The Sims 25th anniversary is next month, and as expected, EA has loads of activities, updates and new content planned for the celebration. But one thing players weren’t expecting was the surprise update EA just launched for The Sims 3.
The new update simply fixes an issue that made newer Intel CPUs unable to run The Sims 3, allowing the game to be run on modern machines more easily. Although EA hasn’t made a public statement regarding the update, some players are hoping this could mean more updates for The Sims 3 are on the way.
Whether that’s the case or not is hard to say. After all, EA hasn’t even publicly acknowledged that it launched the update. But even if EA has no more planned content for The Sims 3, players–and modders especially–are thrilled to see new life breathed into the game.
“So it begins,” Sims modder SimMattically tweeted after discovering the update.
The last time The Sims 3 received an update was back in November 2015, and it’s entirely possible the latest update was simply released to ensure players continue to buy the game. But players who miss the game’s incredibly detailed customization options (many of which are still absent from The Sims 4) are happy to see this update, even if it’s not necessarily indicative that more Sims 3 content is on the way.
During its heyday, The Sims 3 struggled to run even on high-end PCs. Crashes and bugs were common, but players loved the ability to make Sims’ hair, clothes, nails, and furniture any color they wished via the game’s color wheel. That color wheel is almost entirely absent from The Sims 4–it can be used when coloring a pet’s fur, but cannot be used on Sims’ hair, clothes, furniture, walls, or flooring. Sims 4 players have bemoaned the game’s lack of customization options for years, and since modern machines will now have an easier time running The Sims 3 without crashing, the latest update allows nostalgic Simmers to travel back to the good old days, when Sims (and their houses) could be any color of the rainbow.
There’s no telling whether EA will release further updates for The Sims 3–and if they do, those updates are likely to be focused on stability improvements rather than new content. Still, being able to load up an ancient save file and customize Sims to your heart’s content is certainly something to celebrate, even if the update itself isn’t officially a part of The Sims 25th Anniversary celebration.