The Sims 4

The Sims 4 is a social simulation game, and like preceding titles in The Sims series, the game is open-ended, with no primary objectives or storyline to complete, instead focusing on creativity and experimentation. Players follow and manage the lives of virtual people called "Sims", directing their actions, attending to their "needs", and helping them reach personal goals and desires. Players can also engage in goal-oriented gameplay if desired—each Sim has a lifelong aspiration, and dynamically generated "wants and fears" based on current gameplay.

Simoleons (§) are the unit of currency in the game, and Sims communicate in a fictional language called Simlish. Sims have six "needs"—hunger, bladder, hygiene, social, fun, and energy—that deplete throughout the in-game day and are replenished through various household items and furniture; for example, Sims can take a shower if hygiene is low or cook food if hunger is low. Sims primarily make money by getting a job and improve their job performance by developing "skills"; for example, a Sim in the Culinary career needs to develop their Cooking and Mixology skills. A variety of cheats are available, such as those for unlimited money or unlocking hidden gameplay options.

Maxis began development of The Sims 4 under the codename "Olympus", focused on online multiplayer gameplay, as part of publisher Electronic Arts' (EA) commitment to releasing titles with online capabilities. EA Labels president Frank Gibeau stated in 2012, "I have not greenlit one game to be developed as a single-player experience. Today, all of our games include online applications and digital services that make them live 24/7/365." These plans were altered following the negative launch reception of Maxis' SimCity in March 2013, which was plagued with widespread technical and gameplay problems relating to the game's mandatory network connectivity.

Maxis confirmed in 2013 that The Sims 4 would be a single-player and offline experience. Development of The Sims 4 was also affected by layoffs at EA Salt Lake in January 2014, which was assisting in development of the game. The failure of SimCity contributed to the eventual closure of its developer, Maxis Emeryville, in 2015. Remaining EA Salt Lake and Maxis Emeryville employees working on the game were transferred to Maxis' Redwood Shores studio in Redwood City.

In the months leading up to the game's release in September 2014, Maxis revealed that several key gameplay features present in previous The Sims titles, such as swimming pools and toddler Sims, would be absent from The Sims 4. Additionally, the open worlds and the "Create-a-Style" color customization gameplay technologies introduced in The Sims 3 would also be absent from the game. These announcements sparked backlash from players, leading to a petition on Change.org. Maxis responded in a statement, explaining that development resources allocated to the newly developed game engine, artificial intelligence simulation system, and revamped Create-a-Sim and Build modes, led to the omissions. They stated, "it was not possible for us to include every single feature and piece of content we added to The Sims 3 over the last five years", but left open the possibility of reintroducing these features in future updates or DLC.

The Sims 4 received "mixed or average" reviews from critics upon its release, according to review aggregator site Metacritic. Reviewers frequently criticized The Sims 4's missing gameplay features and content compared to previous titles, particularly The Sims 3's "Create-a-Style" color customization tool, open worlds, and gameplay elements from its expansion packs; reviewers also noted encountering frequent loading screens and occasional glitches. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game, released in 2017, received additional criticism for their controller-based controls, as well as various bugs, glitches, and performance issues.