After rumors of a Sims 4 console edition swirled around the cyber highway yesterday, Electronic Arts has confirmed that The Sims 4 will indeed be coming to both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The Sims 4 console release date is slated for Nov. 17 on both platforms.
The Microsoft Store had previously listed a product page for The Sims 4 Deluxe Party Edition for Xbox One, with a release date of Nov. 13. The Microsoft Store also listed The Sims 4 base game and the Perfect Patio Stuff pack. What does it all mean?
If you pre-order The Sims 4 base game, you’ll receive the Perfect Patio Stuff pack for free, featuring hot tubs, patio bars and a range of new clothing styles as well as one premade outdoor patio.
If you order The Sims 4 Deluxe Party Edition today, you receive access to the full game three days early on Nov. 14, rather than the official Nov. 17 launch date. The Deluxe Party Edition includes “special content like a Flaming Tiki Bar, outrageous costumes, silly animal hats and more” and also comes with the Perfect Patio Stuff Pack, so you won’t have to choose between hot tubs and party hats (a heart-wrenching decision for anyone to be forced to make).
Finally, EA Access members will be able to play The Sims 4 on console five days before the game’s official worldwide launch, beginning on Nov. 9, by using EA’s Play First Trial (part of Origin Access, a paid service that runs about $5/month or $30/year).
“Play First Trials let you play limited amounts of time of the full game, not a demo or beta, before EA officially releases the game,” EA explains , in case you didn’t know what the heck that was (I sure didn’t). “You can play all of the trial at once or spread your gaming over several days. Either way, you'll get regular updates letting you know how much time you have left.” So that’s a thing. I can’t imagine playing any version of The Sims 4 while laboring under a time limit, but if you want to play early, them’s the breaks.
“The addition of a console version of The Sims 4 has been long awaited by fans and newcomers alike, and we at Maxis are beyond excited to bring The Sims to new platforms,” said Executive Producer Lyndsay Pearson (who told simmers last year to ignore rumors of a console version ). “The game delivers a beautiful The Sims experience on console and comes packed with tons of the fan-favorite content, so players can look forward to the unique gameplay, self-expression, and fun that have come to be tentpoles of The Sims brand. The possibilities to play with life are as endless as the players’ creativity.”
According to the press release, The Sims 4 on console “gives players the unique gameplay the PC base game has to offer,” which would be a first for any Sims console edition in my experience. There’s just nothing like a fully modded Sims game for a customizable game of God, but The Sims 4 on console does promise to include “many of the additional content updates added to The Sims 4 post-launch,” as well as “periodic game updates and extra content releases.”
For more details and to pre-order The Sims 4 , visit the official Sims site here.
Will you be playing The Sims 4 on console? Looking forward to seeing if EA can rectify the sims of the past (haha, get it, because The Sims 3 on console was bad? I know, I’m so punny)? Sound off in our comments section below.
