Every Sims 4 Expansion Pack, Ranked

The Sims has become a staple series for fans of the life sim genre, appealing to a diverse audience of gamers spanning a wide range of ages. The latest installment, The Sims 4, has been around since 2004 and the base game is now free to play on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

Just like all the previous games, The Sims 4 comes with a variety of expansion packs with more released each year. Climbing a mountain, raising cattle, and summoning an urban legend are just some of the extras that come with these large DLC packs. But which is the best?

Updated December 18, 2024, By Helen Ashcroft: As The Sims 4 continues to release expansions, we continue to add them to this list. The latest, Life & Death, is one of the most complex to date, but where does it rank? Read on to find out.

17

Get To Work

Released: March 31, 2015

Get To Work introduces four new career paths: doctor, detective, scientist, and retail business owner. The first three are active careers where you follow your Sim to work and complete specific tasks to progress at work. You can also build your own retail business from the ground up and watch as the Simoleons flood in.

The new world of Magnolia Promenade may not be very big or exciting, but the pack also comes with another secret world, that of Sixam. Through the scientist’s career, you can make contact with aliens and enable abductions as well as create portals to visit them on their home planet. You can even play as an alien Sim.

16

City Living

Released: November 1, 2026

The Sims 4 City Living offers you a chance to experience city life in one of San Myshuno’s apartment blocks. These new house types come with all the joys of community living including rent, noisy neighbours, and DIY requirements. Available in different sizes and levels of repair, there’s something to suit every budget.

Outside the apartments, the city is host to different events, as well as a new karaoke bar. Music and meals are at the heart of this city as street food and buskers line the streets. You can also get more involved in the city’s culture by joining either the political or critic career tracks. It’s a different pace of life, but it’s not for everyone.

15

Island Living

Released: June 21, 2019

If you’ve ever wanted to live in a tropical island paradise, rather than just vacationing there, then Island Living is for you. It allows your Sim to live on the tropical island of Sulani and experience all the culture and beauty it has to offer. From Kava parties to BBQs the whole neighborhood shows up to, this pack is a slice of island life decorated with beautiful Polynesian furniture.

There is a focus on community here with frequent festivals, new parties, and neighbors who like to help out by bringing around food and calling in to check on your Sim. You’ll also find new part-time and odd jobs as well as new ways to enjoy island life including sandcastle building, sunbathing, swimming, boating, and diving. You can even meet or become a mermaid in this well-rounded pack. Just make sure you take care of the island, it needs love and attention to thrive.

14

Get Together

Released: December 8, 2015

The Get Together expansion brings the huge new world of Windenburg to The Sims 4, where you and your Sim’s friends can create and join clubs no matter however niche they may be. Your Sim can create their own club, join one, or even overthrow the leader of an existing club.

Whatever the club, you have the power to define what attire they should wear and where the club meetings take place as well as the activities club members will do, making the system incredibly powerful. There are also new cafe lots, some new social interactions, and some events in Windenberg to explore.

13

Horse Ranch

Released: July 21, 2023

Horse Ranch allows your Sim to fully embrace ranch life. They can bred, buy or rescue a horse, then set to work as a rancher. While you can also keep mini goats and sheep, the horses are the real focus of the pack. You’ll need to bond with and care for them so you can train them up to compete, should you desire.

Horses are a fairly limited niche, and the items in this pack are firmly ranch inspired, meaning a limited audience compared to many. However, the standout is the beautiful new world which is incredibly expansive and contains a large number of things to discover.

12

Get Famous

Released: November 16, 2018

If you say you haven’t practiced your Oscar or Grammy acceptance speech in front of the mirror with a shampoo bottle or hairbrush, we’re not sure if we believe you. Regardless, those of us who own our fantasies of being rich and famous can now live out all the fame, fortune, and drama vicariously through our Sims.

Become a famous actor, a best-selling writer, or a social media influencer and see your star power rocket. Take your Sims on a journey along the rocky road of fame through hard work and tough choices. The fame system has perks and drawbacks that your Sims will discover as they set out on their journey in the glamorous world of Del Sol Valley, where you can work your way up the ladder of fame and even score a legendary diamond on Starlight Boulevard.

11

Lovestruck

Released: July 25, 2024

Lovestruck adds new romance dynamics, including turn ons and turn offs, as well as a new blind date and online dating system. There’s also a new world as well as the usual selection of furniture and clothing to complement the theme. In this case, the outfits lean heavily into dress-up outfits.

Romance dynamics are the primary function here and there is a heavy focus on dating and forming romantic bonds, in all manner of relationship types. You can also set boundaries for jealousy with your partner or attend therapy.

10

Cats & Dogs

Released: November 10, 2017

No Sim’s life is complete without their trusty companion and the Cats & Dogs expansion does exactly what you’d expect: add cats and dogs to the game. You can adopt, rescue, or create your perfect pet and train them to ensure the mess is kept to a minimum. Dogs can even be trained to complete assault course challenges, although cats won’t lower themselves to that level.

With pets come illnesses, so you will need a vet. Your Sim can now become the local veterinarian and run a clinic for the neighborhood’s furry friends, or you can just visit when required.

While you cannot directly control pets this time around, their behavior is more realistic than ever before, and they make a great addition to any home.

