The Sims turns 25 with updates in FreePlay, livestreams and more

• The Sims turns 25 this year! And with it comes a whole host of celebrations
• Dozens of releases in the franchise are getting updates, including on mobile
• The Sims FreePlay sees new Y2K throwback content with FreePlay 2000

What do you think of when you consider the question of landmark franchises in gaming? Doom? Wolfenstein? The Elder Scrolls? Final Fantasy? Super Mario? Tetris? Well, slow down there buster because you’re forgetting the big one, and that’s Maxis’ landmark title and subsequent series The Sims; and it’s turning 25 this year!

The Sims was actually conceived as a spin-off to the earlier SimCity series, and like its predecessors was focused squarely on simulating (get it?) the life and times of regular people. In The Sims, you were given unprecedented control over the lives of your individual Sims as they grew up, went to school, got married, went to work, had kids and inevitably kicked the bucket.

It’s considered one of the biggest franchises in gaming for a good reason and kickstarted both a whole genre and remains popular to this day in virtually all its iterations; I mean for crying out loud our company even launched an entire website dedicated to The Sims News! Little surprise then that EA is sparking off some major celebrations to mark this quarter-century milestone with events in everything from The Sims 4 to The Sims FreePlay on virtually all platforms.

More on mobile

But enough glad-handing, what’s coming to mobile? Well, keep your eyes on The Sims FreePlay and The Sims Mobile because both are getting (or have already received) major updates to mark this anniversary. You’ve probably already seen The Sims FreePlay’s own FreePlay 2000 update that takes you back to the turn of the millennium with a healthy dose of Y2K culture shock; there are also new live events, the 25 days of gifting and a whole lot more! The Sims Mobile is also offering two free gifts for those playing during its birthday week, starting March 4th.

Meanwhile, if you’re only jumping into The Sims on mobile for the first time be sure to check out our ultimate guide to The Sims Mobile to help you get with all the guidance you’ll need on taking care of your Sims.