How to install Sims 4 packs

EA says that digital packs should install by themselves after you buy them. If a pack did not install, you install it by hand. The steps depend on where you play: the EA app, the in-game Marketplace, a disc, a PlayStation, or an Xbox.

This guide follows the EA Help page about packs, which we opened on the day that we wrote this post. EA changes its menus from time to time. If a menu name here does not match your screen, look for the closest name.

First, make sure that the base game is installed and up to date. EA says this is a rule before you install any pack.

EA says that the EA app replaced Origin as the main platform for The Sims 4 on PC and Mac. Mac users need macOS Catalina or later to run the EA app. Read The Sims 4 on a Mac for more about the Mac version.

A pack that you bought in the EA app

1. Launch the EA app, and sign in if it asks.
2. Open your Library and select The Sims 4.
3. Select Manage, then Manage Add-ons, to see the packs that you own.
4. Select the Download icon next to the pack that did not install.

A pack with a product code

1. Launch the EA app, and sign in if it asks.
2. Open your Library and select the Redeem Code button.
3. Enter the code, select Next, and then select Confirm.
4. Select Download with the EA app.

A pack on a disc

Put the disc in the drive and follow the instructions on the screen. Sign in to the EA app if it asks. Enter the product code that came with the disc when it asks.

EA says that a pack that you buy in the Marketplace with real money should download by itself to the platform that you use. This includes expansion packs, game packs, stuff packs, and kits. The platform can be the EA app, Steam, or Epic Games.

If you used Moola for a maker pack or a kit and it did not install, use the Marketplace:

1. Launch The Sims 4 and open the Marketplace from the Main Menu.
2. Select the My Collection tab and choose Manage Storage.
3. Find the pack. A green Installed label means that it is installed. A gray Not Installed label means that it is not.
4. Select the check box at the top left of the pack tile.
5. Select Install, and confirm in the pop-up.

In Live Mode, Build Mode, and Create a Sim, the shopping cart icon at the top right also opens the Marketplace.

EA says that on an Xbox, packs install by themselves after the download, unless you turned off the setting Keep my games and apps up to date. That setting is on by default. On a PlayStation, you download the pack by hand after you buy it. It then installs by itself.

PlayStation 4

1. Open the PlayStation menu and select Library.
2. Select Purchased, and choose The Sims 4.
3. Select Game Library, and choose Your Collection.
4. In the Add-Ons section, select the pack.
5. Select the download button, an arrow that points down.

For a PlayStation 5, or for a download from the online PlayStation Store, EA says that the steps vary. EA sends you to the PlayStation support site.

Xbox

1. Press the Xbox button and select My games and apps.
2. Select See all, then Full library, then Owned games.
3. Highlight The Sims 4 and press the Menu button.
4. Select Manage game and add ons, and select the check box of the pack.
5. Select Install.

A Marketplace pack on console

Open the Marketplace, select My Collection, and choose Manage Storage. Select the check box of the pack, and select Confirm.

EA gives three places to check. Use the one that fits your platform.

EA says that Download Manager shows only very recent downloads. If your pack is not in the list, use one of the other two places. EA also says that you should keep the setting Enable Auto-Download of Marketplace Content turned on.

Pack Selection is a Marketplace feature. It lets you choose which packs are active, without an uninstall. EA says that it helps with your story and with the resources of your computer. It works on PC, Mac, PlayStation, and Xbox.

1. Launch The Sims 4 and open the Marketplace.
2. Select My Collection, and choose Pack Selection.
3. Select or clear the check box at the top left of each pack.
4. Select Confirm. The game can ask for a restart.

An active pack has a green Active label. A deactivated pack has a gray Deactivated label.

Yes, parts of it. EA warns that a save loses the content of a deactivated pack. This includes hair, clothing, traits, and objects. EA advises that you use Pack Selection only when you start a new save.

How do you know that a save is missing a pack?

Go to the Main Menu and select Resume Game or Load Game. If the save uses a deactivated pack, the tile shows Required Packs at the bottom left. It also shows a View Packs button on the right side. Hover over the pack icons to see which packs are off.

What happens if you play on?

If you select Play, you continue the save, but the clothing, objects, worlds, and features of the deactivated packs are missing. If your Sims live in a world from a deactivated pack, the household stays in the Manage Households menu. You can move it to a new lot or merge it with an other household.

What EA tells you to do before you start

• Turn off all mods before you activate or deactivate a pack.
• Back up your save files.

Read Sims 4 mods for the steps to install, update, and fix mods.

We do not list prices here. They change, and we did not check them for this post. The base game is free. Read is The Sims 4 free for what costs extra.

No. LifeSim is a free game in the browser. There is nothing to install and no pack to download. It is also a different kind of game: you live one life in a real city.

If you want the building sets, the worlds, and the extra features of The Sims 4, you need the packs. Read LifeSim vs The Sims for the comparison.

Do you need the base game before a pack?

Yes. EA says to make sure that the base game is installed and updated first.

Does a pack install by itself?

EA says that digital packs should. If they do not, use the steps above.

Can you use Steam or Epic Games?

EA names Steam and Epic Games as platforms where a Marketplace pack downloads. For other steps, see the EA Help page.

• EA Help: How to install and manage Packs in The Sims 4