Explore the latest news about The Sims 4 including updates, Game Packs, Expansion Packs, Stuff Packs and new updates.
The Sims 4, the latest instalment in the hugely popular life simulation game franchise, was announced by EA in May 2013 but didn’t hit the shelves until September 2014, followed by the Mac release in February 2015.
But when are the next the Sims 4 expansion packs coming out, and what will they be called? Here, we bring you the official Sims 4 release date news, and also take a closer look at the new features, screenshots and trailers for the PC game .
If you’re looking for information about the version for consoles, visit The Sims 4 for PS4 & Xbox One latest news .
EA launched The Sims 4 on PC in 2014, then in February 2015 for Mac as a digital download from the Origin store. If you already downloaded the game for PC but now wish to play it on your Mac, you can do so simply by using the product code on the box. All buyers of the Mac version will get a PC copy and vice versa.
You can buy The Sims 4 from Origin here, or from Amazon here .
Since then, EA has released several expansion packs and stuff packs for players of The Sims 4, the first of which arrived in April 2015. It was called The Sims 4: Get To Work, and introduced new career paths for Sims. The Sims 4: Get To Work expansion pack is available from the Origin store for both PC and Mac here.
The second expansion pack for The Sims 4 was announced in August 2015. It’s called Get Together, and it was released in December of 2015. You can find out more about The Sims 4 Get Together by reading on, and it’s available to buy now here.
The third Expansion Pack released by EA for The Sims 4 is called City Living, which arrived in November of 2016. You can find out more below and buy City Living now here.
On 21 August, EA announced a long-awaited Expansion Pack for The Sims 4: Cats & Dogs.
Not only will you now be able to add furry family members to your game, you’ll also be able to embark on a new career path as a vet, running your very own clinic. It’s just cats and dogs for now, though we’re holding out hope for more diverse animals in the future.
The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs will be available for £34.99 from 9 November. You can pre-order it here.
Cats & Dogs brings lots of the elements that we loved in The Sims 3 Pets to the newer version of the game, with a new Create A Pet tool to allow you to personalise your cat or dog’s appearance. You can even dress your pet in various cute accessories.
We spoke to Sims 4 executive producer Lyndsay Pearson at Gamescom 2017, who told us that the big focus of the new expansion is customisability.
“We wanted to make it really easy to make your pet. We took a look at how we approached Create A Sim for The Sims 4 in the first place, and really made it feel easy to push and pull things, and make your Sim look like somebody you know, and we took the same philosophy and put it on pets.
Because pet coats are such a big deal, we had to give you that extra level of ‘I need that white spot on the eye, or the white paw, that white tail, ‘ whatever it may be.”
Cats and dogs in The Sims 4 have minds of their own, which means you’ll be able to train them and watch their personalities develop. Pearson told us that she thinks “people will really be surprised at how much personality comes out.”
As for why it’s taken so long to get pets into the game? “Cats and dogs, aside from building the game in the first place, are probably the hardest thing we do, ” she explained. “They are a completely different setup from a human obviously. They don’ t share any animations or technologies or models.”
The new veteniarian career lets you run your own clinic, hire staff and look after all of the animals in the neighbourhood.
Talking of the neighbourhood, it’s new. You’ll now be able to explore Brindleton Bay, a coastal town that’s perfect for pets, with beaches and a lighthous and a harbour.
The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs will be available for £34.99 from 9 November. You can pre-order it here.
The Sims 4: Get To Work brings three new active careers that offer fully playable career venues, which means you’ll get to go to work with your Sim. It also brings businesses to The Sims, so you can have your Sim set up their own bakery, clothing boutique, art gallery, bookstore and more.
The three playable careers are Doctor, Police Officer, and Scientist. As a Doctor, your Sim will spend their day treating patients, performing surgeries and delivering babies. As a Police Officer, you’ll investigate crime scenes, interrogate Sims and arrest criminals. And as a Scientist, you’ll get to build inventions, collect unique specimens and decide whether you want to use your creations for good or evil.
There are many cool things your Sims can do as a doctor, for example. They can determine a co-workers Hotness, determine the gender of a baby on pregnant Sims, cure patients (how many can you cure in one day?) , X-Ray scan an Alein, be surprised by outbreaks and other random events, and make house calls for other patients.
