The Sims 4 E3 trailer reveals September launch date

2TS4_E3_AstroFish_web

We've known about the existence of The Sims 4 since last summer and we have some idea of what to expect from the game too, thanks to a nice October preview that promised to imbue your tiny little digital people with "the full weight of emotion." And now, courtesy of an E3 gameplay trailer, we finally know when it's coming.

Sims in The Sims 4 will be "smarter, with big personalities," according to the new gameplay trailer, "who every day collide and connect." Each one will have a story, and while those stories are "yours to tell," a big part of the attraction is clearly not knowing where they'll ultimately end up.

"These are brand new Sims whose traits, emotions and aspirations combine to define more meaningful personalities than you've ever played with before," The Sims 4 Executive Producer Rachel Franklin said. "You decide not only what they look like, but more importantly, who they are. The combination of these new Sims, our powerful new creative tools, and the all-new Gallery add up to the best game we've ever made."

The Sims 4 is currently available for preorder on Origin in a $59.99 Limited Edition and a $69.99 Digital Deluxe Edition . Both versions include the Life of the Party DLC, which I guess is why the standard edition qualifies as a Limited Edition (and for the record, there is no "standard edition"), while the Digital Deluxe also comes with the Up All Night and Awesome Animal Hats DLC, and the soundtrack.

And finally, the reason you're here in the first place: September 2 is the day that The Sims 4 finally springs to live. To find out more, direct your attention to TheSims.com .

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.