Top 5 Sims 4 Expansion Packs for 2025

Since September 2014, The Sims 4 has been the one comfort game I run to, whether I am having a bad day, have some extra free time or I feel inspired to create every single person I know. Like many other Sims players, I am an absolute die-hard for the expansion packs. Playing with the base game can be fun if you get creative enough with it, but adding expansion packs just adds so much more creativity to your world and gives you more freedom to bring those ideas to life. 

With that being said, there are 20 different expansion packs to choose from, and for a first-time player, it can be very overwhelming to choose where to start. So, here are my top five packs to purchase in 2025, whether you are a first-time player or you want to explore beyond your base game. 

5. Growing Together 

Growing Together is perfect if you strive to focus on growing a family in your Sims gameplay. This pack really puts a strong focus on child development and gives you multiple items and actions to make their development more fun to play. We are introduced to actions such as teaching children how to ride a bike, making friendship bracelets, throwing slumber parties, building treehouses and having baby showers. We are also introduced to a new world called San Sequoia, with areas that include townhomes, a harbor and classic suburbs. If you are looking for a pack with a classic suburban family vibe, this is the pack for you. 

4. Cats and Dogs

If you couldn’t tell by its name, Cats and Dogs gives a wonderful pet addition to your Sims gameplay. Starting in Create A Sim, you can fully customize your cat and/or dog however you like. It gives the option to choose the breed, the age, change their physical features and give them special personalities to fit your sim. You can even change the color of their fur to whatever color you want, so if you’ve ever dreamed of having a rainbow kitty, this is the perfect pack for you. This pack also allows you to become a veterinarian and own your own clinic, giving you full control over when and where you can work. The world it introduces us to, Brindleton Bay, gives a great outdoorsy suburban vibe for you and your pets to live in. If you dream of living the crazy cat lady life in your Sims gameplay, this is the pack for you. 

3. City Living

City Living allows your Sims to live in apartments for the first time. The world this pack takes us in, San Myshuno, gives a full variety of residential complexes to live in based on what your style is, whether that be the fashion district, the arts gallery, the spice market or the luxury uptown. All of the apartments in this world have pre-existing traits linked to them to add either a fun addition or a fun challenge for the player to combat during gameplay. We are also introduced to a variety of festivals for your Sims to socialize, watch performances, eat street food and enter competitions. This was the first Sims pack I ever purchased when I started playing, and it is still one of my top favorites. So if you enjoy city living and having a social lifestyle, this is the pack for you. 

2. Cottage Living

If you want your Sims to live the farm lifestyle away from modern-day living, Cottage Living is the perfect pack for you. Henford-on-Bagley introduces us to a small village where you can live on your own farm, raise your own farm animals, including cows and chickens. They also give us “Live Off the Land,” which challenges your Sims to only make meals through purchasing or growing your own fresh ingredients. Other than the world, my personal favorite aspect of this pack is the Create A Sim additions. The country and cottage core style that they give us in this pack is so perfect and adds the perfect amount of coziness to your gameplay. So if you strive for the Stardew Valley-esque style of Sims gameplay, this is the pack for you. 

1. Seasons

Seasons will and always will be my top pack choice for The Sims 4. As you could probably tell by its name, it adds spring, summer, fall and winter weather to the gameplay, which directly impacts our Sims’ actions and choices throughout gameplay. We also get the addition of holidays in this pack, such as New Year's, Love Day (Valentine’s Day), Harvestfest (Thanksgiving) and Winterfest (Christmas). The one unique aspect of this pack is that there is no world along with it. Although this may put off some players from purchasing, I can assure you that in each season that you play in, there are countless amounts of actions and activities that you can have your Sims partake in. This includes playing in the puddles while it rains, hosting a family feast and even having Father Winter (Santa) come deliver presents to your home. To sum it up, it adds such a large amount of depth to your base game, making it feel more realistic in the long run. 

This was an incredibly hard list to craft. If I could put every expansion pack on this list, I absolutely would. After 11 years of gameplay and pack building, these packs are ultimately the ones I would choose if it only gave me a top five. Maybe 10 more years down the line, I might change this list depending on what The Sims 4 has in store for its players. But for now, I consider this my perfect list of what to keep and cherish.