Which Sims 4 expansion pack should you buy first?
Buy the pack that adds the kind of play you already like. There is no single best first pack. For most players we suggest Seasons, Cottage Living, or Growing Together. Each one changes the daily play of every household, not only one lot.
This is our reading of the official pages, not a ranking from a test. We opened the EA page of each pack named here on October 10, 2026, and we quote what the page says. We did not play the packs for this post. You read this on the LifeSim blog. We make a different game, and we say at the end where it does not fit.
How many Sims 4 expansion packs are there?
The EA page for expansion packs lists 21 packs. The page lists Royalty and Legacy first and Get To Work last. The Steam page lists the base game as free to play, and it shows the packs that it lists at $39.99 each on the day that we opened it. The Steam page shows only part of the catalog.
Prices change, and sales are common. Check the store page before you buy. For the cost of the base game, read is The Sims 4 free?
What a pack needs
Each pack page that we opened says that you need the base game and all game updates. The pages say that an internet connection and an EA login may be required. Five of the pages say that cross-pack play needs an additional DLC purchase. We did not open the page for that DLC.
What does each popular pack add?
The table uses the facts from the EA pages that we opened.
| Pack | What it adds | Release date on the page | Build and Create-a-Sim items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get to Work | Three careers (doctor, scientist, detective) and retail stores | March 30, 2015 | 292 and 210 |
| City Living | The city of San Myshuno, apartments, and festivals | November 1, 2016 | 281 and 122 |
| Cats and Dogs | Cats and dogs, a Create-a-Pet tool, and a vet clinic | November 9, 2017 | 332 and 183 |
| Seasons | Weather, seasons, holidays, and a gardening career | June 21, 2018 | 179 and 150 |
| Cottage Living | Animals, gardening, cooking, and the village of Henford-on-Bagley | July 22, 2021 | 170 and 132 |
| Growing Together | Family events, milestones, and the town of San Sequoia | March 16, 2023 | 204 and 196 |
The number of items says little about the quality of a pack. We list it because the pages state it.
Which pack is best if you like families?
Growing Together
The EA page describes it as a pack to “strengthen family bonds, make friends or enemies.” It adds planned events, such as sleepovers, and milestones, such as midlife crises. These events shape the Sims and their relationships. It adds the town of San Sequoia, which the page calls a former fishing village that has grown larger. The page rates the pack T (Teen).
Choose this pack if your stories are about people and their ties. Skip it if you play a single Sim who lives alone.
Cats and Dogs
A family can include pets. The pack adds a Create-a-Pet tool and a vet clinic in a coastal world. Choose it if pets are part of your household.
Which pack is best if you like careers?
Get to Work
The page lists three careers: doctor, scientist, and detective. You control the Sim at work, and you steer the career toward a promotion or trouble. The pack also adds retail, where you create, customize, and run your own store. The page rates the pack T (Teen).
This is the oldest pack in our table. The page lists the release date as March 30, 2015. We did not compare it with the newer packs in play. Read Sims 4 skills if you wish to plan the skills of a Sim for a career.
Which pack is best if you like the countryside or the city?
Cottage Living
The page describes countryside life: animals, gardening and garden-to-table cooking, and the village of Henford-on-Bagley. The village has a pub, The Gnome’s Arms, and a Finchwick Fair where Sims show their cows and chickens. Sims can also explore the forest for woodland creatures and foraged food.
City Living
The page describes the city of San Myshuno, with neighborhoods, apartments, and festivals. A Sim can move up from a starter unit to a penthouse and start city careers. Choose this pack if you wish to live in an apartment and not on a large lot.
Which pack changes the whole game the most?
Seasons
The page says that Seasons adds weather and seasons that affect every world. It adds seasonal activities, such as ice skating, a fall harvest, and summer pool parties. It adds holidays with traditions, gifts, and special guests. It also adds weather outfits and a botanist career with floral arranging.
That is the case for Seasons as a first pack. The pack changes every world, so it affects every household that you play.
The page lists the release date as June 21, 2018. An EA press release from 2018 gives June 22. We did not resolve the difference, so we show the date from the product page.
What should you check before you buy a pack?
- Name the kind of story that you tell most. Families, careers, pets, or towns.
- Match the story to one pack from the sections above.
- Read the EA page of the pack. Check the rating and the requirements.
- Compare the price on EA and on Steam. Look for a sale.
- Buy one pack. Play it for a month. Then decide on the next one.
To add content from the community, read Sims 4 mods. If you play on a Mac or a console, read The Sims 4 on a Mac and The Sims 4 on console vs PC. To install a pack that you bought, read how to install Sims 4 packs.
Where does LifeSim fit?
LifeSim is not a pack for The Sims 4. It is a separate game. It runs in a browser, and it is free. You live one life in one city, and the people around you remember what you do.
It does not replace a Sims 4 pack. A pack gives you a house, items, and a new town to build in. LifeSim gives you none of these. If you wish to decorate and to control a household, buy a pack. For a comparison, read LifeSim vs The Sims and games like The Sims.
Questions
Do you need all packs to play The Sims 4?
No. The base game is free to play on Steam. Each pack page says that the base game is required.
Is Seasons worth buying first?
It is a good first pack if you want a change in every household. It adds weather, holidays, and a gardening career.
What is the oldest Sims 4 expansion pack?
Get to Work is the oldest in our table. The EA page lists March 30, 2015.
Do expansion packs work together?
Five of the pages that we opened say that cross-pack play needs an additional DLC purchase. We did not open the page for that DLC, so we cannot explain what it adds.
What did we not verify?
We did not play any pack. We did not read player reviews of the packs. The price of $39.99 comes from the Steam page and it changes. Packs that we did not name here may suit you better.