The Sims 4 added a new type of extra content, game packs. These packs are a middle ground between stuff packs and expansions. While they don’t include as much as an expansion, they are less expensive and add much more to gameplay than stuff packs.
Some of the game packs contain the strongest content currently in The Sims 4. They allow a focus on one specific area, which has proved to be successful. They’ve also allowed for some more unique types of content, which we’ve not seen in the franchise before. So, which are the best?
Updated February 16th, 2023 By Elara Leclair: Since the release of The Sims 4, the developers have consistently provided players with new content in the form of expansion, game, and stuff packs and have also introduced kits along the way. The Sims 4 has come a long way with a range of diverse and inclusive updates. Additionally, with the base game becoming free on October 18, 2022, more and more players can experience the virtual world of Sims.
Regarding the release of game packs, The Sims 4 development team has been transparent with their roadmap and aims to provide players with two game packs each year. The latest game packs cater to various types of sim players, with My Wedding Stories offering immersive real-life features, Dream Home Decorator for builders and designers, and Werewolves for occult sim lovers. Overall, these packs offer a decent amount of features, as expected from a game pack, but some perform better than others.
12 Outdoor Retreat
The very first game pack, Outdoor Retreat, has not aged well. It added a vacation world and new skills, traits, and aspirations centered around outdoor activities. While the idea of a national park-type world is great, many players don’t use it on a regular basis, if they even use it at all. There’s also the issue that if players do want to go on vacation and there is also Jungle Adventure, then Selvadorada offers more unique adventures.
While the new skills are a nice addition, they are too tied to Granite Falls, the pack’s vacation world. Sims have to spend a small fortune going on holiday in order to complete most of the new collections and aspirations. This makes the pack more limited than others and earns it a place at the bottom.
11 Dine Out
Dine Out adds interactive restaurants to the game, allowing plauers to build, customize, run, and visit their own unique restaurants. It should have been sitting high at the top of this list. The idea is fantastic, and mostly it works well; the problem is that often it doesn’t work at all. Restaurants are one of the glitchiest features in the game.
There is so much potential in them, but for some reason, the bugs have stayed in the kitchen. Squashing one only seems to lead to another. Some of them are mildly irritating, but others will leave many players frustrated and annoyed if they kick in, causing many to steer clear of restaurants entirely.
It’s these bugs that can make running a restaurant incredibly difficult, combined with the fact that it takes hours and hours of in-game time to go to the restaurant, order, and eat, which means that this pack is a great idea but often left untouched by players. Sadly that means it stays near the bottom.
10 Spa Day
Spa Day jumps above Dine Out due to a strong build-and-buy catalog. The range of simple tiles for walls and floors often makes this a staple pack for builders. When it comes to gameplay, however, the pack is less enduring. It’s fun to build and even visit a spa, but that fun doesn’t last. Spa Day feels very much like a novelty pack in terms of enduring gameplay.
While players with less than wholesome intentions may enjoy having a sauna in their house to deal with unwanted visitors, or build up their "social skills" with a partner, most of the gameplay doesn’t work outside of a spa environment. The only skill commonly used separately is the wellness skill, which allows Sims to teleport at later levels, making it very handy. However, once it is maxed, many players won’t revisit those yoga mats any time soon.
9 My Wedding Stories
The release of My Wedding Stories, a highly anticipated pack, aimed to make Sims' special day even more immersive. This pack allows players to organize seven new events, including bachelor parties, family gatherings, receptions, and more, leading up to the wedding. Additionally, the pack introduces a beautiful new world called Tartosa, which could be the perfect location for destination weddings. In concept, the pack aims to offer great immersion for the perfect dream wedding; however, in practice, many of these events turned into a nightmare.
The pack was published with a significant amount of bugs and glitches, making the entire wedding planning experience less enjoyable than intended. This issue is similar to why Dine Out ranks quite low. Many events do not perform as they should, with Sims getting stuck and goals being unable to be completed. Hopefully, the Sims team will address these issues sooner rather than later, allowing players to experience the pack as intended with much joy.
8 Journey To Batuu
Journey To Batuu is an experimental game pack and if players might feel like it succeeded or not will depend on many factors. For everything that it did right, there seems to be something it did wrong, and Star Wars fans will get a lot more out of it.
Batuu is a completely separate world and playing there can feel more like playing a spin-off than a game pack. Townies are separate, many are aliens, and even their clothing is themed. Players will see recognizable Star Wars characters, ships, and locations as they explore this animated Batuu, a faithful recreation of the planet build in Disney's theme park. The build-and-buy selection also has more numerous and versatile items than expected, alongside a range of clothing for all ages.
Gameplay-wise the mission system is similar to Strangerville's storyline but adds repeatable quests into the mix. The tasks have reasonable variation, although, as expected this does have limitations. The missions also make use of some mechanics from other packs, such as Jungle Adventure's temple exploration system being used for slicing control panels.
7 Strangerville
The Strangerville game pack feels like an experiment in itself. It marks the first time a game pack was used to tell a story within a story. The mystery of the town is incredibly engaging, and the story is well-thought-out and fun to play. The problem is that once players have played it there’s no real reason to do so again as the story is the same, even though it is certainly possible.
