Up until this point, most of The Sims community has referred to Project Rene as The Sims 5. However, given the recent update by VP of Franchise Creative Lyndsay Pearson, Project Rene may be something entirely different.

“Project Rene will be a new way to play The Sims – it will feel “Simsy” as players will still manage what their Sims do throughout their day, while also presenting gameplay choices differently.” – Lyndsay Pearson

Project Rene will Coexist with The Sims 4

Pearson went on to say that Project Rene will coexist alongside The Sims 4 and that more content is coming to The Sims 4 “for the foreseeable future”. This tells us that it may not exactly be The Sims 5 as the simming community has speculated (and hoped for) so far.

Free to download

Once Project Rene is ready, Pearson states that the game will be free to download from the start. No subscription or core game purchase to get started.

Content will be added over time

Pearson went on to say that the game may launch with more features that we’re accustomed to paying for in the form of an expansion pack such as weather in The Sims 4 Seasons.

“For example, basic weather may be added to the core game for free, for everybody. And in the future, a pack for purchase may be focused on winter sports with activities like ice dancing or a snowman building competition.” – Lyndsay Pearson

When will Project Rene be released?

A Project Rene release date is not yet available as The Sims team says they are “still in the early stages of development for Project Rene”. It’s possible we may get a launch date in 2024 especially since this new generation Sims game is not meant to replace The Sims 4. At least, not at first.

Only time will tell. We’re excited to see what The Sims team has in store for us.

You can read the full press release from The Sims team right here.