According to EA, The Sims 4 gamers logged an astounding 1.4 billion hours of gameplay in 2022, with players of the perhaps most well-known life simulation game creating even more Sims this year than last. The Sims 4 became a free game in October, making it a banner year for the franchise. We also got a sneak peek at the upcoming game in October before it was released in early access.
EA reports in its end-of-year breakdown that “Simmers spent 1.4 billion hours in The Sims 4 creating 18.5% more Sims characters than in 2021.” There were of course plenty of reasons to dive into the character creator in 2022 – not only did the game become available to more players than ever thanks to its free-to-play transition, but the Sims 4 customisable pronouns update allows players to alter their characters’ gender identity and pronouns, as well as their romantic and sexual preferences.
We also saw several notable updates to the game in 2022, with The Sims 4 Werewolves expansion jumping out as a particularly dramatic addition to the cast of Occult Sims that you can assign your characters as, or turn into under the right conditions.
The announcement of The Sims: Project Rene likely also encouraged many players to return to the latest mainline edition – the project is essentially the initial stages of what is likely to turn into a Sims 5, and is already being tested in limited capacity by members of the community as EA aims to build it with the help of Sims fans. You can read our The Sims: Project Rene interview for more on what the team hopes to achieve with early access and improved diversity options and creation tools in the next game.
If you want to join the crowd, you can download The Sims 4 for free. Whether you’re jumping in for the first time or a veteran player, the best Sims 4 mods offer plenty of great ways to improve your game, and our guide to the best Sims 4 CC should help you find some of the best custom content packs and creators to further enhance your experience.