In August 2000, what would become the critically acclaimed Sims franchise received its very first DLC.
The Sims: Livin’ Large had no discernible theme, but it added objects to the game that modified how you could play. The Sims 1 had 7 expansion packs. The Sims 2 upped this to 8, and by the time The Sims 3 had hit the end of the road, it had amassed a whopping 11 expansions and 9 stuff packs.
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What about The Sims 4? There’s a trend of DLC becoming more prevalent as the mainline entries grow.
Well, at the time of writing, The Sims 4 has 84 DLC packs ranging from expansions, game packs, stuff packs, and kits. There are 12 game packs, and they’re not all equal, so here’s where I give you the low-down on which packs are the best and why.
The Score Methodology
Just so that we’re all on the same page, I’m giving you the exact method I devised for scoring each pack:
This adds up to a total of 10 points each pack can get—this is The Sims 4, so I’m not taking bugs and glitches into account; almost every single DLC pack for The Sims 4 has bugs and glitches that EA and Maxis rarely fix.
Modders work hard to fix what EA hasn’t, so if you find a pack to be unplayable or glitched to within an inch of its life, chances are there’s a mod to fix it.
12Star Wars: Journey to Batuu
A Mouthful And Little Else
Key Takeaway
Overall Score
A niche pack that adds little to the broader Sims 4 experience.
Authentic, well-made clothing, but you may’t wear them in Batuu, and they’re little more than Spooky Day costumes in any other world.
Well-made and authentic items, but they lack versatility outside Batuu, and can’t be used in Batuu.
Batuu looks stunning, but it isn’t residential, editable, or practical for anything but Star Wars roleplay.
Immersive story missions, albeit lacking replayability and isolated from the main game.
Added Value
Ambitious, well-made, but ultimately niche and impractical.
I’m a born Trekkie. Even so, I can recognize the amount of effort that was put into this pack, and I can appreciate it for what it is. Even so, there’s a couplethings you need to know before you get this pack.
Strip away the stunning assets, well-made clothing and overall faithful port of a beloved world from one franchise to another, and what are you left with?
A pack that doesn’t add value to The Sims 4 ecosystem apart from being an admirable collection of Star Wars memorabilia and Spooky Day costumes.
Batuu is stunning but ultimately pointless. It warrants a visit, if you buy the pack, purely for the entertainment value or the Star Wars-themed missions.
But, if you have any plans to build a holiday home near the famous cantina, or settle down and start a family of prospective Jedi, think again; you can’t build here.
11Outdoor Retreat
Really Good Hiking Boots
It’s perfect for a short camping getaway, but doesn’t significantly enhance The Sims 4.
Decent outdoor-themed items, but it lacks variety.
Good quality camping items but not enough to build a complete, functional cabin.
Granite Falls is beautiful, albeit small with limited opportunities for interaction.
Adds the Herbalism skill, but the gameplay still feels shallow.
Works well with other outdoorsy packs, but this one doesn’t stand well enough on its own.
This is an early addition to The Sims 4, and it shows. To get the most out of this pack, you’ll need to invest in Cottage Living, Eco Lifestyle, and Jungle Adventure, but Outdoor Retreat simply doesn’t have the assets, environment, or gameplay integration to justify a purchase.
The pre-made lots feel out of place in the wilderness, and you can’t build an immersive enough cabin with just the stuff contained in this pack.
Outdoor Retreat puts its best foot forward with a lot of shoes—more than the other clothing categories. The pack redeems itself with a few neat traits and hairstyles, but none of these are real game-changers.
The pack ships with Granite Falls, a pretty but very small world. It’s a vacation-only world, so you’re able to’t live here—without mods. You’ll run into Park Rangers every so often, but they’re normal NPCs—no gameplay integration. Don’t get your hopes up when you see the lake; you can’t swim in it.
10Dine Out
Pretty Decent With Mods & Custom Content
A niche but enjoyable pack; fun to play when it works
Stylish clothing, but most are only appropriate for your restaurant staff.
Everything you need to build a modern restaurant; other styles you’ll have to improvise.
You’ll have to settle for your other owned worlds with this one.
Owning restaurants is fun when it works; no playable waiter or chef roles.
Good to have for storytelling purposes, but if you don’t want to run a restaurant, give this one a skip.
Dine Out is one of the most infamously flawed Sims 4 game packs. It starts strong with a veritable treasure trove of CAS options—but most of them are for servers, chefs, and other functional roles, none of which your Sim can undertake.
