The first entry in The Sims came out in 2000. In the decades since EA has been refining the franchise’s formula. All the fundamentals that make The Sims such a beloved franchise can be found in The Sims 4, which first launched in 2014. It’s now available for Windows, Mac, PS4, and Xbox One. A mysterious new Sims game is on the horizon in the form of Project Rene, a new online installment in the franchise that has already received private playtests. Despite this oncoming change, The Sims 4 has endured, and it’s still receiving new content updates to this day. Here are just a few of the reasons why The Sims 4 is worth trying.
Building the Character You Want
The titular Sims have always been at the heart of these games, and The Sims 4 is no exception. This game offers a wide variety of options to build characters to your heart’s desire. As of 2022, you can also customize your Sim’s sexual orientation, adding a crucial level of inclusivity and detail to the game. The Sims 4 features Sims at all stages of life, allowing you to fill out a whole family and maneuver your Sims throughout their entire lives. You can also fill in personality traits and ambitions, setting long-term goals for your Sims to pursue and dictating how they interact with the world around them. By building your Sim the way you want, you can define the course of your entire game.
Creating Your Dream Home
Of course, it’s not just the Sims themselves that you have creative control over. In The Sims 4, you can literally build your Sims’ homes from the ground up. You can design the home of your dreams and give your characters every luxury money can buy. The Sims 4 has an extensive library of furniture and decorations. With creativity, players have been able to put together all sorts of exciting and beautiful creations. That said, you can also use this creative freedom for more devious ends. The Sims franchise has had a long tradition of tormenting the characters, and with a little creativity, you can make some truly fiendish homes to confuse, trap, and harm your innocent digital denizens.
The Sims 4’s Extensive DLC Library
This one is an admittedly controversial selling point. Some players argue EA has gone too far with the expansions for The Sims 4, and it’s easy to see why. If you wanted a full collection of every piece of DLC on offer, it would run you roughly $1,000. But while a technically complete version of the game might be an unrealistic goal, there’s still plenty of value to be had in The Sims 4’s DLC. Each expansion focuses on an entirely different theme, offering new experiences to match. For instance, the Growing Together pack focuses on character development in family groups, while the Star Wars: Journey to Batuu expansion lets your Sims explore a galaxy far, far away. No matter what you want from The Sims 4, there’s sure to be a DLC that will cater to your needs.
The Sims 4 Is Free For All
This is a very recent selling point, but it’s a big one. As of October 2022, The Sims 4 is officially free to play. Due to the game’s extensive library of paid expansion packs, this makes sense from a business perspective. It also means there’s virtually no reason not to give the game a try if you’re interested in it. You can play the base Sims 4 experience without spending a single dime.
Even though there’s so much added content in the aforementioned expansions, the base game is not lacking in content. You can still build a family of Sims, customize their appearances and personality, and create and decorate their home. The storytelling and customization potential of The Sims 4 is extensive. Furthermore, if you do decide you want to invest in some expansions, getting familiar with the base game will help you figure out which aspects of the game appeal to you and what kinds of DLC you want to pick up.
The World of Custom Content
One of the most appealing things about The Sims 4 is its player base. The game has some very dedicated and creative fans, and the entire community benefits from their work. There is a robust modding community in this title, and custom content is available from sources throughout the internet. If the base game is beginning to lose its appeal and you don’t have the money for DLC, custom content could be exactly what you’re looking for. The Sims 4 mods can radically change the nature of the game.
For instance, one prominent addition is the Life Tragedies mod, which introduces extremely dark content to the game. Things like deadly disease and kidnapping can afflict your Sims in this mod. Of course, not all custom content is dark and horrifying. Many mods add new cosmetics to try out. Some mods also overhaul elements of the UI itself. While this might not be as flashy or exciting as new content, quality of life upgrades are nothing to sneeze at. These can make the game much more enjoyable and help you get to the parts of The Sims 4 you love most without fuss.