It’s no secret that Sims 4 has some of the most expansive DLCs in gaming. For those just starting the game, deciding which expansion pack is right for you can be daunting. Players can expect to pay over $1,000 if they want every DLC pack in the game. This list is to help you get an idea of the best of what Sims 4 offers. We will primarily focus on the expansion packs, which cost $40 each; luckily, the base game is free on all platforms, so you can try out the game without worrying about price.
10. Get Together
Feel like going clubbing and living every day as a party with your friends and family? Want to explore beautiful new landscapes and show off your dance moves? If you answered yes to any of these, the Get Together expansion pack is for you. With this expansion, you unlock the world of Windenburg. Inspired by Gothic European architecture, the city is ripe with age and culture. While it has all the usual suspects, such as a pub, cafe, and pool, the city also features some more unique aspects.
Here you’ll be able to explore The Bluffs, an island neighborhood with a natural pool and bonfires that overlook the beautiful ocean. This island is fit for all your special occasions and includes a DJ booth and bar. As for the main attraction, Windenbug also features the Von Haunt Estate, located in the north. The Estate features a hedge maze and has been preserved as a museum for tourists. You’ll also find some ghastly inhabitants who don’t mind toying with the Estate’s artifacts and decor.
The expansion also features hundreds of new customizable options, including furniture, decor, walls, outfits, and hairstyles. It’s easy to see why this is one of the most notable expansion packs for the game. With so much to explore and customize, this DLC will keep you occupied for a long time.
9. Tiny Living
The tiny-house movement has increasingly become more popular over the years, with people downsizing to live a simple life. This is where the Tiny Living expansion comes into play. One of the cheaper options, only costing $10 as opposed to the $40 most packs run for. While the DLC isn’t as expansive as other packs, it does offer one of the more unique ways to play.
In Tiny Living, players are able to create their own customizable tiny houses less than 100 tiles big (or small). This is possible with the new all-in-one furniture options available. The Murphy Bed is a bed, couch, and storage area all in one compacted package. Be warned, the folding bed might cause your Sims a bad night if it feels like closing in on itself. Or players can check out the new TV, stereo, and bookshelf option to open up more room.
Tiny Living is great for players who want to test out their creativity and get a feel for what tiny home life can offer without the burden of moving.
8. Seasons
The Seasons expansion pack offers players a more realistic experience. The DLC is complete with four seasons – winter, spring, summer, and fall – weather features like snow and rain, temperature changes, a gardening career option, and holidays. This expansion changes the world around the player and feels more impactful. Players will have to adapt to the weather and dress accordingly. Or hope that a hail storm doesn’t come by before their crops have grown.
Players will also be able to decorate and celebrate their favorite holidays. Leisure Day offers Sims to relax in the summer heat, go to the pool or beach, and kick back with a BBQ. Spooky Day allows players to get their scary on. Dress your Sims in costumes for parties while the children go around the neighborhood trick-or-treating. Snowflake Day is a gift-giving holiday that is sure to make players excited to decorate their houses in festivities. Lastly, Love Day is the romantic time of year when love letters and small gifts will be exchanged.
Overall, Seasons allows players to fulfill their holiday and seasonal itch. If you want a more complete and expansive experience, having to adapt to the world around your Sims, then Seasons is the perfect option.
7. Dream Home Decorator
The Dream Home Decorator expansion adds a new way to play Sims 4. By adding the interior designer career, players are now able to design houses and rooms for their clients. This is the perfect expansion for players who can’t get enough designing and letting their creativity run wild. The DLC also comes with new furniture and appliances.
Each client will have their own likes and dislikes, and it’s up to the player to cater to their every need. Some clients want their bedrooms redone, while others want entire buildings and lots finished. Players will reveal their final project to their clients at the end of the renovations. The more you stick to their wants and needs, the happier the client will be, but be aware some results will not always make your clients happy.
This expansion runs for $20, which is half of what the other larger expansion cost. While players will not get new neighborhoods or ways of interacting in-game, Dream Home Decorator is perfect for players who want to create.
6. Parenthood
Being a child is no easy task; you are told what to do and when to do it. But sometimes, being a parent is much harder, and with the Parenthood expansion, players can experience that for themselves. This DLC offers a more in-depth way of raising children and molding them into capable adults. While players can have children in the base game, the options available aren’t as complete and expansive.
Parenthood allows players to gain parenting skills, shape their children’s lives, and enjoy activities for the whole family. How you parent matters, and the choices you make have a direct impact on your Sims children. Do they discipline their child enough or encourage good behavior? How much freedom are their children given? Do they help work on homework or spend time with their child? These questions are what players need to think about as they play. The less time you spend making decisions and interacting, the lower your Sims parenting skills will be.
This expansion pack is a must-have for players who focus on family and love raising children. Plus, with the additional benefit of only being $20, it’s not a deal to pass up.
5. City Living
The City Living expansion pack allows players to move away from the suburbs and experience a compact and dense lifestyle. City Living features a new world for your Sims to enjoy, San Myshuno. San Myshuno is a city inspired by Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and Moroccan cultures. The city is complete with four different districts, all with their own unique style. The Spice Market, Arts Quarter, Fashion District, and Uptown all offer new ways to play. Feel like living lavishly? Consider the Spire Apartments in Uptown. Want karaoke nights and festivals? The fashion district is for you.
