10 January 2026

Maxis Teases an Official Sims 5 Game, Confirms Project Rene Is a Mobile Title

By newsgame

The Sims 4‘s development team has released its first big info drop of 2026, revealing Project Rene’s status as a mobile game and potentially teasing The Sims 5 in the process. There’s been a lot of speculation about both of these projects as the development team at Maxis continues to extend The Sims 4‘s lifeline with continued updates, but a lot of things have been made clearer with the new announcement.

Launched in September 2014, The Sims 4 has received consistent updates from its development team that, while pricey when added up, have kept a steady stream of new content and experiences flowing in for more than 11 years. Early in January, news of The Sims 4‘s next expansion, Royalty and Legacy, was leaked after being rated by the Game Content Classification Committee in South Korea, showing Maxis and EA’s commitment to keep the game going, even as some fans anticipate what’s next for the life simulator series.

What You Need To Know About The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy

The Sims 4 Royalty and Legacy expansion pack is just one step away from being confirmed – here’s what we know so far.

Sims Team Reveals Project Rene Will Be a Mobile Game

The development team has recently released a ton of information, including plans for the rest of 2026 and a big reveal about Project Rene. Announced in October 2022, many fans thought Project Rene could be The Sims 5‘s code name, but the developers eventually put that rumor to rest. Now a new blog post on the game’s official website contains the unexpected revelation that Project Rene will actually be a “social, collaborative, mobile-first life-sim game,” which will give players new methods of playing together, exploring the in-game world, and connecting them with one another. That information doesn’t give a ton of insight into what its play style will be like, but a pre-alpha shot bearing The Sims Labs’ logo is included in this section of the post, depicting a few characters standing around a communal outdoor area, potentially giving players their first look at the game Project Rene will become.

Sims Labs image possibly depicting Project Rene mobile game

The eventual launch of Project Rene will not kill The Sims 4, as the blog post states that it was never intended to be a replacement for the franchise’s current flagship game. Maxis had already made that clear in messages to fans as early as 2024. However, the game that players get may be very different from the one the development team originally set out to create, as the blog post noted that it has “evolved” into its current form. Additionally, the “mobile-first” language suggests that it may be playable on other platforms, with PC being a likely candidate.

The Sims 5 Potentially Teased by Maxis

The post also states that Maxis is currently creating a “family of new Sims experiences” across multiple platforms, including PC and consoles, with a continued focus on single-player life simulation. That comment could point to the release of even more Sims 4 expansion packs, Stuff Packs, and Creator Kits throughout the year. However, a part of the message to fans also mentions “The Sims 4 and the next evolution,” which some fans are interpreting as an entirely new game coming down the pipeline. According to the post, more than half of the global development team is devoted to these initiatives. Considering that Maxis hasn’t released a non-Sims-series game since the 2013 remake of Sim City, that could indicate that either Project Rene is getting a lot of the company’s resources or something entirely unexpected is coming.

While the blog post had been forecasted since late December and was intended to dispel misinformation about The Sims 4‘s continued developement, it still leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Maxis and EA plan to release more information as the year progresses, and they invite fans to ask additional questions via their social media channels. Additionally, the post states that The Sims Labs is getting ready to provide players with new play testing opportunities of early builds and prototypes for projects throughout the year, but fans should remember that just because they see something in the testing initiative doesn’t mean it will make its way to The Sims 4 or Project Rene.