All Sims 4 Expansions Ranked: Which Are Worth Buying?

EA has steadily released DLC for years because Sims 4 is still relevant. Despite being over a decade old, it has more than 10,000 active players at any given time. You’d spend over $1,000 if you bought them all, so you have to be choosy. Which ones are the best Sims 4 expansions?

The Best Sims 4 Expansion Packs

In our opinion, these are the top 10 Sims 4 expansions.

1. Get Together

Windenburg is a picturesque seaside town with clubs, coffee shops and a community pool. You can join clubs or create your own. There’s even an overgrown island with a natural pool. In Get Together, nightlife is everything. The bars even have theme nights and happy hours. 

Pros	Cons
The club system is exciting and practical.	If you dislike clubs, you won’t like this pack.
Windenburg is one of the best worlds.

2. Seasons

Seasons overhauls the base game. No matter where you go, you experience spring, summer, fall and winter — along with thunderstorms, heatwaves, wind, snow and blizzards. It also adds a ton of CAS and build mode items, making it one of the best Sims 4 expansions for building.

Pros	Cons
The seasons make gameplay fun and unique.	There is no new world.
There are new holidays.	You can’t change seasons manually.

3. Get to Work

Tired of sending your sims into a rabbit hole? With Get to Work, you can make them a doctor, detective or scientist. You can even run a retail business, where the all-new photography and baking skills will be handy. 

Pros	Cons
You get to accompany your sim to work.	There are only three generic careers.
There are tons of unique CAS and BB items.

4. Cats & Dogs

In quaint Brindleton Bay, you can bond with your pets and become a veterinarian. You can create custom dogs and cats or help one of the local strays. Cats & Dogs is one of the best Sims 4 expansions because it adds realism and charm. 

Pros	Cons
You can run your own veterinarian clinic.	Pets limit the number of sims you can have.
Cats and dogs are fully customizable.

5. City Living

City Living is one of the best Sims 4 expansions because it lets you live in apartments, attend festivals, participate in flea markets and try new foods. It has a ton of variety and is relatively fast-paced. However, San Myshuno is small and the neighborhoods can feel isolated.

Pros	Cons
This pack introduces many new cultures.	San Myshuno feels small for a city.
There are fun new lot challenges and traits.

6. Life & Death

The Sims 4 Life & Death expansion pack introduces grieving rituals, inheritances, playable ghosts and a new active Reaper career. Screen Rant gave it a 9 out of 10, saying it  “feels like it has more love and attention to detail than any DLC in recent memory.”

Pros	Cons
It overhauls a core gameplay mechanic.	Ravenwood’s gothic style isn’t for everyone.
There are new traits, grief types and events.

7. Eco Lifestyle

With Eco Lifestyle’s Eco Footprint feature, you can help change your neighborhood’s pollution level. Improvements are hard-won but rewarding. The crafter and civil engineer careers are also fun additions. However, build and buy mode is where this expansion pack shines.  

Pros	Cons
BB mode items are incredibly unique.	Reducing pollution can feel like a struggle.
The world is large, exciting and feels alive.

8. Cottage Living

Cottage Living is one of the best Sims 4 expansions for building. It truly captures the cottagecore aesthetic. You can raise chickens, cows and llamas — or interact with rabbits and foxes. You can even live off the land, only getting utilities and food you gather yourself.

Pros	Cons
The CAS and BB items are the cutest.	There are a few unfixed bugs.
You can dress up livestock and wild animals.

9. Get Famous

In Get Famous, you can become famous by singing, acting, painting or creating content online. The CAS items are slightly outdated but versatile. Perks and core gameplay mechanics evolve as your fame level and reputation change. 

Pros	Cons
Becoming a celebrity gives you a storyline.	Maintaining your reputation feels like a chore.
	CAS items are clearly from the early 2000s.

10. Growing Together

Growing Together introduces milestones like midlife crises. It also creates new social dynamics and preferences. It changes the core gameplay loop in a lot of little meaningful ways. However, it’s No. 10 because it’s too close to Parenthood — a game pack that’s $20, not $40. 

Pros	Cons
It introduces family ties and social dynamics.	This pack doesn’t do much with infants.

The Honorable Mentions: Wait for a Sale

Frankly, these packs aren’t worth full price. We recommend waiting for a sale.

1. Businesses & Hobbies

Businesses & Hobbies could have been one of the best Sims 4 expansions, but it lacks attention to detail. For instance, the tattoo table is a reskin of the Spa Day massage table. Sims doesn’t have color customization, so reskins are inevitable. However, it is frustrating at full price. 

Pros	Cons
Small businesses are flexible and versatile.	It feels like an updated reskin of Get to Work.
Custom tattoos can add a lot to CAS.	There are only two fully fleshed-out hobbies

2. Lovestruck

Lovestruck has potential. It focuses on relationships and romance, introducing a dating app, new date locations and fun new interactions. There are even turn-ons and turn-offs that determine attraction. You’ll find some fun, unique decor in build-and-buy mode. 

Pros	Cons
The dating app and romantic spots are fun.	It feels more like a game pack.
	Relationships are more difficult to manage.

3. Island Living

Island Living takes place in a beautiful tropical setting. You can interact with mermaids, swim with dolphins and relax on the beach. Although it is perfect for vacations, interesting activities like snorkeling are a rabbit hole, not an active gameplay element. 

Pros	Cons
The ocean, volcano and beach are beautiful.	There’s not much to do.
	The world of Sulani is small.

4. Snowy Escape 

The Snowy Escape expansion pack provides a snow-covered, Japanese-inspired mountainous world. It is gorgeous but has few activities. While it is one of the best Sims 4 expansions for building, the only worthwhile activities are locked to Mt. Komorebi.

Pros	Cons
The BB mode items are unique and beautiful.	There’s not much to do,
	Traveling to Mt. Komorebi is not worth $40.

The Worst Sims 4 Expansion Packs

These packs are either bug-filled or don’t mesh well with core gameplay elements. Play at your own risk.

1. For Rent

Do not buy For Rent. It can trigger a bug that will corrupt your save files, regardless of whether or not you uninstall it. That corruption is irreversible. While developers are actively investigating a fix, it has been an issue for years — it likely won’t go anywhere anytime soon. 

2. Horse Ranch 

Horse Ranch is just okay. You get to pick and customize a horse. You can even enter competitions. However, the social interactions are sparse and the animations are often wonky. There’s just not a lot of depth. It might not even be worth the money at 50% off. 

2. Discover University 

Discover University accurately depicts college life, but it’s tedious. As in, your sim might become an elder by the time they finish. There is no time for events and side tasks if you take multiple classes. We recommend using Sims 4 expansion pack cheats to speed things up.

4. High School Years

High School Years is the least bad Sims 4 expansion, but it didn’t make the cut for honorable mentions. There aren’t many high-school-aged sims, so classes feel sparse. Even the pier at Lake LaSuli is almost always empty. It might only be worth it for the BB mode items. 

Which Sims 4 Expansions Do You Like Best?

While we tried our best, there’s no one authority on which packs are the best Sims 4 expansions. If you’ve played High School years and enjoyed it, don’t let our ranking spoil your fun. Keep doing what you do best — playing the Sims 4.