Despite a long period of speculation, fans haven’t really been able to put much together about The Sims 5. We know that it’s most likely being developed under the working title Project Rene, but other than that and a few bits and pieces here and there, things have been pretty thin on the ground. That may be about to change, as EA has posted a blog article detailing what’s next for the series and a invite-only playtest for Project Rene will be kicking off sooner, rather than later.
In a post titled ‘The Future is Plumbob Green,’ EA details a few things The Sims players can expect in the near future. These range from confirmation that a movie based on the life game series is being made, some community packs with assets made by fans, and some more enticing nuggets. The big news, however, is that The Sims 5, aka Project Rene, is going to be getting a small, limited-invite playtest rather soon. Given our Sims 5 release date estimate has the game arriving most likely during 2026, this comes as somewhat of a surprise.
There still isn’t much information forthcoming about exactly what form Project Rene will take, with EA only describing it as being “focused on building ways for friends to meet, connect, and share while playing together in an all-new world.” This could mean a variety of things, from a huge paradigm shift for the series to a Pokémon Go-style offshoot. What we do know is that it will allow The Sims fans to play games with each other, as EA states that it is a “multiplayer experience that explores joining friends and other players at a shared location”.
The Sims 5 Project Rene playtest is scheduled to run sometime during Fall 2024. There’s no exact date for when in Fall this will occur, but interested players can register to get a chance to play via EA’s playtest program, The Sims Labs.
Should that all be too long to wait, our guides to the best simulation games and the best upcoming PC games will ensure you’re clued up on the top titles out there you can either play or add to your wishlists.
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