The Sims 4 was made free-to-play by EA in October 2022, but additional content found in DLC expansion packs still cost money. While the core experience is completely free to download and play as much as you want, a wide variety of extra features are locked behind certain expansions released over the years. Despite being optional, those who want new gameplay experiences will want what some expansions have to offer.
The incredibly popular daily living simulator of The Sims 4 is like a virtual dollhouse, where players can design homes and manage their characters’ lives, careers, and even legacies. There are currently 20 expansion packs for the title, that add experiences, locations, unique mechanics, and more to the popular cozy living sim. And although the base game is free, buying all the expansions will cost you quite a lot.
How Much Expansion Packs Cost In 2026
There Are 20 Expansions Available To Purchase
As of February 2026, there are 21 different Expansion Packs in The Sims 4 listed on the EA Store, which doesn’t count some of the smaller cosmetic packs sold separately. The Expansion Packs are themed content packs, usually containing items, gameplay, or other features revolving around specific ideas.
Expansion Packs have a specific focus, and the additions you find within them are all related to that focus. For instance, the Business & Hobbies Expansion Pack added tattooing and pottery skills, the ability for Sims to start a business, and a new location—as well as over 200 new items to decorate with.
Here is a list of all 21 Expansions available for The Sims 4 right now, their price, and what they have to offer:
|
Name |
Price |
Type |
Contents |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Royalty & Legacy |
$39.99 |
Careers & Lifestyle |
|
Create a Dynasty with your Sims, creating a family of Royalty that can declare Heirs or Outcasts. Elevated status meets elevated drama in plots of forbidden love, secret children, and other stories. Gain favor with your people through your rule, while learning skills fit for high-class living. |
|
Adventure Awaits |
$39.99 |
Outdoor Adventures |
|
Visit the adventure-filled Gibbi Point, where Sims can escape for a vacation through the Venues & Getaways system. Young Sims get their own mini-adventures in the forms of Playgrounds and Imaginary Friends (which have their own personalities!), that translate into lifelong skills and hobbies like Entomology, Archery, and more. |
|
Enchanted by Nature |
$39.99 |
Supernatural & Fantasy |
|
Sims can become Fairies who nurture plants and people by cooking up potions and exploring the nature-filled Innisgreen. New careers, skills, and aspirations bring Sims even closer to nature and its healing powers. |
|
Business & Hobbies |
$39.99 |
Careers & Lifestyle |
|
Sims can start small businesses and charge other Sims in exchange for goods and services. Pottery and Tattooing offer a new way for Sims to express themselves as they explore the historic small town of Nordhaven. |
|
Life & Death |
$39.99 |
Supernatural & Fantasy |
|
Death arrives in The Sims 4, and Sims can become its apprentices or Ghost Historians. Or, they can turn into Ghosts to complete their unfinished Bucket Lists. Macabre traits and items are also available, as is the new Thanatology skill. |
|
Name |
Price |
Type |
Contents |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Lovestruck |
$39.99 |
Family & Friends |
|
Romance is a literal sill in this update, which is all about love. Sims can become Romance Consultants, find their perfect match on the Cupid’s Corner app, go on dates in the romantic Ciudad Enamorada, and discover their Turn-Ons and Turn-offs when it comes to romance. |
|
For Rent |
$39.99 |
Careers & Lifestyle |
|
Sims can become property managers for other sims or Handypersons through the Residential Rental system. The urban Tomarang has plenty of social events for tenants to mingle. |
|
Horse Ranch |
$39.99 |
Family & Friends |
|
Create a countryside ranch and care for horses, which can now be designed in Create a Sim. Sims can train horses to improve their Agility and Jumping skills, and participate in new event types for ranchers. |
|
Growing Together |
$39.99 |
Family & Friends |
|
Grow up in the oceanfront San Saquoia. Sims develop new personality traits as they grow, depending on their age. They also now have preferences that determine how well they get along with other Sims (including family members). |
|
High School Years |
$39.99 |
Careers & Lifestyle |
|
Give your Sims high school experiences like attending classes, decorating their lockers, and going to prom. There are new forms of mischief, like sneaking out and pranking, and new aspirations for Teen Sims to become Sinfluencers. |
|
Name |
Price |
Type |
Contents |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cottage Living |