Even so, I found a charming floral dress and a cute top that are perfect for date night.
Builders will appreciate the more modern approach to assets, as well as modular restaurant furniture. The pack provides everything you need to build a functional and aesthetically pleasing restaurant, although only in one theme.
Bugs and glitches aside—of which there are many—this pack isn’t good enough at CAS or Build/Buy to be bought for those reasons alone. If you like the idea of the gameplay, there are otherawesome standalone restaurant simulationsthat you could play as well.
9Parenthood
Who’s Your Daddy?
Decent starter pack for family-oriented gameplay.
Quirky, family-themed clothing; although limited in quantity.
Enough furniture, activities, and decor to build a comfortable family home.
No new world here.
Meaningful but limited family-centric gameplay with parenting skills and interactions.
Limited, but enhanced if you own the other family packs.
The Sims 3 gave us Generations, a full-service family-centric expansion pack forthe best Sims storylines. For The Sims 4, EA and Maxis chose instead to shatter the OG Generations into several pieces and hike up the price.
Parenthood is one of those constituent pieces—with a particular focus on parental dynamics, goals, and gameplay.
The pack pulls a 180 and gains points for a surprisingly robust Build/Buy menu. With just this pack, you can build a fully furnished, comfortable, and welcoming family home.
Gameplay is where this pack is meant to shine; more nuanced parenting interactions, more interesting relationship dynamics that develop, and the opportunity to have more influence over the type of adult your child will become.
The traits and aspirations here match the theme, but without the other family packs, Parenthood feels incomplete.
Shavasana To A Total Warrior II
Thanks to the refresh, what we have here is a staple for builders and gameplay enthusiasts.
Good modern workout and relaxation gear and new cosmetic options.
Excellent variety of modern build items and functional spa objects.
No new world, but we do get new spa lots.
Adds new skills, activities, aspirations, even if we don’t get a playable spa career.
Enough meaningful additions to be considered a worthwhile pack for The Sims 4.
This is the only pack to have benefited from a refresh after years of monotony. CAS adds a good amount of activewear, including my favorite joggers for masculine frames.
We also see a few more nail treatment options, but most of these are post-refresh—the original pack was a mess. Spa Day is meant to give you everything you need to build a spa—and it does.
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What I wasn’t expecting was to be able to build a decent-looking modern home with this stuff too. The gameplay is fairly solid here. You can hire a chair at a spa, and offer massages or treatments.
The reality is that you’ll probably give treatments to the staff more often than other townies because the spas are populated by more staff than anything else.
you’re able to’t work at a spa and make a regular income or benefit from perks and promotions—it’s basically just rent-a-chair.
7My Wedding Stories
It’s Giving Mamma Mia
Bugs aside, this is an epic wedding refresh with a lot of diverse loot.
Diversity, quality, and an amazing variety of garments to play with.
Beautiful rustic and formal furniture perfect for weddings and Mediterranean homesteads.
Tartosa is stunning and adds a good selection of functional venues for immediate gameplay.
Limited replayability due to bugs, but a surprising number of interactions, activities, and protocol reworks.
Not essential, but a good addition to the events and holiday refreshes we’re seeing.
We dive right into the wedding vibe with an astounding selection of clothing—mainly for feminine frames, but there are good options for masculine frames, too.
The beauty here is the inclusion of so many traditional wedding garments from other cultures.
The rainbow swatches are a little cringe, but if you don’t like them, don’t use them—The Sims 4 is a champion of giving you choices, no matter your style, taste, or motivation.
Build/Buy takes a lot of inspiration from the Mediterranean—Croatia, Italy, Spain, and Greece. With Greek heritage in my family, I am openly biased toward this particular architectural mashup, and the pack gives you more than you expect.
The gameplay could benefit from a refresh. Even so, it restructures weddings into more of a to-do. All-in-all, this pack is a credit to The Sims 4 on all fronts—just get yourself a coupledecent Sims 4 modsto take care of the glitches.
6StrangerVille
Not Strangetown, But Just As Weird
A good addition for a more unique take on The Sims 4.
Good mix of quirky and practical items.
Unique small-town and sci-fi-inspired pieces; definitely an asset for various build styles.
Beautiful, unique, mysterious; could use a few more residential lots
Engaging story mode with replayability, there’s an option to bring back the chaos when you’re done.
Fun for storytelling, but mainly has value if you’re in it for the mystery.
