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Updated October 31, 2026

The Urbz: Sims in the City

What The Urbz is, how it differs from The Sims 2, the GBA and DS version, how to play it today, and whether a remaster exists.

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What is The Urbz: Sims in the City?

The Urbz: Sims in the City is a 2004 Sims spin-off for consoles and handhelds. Maxis made the console versions, and Electronic Arts published the game.

The game came out on five systems: PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo DS. Most versions launched in North America on November 9, 2004. The DS version followed on November 17, 2004. Griptonite Games made the Game Boy Advance and DS versions.

The Urbz never came out on Windows. Wikipedia says that EA planned a PC port and a sequel. EA cancelled both after weak sales. Reviews were average: the Metacritic scores go from 67 for the DS to 73 for the GameCube.

This post covers the gameplay, the two versions, how to play the game today, and the remaster question. You read it on the LifeSim blog. LifeSim is our game, and we say where it does not fit.

How is The Urbz different from The Sims 2?

The Urbz is about reputation in a city. The Sims 2 is about a family over many generations. The two games came out in the same autumn, but they play in different ways.

Rep, districts, and the city

In the console version, your Sim leaves home and moves into an apartment in SimCity. The goal is to build “Rep”, the word that the game uses for reputation. Rep unlocks bigger apartments and new districts. Wikipedia counts nine districts.

Each district has its own style and its own population. The Gaming Nexus review names Whiptail Park for skaters, Neon Street for breakers, and the Foundry for beatniks. You still look after the needs of your Sim. You raise skills with minigames, and the skill level sets the pay at your job.

Darius is the Sim with the most Rep in the city. He welcomes you, and he sends your rent messages. Later in the story he leaves for Miniopolis, the city of the handheld game.

The Black Eyed Peas

The Black Eyed Peas recorded music for the console versions, in Simlish. The band also appears in the game as guest Urbz. Wikipedia says that will.i.am is in the intro. The songs include Simlish versions of “Shut Up” and “Let’s Get It Started”.

What The Sims 2 does instead

The Sims 2 came out on PC on September 14, 2004. Its Sims age through seven life stages, and babies get traits from their parents. You build houses in Build mode and run a whole neighborhood. The Urbz has none of this depth. It trades the family story for a story about one Sim, a city, and social status.

For more on the PC game of that year, read our list of Sims 2 cheats.

Is the GBA and DS version of The Urbz different from the console version?

Yes. The Game Boy Advance and DS versions are a different game with a different story. They are adventure games, and you control the main character, “Urb”, directly.

The handheld story

The story continues the handheld version of The Sims Bustin’ Out. Your Sim arrives in Miniopolis from SimValley. Daddy Bigbucks takes over the city, and at the end you build a time machine to stop him. The game has five missions.

Rep Groups

The handheld version has four Rep Groups: Richies, Artsies, Streeties, and Nerdies. You start in one group. You can change group after some goals. You unlock three districts when you complete sets of goals.

GBA or DS?

The DS version adds one mission and one location that the GBA version does not have. Game Developer reported that the DS version uses the touch screen and has a multiplayer mode. It was the first DS game that EA announced. The Black Eyed Peas do not appear in either handheld version.

Pick the console version for the city, the music, and the full Sims needs. Pick the DS version for the story, and for a game that you can carry.

Can you still play The Urbz: Sims in the City today?

Yes, but only with an original disc or cartridge and a system that reads it. We found no digital re-release.

No Steam, no EA app

A Steam search for “urbz” gives zero results. The EA page for The Sims lists games such as The Sims Legacy Collection and The Sims 2 Legacy Collection. The Urbz is not on that list. EA brought back the first two Sims games on PC, but The Urbz was never a PC game.

Which systems play the original copies

VersionSystems that read it
Xbox discThe original Xbox. The Xbox 360 list includes the game, with known problems (see below). The Xbox One and Series X/S list does not include it.
GameCube discThe GameCube, and the original Wii. The Wii Family Edition and the Wii Mini do not read GameCube discs.
PS2 discThe PlayStation 2.
GBA cartridgeThe Game Boy Advance, the original DS, and the DS Lite. The DSi and the 3DS do not have the GBA slot.
DS game cardThe DS family, and the 3DS family.

