The Sims 4recently added back in a classic feature that fans have been asking for, and its proximity to the release of theSims Legacy Collectionsseems more than a coincidence. It’s possible that this could be the start of a new wave ofSims 4updates aimed at including some fun elements from previous games. Best of all, players may not have to shell out money for expansion packs to get these new features.

It was revealed last year thatThe Sims 4will remain the basis ofSimscontent for the foreseeable future. WithnoSims 5on the horizon, it’s nice to see thatThe Sims 4will be receiving updates to add in much-requested features that have been missing from the game. Hopefully, this means that EA and Maxis are paying attention to what theSimscommunity wants and working on giving it to us.

Sims 4 character thinking with willow creek

Sims 4 Adding The Burglar Is A Major Throwback

The Burglar Originally Appeared In Sims 1 And Was Present In Most Games

As of an update on July 18, 2025, theburglar feature is back inThe Sims 4. Originally appearing inThe Sims 1, the burglar was a random event that would randomly happen at night.A burglar would break into your Sims’ home and start stealing items, and you would need to either call the police or have a burglar alarm to stop them.

Is The Sims 4 Base Game Worth Playing In 2025?

With more DLC than most people can keep up with and ten years later, is the Sims 4 base game worth playing without all the extra goodies?

What’s great about this new update is thatit is for the base game ofThe Sims 4. Honestly, given the franchise’s propensity for monetizing any new content, I was a little surprised that it wasn’t in some sort of DLC pack that at least cost a few dollars. It’s a nice change of pace to see newSimscontent that even free-to-play players can enjoy.

List of zodiac signs menu, Sim talking with smiley face

Adding the burglar toThe Sims 4will hopefully spice things up and recapture some of the magic from the old games.

Random events like the burglar and strange, ominous phone calls helped giveThe Sims 1a distinct tone. Adding the burglar toThe Sims 4will hopefully spice things up and recapture some of the magic from the old games. It would also be nice to see more missing features from earlier games made their way back intoThe Sims 4in future updates.

The player looking at death in a graveyard in The Sims 2 Legacy Collection.

More Classic Elements Could Be Great For The Sims 4

Players Have Wanted Several Old Features Back And Even Modded Them In

There are plenty of gameplayfeatures missing fromThe Sims 4that were present in earlier games. Perhapsone of the most sought-after features is zodiac signsfor Sims, which appeared in every game leading up toThe Sims 4. This is a feature for which there are multiple mods, so clearly, the interest is still there. With the popularity of astrology on social media sites like TikTok, I’m sure plenty of players would be happy to see them return.

Generally, any feature standard in previous titles, like zodiac signs or the automatic roof-building option, seems like a no-brainer to add to the base game forThe Sims 4. It would also be nice tosee features likeSims 3’s Create-a-World return, but I’m not sure how likely that would be given that new neighborhoods are a selling point forSims 4expansions. Still, it would be nice to see more old features return toThe Sims 4, and thanks to the release ofThe Sims Legacy Collections, that may be what is about to happen.

A Sim from sims 4 with Brindleton Bay and San Myshuno in the background

The Sims Legacy Collections Are More Than Just Nostalgia

The Sims Legacy Collection Is The Perfect Way To See What Old Features Still Resonate

Originally, I figured re-releasing the oldSimsgames was just a great way tocelebrateThe Sims’ 25th anniversary. However, now that the burglar was added back toThe Sims 4, I’m starting to think they might be more than that. Now thatThe Sims 4is poised to carry the entireSims Universeproject, EA and Maxis may be using theLegacy Collectionsto gaugewhat old features players are still excited about.

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Re-releasing the old games and then seeing what features stand out toSims 4players may be a way oftesting what elements from previous games will get added back in. And let’s be honest, doesn’t charging you to do market research for them perfectly align withThe Sims’ business model of monetizing every possible aspect of the game? It seems like a win-win situation for the developers and at least a single win for players.

The Sims 4 best sandbox video games

While I can’t prove what’s happening, you may want to be extra vocal about how much fun your favorite old features are inThe Sims Legacy Collection. Who knows, they may end up getting added back intoThe Sims 4the same way the burglar did. All jokes aside, I think it’s great if EA and Maxis are taking cues from the community and allowing them to shape the franchise’s future.

The Sims 4

Who says we only have one life? Thanks to one of today’s best sandbox video games, anyone can enjoy living a second life during their off-hours — and one in which they look exactly the way they want and enjoy exciting careers and relationships. The Sims 4 is the latest in the popular Sims franchise and allows any gamer to unleash their imagination with an alternate life inside the world of The Sims, a completely customizable game of life available on most gaming platforms.With the Sims 4 game, you can customize your alternate self with powerful personalization features to choose everything from hair color and facial appearance, to body size, shape, and walking style. Choose the perfect personality traits to bring your unique Sims to life with characteristics of your choice, from a studious workaholic to an outrageous, life-of-the-party socialite. Change your Sims’ outfits to reflect the mood of the moment and develop life stories and experiences for your Sim, including choosing and decorating a home, finding a career, making friends, and flirting and dating until you find your ideal significant other. And then you can choose to have your Sims character start a family or focus on a career or party lifestyle.With many Sims 4 expansion packs available, you can add new layers to your Sims’ life, such as pets, vacations, gardens, hobbies, and much, much more. The possibilities are nearly endless.The Sims 4 is one of the best sandbox games for self-expression, with customizable characters now including more nuanced personalities with an improved emotions system to add richness to all your Sims’ interactions.