EAThe Sims 4 has more Expansion Packs than most of us know what to do with (19, in fact), and with no plans for a Sims 5 anytime soon, that offering will likely continue to balloon far into the future.
From introducing the long-awaited winged Fairy Occults along with ways to live off the land in Enchanted by Nature, to working alongside the spectral icon of the Grim Reaper himself in Life & Death, or having your fame-hungry Sims lap up the limelight of Get Famous, there’s a near-endless amount of content to explore.
Undecided on which DLC to pick up next? Don your finest plumbob green attire, grab a grilled cheese, and settle in as this elder millennial takes you through my 14 picks for the best Expansion Packs in The Sims 4 as of Enchanted by Nature’s release.
14. The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies
EA- Release date: March 6, 2025
While the difference between Businesses & Hobbies and Get To Work are more than a little muddied overall, the latest Expansion Pack release for The Sims 4 makes its way onto this list while GTW is, noticeably absent (apologies for the slight spoiler there, folks).
As someone who’s never gravitated towards running retail lots in the franchise, Businesses & Hobbies (did I nearly type Get To Work again? Yes, I did) drew me in in a way The Sims 4’s first Expansion Pack never did.
Yes, it’s got a gorgeous world, and yes, it has some stellar CAS items, but the main draw here is just how much customization over the Small Businesses you have that you’re able to create, and the Perks features of Occults and Get Famous, uh, fame, that I love so much.
I’d be remiss not to mention the crosspack functionality at play here, too. Bringing loads of different activities and ways to use those DLCs within the space of a Small Business is something we can only hope to see more of — it’s great to see new content thoughtfully being interwoven with older content.
It’s a little flat outside of that, though, and while I’d love to have seen more attention to new skills outside of Tattooing and Pottery (like making the new candy machine a functional skill instead of tying it to cooking), it deserves a place on this list purely because I’d reach for it over GTW any day of the week.
You can read my full review of The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies here.
13. The Sims 4 High School Years
EA / Maxis- Release date: July 28, 2022
The Teen life state always felt a bit pointless to me in The Sims 4 compared to previous games, but High School Years finally gives you the chance to recreate all that messy drama with the high school lot type.
In the halls of Copperdale High, Teen Sims can attend classes and after-school activities, decorate their lockers, and create promposal signs to invite their crush to the flashiest event of the season: prom!
The new world of Copperdale has a new boba tea-meets-thrift-shop, where, alongside a selection of delicious drinks (I have that on good authority from my Sims themselves, of course), you can head onto the new app, ‘Trendi’, to design, purchase, and sell looks that include unique items which can only be found in-store.
There’s a fair to visit in the world too, complete with a Ferris Wheel, Tunnel of Love, and a House of Horrors (though these are all rabbit holes), and even ice cream and snack stands. I’ve always found this location to be a bit underwhelming due to the rabbit holes, but it’s a great backdrop for any of your storytelling if that’s more your playstyle – especially heading over there after Sims have had their prom.
You can read our full review of The Sims 4 High School Years here.
12. The Sims 4 Get Famous
EA / Maxis / YouTube: The Sims- Release date: November 16, 2018
Introducing the sun-soaked, aptly named suburban world of Del Sol Valley, The Sims 4 Get Famous means your Sims can shoot for the stars and become a celebrity, turning your Sim into a global superstar or taking up the mantle of a live streamer. Famous Sims can also unlock additional benefits by spending fame points on perks that get sent to them (who doesn’t love free gifts in the mail?!)
Quirks, a feature that crops up as fame increases, randomly bestows Sims with everything from a ‘Stan’ that obsesses over and follows them around to becoming an ‘Emotion Bomb’ that causes them to fly off the handle at the drop of a hat.
I always felt that the Active Career feature has been underutilized in The Sims 4, so I love being able to head off to work with your Sims in the Acting career here. Featuring different themed gigs for your aspiring actors to take up as they claw their way up to celebrity status, the gameplay loop here is stuffed with plenty of gold-standard trademark humor to give you a good laugh.
11. The Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature
EA / Dexerto- Release date: July 10, 2025
The Sims franchise has had a fairy-shaped hole in it since the last time they made their appearance back in 2012 with The Sims 3’s Supernatural Expansion, and have finally fluttered their way back into Simmers’ games in The Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature — but perhaps not quite in the way I’d have hoped for.
While Fairies are certainly a big draw for this DLC, they aren’t the main course here, as the expansion focuses on Sims getting outside and getting in touch with nature.
