Can you believe Sims has been around for 18 years already?!  And it's been a full four years since EA brought out the last installment, Sims 4, back in 2014. 

It has continued rolling out the DLC content for this edition, giving fans of the series plenty to amuse themselves with as they wait for the release of Sims 5. 

The latest DLC to roll out for Sims 4 is Seasons, which lets players enjoy the four seasons in all their glory, from giant puddles to splash in during the spring, to building snowmen in the winter.  They even get to exchange gifts at Christmas and greenfingered players will appreciate the addition of some gardening options. 

But frustratingly, the release date for Sims 5 remains aloof.  Despite the years rolling by, EA has said nothing about the next iteration. 

Heavy.com speculated that a new installment is due any day now as EA typically releases a new Sims game every five years.  If it is sticking to that approximate timeline, then that would mean a new Sims game could be with us in 2019 and we could expect the first announcement on it some time this year. 

An obvious opportunity would have been the E3 convention in Los Angeles this week.  There has been no mention of it at all so far and that event wraps up tomorrow, so there is still a chance but we're guessing it's unlikely. 

Heavy notes that at the time Sims 4 came out, producer Grant Rodiek seemed to already be pouring cold water on the prospects of a Sims 5, saying EA would only release a fifth game if Sims 4 didn't do well. 

As fans will know, Sims 4 has been hugely popular.  It's shifted around 5 million copies and counting, and the DLCs and expansion packs have all been very lucrative for EA, with players willing to fork out in order to beef up their Sims 4 experience.  There could be plenty more bucks to be earned from the current title without even having to bring out a new installment.  

Having said that, there's plenty more room for improvement beyond the DLCs and expansion packs that have complemented Sims 4 as some critics have been left disappointed by the way in which Sims 4 departed from Sims 3 and closed things in with divisions between the worlds and limited scope for exploration. 

It could be, though, that EA wants to focus more on the Sims Mobile game.  TechnoBezz wonders  if EA is staying quiet on a Sims 5 because it wants to focus on continually improving Sims 4 or because it may have shifted its focus to the mobile version. 

Whatever the truth, Sims fans will have to stay content with Sims 4 and all its DLCs for now.