The Sims 5 has finally been announced and, much to our surprise, Electronic Arts has already started rolling out small peeks at features for the next main Sims game.

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Right after making the base game Sims 4 free-to-play and committing to continued gameplay updates and DLCs, Maxis also let on that it’s actively developing the Sims 5, even though that may not be its final name.

Unlike development on past Sims games, Maxis is even committing to showing off some of its in-development features years in advance. So while we still have a lot of open questions about the next Sims game, we’ve actually had some of our speculation answered already. Here’s everything we know so far about the next Sims game, including new (and returning) features, early gameplay footage, and the rumors about multiplayer.

Check out a peek at some early Sims 5 gameplay

As Maxis said, the clips it showed off during the Behind the Sims Summit in 2022 were early on in development, likely not reflective of final gameplay or visual style. But in a loose sense of the word, we did see a tiny bit of early gameplay footage.

Here are some of the features we’ve seen:

The Create-A-Style tool from Sims 3 is backCross-platform multiplayer build modeUploading a custom selection furniture layout to the GalleryModular furniture editing, including accent piecesMultiple axis rotation, at least for accent pieces

Create-A-Style making a return is definitely a win for Build Mode fans, especially with the addition of modular pieces. In the initial reveal, we saw how players will be able to swap pieces like the headboard and footboard of a bed separately and edit patterns and colors too. Another improvement on the style tool of old is the ability to add accents like throw pillows and blankets to a couch, which we also saw lots of in the initial Project Rene video.

Another bit of the first reveal that players are speculating on is whether apartment lot types will be a part of the next Sims base game. The first footage we saw did make the space it was editing look a bit like one unit connected to others.

The Sims 5 base game will be free-to-play

Based on a since-pulled EA job posting, and later confirmed by EA: The Sims 5 will have a free-to-play base game “without a subscription, without core game purchase, or energy mechanics” following in the footsteps of The Sims 4’s free-to-play transition.

Sims creative VP Lyndsay Pearson went on to add, “Beyond regular updates to the core game, we will sell content and packs,” and that “It definitely won’t start with everything you have in The Sims 4, but we’re going to add new experiences and content to Project Rene over time.”

So it looks like a similar experience to Sims 4, where a wide world of DLC will come down the pipeline after release.

The Sims 5 will let you play your saves across devices

Maxis has so far talked about developing the next Sims game for PC and mobile, showing off a small look at decorating with both. During its Behind the Sims livestream in January 2023, Game director Grant Rodiek talked about how it will be possible to play on one device for part of your day and then move to another to pick up where you left off.

“You can have that deep dive at home on your PC, play for four hours, change every single thing about a piece of furniture that you imagine: typing in RGB values,” Rodiek said. “But then on the go, you can grab your phone and maybe it’s a different experience. Maybe you’re grabbing archetypes, preselecting templates, or grabbing the stuff you’ve already created.”

Maxis is dropping Sims 5 dev updates on YouTube

In its recently-started “Behind The Sims” YouTube series, Maxis is providing previews and development updates for The Sims franchise, including updates on the development of The Sims 5. Project Rene is still extremely early in the development process, but it’s worth a watch to hear the developers describe what design ideas they’re trying to elevate as development progresses. In the June 27, 2023 episode, we saw Sims 5 lighting and animation prototypes, early modeling of daily routine behavior, prototype hair color customization tech, and a glimpse at how the devs are experimenting with UI elements to make understanding social interactions between Sims more visually intuitive.