For years, The Sims 4 has attracted players with its unique customization options and deep life simulation. However, there’s a significant problem: the constant loading screens. These interruptions happen frequently and take players out of the experience, forcing them to look at a blank screen instead of enjoying the game. Instead of feeling like they’re in a lively, interconnected environment, players often feel they’re in a series of disconnected scenes. This is a serious issue that changes the way players experience the game, turning what could be an amazing story into a bunch of separate moments.
This doesn't always have to be the case. Loading screens are very outdated and are rarely seen today in the frequency with which The Sims 4 employs them. While The Sims 4 was not built in this generation, they could provide DLC that is specific for open-world gameplay. It is a bit complicated, but EA is a big publisher and has the resources to make this happen. They could give players a reason to stick to Sims 4 before going the same route as SimCity 5 when InZOI releases in 2025.
The Load Screen Barrier Kills Immersion
It's The Biggest Issue
The Sims 4's major issue is its frequent loading screens. These interruptions happen most often when traveling between different locations, breaking the feeling of a lively, interconnected world. Players have to wait and stare at a loading bar while the game loads. This makes it hard to feel truly engaged with their Sims and the environment, creating the sense of a bunch of levels tied together.
How many more Sims 4 packs do you think it will take for the game to break completely?
I've played every iteration of The Sims over the years, and while I loved The Sims 4 when it first came out, I've given up hope on it. The engine is old, and it's too hard to update it, which made Project Renee's cancelation even more gutting. With every additional release, the game breaks. The Sims 4 has released more add-ons than any previous title, and I'm honestly astonished that it can even run with so many expansions, packs, kits, etc. Frankly, I can understand why my sims have so many routing issues and problems queuing more than one interaction.
This problem goes beyond being just annoying. For example, dramatic events or happy celebrations can lose their impact when they're suddenly interrupted by a loading screen, reminding players of the game's technical limitations. This is especially problematic for stories based on exploration, as the thrill of discovering new places goes away. A smooth gaming experience needs seamless transitions between areas to keep players engaged.
Plenty of Games Have Gone Further Than Just Open Worlds
It's Just Outdated By Now
While many games have made great strides in creating open worlds, many have taken it a step further by ensuring players can move around without interruptions, keeping the gameplay feeling continuous. The Sims 4 is over a decade old, which is a big problem when it gets compared to other games that have already introduced bigger things than just a seamless open world. The Sims 3 also avoided loading screens within the same neighborhood, so The Sims 4 was ultimately a step backward rather than forward.
When it comes to more modern games, titles like Spider-Man 2 have broken the barriers that normally come with fast traveling. Most games still require loading to fast travel, but Spider-Man 2 on PS5 can move players to different areas in seconds. This keeps the experience flowing, so players rarely face sudden breaks in immersion. It's a faster game as well, so going through the map quickly doesn't cause the lower-quality surroundings that can come from open-world games loading areas slowly.
The Sims 4 Is Missing What Made Past Sims Console Games Great
The Sims 4 is missing a feature that made the previous games much better, and it's a great feature that The Sims 3 doesn't even have that players love
Then there are games like No Man's Sky and Star Citizen, which have open galaxies. They have seamless transitioning from the planet's surface to outer space and back. It makes it very hard to look at a game like The Sims 4 as justified competition to games released today. Since The Sims 4 isn't going to have a sequel, EA has to at least make it match up with games today.
A Modder Created an Open World for Sims 4 Already
It's Been Done Before
A dedicated modder named Arnie found a way to create a seamless, open-world experience in The Sims 4. This creation was originally called "Brookheights Open Worlds," although its final version released after Arnie's retirement from Sims mod creation is known as Brookheights Legacy. This mod removes all loading screens, allowing players to explore an entirely new map that feels like a different country without interruptions.
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Brookheights is much more than just a bigger map; it includes fully interactive buildings that can be accessed without any loading times. Players can buy and drive cars and even fly planes from a functional airport. There’s also a simple storyline to improve the whole experience. This shows that the technology for an open-world Sims 4 experience is available; it just hasn't been prioritized by EA. The success of the Brookheights mod highlights the demand for a more immersive gameplay experience.
The Brookheights mod is available from its official Patreon.
The groundwork has been laid, the players want it, and now it just depends on whether the developers are willing to prioritize it. An official release would come with unique challenges, like ensuring that it wasn't too intensive for lower-end systems, but the fact that a single person could make a mod solution is promising. A group of veteran developers who've worked on The Sims 4 should be able to do it themselves. While changing the current maps would be difficult, a separate DLC with a new map wouldn't necessarily be harder than what Arnie did.
Project Rene Raised Anticipation For An Open World
The Sims Could Go Bigger
The announcement of Project Rene, the working title for a future Sims project. sparked a lot of excitement with the potential to bring back open-world gameplay. Although EA didn't share many specifics, leaks indicated an open-world approach that would be a major shift from The Sims 4.
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Unfortunately, there will be no The Sims 5, and it's still hard to know what exactly Project Rene will look like as a finished product. The uncertainty of future plans ultimately makes the current situation more frustrating. The Sims 4 is very limited in some key regards, and that becomes more apparent every year that there are no big improvements. DLC is starting to feel like bundles of microtransactions instead of real expansions.
The best way to satisfy players is to give them what many of them have been wanting: A DLC with an open world. The Sims 3 already had an open world, so it should be possible for The Sims 4 to do it again. This is a big reason why The Sims 4 doesn't feel complete, and it would be a way to make it stand out in the series as an improvement from previous games.