9

Discover University

Released: November 15, 2019

Attending university has long been a rite of passage in The Sims and The Sims 4 version doesn’t disappoint. While classes at the two campuses are rabbit hole-based, you can instead expect gameplay that focuses on the university experience as a whole and even provides tangible boosts to Sim’s future careers.

Live in dorms, on-campus, or even at home as you attend university at any age from young adult upwards. You can take out a loan or get a grant to pay those fees and truly enjoy your university life. Juice pong, keg stands, robotics or debate clubs, sporting events, and more are all part of the university experience. You can even join a secret society, making this a truly in-depth experience of both higher education and student life. Just don’t forget to repay those student loans or the repo man will come knocking.

8

High School Years

Released: July 28, 2022

Before their journey to university your Sims can now experience high school, complete with interactive classes, cheerleading practice, cliques, spats, drama, and urban myths. You’ll gain a full school experience, including the chance to attend prom.

This pack is very much teen-oriented, but it does flesh out the life stage well, offering mood swings, relationship challenges and new ways to hang out and enjoy teen life. With a pier including rides, and a new bubble tea and thift store, your Sims can enjoy their social lives in style.

7

Eco Lifestyle

Released June 5, 2020

The Eco Lifestyle expansion is one of the most unique. Not only does it introduce a new and changing world, but it also affects almost all other residential worlds in your game.

You can adjust the eco-footprint of the new world through your actions and behaviors, making it brighter and greener or smoggier and more industrial. Generating green energy, dumpster diving, crafting furniture or candles, and recycling are just some of the ways Sims can now change their world and homes. The effects also transfer into other worlds if you wish, although they are not as pronounced.

There are also brand-new community lots that can be transformed into gardens, maker spaces, or marketplaces. Alongside this are neighborhood action plans that influence NPCs’ behavior in each area of a world. Add in new careers, clothes, and furniture, and you have a pack crammed full of unexpectedly flexible additions.

6

For Rent

Released: December 7, 2023

For Rent is an expansion which adds a number of changes which will affect the wider game. The new ability to build residential rental spaces from a single room in a regular home, to a custom building with up to six seperate units, is a game changer. It can be applied to lots in any regular world and will really add a lot to gameplay due to the amount of flexibility it offers. You can also become a landlord for a new or existing building.

The world itself is small but unique and a joy to play in. Especially when paired with new interactions and community events that come with the pack. These are paired with a wide range of Southeast-Asian furniture and clothing that is enough to kit out an entire home and a family of Sims. Everything matches well, and the pack adds an entire experience that doesn’t feel like it’s missing anything.

5

Cottage Living

Released: July 22, 2021

Cottage Living lets your Sim experience a new way of life in a quaint village. You can raise cattle, llamas and chickens, as well as plant a range of new large crops. If you do a good job, you can even enter your produce or show off your animals in the village fair.

This expansion is a slice of country life with nosy neighbours, village gossip, a weekly fair, and some matchmaking requests from a familiar face. Embrace your self-sufficient, mud-loving side in this rustic pack that combines a sense of community with the smell of manure.

4

Snowy Escape

Released: November 13, 2020

Snowy Escape is an unexpectedly in-depth pack, and we aren’t just talking about the snow here. Mt. Komorebi is a Japanese-influenced world where, for the first time, Sims can take a vacation in the snow or simply enjoy living in the stunning new neighborhoods. This dual-purpose area boasts new activities to keep all your Sims entertained.

Mt. Komorebi itself is a winter-sports neighborhood with sledding, skiing, and snowboarding available to all. There’s also a brand new Onsen lot type as well as hiking trails, climbing walls, and a festival. Hiking trails and climbing walls can also be found in other neighborhoods, as can meditative walks. Each neighborhood also has its own festival.

Clothing is Japanese-inspired and winter sports-themed, while build-and-buy items reflect East-Asian themes. There are also a number of cultural additions to explore in one of the most extensive additions to the game we’ve seen so far.

3

Seasons

Released: June 22, 2018

With The Sims 4: Seasons Expansion Pack, you introduce impactful weather and drastically different seasons to your Sim’s life. From white snowy winters to the warm colors of autumn, experience it all. As well as the seasons, seasonal activities and holidays are introduced in this pack. Your Sim can have that white Christmas they’ve always dreamed of!

The Seasons Expansion Pack also introduces plenty of other content to go along with the weather, including seasonal outfits and activities, such as ice skating and fall harvest. Gardening has been completely overhauled with this pack and the new career brings an entirely new level of care and responsibility to your Sim’s life.

2

Growing Together

Released: March 16, 2023

Growing Together is a pack similar to Seasons in that most of its features are spread throughout the gameplay mechanics. In this case, it adds new elements of realism to each life stage for Sims. Infants are fussier, as well as more chaotic, and need to be taught basic skills, while children can lose teeth and embrace sleepovers.

Memories, new interactions, and events such as family members coming to stay for a few days all combine to add depth to each aspect of Sim’s lives. Combine this with a new world and some beautiful and versatile items in both clothing and furniture and this pack is a huge boost to all family gameplay, and building.

1

Life & Death

Released: October 31, 2024

Life & Death is an expansion packed with features that add depth to the game. The new world has three distinct themes: town, country, and otherworldly. Each area has quests to follow and secrets to uncover, including new woohoo spots and supernatural residents.

There are also two new active careers, undertaker and reaper, as well as the addition of cemeteries, funerals, playable ghosts with powers, and much, much more. This pack is so crammed full of secrets it’ll take a long time to find them all.