By popular demand, EA is bringing not-quite-Tinder to The Sims 4

The Sims 4 Lovestruck expansion pack may have leaked so early and so comprehensively that you could've sworn that it'd already been announced, but actually, we've only just officially learned that this romantic add-on — the centrepiece of TS4's Season of Love summer '24 content plan — is soon to be a real thing.

This isn't the first time that The Sims franchise has turned its attention to matters of the heart. The original game famously came out with the Hot Date expansion pack in 2001, and The Sims 2: Nightlife even introduced a matchmaking service, albeit one in which a somewhat insensitively-portrayed old, erm, wise woman would make your perfect mate fall from the sky by magic. The Sims 4 is going a bit more modern and doing away with the summoning spells (and racial slurs) by having your Sims just join a dating app instead.

Cupid's Corner surprisingly resists the urge to pun on Tinder, Bumble, etc. and instead is just quite a normal name for a dating app, which is a bit disappointing given The Sims 4's history of amusing off-brand names ("Plopsy" for "Etsy", anyone?). It also seems to be the main selling point of the expansion pack, although there are plenty of peripheral activities around the newly-overhauled dating mechanics as well, including the addition of a series-first Romance Consultant career track and accompanying skill for all you aspiring love gurus out there.

The introduction of a dating system more reflective of modern romantic reality has been on The Sims 4 fandom's wishlist for a while, and EA seems to be on a bit of a streak right now of trying to give the fans what their hearts desire (see also: infants, horses, apartments). Which means that pretty soon your singleton Sims won't be reliant on disappointing chance encounters with random NPCs they meet in the street — soon, they can have curated disappointing encounters with random NPCs they meet online, too!

You'll also finally be able to determine your Sims' turn-ons and turn-offs again, set a relationship context between two lovebirds thanks to new romantic dynamics (similar to the family dynamics introduced in Growing Together), and have them pursue new romance-related aspirations — all against the backdrop of the newly-added city of Ciudad Enamorada.

The Sims 4 Lovestruck will release on July 25 for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. You'll also receive the now-ubiquitous three-item pre-order bonus if you pick up the pack between June 27 and September 5.