Will The Sims 5 be open world? Here’s what we know

William Davis Published 26/04/2022

The Sims 5 could finally push the popular series into a full open world, but what exactly would that mean for The Sims? Here’s what we know so far.

With The Sims 5 officially in development, fans are already theorizing what new features could be included in the next installment of the venerated series. Chief among these ideal features is an open world where sims could maneuver through a town or neighborhood all on their own. The Sims series has actually had open world elements before, but The Sims 5 could push it to a whole new level. But will this much-anticipated feature be delivered to fans?

Details on The Sims 5 are scarce, but developer statements have hinted at new social elements for the series. Many fans are interpreting this as a hint at multiplayer, but it could also refer to an open world scenario. 

“…our biggest opportunities with The Sims is the social connection component that we need to bring to this brand and this franchise. The team is hard at work on the next generation of that experience,” EA chief studio officer Laura Miele said.

An open world for The Sims would help to resolve several potential issues with multiplayer. Players would be able to interact with different ends of the map with ease, and player-controlled characters could interact with each other more naturally. Fewer loading screens also means less opportunity for the game to desync between players, leading to connection issues and resulting frustrations. 

Open world gameplay is also one of the most popular fan requests for The Sims 5. The Sims 4 locks players to individual scenes, and fans often criticize its clunky travel system. With the potential multiplayer benefits apparent and the game’s community alraedy behind it, The Sims 5 would greatly benefit from returning to a more open world design. Ultimately, it’s up to Maxis to confirm in open-world implementations in The Sims 5.

What does open world mean for The Sims 5?

Open world in video games usually refers to a massive sprawling area that players are free to explore, but the term means something slightly different for The Sims 5.

If The Sims 5 is open world, sims would be able to leave their homes and explore the surrounding areas all on their own. In The Sims 4, players must manually move their characters to a new area in order for them to interact with other sims. This involves multiple menus and loading screens, which can make for a somewhat tedious process.

While it seems like a technologically demanding task, the Sims series had open world elements long before The Sims 5. In The Sims 2, players could watch sims leave their homes and interact with the rest of a small neighborhood. These sims could form new relationships, meet new people, and discover new things on their own. The feature was expanded upon in The Sims 3, but was unceremoniously removed from The Sims 4.

Read Also

News

Kalshi Hits Netflix With Cease-and-Desist Over Documentary Trailer Zachary Roberts Kalshi, one of the most popular prediction markets, is in a legal dispute with streaming platform Netflix after the trailer for a new documentary was released. Kalshi has responded by threatening legal action over claims of defamation. This centers on a scene in the trailer where traders were depicted making predictions in states where it is not permitted to do so. The trailer for Instadocs: The Prediction Market Games, a ...

Slots

Eddie Craven Reveals the Stunning Statistics Behind Stake’s Dice Game Khizar Mundia Dice has established itself as one of the most popular casino games online in recent years, and  Stake co-founder Eddie Craven recently revealed the eye-watering numbers behind the simple title — it has generated over $75 billion in wagers across 200 billion bets. Dice is a Stake Original game that has been available on the platform since its initial 2017 launch. The title has been around since before Stake and ...

Twitch

MrBeast Releases New Make-A-Wish Video Amid an Eventful 2026 Khizar Mundia Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson is known above all else for his charity and philanthropy, and the YouTuber's latest effort saw him release a Make-A-Wish video with other top streamers. This included Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. and multiple mainstream celebrities as they fulfilled 100 wishes. MrBeast was married just a few days ago, but the YouTuber is already going viral for his latest video. His latest release is more emotional than entertaining, ...

Slots

Pragmatic Play’s The Dog House Megaways 1000 Takes the Slot Series to a New Level Ian John The Dog House series of slots have proven to be a hugely popular collection of games from Pragmatic Play, offering a wide range of variations to appeal to slot gamers of all breeds. The most recent release is The Dog House Megaways 1000 slot, an enhanced version of the hugely popular Dog House Megaways, and it hit casinos on 13 July, 2026. The original The Dog House Megaways introduced dynamic ...

Twitch

As Streamer University 2026 Ends, Here’s How Streamers Performed Khizar Mundia Kai Cenat returned from a hiatus to host Streamer University 2026, and his decision proved to be correct, with newly-released metrics showing that the event generated millions of views and hours watched on both Twitch and YouTube. There was significant anticipation for Streamer University 2026, and not just because the previous year’s event was a success. The bigger reason for many fans was that Kai Cenat would return from a ...

Twitch

iShowSpeed Reportedly Buys $11 Million Warehouse Following Huge 2026 World Cup Tour Khizar Mundia Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. is showing no signs of slowing down after his massively successful FIFA World Cup 2026 tour. The YouTuber has almost 60 million subscribers, and has now reached another milestone by reportedly purchasing a $11 million warehouse for his content creation needs. The IRL YouTuber’s coverage this summer took his global appeal to a new level, and he set major milestones during the World Cup. FIFA made ...

Twitch

Ludwig’s Streamer Games 2026: Dates, Format, Roster and Drama Khizar Mundia Ludwig Ahgren recently appeared in Kai Cenat’s Streamer University 2026 as a professor and he has now announced the Streamer Games 2026. Here’s everything about the event, ranging from the streamers on the roster to drama surrounding the CORE boys. 2026 has been a seemingly good year for Ludwig, as he got engaged to his partner Blaire “QTCinderella” and also became the most beloved professor in Streamer University 2026. However, ...