The Xbox 360 problem

The Xbox 360 compatibility list on Wikipedia has a note for The Urbz. The note says that the game stutters in the Cozmo Street area. It also says that random hard locks occur on loading screens. Save often if you play it this way.

About emulators

Emulators for these systems exist. We do not link to game files, and we do not explain how to get them. The legal way to play is an original copy that you own.

Is there an Urbz remaster or remake?

No. We found no remaster or remake of The Urbz from EA, as of October 31, 2026.

Fans still talk about the game. In March 2025, Siliconera wrote an opinion piece about the next Sims game to remaster. Its writers said that The Urbz deserves a second chance on modern platforms. One writer also said that the music licensing could be difficult.

The licensing point is real. Wikipedia says that the 2007 digital soundtrack left out the Black Eyed Peas songs. The reason was a licensing issue with A&M Records.

In 2017, three fans started a project called Project Urbz Reboot, according to Sims Community. It was a fan project. The article does not say that EA took part. We found no news about its result.

For the next main Sims game, read our page on the Sims 5 release date and Project Rene.

Did any Urbz content come to The Sims 2 or The Sims 4?

A little. The cancelled Urbz sequel became the console version of The Sims 2, and The Sims 4 has small references.

The Sims 2 on consoles

Wikipedia says that EA planned a sequel called Urbz 2. EA cancelled it and reworked it into the console version of The Sims 2. That version came out on October 25, 2005, in North America. Assets and a logo from the Urbz project are still in the PS2 version of The Sims 2. A model viewer can show them. They are not part of normal play.

The Sims 4

The Sims 4 has a TV show gig named “The Urbz” in the actor career. The actor career comes with the Get Famous expansion pack. We found this name in our own data from the game files. It is a name only, not Urbz gameplay. See our page on The Sims 4 Get Famous for that pack.

Some fan pages say that a household in Businesses & Hobbies includes Sims from the handheld Urbz game. EA’s own article confirms the Urbane Housesharers household, with Sims named Cannonball, Crispin, and Ollie. It does not mention The Urbz. We could not open the fan pages, so we do not confirm the link.

If you want city life in The Sims 4 today, the closest pack is City Living. Read our City Living guide. It has apartments and a city, but no Rep system like The Urbz.

Is there a game like The Urbz to play now?

No current game copies The Urbz. A few games give part of what it did: a city, a population, and a social life.

LifeSim, our game

LifeSim is a city life sim. It is free, with no ads, no subscription, and nothing to buy. It plays in a web browser at play.lifesim.com and in an iPhone app. The map is the real Earth in 3D, and you pick any city.

The people are AI characters with jobs, homes, and friends. You talk to them in your own words, and they remember you. That is where LifeSim fits The Urbz: how people see you matters in your life. You live one life, a day at a time.

LifeSim does not fit in other ways. It has no Urbz districts, no Rep Groups, and no Rep bar. It has no Black Eyed Peas and no Simlish songs. It is not a Game Boy or DS game, and it has no minigames for skills. If you want the exact Urbz experience, the original disc is the only answer.

Other choices

For a list of games that are like the Sims, read games like The Sims. For the wider genre, read our guide to life sim games. For a handheld feel, see life sims on the Nintendo Switch.

Questions

When did The Urbz: Sims in the City come out?

In November 2004. Most versions came out in North America on November 9. The DS came on November 17.

Who made The Urbz?

Maxis made the console versions. Griptonite Games made the GBA and DS versions. EA published them.

Is The Urbz on PC?

No. EA planned a PC port, but it cancelled the port after weak sales.

Is The Urbz on the Nintendo Switch?

We found no Switch version. We also found no version on any current store that we checked.

What are the Rep Groups in The Urbz?

In the handheld version, the four Rep Groups are Richies, Artsies, Streeties, and Nerdies.

Are the Black Eyed Peas in the DS version?

No. The band appears only in the console versions.

Does The Urbz work on Xbox Series X?

No. The game is not on the Xbox One and Series X/S backward compatibility list.

More Sims guides

Sources

New to life sims? Read what a life simulator is, or play LifeSim, a free online life simulator on a real map of Earth.

Sims 4 database

Look it up in the Sims 4 database, read from the game files: cheats, traits, careers, moodlets, deaths, packs, challenges, recipes, popular mods, pack finder, and the death odds calculator.

On this topic: testingcheats, motherlode, and Genius trait.

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