Check out the best Sims 4 Expansion Packs as ranked by a lifetime simmer!
At the time of writing this, there are currently 14 expansion packs! At $40 (USD) each, that is a lot of money to spend, especially if you’re new to enjoying the franchise.
Which is why I am ranking all the best Sims 4 expansion packs for you guys, so you can make a more educated decision in purchasing.
All simmers play their game a little bit differently, so I will be sharing my reasonings for how I rank the packs, but remember—trust your own gut and personal preference first.
I also highly recommend waiting for sales or deals (which happen often around the holiday times) to get the most bang for your buck.
But with all that in mind, let’s talk about what my ranking criteria will be!
What’s My Ranking Criteria?
I am a family player, who prefers realism in my gameplay, and I really love building and decorating. I will emphasize these things in my rankings!
However, when it comes to building and decorating, I also use a ton of mods and cc (as you can tell by this site! lol) so build and decor items have to be really good to sway my opinion.
The packs are ranked in order of my preference but at the end of my personal opinion on the packs, I will list out some reasons you might want to buy it!
In all transparency, I do own all the expansion packs (and EA has me in a chokehold, so I buy each new one, too 😅 ), but I don’t think you need all of them to have a ton of fun with this game.
But I will do my best to explain why you may or may not find value in each pack so you can make your most informed decision!
Best Sims 4 Expansion Packs Ranked (Updated For 2023)
Please note: This post contains product affiliate links. I may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links! This comes at no additional cost to you.
#1 Best Sims 4 Expansion Packs: Sims 4 Seasons
Sims 4 Seasons is my top recommended best Sims 4 expansion pack!
Regardless of what type of gameplay you enjoy, I think everyone would enjoy this pack. Being able to experience weather and seasons in Sims 4 is essential, in my opinion.
In addition to weather and seasons, my favorite aspect of this pack is the holidays!
The calendar is a base game feature, but if you own Seasons, you can create your own custom holidays, which can be expanded even more with holiday mods!
I also love the ASMR of listening to rain and thunderstorms! 🌩️
This EP also adds a lot more complexity into gardening, adding seasonality to your crops, and even adding new crops!
I recommend this pack for: All players! People interested in realism, holiday gameplay, and people who enjoy gardening in The Sims!
#2 Best Sims 4 Expansion Packs: Sims 4 Growing Together
Growing Together is one of the best Sims 4 expansion packs! Seriously.
It was so exciting to be a part of the Sims community when this pack was released—because we all loved it! This pack is one we’ve been waiting for for years.
Growing Together focuses on family gameplay!
It adds treehouses, the ability for kids to lose teeth, you can teach your kids how to ride a bike, elders get a ton of new interactions, you can have family reunions, and this pack includes tons of milestones for infants!
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This pack comes with a new world, San Sequoia, which to be honest, isn’t my favorite world. But it is a new world, with new spots to build on and places to live.
I honestly can’t imagine my gameplay without this expansion pack now that I have it. This pack adds so much family gameplay! The build items in this pack are Craftsman style and so cozy. I love using them in family homes.
I recommend this pack for: family players! People who enjoy realism, or legacy/generational gameplay.
#3 Best Sims 4 Expansion Packs: Sims 4 Get Together
I consider Get Together one of the best Sims 4 expansion backs for several reasons!
This is one of the older EPs (and the quality of EPs has definitely gone up) but I still really love this pack.
For one, it comes with Windenburg which is a HUGE world, and really nicely detailed. It has more lots than any other world we’ve gotten since.
The pack also added the Clubs feature. To be honest, I don’t use it a ton in my personal gameplay, BUT I love using clubs to make my worlds feel more alive! I love setting up clubs for other townies to show up at lots when my sims visit.
I recommend this pack for: People who want a giant, new world. People who want to use the club feature and make their worlds feel more alive. People who enjoy British-style decor.
#4 Best Sims 4 Expansion Packs: Sims 4 Cottage Living
Cottage Living is one of my best Sims 4 expansion packs because it brings so much gameplay!
I love the new world, Henford-on-Bagley, which comes with such fun townies that you can run errands for.
There is a huge expansion to gardening and farming, with the introduction of giant crops, and of course, we get cows and llamas!
There is also the new cross stitching skill which is such a fun way to decorate your house. The build/buy assets in this back are very English countryside and I love them, as well as the CAS!
All of this mean that this is one of the best Sims 4 expansion packs for historical gameplay, too! Which I love.
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I recommend this pack for: People who love gardening/farming gameplay, or are interested in “off the grid” style play. People who enjoy historical gameplay. People who enjoy the cozy small-town vibes of games like Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing.
#5 Best Sims 4 Expansion Packs: Sims 4 City Living
City Living makes it into my top 5 best Sims 4 expansion packs for several reasons!
