Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

The Sims 4 base game is going permanently free starting in October

On PC, Mac, and consoles.

Eight years after its initial launch, EA's is making its enormously popular life sim The Sims 4 permanently free-to-play, beginning Tuesday, 18th October.

From that point onward, The Sims 4's base game (which is currently priced at £17.99/£19.99 USD) will be available to download at no cost across all platforms - that is, PC, Mac, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One. There's no talk of pricing changes for the game's extensive DLC catalogue - which totals 12 Expansion Packs, 12 Game Packs, 18 Stuff Packs, and 15 Kit Packs at present - so it appears to be business as usual on that front for now.

In a post announcing today's news, EA said it will "continue to develop and release packs, kits and Sims Delivery Express drops into the foreseeable future" following The Sims 4 base game's transition to free-to-play, with more on its future plans set to be shared in a special developer livestream airing on 18th October at 6pm in the UK/10am PDT.

Cover image for YouTube videoThe Sims 4 High School Years: Student Guide to Copperdale High
The Sims 4's latest expansion, High School Years, released in July.

Additionally, anyone that's purchased The Sims 4's base game by 17th October will receive the Desert Luxe Kit DLC - which launches today, offering a selection of indoor and outdoor furniture inspired by the Southwestern desert - for free, as long as they log into the game between 14th September and 17th October.

Finally, there will be changes to The Sims 4 packages available to EA Play and EA Play Pro subscribers starting on 18th October. From that point, The Sims 4 EA Play Edition will include the Get To Work Expansion Pack, while the EA Play Pro Edition also adds the Toddler Stuff Pack.