The Sims 4 base game is going free to play in October Rock Paper Shotgun Support us Join our newsletter Visit our store Sign in / Create account If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. The Sims 4 base game is going free to play in October A Sims-related livestream is lined up for October 18th too News by CJ Wheeler News Reporter Published on Sept. 14, 2022 16 comments EA and developers Maxis have revealed today that The Sims 4 will be going free to play from October 18th. You'll be able to grab it on Steam, Origin or the EA app. There had been rumours circulating online earlier today that an announcement was incoming from EA on this, and those were evidently legit. More information on the future of The Sims will be coming on October 18th too, EA said, at an event dubbed the Behind The Sims Summit. Watch on YouTube Is The Sims 4 still worth playing without expansions? Be aware, though, that this will just be the base game. I've got it on good authority that it's perfectly playable, but there's so many expansion pack shenanigans for The Sims 4 – ranging from werewolves to high school drama just this year alone – that you could end up down a very deep rabbithole indeed. If you want to navigate all the extraneous Sims add-ons then you couldn't go wrong by checking out our resident expert Rebecca's guide to the best The Sims 4 expansion packs. EA and Maxis say they'll continue to support The Sims 4 with "packs, kits and Sims Delivery Express drops into the foreseeable future". Anyone who owns the base game for The Sims 4 on Origin, the EA app or participating digital storefronts will be given the Desert Luxe kit as a gift between September 14th and October 17th, which you can check out the details for here. In other Sims-related news, yesterday saw an update for The Sims 4 called Groundhog Day, which should make getting older more reliable, among other fixes. You can read the full patch notes here. Rebecca took The Sims 4's werewolves expansion for a moonlit stroll with her Sim pal Scott when it released in June, and thought it was the best supernatural add-on for the game yet. "One of my biggest issues with The Sims 4 until recently was the lack of interactivity between add-ons," she said, "so it was lovely to see that Scott not only recognised other supernatural Sims by their scent, but had a unique moodlet documenting his reaction to each one. Getting his groceries delivered by a vampire made him immensely angry, while meeting a mermaid at the local bar rendered him dazed." The Sims 4, available on Steam and Origin, goes free to play for PC and consoles on October 18th. Remember though: it's just the base game. I've already lost too many people to The Sims expansion packs, I don't want to lose you too. More News Jack King-Spooner's next handcrafted game has a teaser demo out Judero brings chat and action in the Scottish Borders Alice O'Connor 17 hours ago 1 If you were hoping for any Overwatch 2 balance changes then you'll have to wait until season two The next season begins in December CJ Wheeler 18 hours ago 3 The Dead Space remake will chuck random Necromorphs at you as you wander the Ishimura In space, no one can hear you proper bricking it CJ Wheeler 18 hours ago 8 Valve register mysterious new Neon Prime trademark in the US It doesn’t seem to be for a particularly colourful Steam Deck CJ Wheeler 20 hours ago 11 Latest Articles What are we all playing this weekend? Well? Alice O'Connor an hour ago 21 Past Wordle answers Here's an archive of previous Wordle words Ollie Toms 2 hours ago 1 Wordle answer today (Saturday 15 October) Hints and the answer to today's Wordle word Rebecca Jones 9 hours ago Overwatch 2 hero tier list Which are the best heroes in Overwatch 2? Ollie Toms 16 hours ago Supporters Only You're probably better than me at One Many Nobody You go on without… uh, you? Sin Vega 17 hours ago Supporter podcast - The Nate Files episode 13: dry bones Bad science is also FUN science! Alice Bell 18 hours ago Japanese dating show Love Wagon has surprising parallels with Yakuza and Persona My new obsession Ed Thorn 2 days ago If you're hankering after Bayonetta 3, Valkyrie Elysium might be a good substitute It's not out on PC until next month, but the console demo has been a surprise charmer Katharine Castle 1 week ago 4 We've been talking, and we think that you should wear clothes Total coincidence, but we sell some clothes Buy RPS stuff here