The Sims 4 has been around for over 10 years, and it’s still going strong with frequent new releases. With so many DLC options to choose from, it can be tricky to determine which expansion packs are good and which ones you should skip.
If you’re trying to figure out which DLC is right for you and worth the hefty price point, here are all of the expansion packs in The Sims 4 ranked.
Every expansion pack in the Sims 4, ranked from worst to best
Here’s our overall ranking of all 19 expansion packs that have been released for The Sims 4 so far. We’ve also got separate sections for CAS, Build/Buy, gameplay, and worlds, since all Simmers are different and value certain aspects more than others.
19) Get to Work
Get to Work is the first expansion pack that was ever released, and it shows. The CAS and Build/Buy items in this pack are very career-specific and mostly unusable outside of workspaces. The three careers, Scientist, Doctor, and Detective, are fun at first, but get old quickly since they’re all active, meaning you must play through work days to progress.
18) For Rent
For Rent is such a promising concept, and when it works right, its placement is much higher. Unfortunately, this pack is supremely bugged and has been since it launched on Dec. 3, 2023. It’s gotten so bad that it’s corrupting save files, so it’s tough to truly analyze this pack with such a great risk involved with using the pack’s core feature, Residential Rentals.
When this issue (hopefully) gets properly fixed, we may move our ranking around. For now, though, it’s one of the worst expansions you can get, as the promised features don’t function well and can break your entire save file. When it does work, Residential Rentals are great, as they allow you to break up larger spaces into separate units, but there’s also not a whole lot beyond this.
17) Get Famous
If you want to live the celebrity lifestyle, you’ll love Get Famous, but for the average Sim player, this one likely won’t mesh well with your everyday gameplay. The active Actor career is fun, but similar to the jobs in Get to Work, it gets old fast. Del Sol Valley is a disappointingly small and boring world, and both the CAS and Build/Buy items are overly glamorous and niche, making them tough to use outside of a celebrity lifestyle.
16) Island Living
Island Living has one of the most gorgeous worlds you can live in, with some unique CAS and Build/Buy items to complement it. Unfortunately, the gameplay in this pack is nearly non-existent, and the Mermaid Occult included in it is one of the worst.
15) High School Years
There’s not enough for Teen Sims to do in The Sims 4, and High School Years is one of the only packs that has ever tried to fix this problem. Unfortunately, many parts of it feel rather surface-level, and important events like prom and graduation are often quite buggy and don’t work. This pack does have some excellent CAS items, though.
14) Discover University
Discover University might suffer from being a bit too realistic, as passing college is quite difficult and often feels like far more effort than it’s worth. Still, it’s a really solid pack that delivers a well-rounded and rewarding experience. The CAS items and Build/Buy are a true standout in this one, too, as both feature versatile, staple items I use all the time.
13) Eco Lifestyle
A truly unexpected and original pack idea for The Sims franchise, Eco Lifestyle delivers a unique way of living with a strong emphasis on sustainability. You can make your own water, electricity, furniture, food, and other such items, enhancing the number of ways you can live on your own. It’s also fun that you can change the world over time, either shaping it for the better with blooming greenery or smogging it up with more industrial vibes.
12) Horse Ranch
Horse Ranch is a solid pack that delivers exactly what its name suggests and little more. If you want to care for some fully customizable horses, meet tiny animals, make Nectat, and otherwise run a ranch, you’ll love this pack. It’s a great pack for this purpose, but otherwise, it does feel a bit niche, as many aspects don’t integrate well outside of this specific lifestyle.
11) Enchanted by Nature
Enchanted by Nature is mainly focused on Fairies, although it also delivers some other new features like the Nature Living skill, house plants, and foraging. Some parts of this pack, like Ailments and Luck, can get a bit annoying, but Fairies is one of the best Occults, and Natural Living blends well with everyday gameplay. Innisgreen is also a stunning world.
10) Snowy Escape
Mt. Komorebi is a gorgeous, lively world that’s the perfect vacation destination, or a great place to live all year round in Snowy Escape. There’s loads to do and see in this pack, including hiking, snowboarding, skiing, rock climbing, and so much more. It’s a rich pack with a lot of depth, and great items all around to complement it.
9) Lovestruck
Lovestruck is a pack that mostly works in the background, bringing more meaning and depth to all interactions rather than adding big, obvious, flashy features. It’s a must-have for the expansions to the romance system, especially the dating app Cupid’s Corner.
8) Get Together
Get Together has the biggest world in all of The Sims 4, with 27 gorgeous lots. It’s worth getting for the world of Winderburg alone, but it also comes with the robust, versatile club system and plenty of other features to love.
7) Life & Death
There’s so much attention to detail in Life & Death, and no matter how much I play it, I feel like there’s always still more to discover. Ghosts are a fully fleshed-out Occult with this pack, and there’s plenty to love for both the dead and living, like the Grim Reaper career, funerals, a grief system, bucket lists, and more.
6) City Living
City Living is another pack that’s worth buying for the world alone, especially since there’s no other city world like it, but it also has plenty of other exciting additions that only enhance its value. Festivals are one of my favorites, as there’s always something exciting going on in San Myshuno.
