After running the odd free weekend here and there for years, EA has opted to make The Sims 4 base game fully free for all new players on PC, Mac, and console starting October 18.

Originally released in 2014, The Sims 4 boasts a playerbase of millions already, and has received no small amount of paid add-ons and free updates over the years. Notably, the game has a vast library of paid expansions which, at full price, now amounts to somewhere over $900 worth of content altogether.

By dropping the $20 pricetag from the base game, EA stands to make it that much easier for new players to join The Sims 4 ecosystem, and potentially purchase some of that downloadable content down the line.

"Our community has continued to inspire us with the billions of unique Sims they’ve created, the countless stories they’ve told, and the remarkable builds they've designed," reads a blog from The Sims 4 team. "We’re excited to continue to welcome in more players than ever to create new stories, and explore without boundaries. The Sims has always been about celebrating new ways to play and offers so many possibilities to discover."

For reference, The Sims 4 has been steadily gaining new players since that somewhat rocky 2014 release, and is routinely credited by EA as one of the franchises helping to drive its live services portfolio, along with the likes of Apex Legends and FIFA Ultimate Team. While it has made fewer appearances in the company's financial reports and earnings calls over the last year, back in May 2021 the game celebrated 6 consecutive years of growth and a playerbase of 36 million players.

More The Sims 4 content on the horizon

While the latest game has nearly doubled the lifespan of other numbered games in the series, EA doesn't seem keen to retire The Sims 4 just quite yet. Along with news of the free-to-play drop, EA and developer Maxis have lightly confirmed that the duo will continue to create content for the current iteration of the long-running series, continuing The Sims 4's near decade-long reign.

"With The Sims 4 going free to play, our team is more dedicated than ever to developing new and meaningful The Sims 4 experiences for our players," reads a blog post from the team. "We will continue to develop and release packs, kits and Sims Delivery Express drops into the foreseeable future."