The Sims 4
Released 2 September 2014 Developer Maxis Publisher Electronic Arts
A life simulation in which you create people called Sims, build and decorate their homes and guide their daily lives, from careers and friendships to families. There are no enemies or fail states, so you set your own goals. It is played mostly by teens and adults, and has been free to download since 2022.
Money health
CautionBuilt to push spending
Addictive design
Mild2 of 5 — counts the hooks designed in
Average price
FreeSteam (AU)
Spending ceiling
No ceilingRepeat purchases, no limit
Australian rating
Classification Board
How it makes money
Caution: built to push spending
The base game has been free since 18 October 2022, and EA makes its money from a large catalogue of paid packs. On Steam in Australia, expansion packs cost A$59.95, game packs A$29.95, stuff packs A$14.95 and kits A$7.95 (some newer kits cost A$5.95 or A$10.95); the 112 packs listed there add up to about A$2,360 at full price, and new ones keep arriving every few weeks. Since March 2026 there is also a virtual currency, Moola, which is bought with real money (from US$1.99 for 200 up to US$49.99 for 5,500) and spent on creator-made Maker Packs and on kits.
How you pay
- Free-to-play
The base game became free on every platform on 18 October 2022 and is sold on to players through paid packs and, since March 2026, Moola.
- Creator coins
Approved adult creators ('Makers') sell packs of clothing, hair and furniture in the Marketplace for Moola. EA says Makers receive about 30% of the Moola spent on their packs, and the program drew criticism from fans on launch.
minor part of the game - Paid DLC
On Steam (Australia) the list price is A$59.95 for an expansion pack, A$29.95 for a game pack, A$14.95 for a stuff pack and A$7.95 for a kit. There are 21 expansion packs among 112 paid packs, and the whole catalogue totals about A$2,360 at list price.
- Editions
A Digital Deluxe Upgrade (A$14.95 on Steam) adds the Up All Night and Life of the Party digital content to the free base game.
minor part of the game
Techniques it uses to keep you paying or playing
- Never-ending
A sandbox life simulation with no ending, supported by regular free updates and paid releases in the years since 2014.
minor part of the game - Game currency
Moola was introduced with the in-game Marketplace in March 2026. It is bought through the platform store (US$1.99 for 200 up to US$49.99 for 5,500), cannot be earned in play and is not refundable, and buys Maker Packs and kits; expansion, game and stuff packs are bought with ordinary money.
minor part of the game - Collect all
The catalogue has grown to well over a hundred packs and kits, so owning everything at list price would cost around A$2,360, and new kits and packs are released every few weeks.
minor part of the game
Fairer alternatives
Similar games with a healthier money model
What it costs
Free to start, then A$7.95–A$59.95 a purchase
| What | Where | Price | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base game Free since 18 Oct 2022 |
Steam (AU) · PC | Free | Oct 2026 |
| Expansion Pack, e.g. Royalty & Legacy 21 expansion packs, all A$59.95 |
Steam (AU) · PC | A$59.95 | Oct 2026 |
| Game Pack, e.g. Werewolves | Steam (AU) · PC | A$29.95 | Oct 2026 |
| Stuff Pack, e.g. Crystal Creations | Steam (AU) · PC | A$14.95 | Oct 2026 |
| Kit, e.g. Bust the Dust Most kits; newer 'capsule' kits are A$5.95 and the Lady Bridgerton kits A$10.95 |
Steam (AU) · PC | A$7.95 | Oct 2026 |
| Digital Deluxe Upgrade | Steam (AU) · PC | A$14.95 | Oct 2026 |
| Moola: smallest pack (200) US price listed by EA; prices vary by region and platform |
EA Marketplace · PC | US$1.99 | Oct 2026 |
| Moola: largest pack (5,500) US price listed by EA; prices vary by region and platform |
EA Marketplace · PC | US$49.99 | Oct 2026 |
Store prices change often and sales are common; we record the regular price on the date shown.