Utilizing the land to fill a Sim’s needs with the new Natural Living skill is one of my favorite additions to date, and will fit so many different playstyles to boot. The Apothecary skill and Naturopath career is perfect for creating a hermit Sim or a friendly Fairy that brews concoctions alongside the Occult’s emotionally-centred abilities to help those in need. New Traits, Aspirations, and a Luck and Balance system add more layers to how your Sims navigate the world, and the CAS and Build/Buy offerings are notably whimsical (though veer off into costume-y territory pretty often).
The one thing that I can’t shake is that I’d have loved Fairies to get their own dedicated Game Pack, just like Vampires did. It’s no wonder those toothy terrors are my favorite Occult to date (Werewolves are another fantastic example, but I was always more Team Edward). Fairies can shrink down to a tiny size to interact with specific objects (a few of which have unique interactions), but not being able to do this as they explore worlds is a huge oversight.
I get why they’re in Enchanted by Nature, as they fit the green-fingered theme perfectly, but with that, they’d have had loads more room to breathe. Overall, there’s loads on offer here, and the Natural Living skill is brilliant, but plenty of other Expansions in the series take the cake.
You can read our full review of The Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature here.
10. The Sims 4 Horse Ranch
EA- Release date: July 21, 2023
Horses made their franchise arrival in the Pets Expansion of The Sims 3, and their inclusion there had me hoping that we’d have seen them added in a similar Expansion for The Sims 4 with a wide scope of pets to care for. That never happened, and instead were added in their own equestrian-focused DLC released five years after Cats & Dogs: Horse Ranch.
Here, Sims can meander around on horseback, and it’s a feeling like no other to set off throughout the world of Chestnut Ridge with your equine pal. It’s easy to imagine yourself inhabiting it, scratching a somewhat ‘Simified’ itch of the nostalgia of playing one my favorite games of all time, Red Dead Redemption 2.
Seeing cute foals grow up into horses is something most Simmers will love, horse girl or not. But after the nostalgia of The Sims 3 wears off, things begin to feel stale. The Equestrian Center located in the heart of the world is just a rabbit hole, meaning that aside from the jumps located outside it, competitions are all done off-screen. It’s a bit of a let down.
While the horses themselves are fantastic, as is the world and its new CAS and Build/Buy offerings, I’m still of the mindset that this feels more like a Game Pack than an Expansion – so I can’t bring myself to place it higher (even though I’d like to).
9. The Sims 4 Snowy Escape
EA / Maxis / YouTube: The Sims- Release date: November 13, 2020
The Sims 4 Snowy Escape added features that flesh out your Sims, and in turn, their lives. Alongside the free base game update of Sentiments, 16 Lifestyles were introduced as part of this Expansion Pack.
Gained by the interactions that your Sims perform over time (or cheated, if you prefer), they can become ‘Adrenaline Seekers’, a ‘Workaholic’, or a ‘Coffee Fanatic’ – a relatable trait for many an adult. Many of these also have additional little features, like ‘Health Food Nut’ which gives Sims the option to cook healthy alternatives to certain meals.
Mt. Komorebi’s Snowy Escape is a welcome removal from many of The Sims 4’s American-themed worlds, and it’s a great place for Sims seeking a restful break (or plenty of thrills). Here, your Sims can zip down a snowy hill on skis, a sled, or a snowboard as they hone their skills. They can even tackle rocky mountains attempting to climb them and avoid an untimely demise from missing their footing.
While Snowy Escape might not be the most essential DLC on this list, there’s lots here that make it worthy of your time when deciding what to pick up.
8. The Sims 4 Discover University
EA / Maxis / YouTube: The Sims- Release date: November 15, 2019
Re-introducing one of my favorite features back into this iteration of The Sims, Discover University gives Young Adults or older Sims the chance to experience everything further education has to offer.
I love that there’s an option of two campuses to pick from depending on what path you want a Sim to go down, with the University of Britechester putting me right back in my own time at college. This is something that The Sims has always done so well – it lets you re-experience parts of your own life (or things you didn’t) through the games.
While each class you can attend is, disappointingly, a rabbit hole, bicycles mean that Sims can zip to and from class in style (and attempt to make up for that long lay-in).
Dorms also return, adding brand new storytelling possibilities as your Sims navigate having to reside the all-to-familiar feeling of navigating different personalities while juggling daily life, keg-fuelled parties, and coursework.
7. The Sims 4 Island Living
EA / Maxis / YouTube: The Sims- Release date: June 21, 2019
Adding what I think is one of the most beautiful worlds in the entire game (to this day), Island Living and the world of Sulani features swimmable oceans, Mermaids, sunbathing, and the Conservationist career for Simmers to check out.
