The 12 best Sims 4 expansion packs to buy

From cheats to custom content to mods, there's a lot you can get out of this ever changing game.

And along more official lines, there are plenty of expansions to choose from.

Listen to our Sims developer interview on the One More Life podcast!

Only a couple of months ago it released a brand new expansion called For Rent, which focused on the jobs of a landlord.

This is the latest in a long line of cool expansions, so let's take a look at the best ones!

The 12 best Sims 4 expansion packs

Get to Work

The very first Sims 4 expansion still has a lot going for it. As you'd expect from the title Get to Work, it focuses on the careers of your Sims.

While the detective one is a bit glitchy, and the expansion shows its age at points, it's still pretty fun to follow your Sims to work.

The doctor and scientist options are decent, too, and while a retail worker might be a bit close to home for some of us, we can assure you it's not as stressful as real life.

Buy Get to Work from Steam (£34.99)

Cottage Living

It's out of the suburbs and into the countryside with the Cottage Living expansion pack, which sticks you on a farm and lets you live off of the land! You can raise animals like cows and chickens, cook only with the actual ingredients (though that is optional) and just generally enjoy a more peaceful virtual life. This one does wear out its welcome after a while, but it's different enough to be a refreshing change.

• Buy Cottage Living from Amazon (£17.99)

High School Years

The best years of your life they say. Well, relive them all over again (which admittedly may sound like a nightmare to some people) in virtual form with this expansion! Follow the teens in the family to Copperdale High and watch as they attend classes, hang out with their friends, and get up to all the things that teenagers do - well, not all... It's a family game.

• Buy High School Years from Amazon (£34.99)

Island Living

Sometimes we all just need to chill out and to escape the grind that is daily life, and where better than a tropical island paradise? This is another very different way to play The Sims 4, and the island of Sulani is one of the nicest looking places in the game by quite some way.

• Buy Island Living from Amazon (£17.99)

Snowy Escape

Head to a Japanese-inspired snowy location here, which gives the game a very different feel to what it has normally in style alone, and enjoy rock climbing and hiking through a gorgeous bamboo forest. This is definitely one of our favourites of the bunch.

• Buy Snowy Escape from Amazon (£17.49)

Eco Lifestyle

Evergreen Harbor is the home for this expansion - and you will be keeping a close eye on the eco footprints of your neighbours. If the idea of having a stronger connection with your virtual neighbours appeals then this is a good one to go for, even if the effects of your eco footprint don't seem to change things all that much.

• Buy Eco Lifestyle from Amazon (£17.49)

Get Together

The European-inspired Windenburg world is gorgeous to explore, but the meat of this expansion comes from socialising. Hang out with all your virtual friends in the club, and show off your DJ and dancing skills in the process. This is not as substantial as many others on this list, but we do enjoy the variety that it offers.

• Buy Get Together from Amazon (£17.49)

Discover University

You've done high school, so next on the list is a stay at university! Time needs to be watched here as uni is a juggling act of studying and socialising, and you can't afford to let either slip. The world itself may be a little bland, but little quirks such as clothing help the expansion feel substantial enough.

• Buy Discover University from Amazon (£17.49)

City Living

You will be heading to the gorgeous looking San Myshuno with this expansion that thrusts you right into city life. You'll be able to try new types of food, and the housing reflects the trappings of city living with them being smaller apartment type buildings as opposed to the traditional types we usually see in The Sims.

• Buy City Living from Amazon (£17.99)

Seasons

If there's any expansion that we feel is vital to enjoying The Sims 4 to its fullest, then it's seasons. Having the seasons change really helps immerse you in the world, and time feels like it moves in a much more realistic way than it does without it. And changing seasons means keeping an eye on different things, such as what you wear and gardening.

• Buy Seasons from Amazon (£17.49)

Cats & Dogs

Every home needs a pet of some kind, and this expansion lets you take your furry friends and customise them - and there are an awful lot of breeds to choose from. Their accessories can be personalised, and even their personalities can be tweaked. If you are an animal lover, this is must own.

• Buy Cats & Dogs from Amazon (£17.49)

For Rent

We'll finish with the upcoming For Rent expansion, set in the new world of Tomarang. As a property owner, you'll be tasked with managing multiple tenancies. You can even move in among them and snoop in on their dramas.

This one is all about community spirit, so do your best to change the existing reputation of landlords and landladies! We've written more about this upcoming expansion, if you're interested.

Pre-order For Rent on Steam now!

Read more on The Sims:

• The Sims 4 cheats - all the codes you need
• The Sims 4 mods - the greatest creations
• Sims 4 challenges - test your skills
• The Sims 4 pronouns - how to change them
• The Sims 5 release date - the latest predictions
• The Sims 3 cheats - more codes to know
• The Sims 4 free - when did the game go free?

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