The Sims community just got hit with a rumor bomb that’s equal parts exciting and terrifying. EA and Maxis are reportedly working on The Sims 4 Remastered, a completely separate base game built on Project Rene’s improved engine. It’s not The Sims 5, but it’s not just a patch either. And the biggest question on everyone’s mind is whether they’ll have to rebuy thousands of dollars worth of DLC.
According to insider information circulating through Sims player communities, this remastered version would include seasons, memories, and open neighborhoods in the base game. Those are features that currently require buying expansion packs or have never existed in The Sims 4 at all. It sounds almost too good to be true, which is exactly why people are suspicious.
What The Sims 4 Remastered Actually Is
Think of this as The Sims 4 HD rather than The Sims 5. EA and Maxis are reportedly taking the existing Sims 4 framework and rebuilding it on a newer, more capable engine borrowed from Project Rene. The goal is to liberate the game from the outdated technical foundation it’s been patched together on for over 11 years.
Insiders on Twitter who claim to have knowledge of the project say Maxis originally planned this as a massive update to the existing Sims 4. But once they started working on it, they realized the changes were so fundamental that releasing it as a separate base game made more sense than trying to retrofit everything into the current version.
The improvements reportedly include better graphics with enhanced lighting systems, reworked visuals across the board, and the ability to handle more complex simulations. That last part is crucial because one of the hints dropped by EA’s social media showed a packed nightclub, possibly suggesting the remastered version can support more Sims on a single lot without performance tanking.
User lunar_britney on Twitter, who has been sharing details about the project, stated that seasons from The Sims 4 Seasons expansion pack will be integrated into the new base game. Memories and milestones from The Sims 4 Growing Together would also be built in from the start rather than locked behind DLC.
Open Neighborhoods Changes Everything
The most significant rumored feature is open neighborhoods. This would allow Sims to freely travel between lots in a neighborhood without loading screens. You could walk from your house to the bar across the street and back without sitting through multiple load times.
This has been a requested feature since The Sims 4 launched in 2014. The base game uses a closed lot system where each property is isolated and traveling anywhere triggers a loading screen. It breaks immersion and makes neighborhoods feel disconnected. Open neighborhoods would fundamentally change how the game feels to play.
Two separate accounts that claimed to know about this project before information started leaking publicly confirmed that open neighborhoods are planned for the remaster. One user went private after confirming the information. The other left their reply public, adding credibility to the claim.
The technical requirements for open neighborhoods explain why this needs to be a separate base game rather than an update. The current Sims 4 engine wasn’t designed to handle that kind of seamless world streaming. Retrofitting it would likely break more things than it fixed, which is saying something given how buggy The Sims 4 already is.
The DLC Problem Nobody Wants to Talk About
Here’s where things get uncomfortable. The Sims 4 has released over 70 pieces of downloadable content since 2014. Expansion packs, game packs, stuff packs, and kits that add up to well over $1,000 if you bought everything at full price. Many dedicated players have spent years and significant money building their Sims 4 collections.
If The Sims 4 Remastered is a completely separate base game, what happens to all that content? Will your existing DLC transfer over? Will you have to rebuy remastered versions of expansion packs you already own? Will some content simply not be compatible with the new version?
These questions are causing anxiety throughout the community because EA’s track record isn’t encouraging. When The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection was released, people who already owned The Sims 2 didn’t automatically get the new version for free. That historical precedent has people worried.
Community members on Reddit and forums are speculating that EA will require players to rebuy DLC for the remastered version. The logic is that if the underlying game is rebuilt on a different engine, content would need to be remastered as well. That means development costs that EA would want to recoup through sales.
One particularly cynical but realistic take is that EA will discontinue the current Sims 4 once the remastered version launches. This would force players who want continued support and new content to migrate to the new platform, likely bringing their wallets along for the ride.
Why This Might Not Be The Sims 5
EA has previously stated that there won’t be a Sims 5 in the traditional sense. Instead, they’re focusing on evolving The Sims 4 alongside developing Project Rene as a separate experience. This remastered version fits perfectly into that strategy.
By calling it The Sims 4 Remastered rather than The Sims 5, EA avoids the expectation that comes with a numbered sequel. Players expect The Sims 5 to be revolutionary with massive new features and systems. A remaster can be improvements to what exists without the pressure to completely reinvent the franchise.
There’s also the business reality that The Sims 4 is a massive cash cow. The game is free-to-play now, but makes enormous money from DLC sales. Starting completely over with The Sims 5 means abandoning that revenue stream and asking players to rebuild their collections from scratch. A remaster lets EA have it both ways by keeping the Sims 4 brand alive while improving the technical foundation.
Project Rene’s Role in All This
Project Rene has been in development and playtesting since 2022. It’s described as a multiplayer-focused spin-off that uses a more modern engine and incorporates social gameplay elements. The recent playtest called Life Together focused on minigames and cooperative play.
According to these rumors, EA is planning to make Project Rene into more than just a multiplayer spin-off. They want it to become a platform that houses multiple Sims experiences, including this remastered version of The Sims 4. Think of it like a launcher that contains different Sims games rather than one singular experience.