Reviews from across the web
What the critics said
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8/ 10
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79/ 100
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7/ 10
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6.8/ 10
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6.5/ 10
Scores belong to the outlets that published them; follow the links to read the full reviews. Summaries are ours.
Age ratings & content
What's in it
Content labels
- Violencemoderate
Fighting, weapons, injury and death, from cartoon bonks to realistic killing.
From ESRB and PEGI descriptors - Sex & nuditymoderate
Sexual references, innuendo, sexualised imagery, nudity and sex scenes.
From ESRB and PEGI descriptors - Mature themesmild
Crime, cruelty, death, suicide and self-harm, discrimination, and crude humour.
From ESRB descriptors
Classification
Age ratings judge content (violence, language, gambling themes), summed up in the content labels above. They say little about how hard a game pushes spending — that's what the money badges are for. About rating boards
Safety & parental controls
Who can talk to your child, and what can they buy?
- No chat
- Players can interact with strangers
- Contains user-made content (not pre-checked by the developer)
- Needs an online account
There is no live chat or voice with other players. The in-game Gallery lets players share and download Sims, houses and rooms and follow other players. Mods and custom content downloaded from outside websites are not checked by EA, whereas Marketplace packs are reviewed by people before sale and are made by Makers aged 18 or over. Moola is bought through the platform's own store, so the console, Steam or Apple/Google spending controls apply to it. The game itself deals with adult themes such as romance and death, and is rated M in Australia.
Who makes it
The companies behind it, and their track record
No track-record badges yet.
Latest on the record
- Labour
EA closed Maxis's Emeryville studio
Kotaku - Good practice
Added an offline mode to SimCity
Game Informer - Other
SimCity launched with an always-online requirement and server problems
The Verge
- Loot-box action
Loot-box enforcement
Belgium's Gaming Commission found paid FIFA packs were gambling in 2018 and EA stopped selling FIFA Points there in 2019; a 2019 Dutch regulator order was revoked on appeal in 2022. - Crunch
Crunch reports
2005-2006: EA settled overtime class actions by artists ($15.6 million) and engineers ($14.9 million) amid reporting on long unpaid hours. - Large layoffs
Large layoffs
October 2026: EA announced the closure of BioWare amid about 400 reported job cuts; it had earlier disclosed cuts of about 6% of staff in March 2023 and about 5% in February 2024. - Shut down paid games
Shut down games people paid for
EA shut down the servers of online-only Anthem on 12 January 2026, after which the game could not be played. - Competition law
Competition-law action
Pecover v. Electronic Arts: EA paid $27 million under an antitrust class-action settlement over exclusive football licences, approved in May 2013.
Latest on the record
- Labour
Announced closure of BioWare amid about 400 job cuts
Shacknews - Court case
Brazilian first-instance court ordered R$20 million in loot-box damages, subject to appeal
Brazil Ministry of Justice and Public Security (Technical Note 55/2026) - Game preservation
Announced shutdown of Anthem's servers, ending play for owners
Electronic Arts
A company's history doesn't change this game's money verdict, which rates only how the game itself makes money. About company track records
Platforms & release
Where you can play it
| Platform | Released | Store |
|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 4 | 17 November 2017 | Store page |
| Xbox One | 17 November 2017 | Store page |
| Windows PC Also on the EA app and Epic Games Store |
2 September 2014 | Store page |
| Mac | 17 February 2015 | Store page |
Further reading
- Official website
- EA: The Sims Maker Program and The Sims 4 Marketplace (Moola explained)
- The Sims 4 on Steam (Australia)
- The Sims 4 on Wikipedia (free-to-play change and Moola)
- Wikipedia
Facts last checked 22 October 2026. Sources: store.steampowered.com, en.wikipedia.org, www.ea.com, www.ea.com, www.ea.com, pegi.info, www.metacritic.com, opencritic.com. Spotted something wrong? Send a correction.