, we’re able to evaluate the experience at scale and understand how Battle Royale holds up when there are no teammates to rely on. Our focus during this test includes: How does the pacing feel in a true one versus everyone format? How do vehicles influence the flow and overall balance? Are missions and progression appropriately tuned for solo play? Do class roles retain clear identity and value without squad support? As with all Battlefield Labs experiences, this mode is experimental and subject to change based on what we observe and learn. Because this specific test is running inside the live game, there is no NDA for this test window. You are free to stream, post clips, and share feedback on your experience throughout the weekend. Please note that all other Battlefield Labs playtests and discussions remain under NDA unless otherwise stated. How Battle Royale Solos Differs Battle Royale Solos removes the safety net that squads provide. Compared to Duos and Quads: There are no squad revives. Redeploy towers are disabled. Class Training Path XP requirements scale for solo pacing. Missions are tuned for single-player completion, with reduced objective requirements, faster completion times, and adjusted rewards. Squad-oriented loot such as Mobile Respawns and Defibrillators have been removed from the loot pool. Vehicles, including tanks, remain enabled for this test. Part of our goal is to understand how combat vehicles impact pacing, survivability, and endgame dynamics when every player is operating alone. We’ll be closely reviewing feedback around vehicle balance, mission flow, perk impact, and overall feel. Because this is a test build, you may notice that some UI elements and voice-over lines still reference squad-based language. Due to recording and localization timelines, not all VO has been adapted for solo play in this build. Your Feedback Matters After playing, you’ll find a survey in the main menu next to the Battle Royale Solos test tile. That feedback goes directly to the team, so we strongly encourage you to share your thoughts there. You can also join the conversation in our official Battlefield Discord, where we will be reviewing your discussions throughout the weekend. This is Battlefield Labs at work, putting new ideas into your hands, learning from your experiences, and building the future of Battlefield together. Jump into testing now. See you on the Battlefield. //The Battlefield Team This announcement may change as we listen to community feedback and continue developing and evolving our Live Service & Content. We will always strive to keep our community as informed as possible.
Battlefield 6 – Season 2 Official Gameplay Trailer
Season 2 deploys February 17 across Battlefield 6 and REDSEC. Prepare for high-intensity combat as the conflict escalates in Extreme Measures. This season introduces: New Map: Contaminated – A sprawling battlefield shaped by chaos and close-quarters pressure. NATO Airbase Assault – Fight through the mountains of Germany to reclaim a former stronghold. VL-7 Psychoactive Smoke – A battlefield-altering element that distorts visibility and tactics. Three New Weapons Two New Gadgets Return of the AH-6 Little Bird Adapt. Survive. Escalate. Watch the Season 2 Intro Cinematic here: Battlefield 6 Season 2 Intro Cinematic
Introducing The Sims Maker Program and The Sims 4 Marketplace
From the beginning, The Sims has been shaped by our community. This includes custom content creators, whose work helps players make every Sim, and every build, feel more personal. We’re celebrating that creativity with the launch of The Sims Maker Program, alongside The Sims 4 Marketplace, a new in-game platform designed to support custom content creators, help more players discover their work alongside all The Sims 4 content. Here’s how it all comes together: The Sims Maker Program is a new initiative that allows creators who specialize in custom content to publish officially to The Sims 4 in-game Marketplace. This introduces new ways for them to earn while bringing fresh content to all players around the globe, across every platform. The Sims 4 Marketplace is a brand-new in-game destination where players can discover, purchase, and play with official Maker Packs, as well as Expansion Packs, Game Packs, Stuff Packs and Kits created by The Sims team. Moola is The Sims 4 virtual currency that can be used to make purchases of both Maker Packs and The Sims 4 Kits in the Marketplace. Purchases of Maker Packs support the Makers. The Sims 4 Marketplace launches in-game on PC and Mac on March 17, 2026. The feature will roll out to PlayStation and Xbox players in the next couple of months. This is an intentional evolution of a multi-year strategy to support custom content creators, expanding from co-developed Kits to Creator Kits and now The Sims 4 Marketplace and the Maker Program. This has all been thoughtfully built over the past few years to expand the reach and celebrate these incredible creatives. Let’s Talk About the Makers and