$39.99 |
Careers & Lifestyle |
|
Grow produce then use it to cook up award-winning meals in the cozy cottage town of Henford-on-Bagley. Plus, meet whimsical new animals, including cows, chickens, rabbits, foxes, and birds. |
|
Snowy Escape |
$39.99 |
Outdoor Adventures |
|
Sims can snowboard and rock climb their way down or up a snowy mountain. Afterwards, they can unwind in the hot springs surrounded by Japanese-inspired furniture and decor. |
|
Eco Lifestyle |
$39.99 |
Careers & Lifestyle |
|
This update adds eco-friendly living options like water and solar power, community projects, and even dumpster diving for reclaimed materials and decor. Fail to keep the pollution down and it will have a visible effect on the world. |
|
Discover University |
$39.99 |
Careers & Lifestyle |
|
Enroll your Sims in the historic University of Britechester or the slick and modern Foxbury Institute in the college town of Britechester. Dorming and off-campus living are available as Sims attend classes and juggle extracurricular activities and social lives. |
|
Island Living |
$39.99 |
Outdoor Adventures |
|
The paradise island of Sulani awaits Sims with its water-based activities like canoeing, swimming, and more. Sims can become a lifeguard or conservationist, clean up the beaches, build sand castles, and even meet mermaids. |
|
Name |
Price |
Type |
Contents |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Get Famous |
$39.99 |
Careers & Lifestyle |
|
Launch your Sim to stardom as an actor or livestreamer in the glamorous Del Sol Valley. Enjoy fame and fortune, and all the good (and bad) that comes with it. Be your Sim’s manager and land them everything from commercial gigs to TV series. |
|
Seasons |
$39.99 |
Everyday Activities |
|
This update brings seasons to the world of The Sims 4, with dynamic weather that affects Sims’ lives. Seasonal activities and holidays keep Sims busy all year long. Plus, Sims can become a Gardener or a Botanist with a green thumb and a love for plants. |
|
Cats & Dogs |
$39.99 |
Family & Friends |
|
Create A Pet tool lets you design your perfect cat or dog companion, down to their personalities and cute little outfits. Then, take your pets out to play in the coastle and pet-friendly Brindleton Bay, or build a veterinary clinic and treat pets to ensure they’re healthy and happy. |
|
City Living |
$39.99 |
Careers & Lifestyle |
|
There are many new people to meet and urban activities to enjoy in the bustling city of San Myshuno, which has an Arts Quarter, Fashion District, Spice Market, and an Uptown. Sims can watch street performers, partake in local festivals, attend late-night parties, or become politicians and food or art critics. |
|
Get Together |
$39.99 |
Careers & Lifestyle |
|
Form a club with your favorite Sims, and watch them play party games, dance it up with the new Dancing skill, and even enjoy perks like secret handshakes. Take on the night life of the picturesque Windenburg as a group, from the hedge maze of the Von Haunt Estate to the creepy ancient ruins. |
|
Get to Work |
$39.99 |
Careers & Lifestyle |
|
This update adds several new careers for Sims to pursue, like Detective, Scientist, and Doctor. It also allows Sims to start businesses like bakeries and clothes stores, and create art pieces like photos and delicious treats. |
How Much It Costs To Buy Every Expansion Pack For Sims 4
Free Games Are Secretly Extremely Expensive
If you wanted to buy every single kit and pack in the game, it would actually be quite expensive compared to just getting the Expansions. The Sims 4 currently has:
- 21 Expansion Packs
- 43 Kits
- 11 Game Packs
- 19 Stuff Packs
- 5 Bundles
Each pack comes in at anywhere between $4.99 and $39.99. Excluding bundles, which are combinations of existing packs, buying every single additional content pack for The Sims 4 as 2026 continues will cost a grand total of $1,473.06. The price for just buying the expansions is a whopping $839.79, representing a huge cost to players who want everything the game has released over the years.
Whether you purchase any of these depends on your experience with the game, how much you play, and how fun each pack sounds to you. All these The Sims 4 expansion packs are completely optional, though most add new mechanics and new ways to play the game, so it’s up to you which ones you want to invest in for your personalized experience.
- Released
-
September 2, 2014
- ESRB
-
T for Teen: Crude Humor, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
-
Maxis
- Publisher(s)
-
Electronic Arts
- Engine
-
Proprietary Engine
- Cross-Platform Play
-
Xbox, PlayStation, and computer versions of Sims 4 are all separate games incompatible with each other
- Cross Save
-
no
- Steam Deck Compatibility
-
yes
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
