The Sims Marks 25 Years Since the Launch of The Life Simulation Genre

Join us as we celebrate The Sims’ iconic past, exciting present, and bright future through in game events, new releases, collaborations, and more!

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – Feb. 4, 2025 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) proudly celebrates the 25th Birthday of The Sims™. Since its launch in 2000, The Sims has captivated players worldwide with its unparalleled creativity and charm. The beloved life simulation game and pop culture phenomenon started from humble beginnings but quickly became one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time, with more than 500 million lifetime players to date. As The Sims celebrates its 25th birthday, its commitment to innovation and creativity remains as strong as ever, with continued expansions designed to inspire and connect players worldwide.

500 MILLION THANK YOUS

When The Sims first launched, it pioneered the life simulation genre, which today is one of the fastest-growing segments in the video game industry. The Sims remains a leader in the genre, appealing to a diverse global audience and fostering one of the largest gaming communities particularly among female gamers.

“The Sims is more than just a game – it’s an entertainment platform offering a canvas for creativity and a medium for storytelling, amplified by our worldwide community of Simmers,” said Kate Gorman Revelli, Vice President and General Manager, The Sims.

“We are proud to have built such a strong community around shared values over the past 25 years. As we celebrate this milestone together, we look back at the past and what we have accomplished so far, while keeping a clear focus on what is next for The Sims. Our eyes are set on one goal: to continue expanding The Sims universe across modalities of engagement, including more entertainment experiences. We have a lot to share over the next 25 years, from a movie to more in-game gameplay, content creation, and social connection points. We are now more than ever energized to continue building platforms that involve, engage, reward, and delight our community.”

WHERE’S THE PARTY AT?

The Sims 25 Hour Livestream

Today, February 4, beginning at 2 PM PST, The Sims will host The Sims 25 Hour Livestream, uniting The Sims community for an epic, global celebration of all things The Sims for 25 consecutive hours of gameplay, giveaways, and streams that are not to be missed. Celebrity fans including rapper and singer Doja Cat, rapper Latto, and Drag Queen comedy duo Trixie Mattel & Katya will join in on the celebration, making it an unforgettable event for fans. Simmers can also look forward to appearances from a variety of fan-favorite Sims storytellers, builders, and streamers from around the world, including Angelo & Lexy, LoserFruit, Cristinini, Dan & Phil, Plumbella, SpringSims, Ironmouse, Ebonix, Krystalogy, Julien, Deligracy, Caryn & Connie, and many others.

Fans can tune in on February 4 beginning at 2 PM PST / 5 PM EST on YouTube, Twitch and TikTok. All throughout the livestream, there will be hourly giveaways in The Sims Discord for the chance to win a birthday gift pack!

25 th Birthday Events And Updates For The Sims 4 And The Sims Freeplay
Also today, a massive The Sims 4 base game update adds 70+ new in-game items for all players to enjoy, as well as introducing a special The Sims 4 Blast From The Past Event.

The Sims 4 music fans will also be rewarded with new songs in Simlish on the in-game radio from popular musical artists, including Kim Petras’ “XXX” on the Pop station and Gigi Perez’s “Fable” on the Alternative station. Simmers can also unlock Keke Palmer’s “The Game Song” for the Retro station, in The Sims 4 Blast From The Past Event.

In addition, players of The Sims Freeplay can also celebrate with special events and rewards and enjoy 25 days of in-game gifts, featuring some of the most famous items from The Sims’ history.

THE SIMS IS… ICONIC

The Sims and The Sims 2 Retro Re-Releases
Relive the nostalgia with the re-releases of The Sims and The Sims 2 with The Sims 25 th Birthday Bundle. Longtime fans and new players alike can experience the magic of The Sims from the early 2000s. The bundle began to roll out globally on January 31, 2025 via EA app™, Epic Games Store, and Steam® for modern PCs running Windows 10 and 11.

25 th Birthday Merch Collection
Celebrate in style with The Sims 25 th Birthday merchandise collection, featuring limited edition apparel, retro pins, a 2000s-themed gamer mat, and more, available on February 5, 2025 at shopthesims.com.

Plumbob Green with Pantone®
We’re seeing Plumbob Green with our new official Pantone® color, created in collaboration with the Pantone Color Institute. The new signature color pays homage to The Sims’ iconic green Plumbob, which has become a symbol for personal expression and creative inspiration. According to the Pantone Color Institute, Plumbob Green is a supercharged yellow-green imbued with vitality. A richly saturated hue, its animated appearance exudes a positive approach and upbeat attitude. The bold Plumbob Green invites a spirit of playful happiness. Simmers can catch the color Plumbob Green in the 25 th Birthday merchandise collection.

YouTube Collaboration
YouTube has always been a central hub for Simmers to showcase, stream, and relive their creativity in The Sims. To celebrate today’s milestone, The Sims is teaming up with YouTube to spotlight The Sims community across formats on YouTube, from a new effect on YouTube Shorts to a long form video in partnership with lilsimsie and many more global Sims creators! Be sure to head to YouTube today to catch all the surprises in store – including a special transformation of the YouTube logo (known as the Yoodle). The power of two iconic symbols – the YouTube icon and the Plumbob – join together on our birthday for a special celebration of The Sims community on YouTube.

The Ultimate Sims Playlist on Spotify
We teamed up with Spotify for the ultimate throwback: a playlist curated for you based on YOUR top songs featured in Sims games! From unforgettable pop hits to beloved indie anthems, this playlist celebrates the artistry, creativity, and partnerships that have fueled The Sims community for over two decades. Whether you’ve been a fan from the start or are just discovering the magic of The Sims, this playlist is the perfect way to celebrate the soundtrack that has brought so many player stories to life.

MySims: Cozy Bundle Retro Release
MySims fans can look forward to the PC release of the MySims: Cozy Bundle on March 18, 2025. The bundle, currently available on Nintendo Switch, features retro re-releases of two fan-favorite games, MySims and MySims Kingdom, where players can unleash their creativity as they explore familiar worlds full of puzzles to solve, locations to discover, tons of characters with big personalities to meet, and a lot to build, paint, and decorate.

Preorder MySims: Cozy Bundle on PC via EA app™, Epic Games Store, and Steam®.

For more information about The Sims and the 25 th Birthday celebrations, check out The Sims 25 th Birthday newsroom post, join The Sims Discord community server, and follow @TheSims on X, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest news and updates.