Tiny houses are coming to The Sims 4

The tiny homes craze has quieted down for the most part, at least compared to several years ago when it seemed like every TV channel had its own show about people moving into itty bitty houses or remodeled trailers or converted cargo containers. But in The Sims 4 it looks like the trend of tiny homes is just about to kick off. A trailer for The Tiny Living Stuff Pack has arrived, showing fancy yet wee little homes that occupy 100 tiles or fewer.

In addition to a cutesy, cozy little nest, players who build or buy tiny homes will have to spend less money on bills—as in real life, heating a mansion costs a ton while living in a cubicle requires far less energy. I can only assume it will be a challenge designing a tiny house, though—yours Sims still need to be able to get around and use everything, and that can be tricky to manage even in a normal-sized Sims 4 home. Space-saving features like Murphy beds (pull-down beds) are shown. One appears to tragically kill a Sim (nah, I'm sure he's fine).

I am a bit skeptical by the trailer's promise that Sims sharing a tiny home will be rewarded with a relationship gain, however. If you recall Portlandia's Microhouse sketch, living in a tiny home can put a strain on couples. "You're always breathing down the back of my neck, it's like I can feel your hot breath on me all the time!" This tension can be the result of having a combined TV room and shower, or a writing room that doubles as a toilet, or having to using your partner's back as a table so you can butter your toast.

I'm sure your Sims will do much better, though. It appears the Tiny Living Stuff Pack will contain loads of new (tiny) furniture and (normal sized) clothing. The Pack will be along on January 21.

Thanks, Kotaku.

Chris started playing PC games in the 1980s, started writing about them in the early 2000s, and (finally) started getting paid to write about them in the late 2000s. Following a few years as a regular freelancer, PC Gamer hired him in 2014, probably so he'd stop emailing them asking for more work. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He's also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring storylines in RPGs so he can make up his own.