Summary
- The Sims 4 runs on various platforms, making it accessible to a wide range of players, while newer games may require upgraded hardware.
- Although The Sims 4 had a rocky start with bugs, it has improved over time, whereas newer games would likely have similar issues upon release.
- The unique Simlish language adds to the immersion of The Sims 4, while competitors may struggle with character dialogue that could break immersion.
Horse Ranch, came out a few months ago in July 2023. But whether they wait anxiously for every single new release or content themselves with the base game and a wealth of player-created content, The Sims 4's most ardent devotees have become inextricably attached to the game in the near-decade since its release.
But there are some worrying developments on the horizon. The Sims developer Maxis has announced something tentatively called Project Rene, believed to be the working title for The Sims 5. Paradox, the developer behind such intricately detailed historical simulators as Crusader Kings, Victoria, and Hearts of Iron, also has a similar project in the works: Life by You, which could be competition for The Sims 4. In the face of all that, can The Sims 4 continue to stand the test of time? Here are ten reasons to believe so.
10 Ways Life By You Will Make You Give Up Sims 4 (& 1 Way It Won't)
The Sims 4 has long dominated the simulation market, but some of the features in the game Life by You could offer serious competition.
10 The Sims 4 Runs On Anything
Including MacOS, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, And Xbox Series X/S
It's partially only the case because the game is a decade old at this point, but The Sims 4 runs on virtually every platform available today. It works even on low-end PCs, has a macOS release, and is available for current- and previous-gen consoles. By contrast, newer games are developed with up-to-date hardware in mind. What's more, a console release for The Sims 5 could be even further from a PC release, and there don't seem to be any plans yet to release Life by You on any other platforms. Players of The Sims 4 with lower-end PCs might not be technically able to upgrade to a shiny, new game.
9 The Sims 4 Has A Better Track Record With Bugs
It Was Buggy On Release, But Has Since Improved
It'd be an understatement to say The Sims 4 has a big problem with bugs, but it has improved over the years. Any new release of a similar scope would also have a ton of bugs at launch, but the developers would have less experience in fixing them. As a result, it could easily take months after launch for The Sims 5 or Life by You to even become playable, especially since Life by You is coming out first in early access. And in the meantime, many will get their life sim fix by continuing to play The Sims 4.
8 Hearing Anything But Simlish Feels Wrong
Life By You Will Have Real Dialogue, But Won't Be Fully Voiced
It's jarring to imagine Sims speaking anything but Simlish. Naturally, The Sims 5 will probably continue that series tradition, but competitor Life by You will take a different route. Life by You will have fully legible dialogue, but it won't be fully voice acted; instead, characters will make emotive noises to go along with written lines. That has the potential to break immersion, as Life by You characters could easily say something out of character. Simlish, being both similar to English and mutually unintelligible with it, has the benefit of open interpretation.
7 It's Always Possible To Come Back To The Sims
Doesn't Everyone Play The Sims 4 In Bursts?
It's not uncommon to go through phases with The Sims 4: play it almost every single day for a month or two straight, forget about it for half a year, then jump right back in like nothing ever happened. So what's to stop even those who move on from coming back to The Sims 4 later? With cloud saves backing up progress even for those who delete the game's files, returning to dropped games is easier than ever before. A new, irresistible DLC could easily bring players flocking back to The Sims 4.
Did you know The Sims was first released on February 4, 2000? Created by American designer Will Wright, it's a part of the SimCity franchise and was published by Maxis and Electronic Arts.
6 The Sims 4's UI Takes Some Getting Used To
And The Sims 5's Could Be Worse
It takes a little doing to get used to The Sims 4's interface, but after spending some time with it, it's actually pretty intuitive. Dropping The Sims 4 for another life sim means learning to work a new UI, and having to frantically Google how to move objects up in The Sims the next time they pick it up. Plus, The Sims 5 and Life by You could easily use more complicated menu systems that are even harder to understand.
5 The Sims 4 Has Tons Of Guides
There Are Thousands Of Sims 4 Builds To Recreate
Another advantage The Sims 4 has over other life simulators is the sheer volume of resources available for it. There are thousands of guides, builds, and challenges to take on (if not more), so it's never difficult to tackle a new goal. If a competitor were to be released today, it'd take a decade to garner as many resources as The Sims 4 - and that's assuming it would have as expansive and devoted a player base from the beginning.
4 The Sims 4 Has A Decade's Worth Of Mods, DLC, And Custom Content
It'd Take Life By You Years To Catch Up
But for those who prefer to simply what others have done instead of creating on their own, The Sims 4 has an advantage in a decade's worth of DLC, mods, and custom content. As a result, no two playthroughs ever have to be the same. Realistic Sims 4 mods, fantastical Sims 4 mods, custom hairstyles, clothing, and homeware for every imaginable aesthetic: with the wealth of content available, it's possible to recreate almost every aspect of the human experience in The Sims 4. Even the most ambitious follow-up would pale in comparison.
3 Maxis Will Continue To The Sims 4
The Sims 5 Won't Be A Replacement
Maxis has announced that Project Rene won't completely replace The Sims 4: the two games will exist in conjunction, and new content will be developed for both at the same time. It's not totally clear how that'll work. But whether Sims 4 saves can be ported over into Sims 5 or the two will simply coexist as separate, but related games, there's still plenty on the horizon for The Sims 4. With continued from Maxis, gameplay won't get stagnant any time soon.
2 Giving Up The Sims 4 Has Generational Concerns
Abandoning It Means Leaving Behind Generations Of Sim History
The most devoted players of The Sims 4 have Sims family histories that go back for generations. Carefully curated homes that have been remodeled and expanded to suit changing needs, countless births and deaths, soap opera stories that stretch on for decades: a long-term run of The Sims 4 can be epic in nature, and giving up on the game means leaving that all behind.
1 Players Have Spent Too Much Time And Money On The Sims 4 To Give Up
A Fresh Start Is Nice, But There's Something To Be Said For Sims 4 History
The Sims 4 is an investment. There are countless expansion, game, and stuff packs, and buying absolutely everything for The Sims 4 could cost hundreds of dollars. The most involved players have easily spent thousands of hours getting everything just right in their games. No matter how good The Sims 5 or Life by You looks, it's nearly impossible to justify letting all that blood, sweat, and tears go to waste. Many players will simply keep playing The Sims 4 because they have too much to lose by stopping.
So everyone's trapped in the ninth circle of Sims 4 hell, and will remain that way for good. But it's not all bad: there are plenty of expansions to explore, and new custom content is still coming out every day. No matter what Maxis and Paradox have planned for the future, The Sims 4 is here to stay.