The Maker Program At the heart of the new in-game Marketplace are the Makers. Makers are community specialists who design custom content to help you express yourself in new ways. They bring new perspectives and ideas inspired by how they love to play. Through the The Sims Maker Program, accepted Makers can earn by publishing new creations directly to the Marketplace, reaching Simmers around the world through an officially supported platform. Makers have creative ownership of their work and decide how their content is packaged and priced, within the Marketplace guidelines. Their creations are offered as Maker Packs, which are Create a Sim and/or Build/Buy items created by a Maker. Makers are supported with our new Maker Suite, which provides official tools, resources, and clear guidelines to make sure their content is compatible and plays smoothly in The Sims 4, all while staying true to their individual style and creative vision. All Maker content is reviewed to meet The Sims’ safety and community standards, guided by our Positive Play Charter. While Maker content may look different from content made by The Sims team, that difference reflects the creative freedom Makers have to express their unique style. If you’re interested in becoming a Maker, you can apply through the Maker Program starting March 5, 2026 and submit content for review. More details on the Maker Program, including information on revenue share, can be found in the below FAQ. What Is The Sims 4 Marketplace? The Marketplace brings Maker-made content into a trusted, officially supported platform, available directly in-game in The Sims 4. Inside the Marketplace, you’ll find Maker Packs, including Create a Sim items, Build/Buy pieces, and themed collections. The Sims 4 Packs and Kits will also be available on the Marketplace. When you purchase Maker Packs, you are supporting the Makers behind it. Recognizing the time, care, and creativity they bring to The Sims, your purchases provide an official, structured way for Makers to earn revenue from their work. The Marketplace is fully integrated into The Sims 4, making it easier than ever to play with new content. Curated collections and improved discovery tools help you find creations that match your playstyle. With seamless loading, you can add Maker-made content and The Sims 4 Kits into your game without worrying about compatibility or restarting. The Marketplace does not replace free content. Makers may continue to offer free or paid early access custom content and mods on other platforms under our mod policy. However, content made available elsewhere is not eligible for sale through the Marketplace. The Gallery and Base Game updates will also continue to offer free creations, features, and improvements for all players, just as they do today. Moola Supports Makers The introduction of Moola, a virtual currency, allows The Sims 4 to support Maker content that is available to all players across every platform. It provides a safe, simple, and secure way to purchase Maker Packs while enabling Makers to release new content on a regular cadence. You’ll be able to purchase Moola through your preferred platform store. Once in your wallet, you can use it in the Marketplace to purchase and download Maker Packs, as well as Kits created by The Sims team. Players can still purchase official Expansion Packs, Game Packs, Stuff Packs through their platform’s Marketplace with standard currency, just not with Moola. More Choice for Players, From Your Favorite Makers Creative freedom, accessibility, and trust have always been central to The Sims. By giving Makers an official place to share their work, and giving you an easy way to discover and support it, the Marketplace stays true to the values that have shaped The Sims for decades. For the first time, players on console will be able to access official custom content directly in-game. At its core, the Marketplace is all about giving you more choices, and supporting the Makers whose creativity continues to shape how we all play The Sims. As The Sims continues to evolve, our focus remains the same: celebrating self-expression and building the future together as a community. We can’t wait to see what you and our amazing Maker community create next. The Sims 4 Marketplace launches in-game on PC and Mac on March 17, 2026. The feature will roll out to PlayStation and Xbox players in the next couple of months. Marketplace is brand-new to The Sims 4, and we’re rolling it out in phases to ensure stability and deliver a smooth, high-quality experience for everyone. We’ll share more details on the console release soon. When the Marketplace goes live on PC and Mac, Kits will move out of existing storefronts and become exclusively available in the in-game Marketplace for Moola. Any Kits you already own will remain in your library and ready to play. For console players, this change will happen when the Marketplace launches on your platform, and we’ll share updates ahead of time so you know what to expect. If