This would explain why they’re using Project Rene’s improved engine for the remaster. The infrastructure is already being built for that project, so leveraging it for The Sims 4 makes sense from both technical and business perspectives. Why develop two completely separate engines when you can share technology between projects?
Some community members are worried about this integration because they don’t want Project Rene’s multiplayer features, daily missions, or mobile-style monetization bleeding into their single-player Sims experience. The concern is that platforming everything under Project Rene will gradually push The Sims toward live service game design.
The Timeline and EA’s Recent Statements
Several pieces of circumstantial evidence support these rumors beyond just insider claims. In September 2025, it was mentioned that The Sims 4 Adventure Awaits expansion would land as a curtain call, with no major releases planned for a while. The implication was that The Sims team would use that time to fix the game, but perhaps they’re doing more than just bug fixes.
In October 2025, EA published an insider survey through their playtesting program asking players if they expect save files to work within a new version of a game launch. While not specifically mentioning The Sims 4, the timing matches up suspiciously well with these remaster rumors.
Also in October, after news broke about EA potentially being acquired by controversial stakeholders, The Sims team posted a statement saying that player passion and voices have shaped exciting things coming in 2026 and beyond. That phrasing of exciting things could easily refer to a remastered base game rather than just more DLC.
The November 2025 bug fixing update that promised over 150 fixes was described as just the start of ongoing updates that address what matters most to players. If there’s a remaster in development, getting the current version stable makes sense before splitting the player base across two versions.
What The Community Is Saying
Reactions to this rumor are deeply mixed. Some players are excited about the possibility of finally having seasons and open neighborhoods in the base game. Others are immediately suspicious because it sounds exactly like the kind of thing EA would do to squeeze more money out of their audience.
A common sentiment is that if they’re essentially rebuilding the game anyway, why not just make The Sims 5 properly? Starting fresh would let them implement modern features without being constrained by needing compatibility with The Sims 4 content. It would be an opportunity to fix fundamental design problems that have plagued the series for years.
There’s also frustration about the potential waste of money. Players who bought Seasons, Growing Together, and other packs would see core features from those DLCs included for free in the remastered base game. Meanwhile, new players get all that content without paying extra while longtime fans are left wondering if they’ll need to rebuy everything else.
Some community members are cautiously optimistic that EA might offer discounted upgrade pricing or transfer options for existing DLC owners. But given EA’s history with monetization in The Sims franchise, most people aren’t holding their breath for generous customer-friendly policies.
FAQs
Is The Sims 4 Remastered officially confirmed?
No, this is currently rumor and speculation based on insider information circulating in Sims player communities. EA and Maxis have not officially announced or confirmed any remastered version of The Sims 4.
When would The Sims 4 Remastered release?
No release date has been mentioned in any of the rumors. Given that this project is reportedly still in development, a 2026 release or later seems most likely if the rumors are true.
Will my existing Sims 4 DLC work with the remastered version?
This is unknown and one of the biggest concerns in the community. If the remastered version runs on a different engine, existing DLC may not be compatible without being remastered as well. Whether EA would charge for remastered DLC or offer free transfers is unclear.
What features would be included in The Sims 4 Remastered base game?
According to rumors, the remastered base game would include seasons, memories and milestones, and open neighborhoods that allow free travel between lots without loading screens. Enhanced graphics and lighting are also mentioned.
Is this The Sims 5?
No, insiders describe this as more like The Sims 4 HD rather than a true sequel. It would be the same game rebuilt on a better engine with improved features, not an entirely new generation of The Sims.
What is Project Rene and how does it relate to this?
Project Rene is a multiplayer-focused Sims experience in development that uses a more modern engine. Rumors suggest The Sims 4 Remastered would use Project Rene’s improved engine and potentially be part of a larger platform housing multiple Sims games.
Will the current Sims 4 be discontinued?
This is speculation, but many community members believe EA would eventually discontinue support for the current version of The Sims 4 once a remastered version launches, forcing players to migrate if they want continued updates and content.
How much would The Sims 4 Remastered cost?
No pricing information has been mentioned in any rumors. Whether it would be sold as a new full-price game, offered at a discount to existing Sims 4 owners, or have some other pricing model is completely unknown.
Conclusion
The Sims 4 Remastered rumors represent both the best and worst possibilities for the franchise’s future. On one hand, addressing long-standing technical limitations, adding requested features to the base game, and improving graphics could genuinely make The Sims 4 the experience it should have been at launch back in 2014.
On the other hand, the potential for EA to use this as an opportunity to charge players again for content they already own is very real. The company has a well-earned reputation for aggressive monetization in The Sims franchise, and nothing about these rumors suggests they’ve suddenly become consumer-friendly.
Until EA makes an official announcement, this remains speculation based on insider claims. But the details are specific enough and come from enough different sources that there’s probably something legitimate happening behind the scenes. Whether that something is exactly what the rumors describe or a different project entirely remains to be seen.
For now, Sims players are left in an uncomfortable position of hoping these rumors are true while simultaneously dreading what they might mean for their wallets. Welcome to life as a Sims fan in 2025, where even good news comes with asterisks and anxiety about how much it’s going to cost.