The Sims 4 recently added back in a classic feature that fans have been asking for, and its proximity to the release of the Sims Legacy Collections seems more than a coincidence. It’s possible that this could be the start of a new wave of Sims 4 updates aimed at including some fun elements from previous games. Best of all, players may not have to shell out money for expansion packs to get these new features.
It was revealed last year that The Sims 4 will remain the basis of Sims content for the foreseeable future. With no Sims 5 on the horizon, it’s nice to see that The Sims 4 will be receiving updates to add in much-requested features that have been missing from the game. Hopefully, this means that EA and Maxis are paying attention to what the Sims community wants and working on giving it to us.
Sims 4 Adding The Burglar Is A Major Throwback
The Burglar Originally Appeared In Sims 1 And Was Present In Most Games
As of an update on February 25, 2025, the burglar feature is back in The Sims 4. Originally appearing in The Sims 1, the burglar was a random event that would randomly happen at night. A burglar would break into your Sims’ home and start stealing items, and you would need to either call the police or have a burglar alarm to stop them.
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What’s great about this new update is that it is for the base game of The Sims 4. Honestly, given the franchise’s propensity for monetizing any new content, I was a little surprised that it wasn’t in some sort of DLC pack that at least cost a few dollars. It’s a nice change of pace to see new Sims content that even free-to-play players can enjoy.
Adding the burglar to The Sims 4 will hopefully spice things up and recapture some of the magic from the old games.
Random events like the burglar and strange, ominous phone calls helped give The Sims 1 a distinct tone. Adding the burglar to The Sims 4 will hopefully spice things up and recapture some of the magic from the old games. It would also be nice to see more missing features from earlier games made their way back into The Sims 4 in future updates.
More Classic Elements Could Be Great For The Sims 4
Players Have Wanted Several Old Features Back And Even Modded Them In
There are plenty of gameplay features missing from The Sims 4 that were present in earlier games. Perhaps one of the most sought-after features is zodiac signs for Sims, which appeared in every game leading up to The Sims 4. This is a feature for which there are multiple mods, so clearly, the interest is still there. With the popularity of astrology on social media sites like TikTok, I’m sure plenty of players would be happy to see them return.
Generally, any feature standard in previous titles, like zodiac signs or the automatic roof-building option, seems like a no-brainer to add to the base game for The Sims 4. It would also be nice to see features like Sims 3’s Create-a-World return, but I’m not sure how likely that would be given that new neighborhoods are a selling point for Sims 4 expansions. Still, it would be nice to see more old features return to The Sims 4, and thanks to the release of The Sims Legacy Collections, that may be what is about to happen.
The Sims Legacy Collections Are More Than Just Nostalgia
The Sims Legacy Collection Is The Perfect Way To See What Old Features Still Resonate
Originally, I figured re-releasing the old Sims games was just a great way to celebrate The Sims’ 25th anniversary. However, now that the burglar was added back to The Sims 4, I’m starting to think they might be more than that. Now that The Sims 4 is poised to carry the entire Sims Universe project, EA and Maxis may be using the Legacy Collections to gauge what old features players are still excited about.
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Re-releasing the old games and then seeing what features stand out to Sims 4 players may be a way of testing what elements from previous games will get added back in. And let’s be honest, doesn’t charging you to do market research for them perfectly align with The Sims’ business model of monetizing every possible aspect of the game? It seems like a win-win situation for the developers and at least a single win for players.
While I can’t prove what’s happening, you may want to be extra vocal about how much fun your favorite old features are in The Sims Legacy Collection. Who knows, they may end up getting added back into The Sims 4 the same way the burglar did. All jokes aside, I think it’s great if EA and Maxis are taking cues from the community and allowing them to shape the franchise’s future.
The Sims 4
Who says we only have one life? Thanks to one of today’s best sandbox video games, anyone can enjoy living a second life during their off-hours — and one in which they look exactly the way they want and enjoy exciting careers and relationships. The Sims 4 is the latest in the popular Sims franchise and allows any gamer to unleash their imagination with an alternate life inside the world of The Sims, a completely customizable game of life available on most gaming platforms.
With the Sims 4 game, you can customize your alternate self with powerful personalization features to choose everything from hair color and facial appearance, to body size, shape, and walking style. Choose the perfect personality traits to bring your unique Sims to life with characteristics of your choice, from a studious workaholic to an outrageous, life-of-the-party socialite. Change your Sims’ outfits to reflect the mood of the moment and develop life stories and experiences for your Sim, including choosing and decorating a home, finding a career, making friends, and flirting and dating until you find your ideal significant other. And then you can choose to have your Sims character start a family or focus on a career or party lifestyle.
With many Sims 4 expansion packs available, you can add new layers to your Sims’ life, such as pets, vacations, gardens, hobbies, and much, much more. The possibilities are nearly endless.
The Sims 4 is one of the best sandbox games for self-expression, with customizable characters now including more nuanced personalities with an improved emotions system to add richness to all your Sims’ interactions.
- Publisher
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Electronic Arts
- Genre
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Life Simulation
- Mode
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Single Player
- Platform
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PS4, Xbox One, PC