While the Mermaid Occult is — with the exception of Plant Sims — arguably the most underdeveloped of those on offer in The Sims 4 (there’s a great Mermaid expansion mod for that, though), Island Living still maintains a high spot on this list due to the vast amount of other features included.
An active volcano looms large in Sulani with the ever-impending threat of eruptions, and Elemental spirits and Kava Parties add a rich layer of culture and lore to the world. I love that the island changes over time as you interact with it and clean it up in the vein of Eco Living – giving a slightly different experience depending on your actions (or non-action).
Out in the ocean, Sims can head into the blue for a dip, nip around on a canoe or an Aqua-Zip, or lean back into the slower lifestyle of the island and laze around on a floating lounger. The only thing begging to be added here that I’m still baffled is missing are the viewable underwater scuba dives of The Sims 3’s Island Paradise – they’re simply a rabbit hole feature here. Oh, and don’t forget the lack of houseboats, too!
6. The Sims 4 Lovestruck
EA- Release date: July 25, 2024
One of the best features of The Sims 2 that I was always disappointed was absent from the fourth iteration was the Turn-Ons and Turn-Offs feature, allowing you to pick a set of characteristics that other Sims might have that could cause your Sim to be attracted to them. As a teen, creating a red-haired Sim that I knew would look great with a Sim of mine that had that particular Turn-On was always super fun for me.
Well, with Lovestruck, and nearly a decade after release, it arrived – and that’s not all. Bringing the world of The Sims 4 into the modern age, Cupid’s Corner is effectively the game’s version of dating apps you’ll find in the real world, letting them go through the mind-numbing inertia of ‘swipe-swipe’ that is modern-day dating.
Romantic relationships themselves see a shake-up, too, adding Romantic Satisfactions and Romantic Dynamics into play, which flesh out relationships for your Sims. Satisfactions can be different between Sims in a couple and are based on their own Turn-Ons, which can be found out, and the romantic interactions performed between them and the ones Sims do with one another.
Add on top of that the gorgeous new world, Ciudad Enamorada, that’s so well-realized in its concept that it’s just begging to be explored, the new Romance skill to master, and the Romance Consultant career, and Lovestruck is an expansion that fits right into anyone’s game.
You can read our full review of The Sims 4 Lovestruck here.
5. The Sims 4 For Rent
EA - Release date: December 7, 2023
Want your own Sims to have power over others by building up a real estate empire? Move over, Landgraabs, because The Sims 4 For Rent is here, with rentable lots that let you customize your tenant’s experiences to your heart’s content.
Residential Rentals, the new lot type, is the selling point for this expansion and it’s given a lot of focus in different ways. It’s not just the addition of the lot type itself that’s great, though. The functionality and possibility for storytelling in them are top-notch, alongside an easy-to-use UI letting you create up to six ‘units’ within a lot and 99 in total throughout a save. You can cheat to have more than six if you so choose – but I’d suggest using that at your discretion.
I’ve always disliked having to go from menu to menu to travel from lot to lot in The Sims 4 because of a lack of an open world. And while there are still loading screens when going from one unit to another in a Residential Rental, it’s a little less bothersome, meaning you can flit from family to family pretty quickly.
Add to that the new Mold Lot Challenge and cleanliness will be of the utmost importance to stave off different mold piles – or suffer the potentially deadly Moldinitis. This is probably my favorite death type in The Sims 4, truly, and feels like it gives a little nod to The Last of Us without being overbearing.
While Tomarang is a beautiful world, to me it always felt slightly lackluster — it’s chock full of set dressing. That being said, there’s enough on offer here to make this one Expansion Pack to not miss out on.
4. The Sims 4 Cottage Living
EA / Maxis / YouTube: The Sims- Release date: July 22, 2021
Releasing when the Cottagecore trend was at its peak, The Sims 4 Cottage Living is undoubtedly one of my favorite packs from the entire franchise. While this is absolutely due to the pack’s British theme and me being British myself — you can nip into The Gnome’s Arms pub for a spot of fish and chips, something that hadn’t been done until this pack — it’s just a feel-good, beautifully detailed Expansion Pack that lets Sims live off of the land and connect with nature.
In Cottage Living, you can raise and keep animals from chickens to cows and, of course, llamas (would it be The Sims without them?), and each one also provides its own produce which can be used in different ways.
The pack ships with two really great Lot Challenges, too, ‘Simple Living’ and ‘Wild Foxes’ – and are the ones that I use the most in my day-to-day gameplay – with the former requiring ingredients to be bought, grown, or collected before a particular recipe can be cooked. Sims can even take part in Canning to preserve fruits and vegetables, something that screams nostalgia and took me right back to a similar feature from The Sims: Livin’ Large (yes, I’m that old).
