There are now twelve expansion packs that you can buy to add to your in-game experience, and let's not mention the mountain of game packs and kits too! Let it be said that none of the expansions are bad, this list just puts them in order of good, to the absolute best. Making a decision as to which expansion to prioritize can be tricky because of this, and that's where our Sims expansion packs ranked list comes in!
Just in case you've never heard of it: The Sims 4 is a vast life simulation game that allows you to create your own character and thrust them into a world filled with a variety of scenarios, jobs, and zany obstacles. You can control their lives and make them as dramatic or relaxed as you want.
While we're on the topic of Sims 4, here are the best mods to improve gameplay, and some realistic mods. There's also our concise list of cheats, and everything we know about Werewolves.
All Sims Expansion Packs Ranked
For any and all of these expansions to work, you'll need the Sims 4 base game. This comes quite cheap now and is available through Origin and Steam on PC, and also PlayStation 4. If you buy the expansions as part of a game bundle, you still need to install the base game first.
We've ranked all the current expansions based on general community opinion, and how much we think they bring to a game. However, the best expansion will always be the one that brings you the most joy and the one that improves your own in-game experience.
12. Snowy Escapes
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+ 12If you love cold weather and the activities that come with it, head to Mt. Komorebi in this expansion!
It seems that this pack has taken a lot of inspiration from popular lifestyles, activities, and fashion trends in Japan. You can spend your days mastering the slopes with activities such as Snowboarding, and then warm yourself up in the Hot Springs.
This pack provides a lot of item-based content such as furniture and clothing - Snowy Escapes is a great way of exploring life in the Snow while staying warm in your own home, but outside of that it doesn't add much.
11. Eco Lifestyle
click to enlarge + 12Time to save the planet! Your Sims can become brilliant friends to the environment in the Eco Lifestyle expansion. You can now recycle goods (no more trash cans for you) and upcycle old items to give them new life. Sims can use solar panels and other Eco-Friendly methods to power their homes.
Community is a big part of this pack, as you can all gather together to vote on "community action plans" - these are tasks that the entire community will work towards in the following week. The decisions that you make can and will affect the world that you live in. If you become too laid back, your home will slowly become filled with pollution and rubbish.
This pack demands that you stay engaged with its' activities. It's good if you want to stick to one way of playing, but it does become slightly difficult to divert your attention away to other things. The furniture and cosmetic items are also similar to other packs, so don't add anything fantastically different.
10. Get Famous
click to enlarge + 12Fame, fortune, adoration - these are all things your Sim can achieve with the Get Famous expansion.
You can make your Sim an Actor or an Influencer with some hard work (if you don't cheat). Your Sim can become so famous that they get adoring fans, and experience the "starstruck" moodlet if they are nearby. Anything is possible in the world of Del Sol Valley. If a Sim can make it to stardom here, they can make it anywhere.
Having a new world, two new career options, a bunch of items and new interaction options is good, but compared to other expansions, it's missing the replayability that some of the others possess.
9. Discover University
click to enlarge + 12The Discover University expansion brings another new world to Sims 4: the University Town of Britechester. You can enroll your Sim in the Foxbury Institute or the University of Britechester.
Young adult Sims will start to study anything that interests them by attending lectures and joining study groups with other Sims. But remember - once they work hard, then they can play hard. Throw wild parties with other students in their dorms or join clubs to pass the time, the choice is yours!
The downsides to this particular pack are that the gameplay options can feel restrictive and repetitive after a while. It also, obviously, doesn't add much to any age except young adults.
8. Get to Work
click to enlarge + 12Get To Work gives you new career paths that you can play in detail. You can choose to run your own retail business, become a super sleuth detective, a heroic doctor, or a scientist. The scientist career can take you to space, and being a doctor or detective can make you a hero of the town.
Choosing a career in retail means you need to build your shop, choose your stock, and price it. And you need to hire your own staff and manage opening hours while being there to interact with customers. This is a very realistic part of the game but can bring back memories of past careers for some of us...
This pack is a great expansion and offers a lot more playability, however, it will mean your Sims are entirely focused on work and spend most of their time in the 'office'. Workaholics only need apply.