This was the very first game pack I bought myself—the one that opened the floodgates to my DLC journey. It’s a truly unique Sims experience—a fun detective-type quest filled with aliens, zany characters, and an objectively pretty desert world.
Build/Buy adds a lot of Victorian-meets-Antelbellum-meets-farmhouse design pieces. EA expanded the swatches for wood with this pack, and there’s a general cohesiveness throughout, bringing a lot of balance to a build.
Gameplay is where this pack shines the most. A full-on detective quest with a dramatic conclusion and interesting perks at the end of the road. Even once you’re finished, you’re able to come back and enjoy the town.
It doesn’t lose its charm, and your Sim gets bragging rights for finishing the StrangerVille Mystery.
5Dream Home Decorator
HGTV The Game
Definitely worth the investment; this one impresses on many levels.
Stylish and versatile options with professional and casual home renovation vibes.
.Build/Buy
Comprehensive modern furniture sets; pieces for every room.
No new world for this one.
Engaging and ambitious new active career; minor bugs.
Excellent value for builders, CAS, and gameplay-focused players.
Chip and Joanna Gaines, Karen and Mina Starsiak, or maybe you prefer Tarek and Christina of Flip or Flop.
Anyone who watches HGTV probably has a favorite renovation team—now, that team is you. For a clear Build/Buy pack, I’m impressed with how much CAS stuff Dream Home Decorator comes with.
Build/Buy is the clear winner though, with two complete kitchen sets, two complete living room furniture styles, and functional sectional seating.
No new world here, but we do get a brand-new interactive career, possibly one of the most in-depth yet. You’ll take control of the entire renovation process, from meeting the clients and discussing their likes and dislikes to determining the perfect theme, renovating the space, and taking before and after photos.
When you’re done, you’ll reveal the space to the client and wait for their reaction, and your payout. It has good bones, even if some aspects are a little rough. I think this was an incredibly ambitious pack, and it hit the mark for me on many fronts.
4Werewolves
A worthwhile pack for all types of Simmers.
Unique grunge-style pieces; excellent for storytelling.
Adds grungy, disheveled items; almost enough for a full build.
Moonwood Mill is atmospheric and fits the theme, albeit small and niche.
Deep and replayable werewolf system with unique lore and gameplay elements.
Adds to the Occult territory, build catalog, and CAS items with truly unique options.
If we’re going by theme, this is by far one of the most unique packs of the lot. CAS starts strong with grunge as far as the eye can see.
This is much more gritty and edgy than we’ve seen before, and it boasts a few awesome pieces for all frames and most ages. Build/Buy tells a similar story with a lot less shimmer and shine than usual and a lot more scratches and tears.
As clutch as the pieces are, you’re not going to have enough to build a fully furnished house with this pack, but you can whack together a pretty decent wolfpack hideout.
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Only five lots make up the new disused mill-meets-forest-from-Twilight-inspired world, but there’s plenty of space to roam, rampage, and wrestle, and it has a sufficiently high hill from which you can howl to your heart’s content.
In terms of gameplay, there’s some lore crossover between this pack and Vampires, and werewolves get a lot more attention than other Occult life states have in the past.
They’re a rowdy bunch with unique traits, abilities, and a new skill tree similar to other magical creatures.
3Realm of Magic
Trinkets, Charms, and Spells
Works well with the other rustic or Occult-themed packs; an overall asset to The Sims 4.
Diverse options for every kind of spellcaster and classical witch.
Unique magical items; albeit too few for proper standalone builds.
Glimmerbrook is small but pretty; the Realm of Magic’s aesthetic makes up for poor pre-made builds.
Satisfying spellcasting system, skill trees, and lore-rich gameplay.
A strong and well-though-out new Occult life state with all the associated mayhem.
There are a lot of interpretations of magic, and this pack’s CAS items attempt to satisfy them all. There are immersive threads for your sim, whether you’re going for Gothic witches, Sabrina Spellman, the dark academia aesthetic, or a modern kitchen witch.
Realm of Magic gives you enough quirky, magical furniture and fixtures to build a very specific type of house, but it doesn’t have nearly the variety of the CAS items.
From Glimmerbrook, you have access to the Realm of Magic, which is much more beautiful and immersive, but you’re able to’t live here.
We’ve got skill trees, three different magical fields of study, sages, and a lot of spells that have gameplay consequences.
This pack adds a brand-new combat system for spellcasters, spells that actually have a purpose other than moodlet changes, and essentially two new worlds.
From any perspective, this is a major win for The Sims team.