5) Cottage Living
If you’re a fan of the cozy game genre and titles like Stardew Valley, Cottage Living is a must-have. This pack allows you to take care of animals like llamas, cows, and chickens, grow oversized crops, live off the land, and embrace a tight-knit community. It’s a well-rounded pack, with a gorgeous world, engaging gameplay, plenty of nice CAS items, and solid Build/Buy assets.
4) Growing Together
The best packs are the ones that blend well with any style of gameplay and always fit into what you’re doing, and this is exactly what makes Growing Together so great. The features here aren’t big and flashy, so it’s not always obvious that you’re using them, but they integrate seamlessly into everyday gameplay, especially if you’re a family-focused player. Milestones, social dynamics, self-discovery, baby showers, social compatibility, treehouses, and family bonds are just a few of the many additions featured in this pack.
3) Businesses & Hobbies
The more packs you own, the better Businesses & Hobbies is, which might make it a bit of a controversial one, but I firmly believe it’s one of the best packs we’ve ever gotten. The possibilities are endless, as you can freely create and design any small business you can think of. This pack has some solid CAS and Build/Buy items, but gameplay is definitely the star.
2) Cats & Dogs
Everything is better with a furry friend at your side, and Cats & Dogs delivers not only some adorable fluffy allies but also some of the best CAS and Build/Buy items. Everything in this pack is super versatile and usable across all types of gameplay. Brindleton Bay is also my favorite world in the game, delivering perfectly cozy beachside vibes.
1) Seasons
Since it first launched on June 18, 2018, Seasons has been considered one of the greats. This pack has many features that feel fundamental, like weather, holidays, seasonal activities, and so much more. The CAS and Build/Buy are great, but gameplay is where this one truly shines.
The only downside of this pack is that it doesn’t come with a world. All of the other features are so good, though, that it still gets the coveted number one spot. If you can only get one expansion pack, and you’re seeking the most well-rounded, impactful one, you won’t find a better option than Seasons.
The Sims 4 expansion packs ranked by CAS
For our CAS rankings, we’ve ordered the packs in terms of the overall most useful, flexible, and well-rounded collections. Some packs, like Horse Ranch and Island Living, feature more niche fashion, so even though they’re ranked low, they’re not necessarily bad, just less versatile.
- Growing Together
- High School Years
- Discover University
- Cottage Living
- Cats & Dogs
- Seasons
- Businesses & Hobbies
- Eco Lifestyle
- Lovestruck
- Snowy Escape
- Life & Death
- Get Together
- City Living
- Island Living
- Enchanted by Nature
- For Rent
- Horse Ranch
- Get Famous
- Get to Work
The Sims 4 expansion packs ranked by Build/Buy
We’re looking at Build/Buy in a similar way to CAS, so we’re focusing on the overall versatility and usefulness of the items featured in each pack. There may also be some packs ranked lower here, like Island Living or Get to Work, with many useful items that work well for your particular needs.
- Seasons
- Cottage Living
- Growing Together
- Cats & Dogs
- Get Together
- Businesses & Hobbies
- Eco Lifestyle
- Horse Ranch
- Discover University
- Snowy Escape
- City Living
- High School Years
- Life & Death
- Enchanted by Nature
- Island Living
- Lovestruck
- For Rent
- Get Famous
- Get to Work
The Sims 4 expansion packs ranked by gameplay
If you’re solely looking for the packs that bring the most gameplay, here’s how we’d rank the expansion packs. Depending on what you’re looking for, some packs might fit your needs better than others. If you’re really into Occult Sims, for example, packs like Life & Death and Enchanted by Nature might fit you best, while family-oriented gameplay Simmers would find more fulfillment with packs like Growing Together and High School Years.
- Seasons
- Cottage Living
- Cats & Dogs
- Growing Together
- Businesses & Hobbies
- Life & Death
- City Living
- Horse Ranch
- Enchanted by Nature
- Get Together
- Discover University
- Lovestruck
- Eco Lifestyle
- High School Years
- Snowy Escape
- Get Famous
- For Rent
- Get to Work
- Island Living
The Sims 4 expansion packs ranked by world
If you’re looking for the best world, here’s how the worlds featured in these expansion packs rank. All expansions come with a fresh location to explore, except for Seasons. It also doesn’t seem fair to really count Get to Work as having a world, since the “world” is just four lots meant for retail shops.
- Cats & Dogs – Brindleton Bay
- Get Together – Windenburg
- Cottage Living – Henford-on-Bagley
- City Living – San Myshuno
- Island Living – Sulani
- Businesses & Hobbies – Nordhaven
- Life & Death – Ravenwood
- Snowy Escape – Mt. Komorebi
- Horse Ranch – Chestnut Ridge
- Enchanted by Nature – Innisgreen
- Growing Together – San Sequoia
- Lovestruck – Ciudad Enamorada
- High School Years – Copperdale
- For Rent – Tomarang
- Eco Lifestyle – Evergreen Harbor
- Discover University – Britechester
- Get Famous – Del Sol Valley
- Get to Work – Magnolia Promenade
- Seasons – No world
There are always new packs slated for release in The Sims 4, so we’ll update our rankings as any new ones arrive, or as any bug fixes change how we view past ones. Adventure Awaits is the next expansion planned for release, so we’ll add that one here once it’s available.
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