Today’s Behind the Sims event gave fans of the series an inside look at how The Sims 5 is shaping up from lighting effects and hairstyle customization, and also revealed the winners of the community-voted kits.

The team behind Project Rene gave us a sneak peek into The Sims 5’s animation, emphasizing the visual lighting of environments. Fans also got to see several animation scenes, seemingly with an Among Us-esque design, albeit the game is still in its very early stages.

Another crucial feature shown in the Behind The Sims event is hair customization, which will permit players to completely customize colors and shades. This will be a much-welcomed improvement to the CAS (Create-a-Sim) in The Sims 4, which has often left fans feeling like they can’t quite customize their Sims with the finer details they’d like.

While The Sims 5 is still in development, the upcoming Horse Ranch expansion pack for The Sims 4 is saddling up for launch, with a gameplay trailer expected to drop on July 6, 2023. On top of that, the team exhibited the early mechanics and visuals of the horses, noting the challenges it took to produce realistic movements for the animal. Fortunately, it seems to be in full effect with the polished version, featuring agility challenges, horse bonding, and new rider interactions.

Those who voted on the community kit event will be happy to see the newest upcoming packs, Gothic Fashion and Medieval Castle. With this exclusive, you can rule your kingdom with Middle Age-themed build items and embrace your inner emo side with the following cosmetics lineup. Both kits are still quite a way out from being available and will arrive at some point next year.

If you love playing The Sims on the go, you can anticipate a few additions for The Sims Freeplay and The Sims Mobile. First, The Sims Mobile players will get to visit a brand-new lot, Briny Height, a beachside setting with a dock and a jet ski. The Sims Freeplay also has another set of career paths with a Salon or Spa manager, in which you’ll pamper customers in a relaxing oasis. Briny Height will come to The Sims Mobile this summer, and the new career paths will land in Freeplay next month.

With so many features added to various entries in The Sims franchise, you can look forward to an entirely new experience in the game’s ever-expanding universe however you play. You’ll just have to wait a little bit longer for some of it.