The Sims 4 marking series' 25th anniversary with "huge" free update adding 70+ new items

Plus, MySims bundle coming to PC.

Somewhat unbelievably, this February marks The Sims series' 25th anniversary - that's a whole two and a half decades of "yibs", "neibs", and mysterious "incidents" involving suddenly ladder-less swimming pools - and EA is celebrating the occasion with a whole bunch of activities, including free updates, limited-time events, paid DLC, and more.

The Sims' quarter anniversary celebrations officially kick off at on 4th February, with a "huge" free update for The Sims 4 introducing over 70+ new items for both Create a Sim and Build Buy modes. There's talk of turtleneck and bodysuit, bike shorts, accessories, and hairdos. New furnishings, meanwhile, include "stylish" windows and doors, wood finishes for kitchen cabinets, and even a new playground pirate ship for the young 'uns.

Additionally, 4th February sees the launch of The Sims 4's new limited-time Blast from the Past event, presenting players will four weeks of challenges unlocking "iconic items from the 2000s", including a milk carton, telephone, alarm clock, birthday cake, and inflatable chairs. The Sims FreePlay is getting a similarly themed event on mobile, then, to wrap up the series' 4th February celebrations, EA is hosting a 25-hour livestream from 10pm GMT featuring Simmers and other special guests to showcase The Sims' impact over the years.

That's not everything within The Sims' 25th anniversary orbit, however. Hurtling forward to 18th March, the recently released MySims: Cozy Bundle - which includes beloved Wii series spin-offs MySims and MySims Kingdom - is making the jump from Switch to PC. And before that, there's another free update out today.

This one introduces a number of new features previously playtested as part of EA's relatively recent The Sims Labs initiative. There's a new main menu, for instance, putting your currently in-use Sims family front and centre, and all townie houses in Willow Creek and Oasis Springs - including those belonging to the Pancakes, Goths, Calientes, Landgraabs, and BFFs - have been rebuilt and renovated using some of the items added to the base game over the years. Full details of these latest improvements can be found in EA's patch notes.

The Sims 4's latest update arrives ahead of three new paid Kit DLC packs, launching this Thursday, 16th February. There's the Secret Sanctuary Kit, providing a range of items players can use to build a "luxurious space tucked behind a secret passage in a bookcase", while the Casanova Cave Kit promises items Sims can use to "entertain and make an impression". Lastly, there's the Comfy Gamer Kit, incorporating items themed around creating a "warm, inviting gaming room with personal touches".

EA says two additional kits are due this month, with more coming "later this year" - and further information on all the above is included in its 25th anniversary news post.