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Since its release in 2014, The Sims 4 has seen more than 40 different expansions and add-on stuff packs, with some being better than others. Now that the base version of Sims 4 is free for everyone, it's likely many more players will be wondering which of the many, many Sims packs are actually worth spending money for. Sims 4's best expansions don't just offer more of the same, they go the extra mile and add new jobs, new gameplay mechanics, and often new areas to explore.

In this respect, 2021 was a strange year for Sims 4 since Cottage Living was the only full Expansion Pack released. As a mild substitute for a new expansion pack, fans got an extensive game update late in the year that introduced new gameplay missions called 'Scenarios', adding bankruptcy and breakups to The Sims 4. Now, in 2022, it seems like most of the team is moving on to work on The Sims' new Project Rene, which will finally bring multiplayer to the series.

To find out everything The Sims recently revealed in their October 2022 Summit, check out our Behind The Sims Summit Presentation breakdown!

Related: The Sims 4: How To Move Objects Up

Thankfully, over the last eight years, players have seen some of the best expansion packs in The Sims' history, and many of them were successors of the expansion packs added to previous titles, such as Cats & Dogs, Seasons, or Island Living. The best expansion packs for Sims 4 enrich the base title, bringing in new gameplay mechanics that add more depth and enjoyment to each player's experience.

Sims 4 - Cats & Dogs

Sims 4 Cats Dogs Expansion Pack

The Sims 4: Cats & Dogs was released back in 2017, and is one of the most complete expansions that was released for Sims 4. Along with the possibility to create or adopt pets and take home stray animals in The Sims 4, this expansion came with the Brindleton Bay world - which included new lot traits such as Dog or Cat-friendly lots, Breeding Grounds, Training Grounds, or Cat and Dog hangouts. It also includes several new outfits, pet-focused furniture and toys, and a whole new array of gameplay features for sims and their pets, such as the possibility of owning a vet clinic and developing the veterinarian skill, new Sim traits such as Cat Lover or Dog Lover, and a new Sim aspiration: Friend of the Animals. Check out the official trailer for Sims 4's Cats & Dogs expansion below:

Sims 4 - Discover University

The Sims 4's Discover University Expansion Pack is heavily inspired by American colleges.

One of the best Sims 4 expansions, Discover University was introduced in 2019, and it was an expansion pack that long-time Sims fans had been waiting for, as it brought back one of the best expansion packs from The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 - University and University Life, respectively. In The Sims 4: Discover University, players get the whole college experience with a dedicated world, Britchester, which includes two rival universities, new careers, and new gameplay features that make The Sims’ college experience as close to the real-life experience as possible, with scholarships, loans, roommates, and juice-keg parties.

Sims 4 - Eco Lifestyle

Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle Pollution Expansion Pack

The Sims 4: Eco Lifestyle is one of those expansion packs that many players weren’t expecting and which, at first sight, didn’t seem that exciting. Surprisingly, however, it proved to be one of the most game-changing expansion packs on offer. Released in 2020, this expansion pack focused on the world’s eco-footprint and offers players the ability to change and develop the world around them with new features such as renewable energy, community projects, and new crafting skills. Of these, Eco Lifestyle's Fabrication skill stands out as being one of the best.

Related: How to Vacation in a Residential World in The Sims 4

Complete with the new world of Evergreen Harbor, Eco Lifestyle is one of Sims 4's best expansions because it introduced a new game mechanic, Eco footprint, which determines how much of the world is contaminated and introduces pollution and ecological changes in most worlds available through the base game and other expansions. Along with new outfits, the expansion introduces new objects and furniture such as the Candle-making Station and a Hydroponic Garden Planter, and new Sim traits such as Freegan and Recycle Disciple. New aspirations are also available, as well as a new career path, new deaths, a new WooHoo location, and Acid Rain as a new Weather Type. Check out the Eco Lifestyle trailer to see how this changes the base Sims 4 gameplay:

Sims 4 - Island Living

Sims 4 Island Living Expansion Pack

The Sims 4's Island Living expansion pack was leaked on Origin shortly before it was released in June 2019, and it is considered the successor of The Sims 3’s Island Paradise expansion. Island Living allows Sims to relocate to the new world of Sulani, a tropical island filled with deep waters, beaches, waterfalls, and even a volcano site. As one of the best Sims 4 expansions, it gave players a new experience, introducing a breadth of new features that allowed players to experience new activities and hobbies such as snorkeling, canoeing, and meeting mermaids.

