The Sims Mobile Logs Off: EA Ends a Seven-Year Digital Life

BY Brian K. Neal

After seven years of pixelated lives, virtual romances, and endless redecorating, Electronic Arts has announced that The Sims Mobile will permanently shut down on January 20, 2026. The mobile adaptation of the iconic life-simulation franchise will soon go dark, marking the end of an era for one of EA’s longest-running free-to-play experiments.

Launched in 2018, The Sims Mobile bridged casual gaming and world-building in a way that brought the franchise’s signature freedom to smaller screens. Players built dream homes, forged careers, and staged entire love triangles—often during morning commutes or lunch breaks. The mobile version carved out its own loyal fanbase, supported by over fifty content updates across its lifetime.

In a heartfelt farewell post, EA’s developers thanked players for “seven incredible years of stories, creativity, and chaos,” signaling both gratitude and closure. The game was delisted from app stores on October 21, preventing new downloads, while existing players were invited to spend their final months celebrating rather than mourning.

To mark its finale, EA dropped a farewell update on October 20, gifting players unlimited energy and the freedom to build without boundaries. Then, beginning January 6, 2026, all Build Mode and Create A Sim items will unlock for free—removing every in-game barrier before the servers finally go silent.

No refunds will be issued for unused in-game currency after the shutdown, as all progress and assets are tied to the game’s servers. While that may sting for some long-term players, many see this closure as a symbolic reboot—one that clears space for EA’s next-generation Project Rene, a cross-platform evolution of The Sims currently in development.

For millions who once tapped, swiped, and dreamt through virtual lives, this isn’t just another mobile game closing. It’s the quiet end of a world we built together—one tap at a time.