Electronic Arts Confirms End of Service for ‘The Sims Mobile’ on January 20, 2026: A Deep Dive into the Free-to-Play Landscape and Project Rene’s Future

Electronic Arts (EA) has delivered significant news to the mobile gaming community, announcing the imminent closure of ‘The Sims Mobile’ after nearly eight years of operation. The servers for the life-simulation title are scheduled to be permanently shut down on January 20, 2026, effectively rendering the online-only game unplayable. This decision, while a blow to the dedicated player base, has sparked broader conversations within the industry about the longevity of free-to-play titles, the strategy behind mobile game profitability, and the future direction of the highly valuable Sims franchise, particularly in light of the upcoming cross-platform project, ‘Project Rene.’

The announcement, made public through an official EA blog post and subsequent media coverage on October 20, 2025, confirmed that the game – which first launched globally in March 2018 – would receive its final content update, followed by a phased wind-down process.

Key Dates, Player Impact, and Monetization Changes

The roadmap to the shutdown details several critical changes impacting current players:

• October 20, 2025: The final update for ‘The Sims Mobile’ was released. Crucially, all in-app purchases (IAPs) and real-money spending options for packs and in-game currency are now disabled. Existing players, however, have been granted unlimited energy, allowing them to complete tasks and events without the typical time or currency constraints.
• October 21, 2025: The game was officially delisted from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, preventing new users from downloading the application. Existing players can still re-download or update the game from their libraries until the final server closure.
• January 6, 2026: In a final gesture to the community, EA will unlock all Build Mode and Create-A-Sim (CAS) items for all players, irrespective of their in-game level or previously completed quests. This move provides a two-week window for fans to fully customize their homes and Sims before the permanent shutdown.
• January 20, 2026: The servers for ‘The Sims Mobile’ will be permanently taken offline at 1:59 PM UTC, ending all functionality.

A contentious point in the announcement is the policy regarding in-game currency. EA has stated clearly that no refunds will be issued for any unused currency (SimCash, Simoleons, or Tickets) remaining after the January 20, 2026, shutdown. Players are strongly encouraged to utilize all remaining balances before the final date, especially prior to January 6, when most items become free.

Market Dynamics and the Comparison with ‘The Sims FreePlay’

The decision to sunset ‘The Sims Mobile’ is highly unusual considering the massive, evergreen popularity of the ‘The Sims’ IP, which is one of EA’s most financially successful franchises. Industry analysis and revenue tracking prior to the shutdown announcement consistently showed ‘The Sims Mobile’ struggling to compete with its older predecessor, ‘The Sims FreePlay.’

• ‘The Sims Mobile’ Revenue: While ‘The Sims Mobile’ successfully leveraged the familiar aesthetic of ‘The Sims 4,’ initial reports indicated its monthly revenue often lagged significantly behind ‘The Sims FreePlay,’ the 2011 release. Data suggested ‘FreePlay’ consistently doubled the revenue of ‘Mobile’ in key periods, solidifying its position as EA’s dominant life-simulation mobile title.
• Gameplay Differences: ‘The Sims Mobile’ focused heavily on building a family legacy, utilizing “energy” for task completion, and having a more restrictive number of controllable Sims and buildable lots. Conversely, ‘The Sims FreePlay’ offers a broader world, more content accumulated over its long lifespan, and a less restrictive number of controllable Sims, despite its older graphics engine. The lower profitability of ‘The Sims Mobile’ relative to ‘FreePlay’ likely played a critical role in the strategic decision to consolidate mobile resources.

The Shadow of ‘Project Rene’ and Future Strategy

The timing of the shutdown strongly suggests a corporate pivot toward the future of the franchise. EA and Maxis officially announced Project Rene in 2022, which is widely considered to be the next major iteration of ‘The Sims’ – potentially ‘The Sims 5.’ A key feature emphasized for Project Rene is its cross-platform functionality, including a core mobile experience that will be directly linked to the PC/console versions.

The retirement of a dedicated, standalone mobile title like ‘The Sims Mobile’ streamlines development efforts and allows EA to concentrate its mobile game development budget and talent on creating a singular, unified ‘Sims’ experience under the Project Rene banner. This consolidation is a highly rational strategic move in the competitive, high-revenue mobile gaming market, where resource efficiency is paramount. The goal is likely to launch a superior, integrated mobile experience that can finally rival the success of the older ‘FreePlay’ while serving as an integral extension of the main PC game.

Furthermore, the shutdown coincides with broader speculation and news regarding EA’s corporate structure, including reports of a potential high-profile acquisition deal. Such significant corporate changes often necessitate a review of underperforming or non-core assets to focus on the highest-potential projects, making the discontinuation of ‘The Sims Mobile’ a likely consequence of a larger strategic realignment.

Final Thoughts and Community Reflection

The closure of ‘The Sims Mobile’ is a sober reminder of the transient nature of online-only video games, especially those relying on dedicated server maintenance. For the community that invested time and money into their virtual lives and ‘Sims Legacies,’ the end-of-service date represents a permanent loss of their digital creations. The limited-time events and the unlocking of content leading up to January 20, 2026, serve as a final farewell from the development team, allowing players to celebrate their final months in Sunset Valley – a bittersweet conclusion to a game that entertained millions for over seven years. The industry will now watch closely to see how EA’s investment in ‘Project Rene’ leverages the lessons learned from both the success of ‘The Sims FreePlay’ and the eventual financial limitations of ‘The Sims Mobile’ in the ongoing battle for mobile gaming market share.