The Sims 4: Get To Work also brings with it new objects, new skills including Photography and Baking, and if that’s not enough, you also get Aliens (random!) .
Get Together, which was the second full expansion pack to arrive for The Sims 4, will introduce lots of new features for the socialites among you.
An all-new world called Windenburg brings with it a new hedge maze to explore, new natural pools and some ancient ruins for the more adventurous Sims. Your Sims can also visit new cafés, pubs and clubs with new objects and activities including foosball, bonfires and dance parties.
New skills include DJ and dancing, and you can throw parties absolutely anywhere.
There’s also set to be a new walk-in closet (which is also a new location to WooHoo if that’s what you’re into) , and an exclusive private island to visit within Windenburg.
You can watch the trailer below.
EA’s third expansion pack brings a new city called San Myshuno to the game, and that city features four different neighbourhoods. There are new careers including politition, social media and critic career paths, the latter two of which have never been seen in The Sims before.
You can now move your Sims into apartments, you can take them to Karaoke bars, Geek Con, the Spice Festival and lots more.
Smaller expansions are available in the form of Game Packs, which rather than bringing a whole new neighbourhood with thousands of new features, tend to focus on a smaller area of life that’ll bring some new fun things for you to experience with your Sims.
The Sims 4’s first game pack, Outdoor Retreat, launched in January 2015. It sits between Expansion Packs and Stuff Packs both in terms of price and content, with new items as well as new gameplay elements that’ll add hours more fun to the game.
Outdoor Retreat introduces a new destination that Sims can travel to. It’s filled with woods and forests that include new herbs and insects, and also make the perfect location for camping and hiking. New outdoor activities include stargazing and roasting marshmallows around the campfire, and you’ll be able to build your Sim’s new herbalism skill to create helpful remedies.
The first game pack comes at a price of £14.99 and is available to download now from Origin .
The second game pack is called Spa Day, and was released on 14 July 2015. It brings with it a venue building, which (you guessed it) is a spa! Perfect Balance Spa invites your Sims to get a massage, have a mud bath, do some yoga and enjoy the sauna to improve their new Wellness skill.
Plus, there are new outfits, objects and decorations, including a new tropical fish aquarium (cool!) .
You can buy The Sims 4: Spa Day for £14.99 here .
The latest Game Pack to be released is called Dine Out, and arrived on 7 June 2016. It introduces restaurants to the game, and also lets you build and run your own restaurant should you choose to. There are new items, new Create a Sim elements and new cooking and food features too.
You can buy Dine Out now here .
Vampires arrived in early 2017, bringing with it the ability to create Vampires that have various powers and weaknesses. It also brings a new residential world called Forgotton Hollow, plus lots of new items and traits that fit the theme.
You can get The Sims 4 Vampires for £17.99 now .
The most recent Game Pack is called Parenthood, which takes children and teenagers to a whole new level in The Sims. There are lots of new traits for younger Sims, and those traits are learned or forgotten through persistance from the parent Sims. Parents can choose to be strict, for example, or nurturing.
This follows the addition of the new Toddler age group via a free update to The Sims 4 in January.
You can get The Sims 4 Parenthood for £17.99 now.
In addition to the full expansion packs and the smaller game packs, The Sims 4 also has Stuff Packs.
Essentially, they add a bunch of new objects to the game. The Luxury Party Stuff, for example, will get you new party outfits, buffet tables, chocolate fondeu and more.
The Perfect Patio Stuff pack offers new garden furniture including hot tubs, and several new outdoorsy outfits.
And the Cool Kitchen Stuff pack gets you (you guessed it) new kitchen stuff! That includes counters, cabinets and appliances.
With Spooky Stuff you’ll get Halloween-related items and costumes, as well as a new spooky party option.
Movie Hangout stuff gets you Bohemian clothing, a home theatre and new items like a Popcorn maker.
Romantic Garden Stuff brings new outdoor objects and even a Whispering Wishing Well, but be careful what you wish for!
Kids Room Stuff adds new items for children’s rooms as well as new hair and clothes for them.
