Gab Hernandez 
The Sims 5 city map has seemingly been leaked and its scale has left fans wondering if the game will have an open world.
The Sims has been a part of EA’s DNA since its first release in February 2000. Envisioned as a virtual doll house after game designer Will Wright lost his home to a fire, the passion project quickly became a phenomenon. While it’s technically a spin-off to the SimCity series, The Sims has grown to be much larger than its forerunner.
The Sims resonated with casual audiences and, in many ways, was a driving force in the rise of the life simulator genre that now includes mega-hits like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley. Since then, The Sims series has received multiple sequels, spin-offs, and even a reality TV show. With The Sims 5 going free-to-play, fans can’t wait to get their hands on the game. But what kind of game will it actually be?
Will The Sims 5 be open-world?
Maxis Studios has not confirmed that Sims 5 will be open-world, but data miners on Reddit have seemingly found a city map from the game. This includes screenshots of in-game streets that align with a map discovered in the leaked build of “Project Rene.”
Interestingly, fans claim the map looks more European than American this time around. The rounded corners and curved roads may imply a new setting. The existence of a map has led to speculation that the Sims 5 will be open-world, like The Sims 3.
Despite the ambition of The Sims 3, the technology did not reflect the scale many fans wanted for an open-world The Sims game. With modern hardware and the confirmed return of the Create-A-Style tool, fans may finally get that The Sims-SimCity hybrid they’ve been looking for. Still, it’s not just the potential open-world pivot that the game will bring to the table.
Will The Sims 5 have multiplayer?
Maxis has confirmed that the Sims 5 will feature multiplayer.
During a live stream, game director Grant Rodiek showed off multiple players rearranging furniture simultaneously. They also hint at crossplay, meaning players across platforms can play The Sims 5 together. Maxis also confirmed cross-saves and cross-progress, which will allow players to have easy access to their game across all platforms.
However, the free-to-play model leaves some fans worried about The Sims 5’s monetization, especially with EA’s history and handling of series like Plants vs Zombies. On top of that, the Sims 5 may come packaged with Denuvo, prompting worries about the game’s launch. Until its release, however, fans can only be cautiously optimistic about the Sims 5.
