The Sims 5 Leak: New Details On Project Rene!

A lot has happened in recent weeks in regards to Project Rene/Sims 5 leaks, and we’ve got the latest news!

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Take a look at the latest info to drop about the upcoming Sims title, thanks to dataminers and info leakers!

Announcing Project Rene/The Sims 5

In October 2022 EA first announced Project Rene, aka The Sims 5, was being worked on as part of their Sims Summit Stream Event and they had started basic playtesting at the same time. During the stream we got to see that playtest in action, giving fans a first look at the process of furnishing and customizing an apartment.

Things we took away from the stream included new lighting tech, customization options in CAS, and most significantly, that the game will allow cross-play and will be available for mobile devices.

Project Rene/The Sims 5 Leaks In 2024

A month ago Reddit user Gtorrnet posted new details about that October/November playtest which shared 2 pieces of important information. First off, the game appears to have been moved over to the Unreal Engine which is interesting; Unreal has been known for their extremely realistic and detailed graphics and considering The Sims 5 is going to be optimized for use on even mobile devices it seems like overkill. However, looking at the detail of the objects from the Apartment playtest, it looks like Unreal is a good choice here.

The second and more controversial piece of information we received was that the game had/has the Denuvo DRM included. DRMs are typically used as an anti-piracy method but players generally aren’t fans of the way they hog computer resources, limit the number of machines you can install a program on, and DRMs have a history of installing other potentially malicious software on your devices. EA famously faced backlash in 2008 for including the SecuROM DRM with their game Spore. The developer has been using Denuvo since 2014, although it’s not part of The Sims 4 to our knowledge.

The Mobile Alpha Sims 5 Leak

As part of that leak post there was also a link posted to the mobile version of the playtest, but it appears that you cannot use it without being authorized by EA. This author was able to download & launch the utility (so you don’t have to put your devices at risk) but as you can see in the screenshot above, I was unable to connect to the playtest.

The Latest Sims 5 Leak!

Just yesterday, Reddit user DzXAnt22 shared more information that they were able to datamine from the previously leaked playtest build that gives us an idea of what the game’s map might look like. According to DzXAnt22 the image above is the full map, with the portion colored in red being the playable space. The blue line is a river which borders the playable area to the south. Other notable information they were able to datamine:

• They were unable to find any “travel” type icons or string references to traveling, which could further suggest that The Sims 5 will be open world and therefore not need a traveling mechanic.
• The game utilized LOD (levels of detail) and Asset Streaming (items load in when needed) to help it run smoothly, and they were able to get it at 30 FPS (frames per second) on their 5+ year old phone. Mobile games typically run at 30-60 FPS.
• Based on IRL images they found while digging, the world map that was leaked appears to be modeled after the real city of Paris, France.

Notice on the images above that the on-screen map changes as the player moves around, further supporting the idea that the red area on the full map is the playable area.

What Will Sims Characters Look Like?

Another Reddit user, Vegetable_Ear_4141, has made several posts in regards to The Sims 5 leaks (including possibly the first release of the above-mentioned map images), as well as a number of other interesting bits of information. One of the more significant finds was this model of a sim, which gives us an idea not only of the art style but also customization options; note the different colors on the eyelids/eyelashes which could suggest different color channels for customization purposes.

Vegetable_Ear_4141 also shared some data concerning location names, different emotions your sim can experience, and some info about the voice acting. Check out all the details in their post.

Other Possible Sims 5 Character Leaks

The above image was shared on Reddit by user Sincerely-A earlier this month, claiming that it’s a leak of the upcoming characters. However, they were unwilling/unable to share any source information for this image so we have to take it with a large grain of salt. It is possible that the style of the characters has changed since the playtest that was leaked but until we have definite proof this should be taken as mere speculation.

It’s worth noting that just recently Kate Gorman, who was previously the VP for The Sims Mobile, was newly announced as the VP & GM of the game franchise. Could this mean The Sims 5 could adopt a more mobile app-focused look? Only time will tell.

Final Thoughts

March 2024 has been a big month in regards to Project Rene/The Sims 5 leaks! We know a lot more about the playable map area in regards to what it will look like and where it’s based on, at least for an older test build of the game. There’s been a change in leadership for The Sims which could mean things shift a lot between this leak and the final game, but hopefully it will be all good things. The little we’ve been able to glean thanks to dataminers and leaks seems very promising, and we’ll keep you updated as we get more information.

What Sims 5 leak are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned for more Sims-worthy news!