The world is made up of three neighborhoods: Ohan’ali Town, Lani St. Taz, and Mua Pel’am, and also comes with new lot traits such as Oceanic Paradise, or Island Spirits – the latter of which allows Sims to interact with the island’s ghosts and offers special moodlets if that Sim has the expansion’s new Child of the Islands trait activated. The expansion is complete with new island life outfits, a new career and part-time jobs, and the new Beach Life Aspiration, perfect for players who want their Sim to take it easy and enjoy lying on the beach all day. See for yourself below:

Sims 4 - Snowy Escape

Sims 4 Snowy Escape Expansion Pack

The Sims 4: Snowy Escape expansion was released in late 2020, and could be considered the exact opposite of Island Living. They are similar in that they both offer a complete change of scenery and are both among the best Sims 4 expansions, but where Island Living takes players to a tropical paradise, The Sims 4: Snowy Escape brings forward a Winter Wonderland set in a world heavily influenced by traditional Japanese towns. This new world, Mt. Komorebi, offers many features that players might recognize from The Sims 2: Vacation and The Sims 3: World Adventures, among other past franchise expansions that focused on vacation and outdoor features.

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Some new features introduced in Sims 4's Snowy Escape expansion include the new Lifestyles game mechanic, which is acquired through normal gameplay and determine a player’s Sim reaction after establishing a number of behavioral patterns. Snowy Escape also allows players to both relocate or rent a lot in Mt. Komorebi for a short holiday, and take advantage of several new outdoor gameplay features, such as snowboarding, skiing, rock climbing, and hiking.

Sims 4 - Cottage Living

Sims 4 Cottage Living Expansion Pack

Cottage Living is the only Sims 4 expansion that was released in 2021, and it is one of the best content add-ons players have received from EA to date. It focuses on country life, and by introducing several interactable animals such as cows, chickens, rabbits, and even llamas, this expansion brings a new gameplay feature Sims fans had been requesting for years: Farming.

As with all the best Sims 4 expansion packs, this game comes with a world of its own, Henford-on-Bagley, which is heavily inspired by the UK countryside. Most lots on this world are larger than players are used to, as they contain farming spaces, chicken coops, and barns for cows and llamas. A new aspiration, Country Caretaker, is available, as well as new traits such as Animal Enthusiast and Lactose Intolerant. Other new gameplay features that Cottage Living introduces include befriending wild animals, the Cross-stitching skill, lot challenges such as Simple Living and Wild Foxes, and the Finchwick Fair event, where you can partake in an egg competition.

Sims 4 - Seasons

Sims 4 Seasons Best Expansion Pack

Seasons was released all the way back in 2018 and it is the quintessential expansion pack for The Sims 4. By introducing a weather game mechanic into every Sims 4 world available, this expansion enriches players’ experience of the game on all fronts. Sims 4: Seasons introduces a seasonal calendar, which allows players to experience traditional events such as New Year’s Eve, but also random events such as “Talk Like A Pirate Day”. Each of these incorporated events also allows players to experience some typically silly Sims interactions, like getting attacked by a holiday tree, having your home invaded by gnomes, or having babies with the Easter Bunny. Check out the trailer for Seasons below:

The Sims 4: Seasons might not have come with a new world of its own, but instead, it adds a whole new level of gameplay possibilities. The addition of a calendar and the passing of seasons, with everything each of them entails, makes the core life simulation aspect of Sims much more accurate and enriches the base game in the best possible way, and easily makes it one of the best expansion packs in The Sims 4.

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  • The Sims 4 Poster Cover Art
    The Sims
    Released:
    2014-09-02
    Developer:
    Maxis
    Franchise:
    The Sims
    Genre:
    Simulation
    Platform:
    Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
    Publisher:
    Electronic Arts
    ESRB:
    T