The Sims Freeplay vs The Sims Mobile: Which should you play in 2025?

The Sims franchise has seen a number of mobile iterations in its day, and it looks like the next major release in the series will likely have mobile components too. For the time being, however, Simmers who want to enjoy godlike power over the lives of little computer people while on-the-go actually already have two options: The Sims Freeplay and The Sims Mobile.

The fact that there are two concurrently available Sims games on mobile might be news to you in itself, but even if you were aware that you had options, you might be wondering which game you'd prefer to play (assuming you aren't planning to keep up with both, of course). To help you make an informed choice, here's a comparison between The Sims Freeplay and The Sims Mobile in 2025.

Why you should play The Sims Mobile in 2025

Initial release year: 2018
Platforms: iOS/iPad OS, Android

The Sims Mobile (also known as TSM or simply The Sims, both of which can occasionally lead to a bit of confusion with other titles in the series) is at the time of writing the newest Sims game available on mobile devices. After a limited launch in Australia, Brazil, and Spain in late 2017, The Sims Mobile was made available worldwide via Google Play and the App Store in early 2018. In January 2024, EA announced that TSM would no longer receive new content updates, but that existing content would continue to be available rotationally, and that all servers (plus the in-game store, naturally) would continue to be maintained.

Reasons you should play The Sims Mobile:

• Storytelling: TSM is closer to the story-oriented experience of The Sims PC game(s), with character-focussed quests that will appeal to Simmers who like to micro-manage the lives of a select few Sims within a larger world of NPCs.
• Better graphics: TSM uses The Sims 4 assets and generally has a more modern, polished look compared to Freeplay.
• Availability: Despite development on the title winding down, it has never been discontinued on any device, and EA have indicated that they plan to continue to support the title on iOS and Android.
• F2P friendliness: Clicker mini-games allow you to speed up your Sims' actions without engaging with paid boosts (although these are also an option, naturally).

Why you should play The Sims Freeplay in 2025

Initial release year: 2011
Platforms: iOS, Android (discontinued on Blackberry and Windows Phone)

The Sims Freeplay wasn't the first iteration of The Sims franchise to launch on mobile devices, but it's certainly the most long-lived, having been around for over 13 years now! That's a good age for any mobile app to reach, so it's no surprise that The Sims Freeplay has been praised for blending the signature life sim stylings of its parent franchise with the kind of bite-sized gameplay loop that keeps people coming back time and time again. The core game has also been supplemented over time by more than 100 updates, many of which add features equivalent to those found in the latest expansion packs for PC/console.

Reasons you should play The Sims Freeplay:

• Rotational play: While still a life simulator at its core, The Sims Freeplay tasks you with building up a successful town by juggling multiple households, making it ideal for Simmers who enjoy regularly switching between families in the main series.
• Potato-friendly: Thanks to using assets from The Sims 3, The Sims Freeplay runs well even on mobile devices that aren't specifically set up to support gaming. While TSM will still run on lower-end devices, there are certain graphical and performance compromises involved that The Sims Freeplay doesn't encounter.
• Regular updates: The Sims Freeplay is still regularly receiving brand-new content updates (despite being older than TSM). See The Sims FreePlay Official Site for information on the latest additions.
• Better reviewed: Holds an 80% positive Metacritic score, as opposed to TSM's 73%. While both of these scores reflect the games' launch states and don't necessarily factor in the quality of evolving content, The Sims Freeplay is largely held to be the more satisfying mobile gaming experience.

After all this debate, has The Sims Mobile caught your fancy? If so, be sure to check out our guide to making money fast in The Sims Mobile!