One: I love San Myshuno! I wish it was wayyy less set-dressing, and more of a bustling city vibe. But I can’t help it—I find myself playing in the Spice District over and over and over!
Two: I love the cultural diversity in all the food stalls! Personally, I live in a city area with tons of different types of cuisine, so I love seeing that represented in my game.
Three: The apartments! We also got apartments in Eco Lifestyle, so they are not limited to a single pack, but I really love the diverse sizes of apartments we got in City Living. I truly find myself using them so often.
Interestingly, I never visit the festivals anymore, lol. I feel like once you go a few times they start to lose their appeal. But overall, I really do love using this pack!
I recommend this pack for: People who love a big-city vibe. Apartment living. Quirky CAS/BB content. Diverse food options.
#6 Best Sims 4 Expansion Packs: Sims 4 Cats and Dogs
I think Cats and Dogs is in just about everyone’s top best Sims 4 expansion packs! The only reason this one isn’t ranked higher is because if I’m being honest, I don’t play with pets or vets all that often. But I still consider this a must-have!
Owning a vet clinic is fun, but much like owning a restaurant or a business, it’s not something you want to do all the time!
Obviously, I LOVE having cats and dogs in my game! I wish there were more small pet options with this pack, though.
And being completely honest… sometimes the animals are a little annoying! 🙈 I think EA needs to do some tuning on how often animals get sick, for example.
And taking dogs for walks, even short walks, takes forever. So while I love adding pets to my families for realism (and cuteness) I find myself being pretty hands-off with them when I have them. And I’ve never once maxed out the dog training skill, lol.
But I am OBSESSED with the world for this pack—Brindleton Bay (which is very coastal, small-town New England vibes)—and the build/buy in this pack.
I recommend this pack for: Animal lovers! Family and realism players. People looking for a gorgeous new world and who enjoy building. People who want to play as active Vets.
#7 Best Sims 4 Expansion Packs: Sims 4 Island Living
This one might be an unpopular opinion, but I really love Island Living and it is easily one of the best Sims 4 expansion packs for me!
Sulani, the new world, is absolutely stunning!
I love taking my sims on vacations in this world, and I love playing in this world period!
I’ll be honest, aside from the beautiful, swimmable beach world, there isn’t… a ton of gameplay here! Your sim can sunbathe, ride a jet ski in the ocean, and there’s a new traditional-style outdoor grill, but there isn’t a ton of gameplay features. Even the mermaids are pretty lackluster!
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But I love the representation of Polynesian cultures, and the world is just…. one of my favorites, tbh! So I couldn’t see myself not playing with this EP! Whenever I have sims live in Sulani, my gameplay always feel so slow and serene and peaceful! ☀️ That’s what makes it one of the best sims 4 expansion packs, imo!
I recommend this pack for: People who want a beautiful beach world! Polynesian culture rep. People who want mermaids (a little lackluster, but can be made better via mods).
#8 Best Sims 4 Expansion Packs: Sims 4 Get Famous
Get Famous is in my top ten best Sims 4 expansion packs! The biggest draw of this EP is, well, the fame!
I don’t play with celebrities all the time, but I love having it as an option! And I love how sims with high skills (like who sells lots of quality paintings!) can become famous too, not just actors.
That brings me to my next favorite part of this pack—the acting career! Truthfully, it can get repetitive if you do it a ton (which is true for literally everything!), but it is SO much fun, tbh. It’s so detailed, and the sets and animations are so creative.
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The new world, Del Sol Valley, is nice too, if a little small. I really love the neighborhood in the top left, which is the more “run down” area.
The build/buy in this pack is nothing special, tbh, so definitely don’t buy it for that reason.
I recommend this pack for: A brand new active acting career. Fame system. A new, California-inspired world. New DJ mixing, streaming, and social media activities.
#9 Best Sims 4 Expansion Packs: Sims 4 Discover University
I honestly would’ve thought Discover University would’ve been higher on my list of best Sims 4 expansion packs, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I don’t use this pack ALL that often!
I loved college in past sims games, but something about the sims 4 version just feels like such a grind!
I do like the added option of going to college and living on campus, but I find that there really isn’t a big enough benefit. None of the careers are blocked to you without a degree, and by going to college, all you get is a promotion/pay bump!
By using mods, college becomes a lot more enjoyable, though! You can make it shorter, and more expensive (so more of a challenge to pay for it!).
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I do however love the CAS and build/buy content in this EP! So if you play on console, or prefer not to use mods, then this is a great pack for some cute, modern clothes.
The new world is nice, but there’s only a few lots that aren’t dedicated to the campuses, so I find I don’t use it often unless I have a sim in college.
I recommend this pack for: People who want to go to university in the Sims. Really nice CAS and BB items.
#10 Best Sims 4 Expansion Packs: Sims 4 Get To Work
Get To Work was the first expansion pack ever released, so it probably comes as no surprise that it hits pretty low on my list of best Sims 4 expansion packs!
