By Freya Hoare
On the surface, The Sims seems like a game series where you create a household and then for lack of a better term play God. What the developers possibly didn’t expect was just how iconic the soundtrack would become.
After celebrating its 25th year anniversary in 2025, the game developers released the original soundtrack on vinyl. While the vinyl was a great way for music lovers to bond over the videogame that was so prominent in their childhoods, It was the songs that featured on the radio in-game which became iconic staples of the games itself.
Who hasn’t featured?
From the first ever instalment of the game in 2000, to the Sims 4, many real life bands and musicians have made a small cameo from re-recording their biggest songs in the tongue of the made up language “Simlish” to having game packs centred around their recent album releases.
In 2012, Katy Perry released ‘Katy Perry’s Sweet Treats’ for the Sims 3, which consisted of build mode items, décor and fashion which were themed around the aesthetic of the Teenage Dream album rollout, which became one of the biggest albums of her career.
Music featured in The Sims 4 game
When it came to The Sims 4, many musicians and celebrities alike were made and featured on the in-game gallery where you could download them and then add them to your game. Pop-band Echosmith were amongst the first to be added to the game in the Get to Work expansion pack.
Who needs Reading and Leeds?
In July 2021, The Sims hosted a virtual festival where players could watch a performance of the Sims version of artists like Glass Animals, Bebe Rexha and Joy Oladokun.
While celebrating newer music in the game, it also references back to those of The Sims 2 and 3.
Sims fan Lily Weaver, 23, said: “I never had the original Sims games on the computer but I remember the iPad game called ‘The Sims Freeplay’ which had pretty much the same music. But when The Sims 4 became free to play in 2022 it opened the door to so many newer cooler artists I hadn’t heard of before like Beabadoobee.”
What comes next?
For a game that is arguably one of the most progressive on the market at the moment in terms of customisation, it was announced in September 2025 that The Sims franchise and its parent company EA (Electronic Arts) would be sold for £41 million. This comes as a shock to dedicated players of the game due to their semi-regular game updates where they make the game more inclusive. Worries about the game deleting everything that makes the game more inclusive for example the ability to change pronouns and relationships was spread online.
An Indie game developer fittingly called Paralives Studio began to tease what would become The Sims nearest competitor, which began development in 2019. Originally developed by Alex Massé, Paralives became a game much like The Sims in terms of it being a ‘life simulator’ but with way more creative freedom with building and creating.
Paralives also has its own soundtrack available for you to listen to on streaming. It is quite similar to that of The Sims, but far more soothing where The Sims is exciting and dynamic.
Elijah Dillon, 26, said “I wouldn’t be surprised if after this buyout, many users who spent many years and a lot of money on The Sims completely remove themselves from the game and move over to Paralives. While supporting an Indie developer you are expecting the game to have a few hiccups in the beginning, but with a franchise like The Sims there are so many issues that just weren’t being solved or when they were, another problem would arise.”
With the controversial Saudi Arabia EA buyout and the recent competitor to the Sims, Paralives being released, there is some concern that many artists which helped made the soundtrack become what it was will begin to distance themselves from this iconic franchise. Perhaps thats something that the ‘Paralives’ developers will take in their stride, as they strive to not be the next Sims. Hopefully they can create a soundtrack that sticks with a new generation.
Podcast – music journalists Freya Hoare and Izzy Hurcum on the impact The Sims soundtrack had on a generation.
