The Sims Project Rene just dropped down my wanted list, but EA's "next evolution" promises to take its place

What does 2026 hold for The Sims 4 and long-teased spinoff Project Rene? Developer Maxis and publisher EA are seemingly cooking up some big plans for the coming months and years, and there's probably some good and bad news depending on what brings you to the series. Personally, confirmation that Project Rene has now "evolved" into a social-focused, mobile-first game gets away from what I'm after. But the team says it's "committed to single-player life simulation experiences," and that's where we'll see the "next evolution" of The Sims.

Part of the beauty of The Sims 4 and its predecessors is that they offer something different for everyone. I've largely treated the life games as a sort of single-player, role-playing experience where I take my one chosen Sim through the years, gradually scraping together funds and building up from nothing. Meanwhile, I've had roommates sitting across the hall who immediately give themselves infinite money, orchestrate a dream mansion, and spend hours playing matchmaker with a huge cast of custom characters and lovingly recreated famous faces.

As EA and Maxis look ahead to the coming year, they've finally made official what we've increasingly suspected: "Project Rene has evolved into a social, collaborative, mobile-first life-sim game." It's long maintained that the newcomer "is not the successor to The Sims 4," and goes one step further here by stating that it's "a separate experience from any future deep, single-player life simulation experience," with a focus on "welcoming Simmers who want to connect directly with other players."

I don't want to squash the enthusiasm for this - there's clearly an audience that will absolutely love that approach, and I'm happy for them. However, while it's not what I'm looking for, I can already see the silver lining staring me in the face. That's the citation of those "deep, single-player life simulation" offerings. "That foundation isn't going anywhere," the team writes, committing to continued updates and additions to the Sims 4.

In addition to this, it notes that currently "more than half of our global development team [is] dedicated to The Sims 4 and the next evolution," centered around PC and console. It promises further details "in the coming months." Recent rumors suggested that we could be getting a revamped or remastered take on The Sims 4. If EA's intent is to keep supporting it as a long-term platform, then that makes more sense than going full-on into The Sims 5, and it might just be the overhaul needed.

Whatever that future looks like, Maxis emphasizes that "Building The Sims is an ongoing collaboration with our players, and in 2026 you can expect to hear more from us as we continue playtesting new ideas and experiences." If you'd like to be part of that, you'll want to sign up to The Sims Labs, the developer's testing playground where it puts various new and experimental concepts into practice. "The Sims has always been at its best when players help shape what comes next," it concludes.