This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Maya Stokley. Find her on Instagram at @maya.aesthetic. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
Listen, friends, I’ll get straight to the point. I am a Sims girlie! Yes, I download mods and custom content to create my own rich lifestyle worlds for my beautiful Sims. And of course, I make storylines with my Sims. My favorite one so far is when I broke up a family by having the husband fall in love with a vampire king, adopt two kids, and then kill the vampire king because he misses his family. Bonkers, I know. But how did I make this happen? Well, the base game is not enough, so I had to use my coins to dabble into expansion packs from EA (Electronic Arts, we don’t talk about them with those prices). But, based on my bank statements and analysis of the expansion packs I own, I have compiled a list for you all. Here are the top five best Sims 4 expansion packs for a seasoned Sims player and new players!
(Note: The base game for Sims 4 is free but the expansion packs do cost money! You do get brand new worlds, careers, activities, skills, venues, and more! So, keep that in mind when roaming EA Games for a Sims 4 expansion pack!)
1. Sims 4: City Living
I live in the city so I am biased! But, this expansion pack should be part of the base game because of how much gameplay you get with it! The pack dropped in 2016 (almost ten years ago, oh my gosh) and introduced the concept of apartments for the Sims 4! In the pack, you get new careers like social media and politics! A new aspiration called City Native, where your Sims are determined to learn everything about the city and enjoy various activities!
(For Context: Aspirations are life-long goals in the Sims 4! Your Sims can complete their aspirations by going through a checklist of activities and once it is done, they can choose another one!)
But apartment life is not all! This pack introduced festivals for the Sims 4 like the GreekCon, Spice Festival, Romance Festival, Humor and Hijinks Festival, and the Flea Market. For each festival, there are food stands and activities that will help your Sim level up in their skills! And the pack has new Create-a-Sim features like hairstyles, clothes, makeup, shoes, and so much more! Believe me, this expansion pack is worth your buck if you want the city lifestyle for your Sims! Also, you can use the City Living items for other worlds as well, so it is not just restricted to San Myshuno (that’s the world name for the city). Check out the trailer here and I ensure you it is worth it!
2. Sims 4: Cottage Living
Okay, I’m not going to lie; I love to live my country life fantasy, and the Sims 4 made it possible! In 2021, the pack dropped. It has become a favorite amongst Sims 4 players because it is similar to City Living! A new world, new Create-a-Sim content, aspirations (like the Animal Enthusiast one is so cute), activities, skills (like Cross-Stitch, come one!), and new venues! I truly love how this expansion pack comes with farm animals, such as cows and llamas, that you can place on your residential lots! Also, the pack comes with other animals like chickens, birds, rabbits, and foxes that will keep you on your toes!
If I had to rate this expansion pack, I would give it a 9/10. Here is my reasoning: It is the cutest expansion pack to date! You can genuinely create amazing storylines with your Sims, and it is a great contrast from the other expansion packs that are suburban or city-like! One of my storylines currently with Cottage Living is a newlywed family that just had triplets and had to navigate their home, school, and farm life in order to survive. The mother, Tamia, is a stay-at-home mom who wants to start her own restaurant. Jeremy, the father, is a farmer and spends his days at outside. But the triplets are truly running the show by making friends with the foxes and being mischievous toward their peers! I highly recommend this expansion pack if you want the countryside life for your Sims. Check out more from this trailer!
3. Sims 4: Island Living
When I tell you that I was so jealous that I didn’t have the funds for this pack when it came out. I am fuming! But I saved up some money and am now blessed with the beach life! The Sims 4 Island Living was dropped in 2021, and I couldn’t be happier! Honestly, hot take, this should’ve been with the base game as well! The expansion pack features a beach world, along with island clothing, furniture, and MERMAIDS! OH MY GOSH, THE MERMAIDS!
I hopped onto Create-a-Sim so fast and made my Mermaid Sim immediately. Her name is Layla and she has the most purple tail with sparkles! And, then, she has a lover, his name is Orlando, and he runs a bar on the beach called “The Sand Bar.” (It is quite literally just the name of the official bar on the beach) But, anyways! I really recommend this expansion pack because the builds are amazing, the outfits are too die for, and there is so much gameplay with this one. You will not get bored with it!
4. Sims 4: Seasons
This expansion pack is a controversial hot take because there isn’t much to the gameplay except the seasons changing. I know, it is absolutely weird that it is not part of the base game with all of its features. I would say that this expansion pack is like a feature rather than a whole gameplay situation like the previous ones. There isn’t a lot of new furniture, clothes, or anything that grativates the eye at first glance. But, I would say it is worth your buck if you want a calendar system and customized holidays for your Sims!
There is a world that comes with this expansion pack that is similar to the base game. Very suburban, but it has more houses. Also, there are more clothes for specific weather changes as well! So, I recommend this expansion pack with caution, but if you want the true Earth experience, have fun with it!
5. Sims 4: Cats and Dogs
OKAY, THIS EXPANSION PACK MAKES ME SMILE SO MUCH! I absolutely love this expansion pack because I love pets! Oh my gosh, I think that this expansion pack was very much anticipated because of the success of Sims 3: Pets! You can customize the pets based on their appearance and traits. Also, the pets are basically their own person with their own fears, and YOU CAN RUN A VET CLINC! It’s the way I had so many Sims own the vet clinic, and it is such a blast! The pack comes with a new world! It is not as much with City Living, Island Living, and Cottage Living! But if you love pets and want your Sims to have pets, go and get this expansion pack right now!
What Sims 4 expansion packs from this list are you interested in? Share in the comments!
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