How to play The Sims Project Rene early: Playtest signup details

Find out how to play The Sims Project Rene early if you’d like to take a look at a whole new Sims experience that features multiplayer.

When Project Rene was first revealed in October 2022, many thought it was going to be The Sims 5. Since then, however, there has been little information about it aside from unofficial sources and rumors. 

Now, EA has finally confirmed that this is not The Sims 5. Instead, Project Rene is a separate experience that will allow players to “meet, connect, and share while playing together in an all-new world” with friends.

If you’re curious about what this is about and want to take a peek early, here’s everything you need to know about how to join The Sims Project Rene Playtest.

How to sign up for The Sims Project Rene Playtest

EA / Maxis

Project Rene is said to allow you to play with friends, according to EA.

Players who want to jump into the Project Rene Playtest will first have to join The Sims Labs. There’s no way of knowing whether or not you’ll be able to secure a spot in the Playtest, but you can still try your luck by following the steps below:

1. Head to the Electronic Arts Playtesting website.
2. Sign in with your EA account or create one if you haven’t already done so.
3. Accept all the terms and conditions by ticking the boxes.
4. Select Get Started.
5. Select The Sims Labs Insider Playtesting Signup under Playtests in Progress.
6. Answer all the questions in the form.

After answering all the questions, simply press Next, and you’ll be taken back to the home page. Now, EA has made it known that this Playtest will only be a “small-invite only” which will be available in Fall 2024. That said, you can opt to improve your chances of being selected by selecting the Update your Playtesting Preferences option under News and Updates.

Doing so will take you to your profile page, where you can add more details – including your Preferences and Preferred Time Zone, among other options. Once you’ve hit Update, all there’s left to do is wait until you get a further notification.

What we know about Project Rene so far

Not much is known about Project Rene, other than it’s going to be multiplayer and that the game will be supported across devices, as stated in EA’s blog. However, for a while now, there have been leaks from some players that gives the community a potential glimpse on what the game has to offer.

From some of the in-game screenshots taken from a “small-scale playtest”, Sims appear to already have presets.

When it comes to gameplay, it seems that players can complete various tasks from a “To-do list” tab. These tasks can range from anything like meeting new people or working at a cafe, and they give you rewards once completed, one of which is the in-game currency.

Recently new leaks have also been shared, and from the looks of it, there’s going to be a “hub” where players can do “multiplayer and User Generated Content related things.” 

The leaker also added that this is expected to feature various promotions, including a Season Pass and Weekly Events.

A glimpse of CAS was also shown, and with some plugins found in the game’s files, it’s likely that the game will be adding Fine Tuning, Body Height, Body Frame, Clothing Layering, Clothing Workshop, and other sliders, among others.

Of course, given that these are leaks, do take all the information with a grain of salt. There’s no telling whether or not these will be tweaked or changed once the full game launches.