The Sims 4 remaster rumoured and fans are cautiously optimistic

Rumours have spread of EA planning a full remaster of The Sims 4 that will feature improved graphics.

Thanks to the continued success of The Sims 4, with players having sunk more than a decade’s worth of time and money into it, EA has decided it’s best not to make a proper sequel and forcefully uproot its player base.

Instead, the stated goal is to expand upon the core Sims experience with new projects, such as multiplayer spin-off Project Rene, while also continuing to support The Sims 4 with updates and additional DLC.

And yet rumours have spread of EA releasing an upgraded version of The Sims 4, even if it’s unclear how compatible the suggested remaster would be with the current version.

Fan site Sims Community has collated multiple comments from various Sims influencers, that it believes are teases of a Sims 4 remaster, with SimmerDan alleging that Project Rene will become a central platform for all future Sims experiences, including The Sims 4.

Sims Community directly messaged SimmerDan to glean any further info, and they responded with the claim that EA and developer Maxis intend to replace The Sims 4 wholesale with this remaster.

‘From what I know, they’re going to improve the lighting and rework all the graphics,’ they claimed. ‘They’re using elements from Project Rene and the large-scale update for The Sims 4 that they originally wanted to release – but then realised it would be easier to just make a separate new base game.’

Since then, other fans on X have shared info about this supposed remaster. Lunar_britney has called it a ‘rewrite’ of The Sims 4 but also insinuated that it won’t be free-to-play, like the current version.

In response, GlitchGuard90 also claims to know something about the project, suggesting that it will include open neighbourhoods, allowing you to visit other lots without encountering a loading screen.

There’s no substantial evidence any of this is true, but judging by fan reactions it’s an idea people actively welcome. ‘Personally, I think this is a really smart move (for once lol),’ reads a Reddit post by GracefulExalter.

‘The game’s engine is over a decade old, and it’s unsustainable. If they rebuild the game using something like Unreal Engine (think Fortnite and most modern titles), the game would run and look like a game that belongs in the year 2025 and beyond.’

That post has received over 700 upvotes, at time of writing, although the top comment is by faintestsmile, who isn’t bothered by The Sims 4’s graphics but agrees the game is in need of an upgrade.

‘They do need to do something because the base game we have is not sustainable and even though more recent expansions have gotten a lot better, I suspect they are reaching a dead end with how much further they can push,’ they wrote.

Looking through the comments, this seems to be a commonly held opinion, as many fans are upset that The Sims 4 continues to be plagued by bugs. So much so, that they argue it needs a complete overhaul and not just more patches.

The real question, though, is whether the current Sims 4 playerbase will need to pay extra for the privilege of accessing this alleged remaster. The current game shifted to a free-to-play model in 2022 and makes its money through DLC.

Would players’ progress automatically transfer to the remaster at no extra cost? Or would they need to start from scratch and buy all the DLC again? The latter would undoubtedly be an extremely unpopular move but would you put it past EA?

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