EA announced today that The Sims 4 will go free-to-play, following the F2P wave happening in most live service games nowadays. The Sims 4 was low on my list of games likely to go free-to-play, so this fun turn of events means I’ll be able to live out my Sims dreams of raising a beautiful family only to trap them in a burning house. Of course, there are normal ways to play The Sims 4 as well, and you can just do that too.
Starting on October 18, the base version of The Sims 4 will go free-to-play for all players. This means that console players, Epic Games fanatics, or Steam shoppers can download the game completely for free. This does not mean that the endless list of DLC options for the game is going free-to-play with it. That’s a lot of DLC to buy individually, which can cost just about $984 if you get each pack individually on Steam.
A new free life
Players who already own the base game will be rewarded, however. Players can claim the new Desert Luxe Kit from September 14 through October 17, which will allow you to place your Sims in a luxurious oasis. And if you are playing The Sims 4 through services such as EA Play or EA Play Pro, you’ll get some other expansion packs for free. Regular EA Play members will get to use The Sims 4 Get To Work Expansion Pack, while EA Play Pro members will get The Sims 4 Toddler Stuff Pack for free as well.
More information about the new free-to-play model for The Sims 4 will be available on October 18 during a special developer stream “The Behind The Sims Summit.” You can catch this stream at 1 PM ET on The Sims‘ official Twitch channel. Otherwise, if you’re interested in the Desert Luxe pack, you can still buy The Sims 4 for $19.99 USD on Steam.