you have questions or want to learn more, check out our FAQ below and join the conversation on our official The Sims Discord and The Sims Forums. Marketplace FAQ What is The Sims 4 Marketplace? The Marketplace is the official in-game storefront for The Sims 4, where players can discover and purchase downloadable content, including Maker Packs created by approved Sims Makers, as well as Expansion Packs, Game Packs, Stuff Packs, and Kits created by The Sims team. What's happening to Kits? When the Marketplace launches on PC and Mac on March 17, 2026, Kits will become exclusively available in the in-game Marketplace. Any Kits you already own will remain in your library and ready to play. For console players, this change will happen when the Marketplace arrives on your platform, and we’ll share updates ahead of time. Moving Kits into the Marketplace ensures that we can continue releasing new content without hitting technical or storage limitations. What do players need to access the Marketplace? All players must be online while playing The Sims 4 to access the Marketplace. You can still play The Sims 4 offline, but the Marketplace will be unavailable except for viewing your Collection. When does The Sims 4 Marketplace launch and what platforms are the Marketplace available on? The Sims 4 Marketplace launches in-game on PC and Mac on March 17, 2026. Marketplace will roll out to PlayStation and Xbox players in the next couple of months. Why is Xbox and PlayStation coming later than PC and Mac? Marketplace is a brand-new feature for The Sims 4. We’re taking a phased approach to ensure stability and deliver a smooth, high-quality experience for players on every platform. We appreciate your patience and look forward to bringing Marketplace to console very soon. What regions is the Marketplace available in? The Marketplace is available in regions where The Sims 4 is currently supported, subject to local regulations and platform requirements. Is the Marketplace replacing free updates or the Gallery? Free Base Game updates and The Sims 4 Gallery will continue as usual. Is Marketplace content safe to use? Yes. All Marketplace content is human-reviewed to help ensure it’s safe, compatible, and appropriate for the game’s rating. What is a Maker Pack? A Maker Pack is a curated collection of Create a Sim and/or Build/Buy items created by a Maker. Maker Packs can contain anywhere from 3 to 50 assets and will be purchased with Moola. Both cost and amount of assets are determined by the Maker. Who can create and sell items on the Marketplace? Only Makers accepted into The Sims Maker Program can create, share, and earn revenue on the Marketplace. Does buying Marketplace content support Makers? When you purchase Maker Packs, you’re supporting the Makers who created that content. Can Marketplace content be gifted or shared? No. Marketplace content purchased with Moola cannot be gifted or transferred to other players. If I purchase any Expansion Packs, Stuff Packs, or Game Packs on the Marketplace, do I need to restart my game? Yes. Any purchases of Expansion Packs, Stuff Packs, or Game Packs will require a game restart. Maker Packs and Kits purchased with Moola do not require a restart. Are microtransactions, subscriptions and/or battle passes coming to The Sims 4? There are no plans to require additional purchases to enjoy the game or introduce a subscription service or battle pass to The Sims 4. The Sims 4 will continue to be a game with a mix of free base game updates and optional DLC, so you can choose what’s right for your playstyle. Maker FAQ Who are Makers? Makers are skilled custom content creators who have been accepted into the official Sims Maker Program. Their content is reviewed, moderated, and supported by The Sims team. What is The Sims Maker Program? The Sims Maker Program is an official program for custom content creators who specialize in creating Create a Sim and Build/Buy items for The Sims 4 using official tools supported by The Sims team. Who can become a Maker? Aspiring Makers can apply if they meet the following requirements: Be 18 years of age or older. Not reside in an EA-embargoed region. Be proficient in English (communication will be in English). Be in good standing with EA’s User Agreement. Successfully complete a Technical Evaluation by submitting two assets for review. Applications open March 5, 2026. More details on The Sims Maker Program can be found here. What is the difference between custom content creators and Makers? Custom content creators are anyone who creates custom content for The Sims. Custom content creators may distribute their content outside the game in accordance with our mod policy. Makers are custom content creators who participate in the official Maker Program and are authorized to publish approved content on the in-game Marketplace. How do Makers create content for the Marketplace? Makers use official tools supported by The Sims team to create Marketplace-ready content that meets technical, quality and content