Updated on May 4th, 2026
If you have never played The Sims 4, but are curious to play now that the base game is free-to-play, I will share some reasons why I believe you should try it out.
Free to Play
When The Sims 4 base game was first released in 2014, it was $60, and over the years, it has reduced in price. However, in October 2022, the base game became free to play. All The Sims 4 DLC, including the expansion packs, game packs, stuff packs, and kits, are still at their standard prices, but the base game itself is free to play on EA, Steam, Epic Games, PlayStation, and Xbox, and there is plenty of content to enjoy in just the base game.
Different Ways to Play
With The Sims 4, there are different ways to play the game. You can create your own sims in Create-A-Sim (CAS), you can build houses and community lots, and you can also focus on gameplay, where you control the lives of your sims.
The basic gameplay of The Sims is that after you create your own sims or play a premade family, you choose a house to live in or build your own in one of the three base game worlds. There are various life stages for sims including infant, toddler, child, teen, young adult, adult, and elder, that you can play through. All sims have needs, including bladder, hunger, energy, fun, social, and hygiene, and when a need is low, you have to fill it, such as taking a shower when hygiene is low and talking to another sim when social is low.
Careers and Skills
Child and teen sims will go to school, and teens can also have part-time jobs. Young adults and older sims can join a career, and the base game careers include athlete, business, criminal, culinary, entertainer, freelancer (digital artist, programmer, or writer), painter, secret agent, style influencer, tech guru, and writer (not freelance).
Also, sims can learn skills, and toddlers and child sims have their own set of skills. Toddlers learn communication, imagination, movement, potty, and thinking, and children learn creativity, mental, motor, and social. Teen and older sims can learn charisma, comedy, cooking, fishing, fitness, gardening, gourmet cooking, guitar, handiness, logic, mischief, mixology, painting, piano, photography, programming, rocket science, video gaming, violin, and writing skills in the base game. You also have collectibles, and your sims can collect frogs, elements, fossils, microscope and space prints, postcards, and more.
To help you get ideas on what you can do in the game, I shared The Best Sims 4 Challenges for CAS, build mode, and gameplay.
Regular Base Game Updates
When The Sims 4 base game was first released, it was lacking A LOT. The toddler life stage was missing, as well as pools and basements. However, there have been a plethora of updates, and the base game now has many of the initial missing features as well as new features, including pronouns for your Sims, skin tone sliders, neighborhood stories system (story progression for unplayed sims), wants and fears, sentiments, and so much more.
There are also new swatches for a ton of base game furniture, new bunk beds, terrain tools, and other build mode items. The base game world, Newcrest, was also added, which has all empty lots so you can build up the world yourself or download builds from The Sims 4 Gallery. More recent updates added the infant life stage, romantic boundaries, the ability for sims to become playable ghosts, burglars, a playground venue, and expanded family trees!
Sims Delivery Express
Along with regular base game updates, The Sims 4 introduced the Sims Delivery Express (SDX). SDX is basically mini-updates that add a few new clothing items or new swatches for older clothing, new hairstyles, build mode items, or a handful of recipes at a single time. SDX drops are a quicker way for The Sims team to add new items into the base game without waiting for the regular base game updates, and they are always a nice addition to the game.
Mods and Custom Content
If you play The Sims 4 on PC, you can use mods and add custom content to The Sims 4. Mods and custom content are not scary to use, and I have a list of The Best Sims 4 Mods and Custom Content I recommend and how you can add them to your game. With mods, you can improve your experience of playing The Sims 4, and with custom content, you can add makeup, hair, clothing, and build mode items that are not in the base game.
Is The Sims 4 Base Game Worth Playing?
Considering that the base game is free, there are regular updates that have added so much since it was first released, and there are different ways to play the game, I would definitely recommend trying out The Sims 4!
Thanks for sharing the deals about sims 4 characters. Your website is really informative. I love to choose the career for my sims 4 characters according to my personal choice.
You’re welcome! I like choosing careers based on my personal choices too, but sometimes it is fun trying a differnet career!
your facts are really helpful for me. The game offers new challenges and valuable mission. I stop playing it because it is difficult o play on my phone. I love to share your post with my sims lover friends.
You’re welcome! I do recommend playing The Sims on PC!
Great information about sims 4 game. The game become fun on PC but become hard to play on mobile even with the big screen. The monetizing of the game is still challenging for me.
Thanks! I haven’t played on mobile, but I can imagine it’s harder to play when the screen is so small compared to a PC.
