The Sims 4 Expansion Packs Ranked From Worst to Best, According to Metacritic
The Sims 4 currently has 11 Expansion Packs, with a new and upcoming high school expansion pack that has just recently been announced. These Expansion Packs are the largest form of DLC content available to purchase for the game, including all kinds of new worlds and lifestyles with new styles of objects, clothing, and sometimes pets. What's more, they can offer a new gameplay experience with each pack.
With all of these options to choose from, including the upcoming pack, fans will consider where each one ranks among the others. The new High School Years Expansion Pack will join a collection of expansion packs met with varying reception from critics and fans alike.
11 Get Together - 72
The Get Together pack brought the idea of clubs to The Sims 4, which can be handpicked by players or organized by individual sims' hobbies and interests, helping players to meet like-minded sims. The club system allows sims to come together easily and unlock extra bonuses and relationship points from group activities.
The pack was received as a welcome expansion to the previously difficult task of getting sims to hang out in large groups. It was criticized in reviews, however, for giving little depth in this Expansion Pack beyond the club system to The Sims 4, offering little more than previous Sims base games would typically contain.
10 Get to Work - 73
Get to Work was the first expansion pack to be released for The Sims 4 in early 2015. It differs from any previous offering in the entire Sims franchise by being the first time players can play as their sims when they attend work as a doctor, detective, or scientist. This gave players a first-hand influence on their work performances.
While the game was praised for giving players new control in their sims' lives, Get To Work was criticized for being repetitive and lacking replay value. With only three careers to choose from, the Expansion Pack was also under fire for continuing The Sims 4's central issue of having little content compared to its predecessors.
9 Get Famous - 77
The Get Famous expansion brought the concept of fame to The Sims 4, in which sims can earn certain levels of celebrity through notable activities and interactions. The pack also brought the acting career to the game and the Hollywood-like world of Del Sol Valley.
The interactive acting career and the fame reward for pursuing the arts in the game were well-received by fans. Many top Sims YouTubers, such as Lil Simsie, criticized the game for having incomplete lots that could not function properly due to a lack of essential objects upon the pack's release.
8 City Living - 78
Introducing the city world of San Myshuno, City Living brought an urban feel that revitalized The Sims 4. Most notably, the Expansion Pack brought apartments to the game and the ability to rent homes of varying quality, as well as noisy neighbors and new urban careers such as being an art critic or politician.
The urban landscape and apartments brought a welcome change to the previously housing-only Sims worlds. The frequent festivals and buzzy atmosphere of San Myshuno's streets were welcomed by fans, as the vibrancy of the world helped bring the pack and the inner-city experience to life.
7 Cats & Dogs - 80
Cats & Dogs was the first time pets appeared in The Sims 4, offering a considerable collection of breeds and custom paint tools to make a lovable furry friend in the game. The new vet career that was included expanded the list of interactive careers available to play in the game.
The extensive selection and customization, as well as the vet career option, were a welcome addition to The Sims 4. However, the pack offered little in the way of pet clothing and supplies, being sold in an additional pack, My First Pet Stuff, a move blasted by fans for offering less content for higher costs.
6 Snowy Escape - 80
The winter world of Mount Komorebi was introduced in this Expansion Pack, where players can ski and snowboard down the world's vast mountains. The Japanese-inspired gameplay offered residential lots and holiday homes, so sims could live in or simply visit the world and its exciting new offerings to The Sims 4.
The game was acclaimed for its addition of Japanese culture into the mostly western-style worlds of The Sims. Simmers played a pivotal role in the game's development, where die-hard Sims fans were invited by EA to build lots for the game, after previous fan criticism of the quality of pre-made lots.
5 Cottage Living - 80
Country Living continues the trend of new cultures being brought into The Sims 4, introducing the English countryside village of Henford-on-Bagley. The gameplay is mostly farming-based, introducing new styles of foraging for food and cultivating crops on sims' lots, as well as introducing livestock such as cows, chickens, and llamas.
The pack fulfilled the long-held wish of fans to introduce a farming pack with "Cottagecore" aesthetics, compared to typical Sims suburbia. The gameplay was especially praised for adding depth to the "off-the-grid" style many players engage with, where their sims live off their land without water or electricity.
4 Seasons - 81
Seasons brought new weather and the changing seasons of the year into a calendar structure in The Sims 4. This came with traditional real-world holidays for sims to participate in, and the opportunity for players to create their own unique holidays and come up with their own traditions for them.
The pack's ability to affect all forms of gameplay in The Sims 4 through the calendar structure and ever-changing weather helps make Seasons a firm fan favorite. The replay value of the game makes the expansion good value for money, offering a permanent change to the game rather than a brief venture.
3 Discover University - 81
University was another highly-requested pack by fans, expanding on previous university expansion packs in the franchise by offering more than one university to attend. It introduced a roommate system and degrees of varying distinctions, allowing sims to balance studying and partying in a new gameplay experience.
The Expansion Pack's changes to previous iterations of university life were well received, offering different styles in arts and STEM degrees. It also brought a new experience for teen and young adult sims, who previously had little contrast from adult sims, and offered a new form of living and education. Furthermore, the research machine is only available in this Expansion Pack and is one fast way to get rich quickly in The Sims 4.
2 Eco Lifestyle - 82
Eco Lifestyle brought the real-world issue of climate change and environmental activism into The Sims. In the new, smoggy world of Evergreen Harbor, sim must work to improve the world's eco-footprint by adapting sims' homes and creating community initiatives.
The pack gave players the opportunity to directly impact their sim's environment and experiences in a new way. The neighborhood system helped create a more tight-knit community, which The Sims 4 previously lacked due to its lack of open-world style gameplay.
1 Island Living - 84
The most critically acclaimed expansion pack to date is Island Living, a new addition that brought the depth of the ocean to the new island world of Sultani, based on Pacific Islander culture and Hawaiian islands. The pack brought the ability to explore beaches and sea life in a pack that completely differed from anything previously in The Sims 4, as well as the introduction of mermaid occult sims.
The pack is a fan favorite due to its stunning graphics depicting the island atmosphere and its oceans, particularly with its attention to detail in depicting Pacific Islander culture, handled with great respect by the game developers. The island and the mermaid lifestyle are not a simple vacation to try out, but realistic worlds that sims can enjoy residing in and lend themselves well to frequent replay.
Source: Screenrant
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