Electronic Arts has just dropped a massive announcement that’s sure to thrill long-time fans of The Sims franchise. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the iconic life simulation series, EA is re-releasing The Sims 1 and The Sims 2 as part of The Sims 25th Birthday Bundle. This bundle is a love letter to the fans who’ve been with the series since the beginning, offering a chance to relive the magic of the original games with modern compatibility. What’s more, the games run not only on Windows 10 and 11 but we have done testing and found it CAN run on Linux via Steam’s Proton compatibility layer, and they perform surprisingly well on even modest hardware.
A Trip Down Memory Lane: The Sims 25th Birthday Bundle
The Sims 25th Birthday Bundle is a celebration of the franchise’s legacy, bringing back two of the most beloved titles in the series: The Sims and The Sims 2. These games introduced players to the joys (and chaos) of controlling virtual lives, and now they’re back with all their iconic characters, music, and gameplay intact. The bundle also includes a heap of bonus content, making it a must-have for both nostalgic players and newcomers curious about the origins of the series.
The games will be available globally starting 31 January 2025 on PC via the EA App, Epic Games Store, and Steam. The best part? They’re optimised to run on modern systems, including Windows 10 and 11, and (unofficially) even Linux through Steam’s Proton compatibility layer. Our early reports suggest that performance on Linux is surprisingly smooth, which is fantastic news for the Linux gaming community.
The Sims: Legacy Collection – Back to the Y2K Era
The re-release of The Sims 1, titled The Sims: Legacy Collection, is a time capsule of early 2000s culture. From bedazzled flip phones to chunky highlights, this game captures the essence of the Y2K era. Players can create their own neighbourhoods, design Sims with unique personalities, and control every aspect of their lives—whether that means guiding them to success or unleashing chaos.
The Legacy Collection includes the base game and all its expansion packs:
- The Sims: Livin’ Large
- The Sims: House Party
- The Sims: Hot Date
- The Sims: Vacation
- The Sims: Unleashed
- The Sims: Superstar
- The Sims: Makin’ Magic
Additionally, players will receive The Sims 4: Throwback Fit Kit as a bonus. Priced at $29.95 AUD, this collection is a fantastic way to revisit the game that started it all.
The Sims 2: Legacy Collection – Generational Storytelling at Its Best
The Sims 2: Legacy Collection takes things a step further by introducing generational game play. Players can guide their Sims through lifetimes, shaping their personalities, careers, and relationships while passing down traits to future generations. The game’s Create-a-Sim tool offers unmatched customisation, and the build mode allows for endless creativity in designing homes and neighbourhoods.
This collection includes the base game and all its expansion and stuff packs:
- The Sims 2: University
- The Sims 2: Nightlife
- The Sims 2: Open for Business
- The Sims 2: Pets
- The Sims 2: Bon Voyage
- The Sims 2: Seasons
- The Sims 2: FreeTime
- The Sims 2: Apartment Life
- Plus, all the Stuff Packs like Glamour Life Stuff, Teen Style Stuff, and Mansion & Garden Stuff
As a bonus, players will also receive The Sims 4: Grunge Revival Kit. Priced at $49.95 AUD, this collection is a treasure trove of content for fans of The Sims 2.
Performance and Compatibility
One of the most exciting aspects of this re-release is its compatibility with modern systems. The games have been optimised to run smoothly on Windows 10 and 11, ensuring that players can enjoy the classics without worrying about technical issues. Even more impressive is the performance (again, unofficially) on Linux via Steam’s Proton compatibility layer. Our early tests show that the games run exceptionally well on Linux, exceeding expectations and opening the door for more players to experience these timeless titles.
The games are also designed to run on modest modern hardware, making them accessible to a wide audience. Whether you’re playing on a high-end gaming PC or a budget laptop, you’ll be able to dive into the world of The Sims without any hassle.
The White Elephant Mac in the Room
So… why aren’t these bundles coming to Mac? This is all speculative as Electronic Art’s hasn’t said anything about this.
But we can look at the facts
The original The Sims 1 was written for PowerPC Macs, and since then, Apple has gone through two major architecture shifts—first to Intel and now to their own Apple Silicon (M1/M2/etc chips). Each of these changes requires significant reworking of the game’s code to ensure compatibility. Porting a game as old as The Sims 1 to modern macOS, especially with Apple Silicon, would likely involve a lot of effort and resources. EA might have decided to prioritise platforms where the process is more straightforward, like Windows.
It’s possible that Aspyr, the company behind The Sims 2: Super Collection on Mac, still holds the distribution rights for The Sims 1 and The Sims 2 on macOS. This could complicate EA’s ability to re-release these games on Mac without renegotiating agreements or working with Aspyr. Since The Sims 2: Super Collection is still available on the Mac App Store and works on Intel-based Macs, EA might feel that Mac users already have access to at least one of the classic titles. Yes, it’s not the same… we know.
EA might be focusing on the platforms with the largest player bases first. While Mac users are a dedicated part of the Sims community, the overall gaming market on macOS is smaller compared to Windows. By releasing the bundle on Windows and Linux first, EA can gauge interest and potentially consider a Mac release later if there’s enough demand.
The positive is, they haven’t said “No” yet.
Pricing and Availability
The Sims 25th Birthday Bundle is available for $59.95AUD and includes both The Sims: Legacy Collection and The Sims 2: Legacy Collection.For those who prefer to purchase the games separately, TheSims:Legacy Collection is priced at $59.95 AUD and includes both The Sims: Legacy Collection and The Sims 2: Legacy Collection. For those who prefer to purchase the games separately, The Sims: Legacy Collection is priced at $29.95 AUD, while The Sims 2: Legacy Collection is available for $49.95 AUD.
While it would’ve been amazing for EA to release these classics for free as they have done before, there are a few reasons why the Sims 25th Birthday Bundle may have been priced the way it is.
Bringing 20+ year-old games to modern systems isn’t simple and Electronic Arts likely some manhours and resources into optimising The Sims 1 and The Sims 2 for Windows 10 and 1. This includes ensuring the games run smoothly on modern hardware, fixing bugs, and making them compatible with current platforms like Steam and the EA App. That kind of work isn’t cheap.
We also don’t know what the story is with licensing, most of the music in the first Sims were made in house but The Sims 2 is loaded with real artists’ making Simlish versions of their songs. Games like The Sims often include licensed music, assets, and other content that require ongoing royalties. This is likely the reason there is no IKEA stuff pack.
The bundle and individual collections will be available starting 31 January 2025 on PC via the EA App, Epic Games Store, and Steam.
Final Thoughts
The Sims 25th Birthday Bundle is a dream come true for fans of the series. By bringing back The Sims 1 and The Sims 2 with modern compatibility and bonus content, EA has created the ultimate celebration of the franchise’s legacy. The fact that we found the games run well on Linux via Proton is the cherry on top, making this bundle accessible to an even wider audience. If you can justify the price, and it looks like many already have, it’s probably worth it to keep these games running in the future.
