Sul sul! Ah, The Sims. One of the cornerstones of modern video gaming. And yet… there’s no The Sims Nintendo Switch version. It seems like an obvious gap in the market, but there’s more going on than meets the eye between Maxis, EA, and Nintendo. Here, we’ll speculate about any future Sims games on the Nintendo Switch, and see what happened to cause a lull in Maxis’ catalog on Nintendo consoles.
While we may not be able to visit Eliza Pancakes on Switch, check out these games like Animal Crossing and the best JRPGs on Nintendo Switch to make proper use of the handheld gem.
Right then, let’s see what we know about a Sims Nintendo Switch game.
Is there a Sims Nintendo Switch game?
The short answer is no, there are no Sims games on Switch – sadly. We can blame the Wii U for this – more on that in a moment.
Can I play The Sims on mobile?
Yes, surprisingly. EA has ventured into Sims on mobile with The Sims Mobile and The Sims Freeplay – two games bringing a whole Sims experience to iOS and Android.
According to EA, the upcoming Project Rene (Sims 5, for those not in the know), will also have mobile capabilities. We’re not sure if this means the full game will be on mobile, or if it will be a companion app sort of deal.
Is The Sims 5 coming to Switch?
Whether The Sims 5 would come to Switch in the future remains to be seen. Judging by EA’s recent track record with Nintendo, we’re likely to say that no, it won’t. In fact, EA’s CEO Andrew Wilson has said previously that their data suggests most Switch owners “also own a PlayStation or an Xbox or PC, and very often choose to play […] on those platforms”. Sorry Simmers, looks like it probably won’t happen. However…
Is the Sims 5 coming to mobile?
…Allegedly, yes, the Sims 5 is going to be on mobile. From what crumbs we’ve seen of Project Rene, the working title for Sims 5, is that it will be free to play and will release on PC and mobile.
A brief history of Sims on Nintendo consoles
The Sims games were a staple of 2000’s consoles, including Nintendo’s own GameCube and GameBoy Advance, all the way up to the Wii. The games were mostly wacky spin-offs featuring gameplay vaguely reminiscent of the mainline PC games but with strange plots and a recurring cast of (mostly) friendly characters.
Games with the same name often differed from console to console – for instance, Sims Urbz on GameCube was a fairly open social simulator, whereas, on GBA and DS, it had a much stricter plot and a pixel art style. The same goes for The Sims 2 a couple of years later; on DS, you’re in charge of a run-down hotel in the desert on GBA, and you find yourself in a TV show having to complete missions to drive up your ratings.
As the Wii came to fruition, it was the time of MySims and The Sims 3. MySims was a different type of game entirely with blocky characters, but The Sims 3 emulated a watered-down version of the PC game onto Wii and 3DS – proving that it can be done and that we should get it on Switch. Sorry, I just really wish I could play Sims on a handheld again. These barely even scratch the surface of all the available Sims games on Nintendo consoles, but I’ll let you discover them in your own time.
Then came the Wii U and its disappointing reputation which destroyed EA and Nintendo’s working relationship. You’ll notice that the Wii U and Switch have no Sims games at all. There was an agreement for EA to create games for the Wii U, but the bad sales numbers got in the way, as did a high-up EA employee’s negative Tweets about the Wii U.
Granted, the old games were wackier and came to other consoles too (Urbz), but there’s still a distinct lack of choice for Simmers – it’s Sims 4 or nothing. Though that’s available on PlayStation and Xbox, not on Switch.
Are Sims Game Boy Advance games on Nintendo Switch Online?
As of now, we’re only aware of a handful of first-party Gameboy Advance games available on Nintendo Switch Online, with some more in the pipeline. There’s every chance that Nintendo will add more in the future from other developers than just Nintendo. However, given EA and Ninetndo’s track record, it’s dubious that this would include any of the classic Sims GameBoy titles like Urbz or Bustin’ Out. For now, we recommend having a look on eBay to snap them up!
And that’s all we know about any Sims Switch titles. Here are our recommendations for games like The Sims on Switch and mobile, some Genshin Impact redeem codes, and Roblox promo codes for some free stuff.