Somewhat unbelievably, this February marks The Sims series’ 25th anniversary – that’s a whole two and a half decades of “yibs”, “neibs”, and mysterious “incidents” involving suddenly ladder-less swimming pools – and EA is celebrating the occasion with a whole bunch of activities, including free updates, limited-time events, paid DLC, and more.
The Sims’ quarter anniversary celebrations officially begin on 4th February, with a “huge” free The Sims 4 update introducing over 70+ new items spanning both Create a Sim and Build Buy modes. There’s talk of turtlenecks and bodysuits, bike shorts, accessories, and hairdos. New furnishings, meanwhile, include “stylish” windows and doors, wood finishes for kitchen cabinets, and even a new playground pirate ship for the young ‘uns.
Additionally, 4th February sees the launch of The Sims 4’s new limited-time Blast from the Past event, presenting players will four weeks of challenges unlocking “iconic items from the 2000s”, including a milk carton, telephone, alarm clock, birthday cake, and inflatable chairs. The Sims FreePlay is getting a similarly themed event on mobile, then, to wrap up the series’ 4th February festivities, EA is hosting a 25-hour livestream from 10pm GMT. This’ll feature Simmers and other special guests for a nostalgic look at The Sims’ impact over the years.
That’s not everything within The Sims’ 25th anniversary orbit, however. Hurtling forward to 18th March, the recently released MySims: Cozy Bundle – which contains beloved Wii series spin-offs MySims and MySims Kingdom – is making the jump from Switch to PC. And before that, there’s another free update out today.