Sims Mobile: End of an Era – Electronic Arts Announces Sunset Date for Popular Life Simulator

The Sims Mobile Shutdown Confirmed for January 20, 2026; Unlimited Energy Unlocked in Final Update as Mobile Gaming Focus Shifts to Project Rene.

In a major development that has sent ripples through the mobile gaming community, Electronic Arts (EA) has officially announced the upcoming server shutdown for The Sims Mobile. After more than seven years and over fifty content updates, the popular life simulation game, which brought the beloved franchise to smartphones, will cease to be playable on January 20, 2026, at 1:59 PM UTC.

The news, which followed the release of the game’s final content update on October 20, 2025, marks the end of a significant chapter for both EA and its dedicated player base. This strategic decision aligns with the company’s evolving focus in the expansive Sims franchise and the much-anticipated, cross-platform future of Project Rene, the next generation of The Sims experience.

Key Dates and Player Preparations in the Final Chapter

The announcement from EA, the publishing giant behind many of the industry’s most lucrative games, provides a clear roadmap for the game’s final months. Players are advised to take note of the following critical dates and information:

• October 20, 2025: The final game update for The Sims Mobile was released. Crucially, all players were granted unlimited energy to expedite their gameplay and experience content before the shutdown. Furthermore, all in-app purchases using real money (packs, SimCash, Simoleons, Tickets) are no longer available.
• October 21, 2025: The Sims Mobile was officially delisted from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. New users cannot download the game, but existing users can still update and re-download the game from their purchase history until the server closure.
• January 6, 2026: EA plans a final, massive content unlock. All Build Mode and Create A Sim (CAS) items will be made available to every player, offering a final opportunity to fully customize dream homes and Sims before the game goes offline.
• January 20, 2026: The servers will shut down permanently. As the game is an online-only experience, it will no longer be possible to play The Sims Mobile.

Players are strongly advised to use any remaining premium currency—SimCash, Simoleons, and Tickets—before the final closure date, as EA has confirmed that no refunds will be issued for unspent virtual currency. This is a standard but often controversial practice in the free-to-play mobile market.

A Comparison: The Sims Mobile vs. The Sims FreePlay

The decision to sunset The Sims Mobile naturally draws attention to its long-running predecessor, The Sims FreePlay. Released years prior, The Sims FreePlay continues to be supported by EA and Firemonkeys with regular new content and updates, suggesting a clear prioritization of one mobile title over the other. The two games, while sharing the core life simulation premise, offered distinctly different gaming experiences:

• Pacing and Gameplay: The Sims Mobile, developed by EA and Maxis, focused on faster, story-driven events and building a family legacy, often requiring energy to complete actions. The Sims FreePlay operates on a slower, real-time clock, offering a larger town to manage with multiple households and emphasizing house customization and town development.
• Graphics and Engine: TSM utilized assets closer to The Sims 4, offering a more modern, polished graphical look. TSFP retains an older graphical style but is often praised for running more smoothly on a wider range of devices.
• Monetization Strategy: Both are free-to-play games that incorporate optional in-app purchases. However, the different approaches to energy, premium currency, and event structures created varied investment models for players seeking a premium experience.

The consolidation of focus in the mobile sector points towards Project Rene, which is designed to be a fully cross-platform title, offering a seamless experience between PC/console and mobile devices. This move signals EA’s intent to offer a singular, unified platform for the next evolution of Sims gameplay—a strategy that makes maintaining two separate mobile titles strategically redundant in the long term.

The Larger Context: Project Rene and the Future of The Sims

Industry analysts view the closure of The Sims Mobile as a calculated step in preparing the ground for Project Rene. Announced in 2022, Project Rene promises to be the next major iteration of the franchise, designed from the ground up to support both single-player and multiplayer capabilities, alongside its core tenet of cross-play between all platforms.

While persistent rumors surrounding the possible cancellation of a traditional “The Sims 5” have circulated—a move EA has generally countered by stating their intent to continually evolve The Sims 4 and integrate new experiences into the overarching Sims ‘ecosystem’—the focus is clearly on a future where the franchise is more interconnected than ever before. Project Rene is positioned not just as a sequel, but as a long-term, evolving platform, potentially a game-changer for the entire life simulation genre.

For existing TSM players, the transition is undoubtedly bittersweet. Years of progress, dedicated building, and carefully crafted Sim family histories will disappear when the server disconnect occurs. The final few months, however, offer a unique, celebratory window for the community to fully explore every facet of the game, leveraging the unlimited energy to complete long-running projects and share their final, creative builds before the digital curtain falls.

In conclusion, the sunset of The Sims Mobile is less a failure and more a strategic realignment. It underscores the volatility and rapid evolution of the mobile gaming industry, where even successful titles must yield to the developers’ long-term visions for a unified, cross-platform digital future, especially within a flagship franchise like The Sims.