City Living also features new apartment buildings for Sims to move into. These offer a unique playstyle and, for some players, a more realistic experience. Some players opt for practicality, as a new young couple probably can’t afford to live in a large suburban house. Or you could care for the diverse and engaging city life. Street vendors, festivals, exotic foods, and a large central park are all things players can experience in this DLC.
4. Growing Together
Growing Together is a more expansive version of Parenthood. While the two DLCs do not overlap, there’s no denying that Growing Together is a complete generational gameplay style. While Parenthood offers players the choice of how to raise a child and the difficulties that come with it, Growing Together involves the entire family. Drama can spark at any moment within family dynamics, causing issues that need to be resolved. Sims may experience a midlife crisis and have to figure out a way to cope. Grandparents may ask to come to live in your Sims house, adding to even more drama and chaos.
However, the expansion is not just negative, and there are a lot of positive and heart-warming moments to be experienced. Sims might connect on a deeper level with each other or figure out their passion in life. San Sequoia is the new city added with this pack, a fictionalized San Francisco. Players can visit Anchorpoint Wharf with their families or experience the natural beauty of Gilbert Gardens. And as the night slowly starts to come, perhaps throwing a sleepover would be the most fun way to round out the day.
Just as the Seasons DLC offers a more realistic and dynamic world experience, Growing Together offers the same in family and friend relationships. This is one of the most recent expansions, released in March 2023.
3. Cats and Dogs
Cats and Dogs DLC offers a new way to experience Sims 4. If you aren’t the type of player who enjoys raising a family or dealing with drama in the household, consider this expansion. Cats and Dogs add, you guessed it, cats and dogs to the game. It also offers Raccoons and Foxes as well for players who enjoy the spicier side of life. Create A Pet tool allows you to customize the perfect pet for your Sim, complete with breeds and personalities. Customize their coats, play with them in the park, or enjoy snuggling up with them.
The expansion pack also allows players to become Vets, running and customizing their own clinic. Hire staff, customize services and costs, and cure pets of any illnesses. While the DLC may be lacking in pet options, it more than makes up for it with the ways players can bond and interact with the available animals. Also, the pack features a new world, Brindleton Bay, a coastal town with beaches and activities for pets.
Overall, the Cats and Dogs expansion is for animal lovers who want to get more interactivity. Caring for pets and creating bonds can take up lots of time, especially if the animal is needy. The base game does not feature pets, so you must acquire the DLC for any animals.
2. Snowy Escape
Snowy Escape is great for players who want to experience the thrills of winter but don’t own the Seasons DLC, which is optional. The new world, Mt. Komorebi, is a Japanese-inspired mountain biome that offers all new activities. The best way to experience this expansion is with friends or family, as socializing is a large part of what makes it great. Sims can enjoy soaking hot springs, gather around a hot pot, go on nature walks, or ski down the mountainside.
The expansion also offers new furniture and decor for those who enjoy Asian styles. Shoji doors, tatami mats, and window screens are all included. Along with a special place at the front door to place your shoes in before entering. Mt. Komorebi can be seen as a sanctuary that can create lasting relationships and interactions within social dynamics.
Snowy Escape offers so many activities, festivals, and places to explore that players will be hooked for hours. The best way to enjoy Snowy Escape is with other DLC packs like Growing Together or Parenthood. Anything that offers more social interactions and choices will make Mt. Komorebi come alive. Just don’t get caught in the bad weather.
1. Cottage Living
Sims fans see Cottage Living as one of the best expansions for Sims 4. Set in the English-inspired Henford-on-Bagley, Cottage Living gives players a more simple way of life. If City Living isn’t for you, you may enjoy a more rural area complete with farm animals, gardening, and a tight nit community. The expansion adds a little of everything to create an enjoyable experience.
For players who want only part of the expansion for pets, Cottage Living allows for a variety of animals that need care and attention. Chickens, cows, and even llamas are available for players’ farms. Players also get the choice of growing their own crops and ingredients to live off the land. However, be aware that mischievous animals will come by to steal your crops or chicken eggs. You’ll need all you can get if you want to win the Finchwick Fair with your impressive produce.
The DLC also includes pubs, markets, parks, and neighbors who would love to get to know your Sims better. This is the best expansion if you aren’t sure which DLC pack is for you. It combines the best aspects of all other DLCs into one experience. But that does mean that there is only so much of one thing. If you are hoping for more interactions, dynamics, or seasonal changes, you should pick another pack.
Conclusion
Overall, Sims 4 offers many different expansions and packs for different play styles. The best way to decide what to get is by playing the base game for free and seeing which playstyles you prefer. If you are looking at more than one pack, consider waiting for a sale so you can get multiple packs at a discount. There has been an official announcement for Sims 5, but it is not to be expected until 2024 or 2025. This leaves plenty of time to play and enjoy Sims 4 without the worry of something new coming along.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Electronic Arts.