Although few details have been released yet, the announcement of a new Sims game is exciting news for fans of the franchise. With The Sims 4 being almost a decade old - and receiving mixed reviews from fans - it might be time for The Sims 5 - aka Project Rene - to revitalize The Sims yet again. With the advent of a new base game come new expansion packs that can further expand on its features. While The Sims 4 paid DLC seems primarily derived from Sims 3 content, there is a chance for The Sims 5 to level up existing gameplay, especially when it comes to pets.
The Sims development team has teased multiple new features, including a potential multiplayer mode, Sims 5 cross-platform play, and a next-generation game engine. With the upcoming game being in development, Sims fans might be surprised to see a busy 2023 roadmap for The Sims 4, and the Growing Together expansion pack confirms it. As The Sims 5 is also likely receiving new updates and content, it's a great time to look back at iconic expansion packs to see how future iterations could improve on the past.
The Sims Franchise Has A Complicated History With Pet-Related Content
To get a sense of how The Sims 5 could improve on previous pet-related content, it's helpful to go back to the beginning. Pets were first introduced to the franchise with the release of the Sims: Unleashed expansion pack, which allowed Sims to own cats, dogs, birds, fish, or reptiles. The paid content also introduced a new animal care career, unique traits, skills, items, and customizable objects centered around animals. The Sims 2: Pets expanded on its predecessor, allowing cats and dogs to be customized and controlled like Sims, given careers, and even introduced a new werewolf life state.
The Sims 3: Pets arguably contributed the most changes to animals, allowing players to adopt the previous variety of pets with the addition of horses. The DLC introduced a new pet-centric world, wild animals, expanded the autonomy and complexity of household pets, and even allowed Sims to train as jockeys and participate in competitions. The Sims 4: Cats and Dogs was a noticeable downgrade from The Sims 3, removing horses and the ability to control pets from the game. While the pack introduced a veterinarian career and business, new items, and new traits, it didn't push the envelope in the way that fans might have hoped.
How The Sims 5 Can Innovate Instead of Recreate Previous Pet Content
The development of The Sims 5 could hint at the capability for new features. A future Sims 5: Pets expansion pack could add horses back into the game and vastly expand how Sims interact with their animals. For instance, the DLC could add in a pet training career, pet training centers, more advanced agility and class-based activities for dogs, and a more advanced competition mechanic for all pets. Another incredible innovation could be the advent of animal shelter lots, allowing Sims to own, run, and adopt pets from them. This gameplay element would pair well with the existing vet career and provide more realism.
There is also ample potential for a new pet-themed content pack to create more complex bonds between Sims and their animals. For example, introducing support animals would provide valuable real-world representation while inviting Sims to train their pets to do more advanced behaviors. Along with new customization elements for pets, a future pack could include a new pet groomer career, with a companion gameplay mechanic akin to the stylist career in The Sims 3: Ambitions expansion pack. Overall, a new Sims 5: Pets expansion pack has the potential to greatly improve on current animal-related gameplay.
The Sims 5 is in development.