What can I say, the Sims team has come a looooong way with creating packs!
I really do love the active careers in this EP (doctor, detective, scientist), but they do sometimes bug out. And as it’s an older pack, I feel like they don’t patch the bugs as often as they do newer releases.
This EP also added aliens, although they honestly… don’t have a ton of gameplay! So I don’t use them often.
I recommend this pack for: People who want to play as a doctor, detective, or scientist. Aliens (even if they don’t do much, lol).
#11 Best Sims 4 Expansion Packs: Sims 4 Snowy Escape
I wish Snowy Escape was higher on my list of best Sims 4 expansion packs!! In theory, it sounds great on paper.
It adds East Asian cultural rep, a gorgeous new world, rock/mountain climbing, and skiing/snowboarding!
The only issue is… most of those gameplay mechanics are tied to the new world, which is a total bummer. I like to play my game realistically, so it breaks so much immersion for my sim in Newcrest to spend their afternoon in Mt. Komorebi skiing.
I wish the gameplay mechanics could be used more in other worlds. I think I’d use them a lot more if that were the case.
This EP also added lifestyles, which sounded cool at first too, but in reality, I usually turn them off because they get kind of annoying.
However the CAS and BB content is all amazing!! Gorgeous textures, and very Eastern Asian inspired!
I recommend this pack: For an East Asian/Japanese inspired world. Snowboarding and skiing (tied to the world). Hot pot, asian clothing and furniture styles.
#12 Best Sims 4 Expansion Packs: Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle
I know a lot of people love Eco Lifestyle, but for me, it hits pretty low on my list of best Sims 4 expansion packs. 😬
I really love the CAS items and the new candle making and fabrication skills. But I hardly ever find myself using the environmental states (they get annoying, tbh), and I HATE the NAPs (I turn off NPC voting everytime I start a new save).
This pack is great if you’re super into off the grid gameplay. But other than that… I really don’t use the gameplay here all that much, personally!
The new world is nice, but not super pretty. Although it does come with 2 apartment buildings that are a bit more of a classic apartment style than the ones in City Living.
I recommend this pack for: People who enjoy off the grid gameplay and environmental gameplay. People who want a new world that isn’t super stylized.
#13 Best Sims 4 Expansion Packs: Sims 4 Horse Ranch
I would rate Horse Ranch a LOT higher on my list of best Sims 4 expansion packs if I was more into horses! That’s why this list is so personal, and it’s still important to make your own choices.
Horse Ranch is a really well-made EP with a beautiful new world (Chestnut Ridge), a new dance style, nectar making, mini goats and sheep, and of course, horses!
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However, I don’t use horses all that much! They don’t feel super useful unless you’re into the horse training and horse shows, since we don’t have open worlds and don’t need them for actual transportation. And Chestnut Ridge is the only world that supports horses really well.
I really love the CAS and BB items in this pack, though. They’re great if you’re looking for country, western, rustic content!
I recommend this pack for: Horse lovers! People who want country western-themed content. Nectar making.
#14 Best Sims 4 Expansion Packs: Sims 4 High School Years
It makes me sad that High School Years is the lowest ranked pack on my list of best Sims 4 expansion packs. I had such high hopes for this pack!
Turhtfully, the new world, Copperdale is AMAZING, and this EP might have the best CAS and BB of all the EPs.
But the gameplay….. is lacking.
Playing an active high school day is so repetitive and so boring. And you just don’t have time to do anything! You also can’t host club gatherings at the high school lot. Prom and other events are super repetitive too. And after school gatherings fall flat too. Seriously, just about every detail of gameplay in this pack falls flat for me.
I recommend this pack for: People who want nice CAS/BB items and can’t use mods. Beautiful Copperdale world. Bubble tea and thrift shopping.
And that’s a wrap on my ranking of the Best Sims 4 Expansions Packs (2023)!
Do you agree or disagree with my rankings? Which is your #1 EP?! Let me know in the comments below!
some of my ranking are quite the same but not with like everything
do you have “Lovestruck” and “Life and Death” expansion packs installed?
if yes maybe you can do these 2 rankings aswell?
yes i definitely need to update this list with the new EPs we’ve gotten!
my rankings (including “Lovestruck” and “Life and Death”) on expansion packs are:
1: Life and Death
2: Seasons
3: island Living
4: Growing Together
5: Get Together
6: City Living
7: For Rent
8: Snowy Escape
9: Lovestruck
10: Cats and Dogs
11: Discover University
12: High School Years
13: Get Famous
14: Horse Ranch
15: Eco Lifestyle
16: Get To Work
17: Cottage Living
untill the most recent pack came out i thought nothing can beat Seasons but i got it all wrong, the best world in my opinion too
Life and Death has been a GREAT EP!! Totally agree with you there. 🙂