Sims can even live their Disney Princess fantasy and befriend and sing to birds (alongside foxes and rabbits) — and who knows, they may even flitter around you as you do!
You can read our full review of The Sims 4 Cottage Living here.
3. The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs
EA / Maxis / YouTube: The Sims- Release date: November 10, 2017
What’s The Sims without furry friends to share your Sim’s lives with? Cats & Dogs ranking so high on this list is likely no surprise, and it’s not hard to see why. Being able to create (or adopt) your very own canine or feline friend to accompany your Sims throughout life’s ups and downs adds even more storytelling and gameplay possibilities for Simmers to tuck into.
Here, you’ll be able to train your pets, get to know them, and even give your Sims the Cat Lover or Dog Lover traits — providing them with powerful bonuses to forming relationships with their animals faster.
Cats & Dogs even introduces a brand new career: Veterinarian. Alongside this is the Vet Clinic lot type, so if your furry family members become a little sick, you can whisk them off to receive treatment in a flash. You’ll need to own one of these clinics to be a vet, though, giving you the option to care for and look after your game world’s animals whenever they’re in need.
CAS for Pets is fantastic – probably the best in the franchise – something I can attest to because of how accurately I could recreate my chihuahua and best friend in the whole world, Fleur (she agrees, too, though still thinks I made her legs a bit too long). My only main qualm with this one is how its scope was narrowed when compared to some earlier entries in the series — with hamsters and other little critters releasing less than a year later in the My First Pet Stuff DLC in March of 2018.
2. The Sims 4 Life & Death
EA- Release date: October 31, 2024
Life & Death has to be one of The Sims’ most original ideas yet (more of those, please!), and for that alone, it could be placed at number one. It may not quite eke out the top spot, but that doesn’t take away from just how good this Expansion Pack is.
It’s a beautiful concept of a pack that focuses on, well, life and death, adding the concept of a Soul’s Journey to the game. The Sims team has worked wonders in pushing the boundaries of a Sim’s life further, which they can progress throughout their lives by completing Aspirations, the new Bucket Lists feature, and other goals.
Funerals – a first for the franchise – also make their way into the pack alongside the cemetery lot type, tarot card reading, and a pet crow. That’s not all, as the ability to work alongside the Grim Reaper himself in the new Active Reaper career adds a dose of macabre charm that The Sims does best.
One of the most standout features, though, has to be the expansions to the Ghost life state (uh, death state?). After death, your Sims can linger on, with powers and a skill tree similar to that of Spellcaster and Vampire occults. I’ve found myself creating Ghost families in CAS way more because of this, and they now actually feel fun and more rewarding to play.
But the most ‘unique’ award goes to the new Rebirth feature. Sims can head into the Baleful Bog of the new world, Ravenwood, and descend into the murky waters there to emerge anew. When Sims are reborn, some traits from their past life can also transfer over.
It’s a lovely, gamified way of pondering on the conundrum that is life and what happens after it. With Life & Death, The Sims’ dev team packaged a truly brilliant Expansion Pack hinged on appreciating all that is life and that eternal question.
1. The Sims 4 Seasons
EA / Maxis / YouTube: The Sims- Release date: June 22, 2018
Without question, my top pick for the best Expansion Pack is Seasons (sorry, Life & Death – you just missed this one).
Weather and the seasons themselves fundamentally change everything about how you experience the game – especially if you’ve played since the base game launch in 2014. There’s nothing quite like seeing your Sims interact with their environment differently depending on what season it is, with ‘Snowpal’ creations, snow angels, and the option to ice skate their little hearts out in the Winter being a clear favorite of mine.
And what would seasons be without Holidays? These events have your Sims experiencing everything from Love Day to New Year’s Eve, Winterfest, and Harvestfest. These are features that I tend to ignore for the most part, personally, but for those more focused on storytelling, they’ll quickly become a staple of gameplay.
Perfect for the springtime, the Gardener career gives those green-thumbed Sims a chance at becoming botanists, and the Flower Arranging skill lets them create gorgeous bouquets to be sold in exchange for some hard-earned Simoleons.
With Seasons, your Sims’ lives are that much more fully realized and complete, and honestly, it’s something you can’t go back to not having in your game once you’ve experienced it. Fundamentally, it feels like a baseline for all the other great content on this list and one you don’t want to be without – easily claiming the well-earned title of ‘best Expansion Pack in The Sims 4’.
Make sure to check out my picks for the best Sims 4 mods to download in 2025, cheats for Life and Death, Enchanted by Nature, or our guides directory for quick links to different tips.
