
A significant feature that took a hit in the initial release of The Sims 4 was the portrayal of life stages. Initially, Toddlers were absent from The Sims 4 entirely, and the baby-centric gameplay was quite basic compared to previous games in the series. Despite babies maturing after 72 hours, similar to earlier versions, players felt strongly that life stages are crucial to The Sims experience. Following feedback from players, Toddlers were introduced into The Sims 4 in 2017 and babies received two life stages, Newborns and Infants, in 2023. Now, players have been advocating for more attention to Elders, but another life stage could also benefit from development by EA and Maxis.