Is The Sims 5 going to be online? Here's what we know so far

Olivia Richman Published 24/05/2022

Ever since The Sims 5 was officially announced, crazy rumors about the highly anticipated new game have been floating around the internet. One of the most-discussed topics surrounding The Sims 5 is the option to play the game online with other players. Will online play be a part of The Sims 5?

The Sims has often been seen as a solo series of games in which players immerse themselves in a world they built and invest in a group of people they fully control on their own. While this has been part of what has made The Sims franchise so successful, some long-time fans are looking for something new: multiplayer. Here is everything we know so far about online multiplayer in The Sims 5.

Will The Sims 5 have multiplayer options?

Unfortunately, nothing is confirmed regarding The Sims 5 multiplayer options just yet. There hasn’t even been a release date or trailer provided for The Sims 5 despite Electronic Arts confirming that developers are indeed working on the official sequel. That hasn’t stopped fans from wondering about multiplayer, of course, and the EA team has answered some questions over the past few years.

EA CEO Andrew Wilson spoke about multiplayer in January 2020. He said that elements of The Sims Online could make an appearance in The Sims 5, bringing elements of “social interaction and competition” to the typically independent Sims experience. The key, Wilson said at the time, was balancing this new type of online content with the game’s “inspiration, escape, creation, and self-improvement motivations.”

“We are very excited. This is a game that really doesn’t have any competition in its category for delivering and fulfilling these motivations for players, and we think it’s a tremendous growth opportunity for us for many, many years to come,” Wilson concluded.

What these multiplayer experiences will be like is currently unknown. EA has yet to confirm that they are even part of The Sims 5, but it appears the team is at least thinking about the possibilities of multiplayer in The Sims 5.

Will The Sims 5 have multiplayer?

The idea of Sims players being able to interact has been one of the biggest discussion points of The Sims 5. Will players be able to have their Sims interact in an online world? Will players be able to work on the same community together? Will The Sims 5 have multiplayer?

In 2021, EA’s chief studio officer Laura Miele discussed the possibility of multiplayer experiences in The Sims 5. In an interview with VentureBeat, Miele discussed the popularity of Roblox, Fortnite, and other online communities, and how those experiences and successes may shape The Sims 5 as well.

“It’s us being able to create a framework and that players are actually gonna create these experiences and in the end. It’s doing it together, doing it collaboratively. They are sharing, they could create marketplaces. […] The capabilities and frameworks we arm them with and where they take that, I think it’s going to be a pretty significant surprise and a pretty exciting time for us as we bring these tools and platforms to market,” Miele said.

Of course, this is still not a confirmation of exactly what’s in store in The Sims 5, but it does seem like a collaborative space may be a goal for the development team. For now, the Sims community will have to wait for more official updates to see what the team truly has in store.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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