So, a few days ago I had come to the realization that I have dedicated a whopping (!) 1104 hours of my life to playing Sims 4 since 2016. After calculations done by my friend, that amounts to around 30 minutes per day (side eye…). Needless to say, as alarming as it is, I believe that this gives me a lot of credibility for the following tier list I present to you:
12 – Get to work: 3/10
A little unfair considering that this was the first ever expansion pack, and don’t get me wrong — it still has decent content. Opening the possibility of three active careers (scientist, detective, and doctor) and one occult Sim type (aliens) as well as giving you the ability to start your own retail business, its admittedly not bad for a first expansion pack. However, the world of Magnolia Promenade only had a disappointing 4 lots, and most build/buy mode objects are quite contextual – meaning that you don’t use them a lot. Overall, this pack ranks last for not aging well.
11 – Get Famous: 5/10
Like Get to Work, it’s very contextual and the fame system can honestly get in the way of some gameplay. The world is again lackluster (even though it’s supposed to mimic Hollywood??), and just not for everyone.
10 – High School Years: 6/10
I remember being suuuper hyped about the release of this expansion pack – the prom and thrifting (and they added boba!!!) gameplay all seemed more relatable and practical for conventional game play. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but other than the Create-a-Sim items that really upped the fashion game of the Sims, the game play involved a lot of rabbit-holes and bugs.
9 – Island Living: 6/10
Hands down the most beautiful map in the entire game – but that’s also kind of it. It opened a lot of possibilities for build mode with new terrain types, and I loved having houses where it would be half land half ocean. However, the main attraction – the new mermaid occult type – just felt incomplete. Whereas other occult Sims had special abilities and a tier ranking system, if you were a mermaid, you were simply just a mermaid.
8 – Discover University: 6/10
This pack lived up to my expectations – the school rivalries and college town have immaculate vibes, and the CAS it provided is still *chefs kiss* It’s also quite realistic in the sense that the gameplay for college is challenging – it’s hard to graduate and your Sim needs to put in effort.
7 – Eco Lifestyle: 6/10
Similar to Discover University, this really adds a challenge to gameplay which spices things up. Since it’s a relatively niche and random topic, I was pleasantly surprised by how long I actually really engaged with this pack.
6 – Get Together: 7/10
Hands down the best world – so many lots and nice scenery with the Tudor build style, it instantly transports your Sims to a quaint European town. Although I don’t use the club gameplay a lot for actual clubs (like chess, fashion, etc…), the club function is very useful just for grouping specific Sims together in a social setting.
5 – Cottage Living: 8/10
As someone who really likes to farm and plant in the Sims, this pack fulfilled my Cottagecore fantasies. From the crops to the fashion and then wholesome interactions between villagers, playing with this pack leaves a warm and fuzzy feeling in your chest. With eco-lifestyle making me realize how fun it is to challenge my Sims to live off the grid, the additional self-sustaining aspects of the game makes gameplay even more interesting.
4 – Snowy Escape: 9/10
Just to get it out of the way – this pack really resonates with me personally with its Japanese/ Asian theme, so I am heavily biased. Although I don’t use the skiing/hiking/snowboarding gameplay a lot, the Asian-inspired foods, clothes and build-mode objects really allowed me to embrace Asian culture.
3 – Cats and Dogs: 10/10
Dogs. And cats.
Is that not enough for you?!
Introducing pets to gameplay is a complete game changer. Again, as a pet-owner, I must once again acknowledge the bias I have for this. Brindleton Bay is also a beautiful world, and the vet career is also fun to play with once in a while.
2 – Seasons: 10/10
This pack is necessary for gameplay. The Seasons and Holidays are so integrated with all of my gameplay that the Sims without it would honestly feel like a whole different game. Both CAS and Build objects are easy to use. If you could only get one pack for the Sims, this would be it.
1 – City Living: 100/10
As someone who’s lived in a city and apartments most of my life, this pack speaks to me. The lot traits introduced breathes some cool, fun, fresh to daily life playing and I love the amount of representation it had for different cultures in the build/buy mode. This pack also introduced tons of new food recipes, and as someone who’s always liked to observe my Sims cook, I was very excited to see all the new cooking animations and dishes. This is, hands-down, the pack I play with the most.