standards. Using The Sims Maker Suite, Makers create collections (Maker Packs) and submit them for review. Makers decide the size and value of each pack, however, there are limitations. Are there content restrictions? Yes. Approved Makers must follow the Maker Content Policy, which outlines content, legal and technical requirements. All content must be created using supported stencils to ensure compatibility. What content guidelines will Makers need to follow, and could these restrict creative freedom? The Sims team supports the creative freedom of all Makers. Makers will receive and comply with a Content Policy outlining common-sense guidelines and legal requirements. As long as their creations comply with that policy, meet our technical requirements, align with The Sims’ age ratings (ESRB, PEGI, etc.), and do not infringe on third-party intellectual property, they are free to create using the supported tools within the Maker Suite. How is content reviewed? All Marketplace content is human-reviewed before release to help ensure it’s safe, playable, and appropriate for the game’s rating, guided by The Sims’ Positive Play Charter. Can Makers publish on multiple platforms? Yes. Publishing through the Marketplace allows Makers to reach players across PC, Mac and consoles through a fully integrated in-game storefront. How do Makers earn money? When players purchase Maker Packs in the Marketplace, Makers earn from those purchases through the official Sims Maker Program. Makers choose their own pack sizes and prices (within the Marketplace guidelines), and are empowered to determine the value of their content. What is the revenue share? Makers take home approximately 30% of the Moola from their Pack sales. That means for every 100 Moola someone spends on their content, they earn 30 cents USD. The Sims is covering all costs and fees associated with publishing, including overhead costs such as platform fees, VAT taxes, server costs, and other transactional expenses, which may vary by platform. In addition to covering the publishing fees, The Sims’ reinvests in the Maker community, supporting Makers, improving tools and resources available to them, funding human-led quality verification, as well as ensuring every Maker Pack is translated into all 18 supported languages. Can Makers continue to post custom content on other platforms? Makers may continue to offer free or paid early access custom content and mods on other platforms. However, content made available elsewhere is not eligible for sale through the Marketplace. All rules and regulations around custom content and mods published outside of The Sims Maker Program can be found here. Is support available for Makers? Yes. Makers have access to documentation, clear content guidelines, and dedicated support to help them navigate the publishing process. Moola FAQ What is Moola? Moola is a virtual currency designed specifically for The Sims 4 and is used exclusively for Marketplace purchases. You can use it in the Marketplace to purchase and download Maker Packs and Kits from The Sims team. Players can still purchase Expansion Packs, Game Packs and Stuff Packs through their platform’s Marketplace with standard currency, just not Moola. How much does Moola cost? Moola is available in multiple purchase options, with prices varying by region and platform. $2.49 USD for 200 Moola $4.99 USD for 500 Moola $9.99 USD for 1,000 Moola $24.99 USD for 2,600 Moola $49.99 USD for 5,500 Moola Why is The Sims introducing a virtual currency? Moola provides a simple, consistent, and secure way for players to purchase Marketplace content in-game across platforms and regions. At the same time, it supports a creator-driven Marketplace by helping ensure reliable payouts to Makers and sustainable support for their work. Can Moola be earned through gameplay? No. Moola is purchased and used exclusively for Marketplace. Why not allow direct real currency purchases instead of Moola? Moola helps make buying Maker content quick and seamless directly in-game, without extra steps or redirects. It also allows us to support a much larger and more frequently updated catalog of Maker Packs than traditional store listings. Using virtual currency works more smoothly across platforms and regions, keeps pricing consistent for players worldwide, and helps ensure Makers are paid fairly and reliably. It also enables us to deliver new Maker content at the scale and pace Makers want. Does Moola work across platforms? Moola can be used across the same platform family. For example, Moola purchased on the EA app will also be available when playing on Steam or Epic Games. However, Moola does not transfer between different platform families, such as PlayStation and Xbox. Is Moola refundable? No, Moola is not refundable. Can Moola be transferred, traded, or gifted? No, Moola cannot be transferred, traded or gifted. Can Marketplace content be gifted to other players? No. Maker Packs and Kits purchased with Moola cannot be gifted to other players.
