The Sims 4, still the latest game in the venerable life simulation series, is nearly seven years old. Despite its age, it is regularly updated with all sorts of new content in the form of Sims expansion, game, and stuff packs. There's plenty of reason to want to jump in now, years after release. Players looking to get in on The Sims 4 have a choice to make - should it be played on consoles, or PC?

The Sims 4 is available on the usual suspects; PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Mac. It is also playable on both PS5 and Xbox Series X, where it runs a bit better than on the older-gen versions of those consoles. For all intents and purposes, there are minimal differences between the console versions, and they will be lumped together when discussing their merits.

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In the past, the console versions lagged behind PC and did not have access to all of the latest content. That is no longer the case. The console versions of The Sims 4 have caught up, and every expansion pack accessible to PC users is available. In terms of official Sims 4 content, there is no difference between the two groups. Unofficially, however, the PC version does have access to a near limitless number of mods and fan-created custom content, while the console versions of The Sims 4 are currently unable to install those extras. If players are determined to play with mods and other custom content, PC is the only game in town.

Sims 4 Console vs. PC Differences

The haunted house lot type in The Sims 4: Paranormal Stuff

Similarly, the community tools on the console version of The Sims 4 are slightly weaker than on their PC counterparts. The Gallery was (finally) added to consoles early last year, and does bring with it the ability to share and download sims, houses, and lots. It's even cross-platform, which, unfortunately, is where the problem lies. Because the console versions cannot download Sims 4 custom content, it can be difficult to download items that others made on the PC. If a player creates a house on PC, for example, but uses custom content anywhere within that build, it becomes inaccessible on the console version. Downloading and sharing across the console versions works totally fine - it's just that one, specific instance of trying to go from PC to console that can get a little wonky.

The biggest difference between the two types of Sims 4 gaming is probably the control schemes. It's mouse and keyboard versus controller, and when using a mouse and keyboard, the game is very intuitive. Creating a sim is as simple as clicking and dragging to adjust everything from eye-size to outfits. It is an easier, simpler control system. That's not to say that the console versions of Sims 4 are difficult to control, they're just different. For the most part, the mouse maps pretty cleanly to the thumbstick, and selecting actions from the context menus will be largely the same. Everything else gets a touch trickier, but is only a matter of memorizing the controller layout chart.

All things considered, the PC and console versions of The Sims 4 stack up very well. The PC version has just the slightest edge due to its ability to utilize mods/custom content, its unrestricted Gallery, and its more intuitive controls. If players have the choice, PC is the way to go. That said, those players who only have the option of the console version are still in for a very fun time with The Sims 4.

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