7. Island Living
click to enlarge + 12The Island Living expansion gives you the tropical island paradise of Sulani, a place for Sims to relax and have a good time. Here you can spend your days in the sun and go to barbeque events with your friends - or if the sweet water is calling you, you may be in with the chance of meeting a Mermaid!
That's right, taking a quick dip could result in your Sim coming face to face with the magical creature. If you want to work for your reward of life in paradise, you can become a conservationist and take care of Sulani's pristine beaches.
This expansion also gives you a handful of themed, summery clothing and items so you can decorate your home to be a tropical escape wherever you are. Also, dolphins.
6. High School Years
click to enlarge + 12High School Years came out of nowhere - it was announced and then available within a couple of months, and brought a new area to Sims that has never properly been explored before: an interactive school day.
We've always had Universities, but it is only now that we're able to see what our young Sims get up to on a daily basis. The pack adds the world of Copperdale, complete with the high school, auditorium, and sports field (and a new bubble tea and thrift store).
As with most of EA's new releases, there have been some teething issues and let-downs in the expansion: the non-interactive furniture around the school, and the one-dimensional gameplay that is involved during the school day have left some players feeling deflated. Ironically, the smallest focus of this pack is the actual high school.
Though there have been some teething issues and bugs, the pack's create-a-Sim and Buy mode additions have more than made up for any negatives, as have the new careers that teens can now join.
5. Cats & Dogs
click to enlarge + 12An absolute staple of the Sims franchise is the pets. Sims 4's Cats & Dogs lets you have furry friends once again.
The expansion pack only gives you Cats and Dogs to have as pets, but there are tons of breeds that you can choose from. You can even have a red panda, raccoon, or fox if you get creative! There's a new Sim world with this pack called Brindleton Bay; it's a coastal world where your Sim can befriend strays and eventually adopt them. This pack also brings the Vet career, where you can build and buy your own practice and help the ailing animals.
The career, items, and new world make this a brilliant expansion pack for animal enthusiasts. We only wish there were more pets involved.
4. Get Together
click to enlarge + 12The Get Together pack brings a picturesque area to the game with unique places to explore.
Windenburg is a place that has everything from ancient ruins to a hedge maze you can get lost in. The emphasis of this pack is to be social and get your Sims to have a vibrant social life.
The expansion brings Clubs - a new social tool that allows like-minded Sims to meet up, and can be lorded over, if you want. There's a new café lot type, and two new Traits to explore. This is a well-rounded pack in terms of content items and gameplay, so it is highly recommended.
3. City Living
click to enlarge + 12Now it's time for the nitty-gritty. Bored of suburban life in a large home with wide-open spaces surrounding it? Then look no further. The City Living pack gives you apartments, districts, and the big city of San Myshuno to explore.
Within it, there is the wealthy Uptown District, the Arts Quarter, Fashion District, and the Spice Market. Foodies, style queens, and creative souls are all welcome. Let's not forget Myshuno Meadows, a large and beautiful park next to the Uptown District.
With the plethora of extra gameplay options and objects that came with this pack, it's one of the best.
2. Cottage Living
click to enlarge + 12Whisk your Sim away from the hustle and bustle of city life by putting them into the calm world of Henford-on-Bagley.
The world is heavily inspired by the English Countryside, and the themed items in Build/Buy mode enhance its rural atmosphere. If you really want to embrace the simple life, you can get your own animals to sustain your family. Also, you can choose to grow your own fruit and vegetables or go to the local market.
The small and calm life is the main focus of this expansion, but the best part? You can put hats on your chickens, and play with the chicks. Plus, there's wild rabbits, and foxes that you can befriend. The kitschy, cottagey furniture items are adorable, as are the knitted jumpers available for Sims to wrap up in.
1. Seasons
click to enlarge + 12Widely regarded as the best Sims 4 expansion pack is Seasons. It does as the name suggests, bringing the four seasons to Sims. Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter all rotate in the game in the same order as the real world. However, they are much faster and seasons typically last for one Sim week, but you can make them last up to four if you choose.
Alongside the changing environment, you also get to experience holiday events in each Season and special activities you can do surrounding them. Celebrate New Years, decorate for Halloween, and don't forget those umbrellas to combat the spring weather!
Although it doesn't bring a new world to the Sims, Seasons adds a whole new level of realism to the game. Don't forget your suncream, and dig out the snow shovels!