The Sims 4 Evolution: Major Updates and Performance Improvements Mark 25th Anniversary Year

A Milestone Year for The Sims

The Sims franchise is celebrating its 25th birthday in 2025, marking a quarter-century of innovation in life simulation gaming. This momentous year has brought significant changes to the game’s landscape, particularly for The Sims 4.

Recent Technical Improvements

Maxis has assembled a dedicated team to address bugs, performance issues, and quality-of-life updates. This initiative comes after players voiced concerns about existing corruption issues, particularly following the For Rent Expansion Pack.

A notable improvement came with the introduction of ‘Memory Boost Mode’ in August. This new feature, accessible through a special executable file, has been designed to reduce lag, free up memory, and prevent crashes.

Enhanced Customization Options

The latest update has expanded character customization options, adding new skin details to the Base Game. These include Rosacea, Dark Spots, Age Spots, and Eye Bags for faces, as well as Stretch Marks and Freckles for bodies. Adult Sims have received additional features including Mouth Wrinkles and Body Wrinkles.

Performance Optimization Features

A new Pack Selection feature has been implemented, allowing players to customize their experience when starting a new save. This optimization tool helps free up resources on PC, Mac, and consoles without requiring pack uninstallation, though it’s recommended primarily for new save files.

Looking Ahead

The gaming community has been vocal about their desire for the game to be ‘fixed’ and modernised, rather than seeing more content added to an already complex foundation. This feedback appears to be driving a potential shift in development focus, with the possibility of a temporary break from Expansion Pack releases to give The Sims 4 the refresh many players feel it needs.