This pack ranks slightly higher than Journey To Batuu due to the inclusion of Strangerville itself. The desert town is interesting and unique and offers a different setting for Sims' own stories. Even if players don’t touch the main storyline again, there's a lot of potential, considering that it is not a destination world, and Sims can actually live in it. On that note, Strangerville is quite a divisive pack, but for fans of Strange Town from The Sims 2, this feels like a fantastic flashback, allowing players to recapture some of that mystery.
6 Jungle Adventure
At first, Jungle Adventure seems like it will have no longevity, just another vacation pack. However, thanks to little touches based on new skills and the world’s culture it’s far more than that and sustains players' interest for much longer. The world is stunning to explore, but there are also many dangers. Exploring the temples is fun for longer, due to the presence of treasure and the variations in layouts. Navigating the hazards also adds a new dimension to exploration.
Once Sims visit the town area they can also engage with the locals and learn about their culture and customs, including new dances and food. The archeology skill is also a nice touch, although is limited by its location in Selvadorada. Players can freely build here, although it is a destination world, so Sims will not be able to live there permanently.
5 Dream Home Decorator
Dream Home Decorator is a pack intended for players who love building in The Sims 4. As a result, it may not be suitable for all players, but it appeals to a large number of people in the community who enjoy providing new interior designs and home makeovers. The pack contains a wide range of build/buy items, most of which are available directly in Build/Buy mode. The game pack also includes a new Interior Decorator career, which provides players with an even more immersive experience.
The Interior Decorator career allows Sims to renovate houses for other households based on available gigs and client recommendations. Clients have budgets and limitations for renovations, such as requesting the entire house be renovated or a smaller project like a bedroom. Sims must take before/after pictures and get to know clients before diving into Build mode when they arrive on the lot.
Thanks to the new Likes and Dislikes system introduced before this pack as a base game update, each household has its preferences in terms of color and decor styles, as well as hobbies. This pack incorporates the Likes and Dislikes system well and challenges players to build within a budget using decor styles and colors that they might not typically use. However, for players who are less interested in decorating, this pack may not offer much.
4 Vampires
For players that are into gothic architecture or occult Sims then this pack is a must. It introduces the fully rounded-out occult life state of vampires. As a vampire, Sims will grow in power and strength over time. There is a skill tree that enables Sims to add different abilities, powers, and weaknesses. This means players can truly customize the type of vampire they want to be. There’s even an option to be a vampire who never drinks plasma from Sims.
While the world of Forgotten Hollow is small, it perfectly fits the occult vibe, and the gothic build buy, and create-a-sim items are very versatile. The only downside of this pack is that it sends vampires into other neighborhoods at night, something which can only be prevented with mods.
3 Werewolves
Occult-focused packs can be hit or miss, depending on the player's preferences. Some prefer a more realistic approach, while others enjoy adding fantasy elements to their gameplay. As a result, it can be challenging to compare and contrast occult packs with each other or other types of packs. The Werewolves pack, as the name implies, reintroduces the Werewolf occult and offers players complete control over their Werewolf's appearance. Additionally, players must choose which Werewolf pack to join and what activities to engage in, which adds a unique personality to these occult Sims.
Additionally, fortunately, unlike the My Wedding Stories pack which was the last game pack released before Werewolves, this pack does not come with any noticeable bugs or glitches that disrupt the gameplay. The new game world, Moonwood Mill, also offers plenty of areas to explore. However, the biggest drawback is that most werewolf abilities are not as strong or convenient as those of other occults such as spellcasters or vampires, and they can present challenges when they transform, scaring other Sims and occasionally causing damage to objects.
While these are all realistic aspects that can be expected from a werewolf, there could be better integrations or interactions related to these aspects. It is also worth noting that while vampire and werewolf Sims have unique interactions with each other, spellcasters and werewolves do not, which is a bit disappointing considering the potential for such interactions.
2 Realm Of Magic
Spellcasters are the main focus of Realm of Magic, and they use a skill progression system similar to vampires. There are different schools of magic to specialize in and many other aspects of magic to explore. Just head over to the new world of Glimmerbrook and find the entrance to the Magical Realm.
Glimmerbrook is a small world, but its main focus is to house the portal that allows Sims to access the Magical Realm. Here Sims can learn magical spells and skills in Magical HQ, collect new potion ingredients from the gardens, challenge others to a magical duel, and even find a familiar. Players will also be able to purchase a wand and ride a broom. It resembles Hogwarts to some extent.
Becoming a Spellcaster is quite easy, and it offers a variety of strong magical skills and items. While there are some glitches, it is not as intrusive or immersion-breaking as Vampires or Werewolves, allowing these Sims to live like non-occult Sims for the most part as long as they don't use magic.
1 Parenthood
If players are looking for a game pack that gives the most realistic immersion and the best value then Parenthood is it. It adds a behavior and personality system to all children, meaning they can become good or bad, depending on how players parent them. The pack also adds some fun additions such as cursing, phases, acne, rebellion, and even school projects.
Combined with a good range of CAS and Build/Buy items, this game pack stands out so far. Being able to shape child Sims' manners and other similar traits means that Sims can have a lasting effect on their children, who will gain traits based on their childhood skills and interactions with others. Parenthood is an absolute must for anyone who plays with families. It will allow in-depth, realistic, and engaging gameplay in every family players create.
The Sims 4 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.