Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete
FairA$19.99
Addictive design
Deluxe editions, pre-orders and re-releasesPay once (premium)
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.
- 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.
- 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 - 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
- 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 - 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 - 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
Fairer alternatives
Similar games with a healthier money model
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
FairA$79.95
Addictive design
Paid DLC and season passesDeluxe editions, pre-orders and re-releasesSubscription to play onlinePay once (premium)Daily rewards, streaks and pressure to returnCollect-them-all pressure
Stardew Valley
FairA$13.78
Addictive design
Subscription to play onlineGame library subscriptionPay once (premium)
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
-
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
Classification
Age ratings judge content (violence, language, gambling themes). They say little about how hard a game pushes spending — that's what the badges above 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.
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.