I used to play a mobile version of Sims, but the game’s attempts to generate revenue made it less enjoyable compared to when I first played the original Sims 2 years ago.
I never played the mobile games as I always played on PC, but I can see how them monetizing the game can be offputting
I’ve never played it before, but I think I’ll enjoy it.
It is a fun game and it is worth checking out!
I had been playing a mobile version of Sims, but because of how they try to generate money from such games, it wasn’t as much fun as when I first played Sims way way way back in the day. Nice to see the console/PC version can be played for free
I haven’t played the mobile game as I’ve always played on PC, but I can see how it can be less fun. It is nice that they’ve made the base game free for PC and consoles!
I’ve always wanted to play Sims! This is a great reminder to check it out this weekend. I love that it’s free to play too. Thanks for sharing!
You should definitely check it out and see what you think!
Total game changer, I didn’t know the base game was free since 2022! I have loved The Sims since the first game and even if I used to spend far too many hours on it, I might get back to it to wind down!
That’s amazing you’ve loved The Sims since the first game too! Definitely try out the base game for The Sims 4! It is a bit different than the previous games, but I find it easier play.
We haven’t played SIMs in forever. This looks like it’s a lot of fun.
It is a lot of fun and I definitely recommend trying it out!
I’ve played Sims through the years but not so recently; I like the idea of all the extra features that you can now do in the modern games so I may have to give it another go!
You should definitely check out The Sims 4 because there are a lot of features they have added in the base game that are not in the previous games. Plus The Sims 4 base game is free so there isn’t anything to lose!
I haven’t played it. After reading your post I think I should try it once. Thanks for sharing.
I would recommend checking it out! It is free so if you do end up not liking the game, you didn’t waste any money.
I definitely agree with you – I love The Sims 4! It’s constantly improving and I always find myself going back to it. Must admit I’m slightly bitter about it being free after paying for it on multiple platforms, but I know for sure I’ll be playing it again.
That’s fantastic you love playing The Sims 4! I only paid for it on PC, but I understand it is a loss if you you bought on multiple platforms.
I just to play Sims 3 but I have not Sims 4 yet. Definitely need to try it. Thank you for sharing.
I loved The Sims 3! The Sims 4 is different than 3, but I think they improved it & just building in 4 is a lot easier than in 3!
I haven’t played the Sims 3 or Sims 4 but loved the Sims 2! My husband loves the Sims 3 but doesn’t care for the Sims 4 because “it’s different.” lol For a free game, the Sims is definitely worth playing! You really can’t go wrong with the Sims.
I think my favorite has been The Sims 3, but I do love The Sims 4! It is different, but different can be better! For example, building is so much easier in The Sims 4 than in The Sims 3. No you can’t go wrong with playing the game!
The Sims 4 looks like such a good game, I remember having Sims 2 and was obsessed with it x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
The Sims 4 is a great game, and if you loved The Sims 2, I would definitely recommend checking out 4!
I haven’t played SIMS before however, I am sure this post will be helpful and interesting to gamers who play. I think if I played a game like this, I would get nothing else done ha ha!
Thank you for sharing.
Lauren.
Haha I would still recommend checking out the game whenever you do have some free time because it is a life simulation game and you can do a lot in the game!
I got a new laptop for Christmas because I needed to play the Sims again and I downloaded the free Sims 4 game that was available but I can’t get to grips with it yet! I’m so used to the Sims 3, which I used to play ALL the time! I might have to buy The Sims 3 again tbh x
The Sims 4 is different than The Sims 3, but I do think 4 is better than 3. For example, the graphics are better in 4 and also building is so much easier in 4. However, The Sims 3 has been my favorite iteration of The Sims because there was more content in the expansion packs like The Sims 3 Pets had horses!
I certainly think it’s worth it on the PC. I’m not sure about other consoles. But I know the PC allows for mods to add more to the gameplay than what is available with the standard base game only.
On another note, I love the Sims 4. I’m currently working my way through creating my own world – all neighbourhoods have been stripped down and I’m working on making my own extended families, building my own families etc.
I agree! The Sims 4 is definitely worth it on PC because you can add mods and custom content to the base game.
That’s so exciting and impressive! I have been building up Newcrest, but I was thinking of renovating the other worlds.
I’ve never played it before, but I think I’ll enjoy it.
There’s nothing to lose because it is free and if life simulation games sound fun to you, I would say go for it!
It has been a while since I have interacted with SIMS. Sounds realistic and fun.
It is a fun game, especially because The Sims 4 has added features that weren’t in previous versions. Also, the base game is free so there isn’t anything to lose by checking it out!