SinceThe Simscame out in 2000, it has spawned over two decades of sequels, expansion packs, and spin-off games. While the most current version of the series,The Sims 4,has an increasingly long catalog of expansion packs for players to pick and choose, the original game had only seven select packs. However, despite their limited number, this handful of expansions packed a punch.Each pack significantly expanded the gameplay forThe Sims,either by adding new features and quirky characters, massively expanding the number of neighborhoods and families, or establishing entirely new lifestyles for a Sim to pursue.
Since each expansion pack added so much to the original game, it’s also worthconsidering the degree to which each introduced elements that stayed relevant to the seriesover the course of 20+ years. For example,Makin’ Magicestablished the trend of adding a magically themed pack to every subsequent game in the series, andHouse Party, true to its name, added the party function that’s become a core function in every entry since. With the re-release ofThe Sims 1asThe Sims: Legacy Collection, it’s the perfect time to look back on the original expansion packs.
7House Party
Throw The Best Party On The Block
Of all the expansion packs,House Partyis one of the more lackluster additions toThe Sims.The second pack for the base game,House Partysimply added the feature of being able to throw a party toThe Sims. In retrospect, this pack may seem less exciting due to the fact that it simply added a function that’s become an expected feature in all otherSimstitles. To its credit,House Partydid add some very fun items and characters to the game,including Drew Carey, becauseThe Simswas certainly a game of its time.
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Other additions included the campfire, whichallowed multiple Sims to hang out and interact with each other at the same time, the dance floor, DJ booth, and entertainers. The entertainers may be the most memorable NPC additions toThe Sims, since the male or female characters would exit a comically large cake to dance and flirt with party-goers, taken or single. Other fun NPCs included a spooky ghost who could appear when ghost stories were told around the campfire and a mime who showed up to make a bad party worse.
6Vacation
An Expensive Break To Normal Gameplay
Vacationwas the fourth expansion pack to come toThe Sims. While this pack did introduce an extremely fun situation for Sims—going on a short vacation—it didn’t add too much to the base game in comparison to the other expansion packs.Vacationallowed players to take their Sims on the holiday of their choiceon the creatively named Vacation Island. The three choices were the beach, a forest, and a wintry area, and each option had unique activities and features.
After picking their destination, players could earn or buy souvenirs, usually by partaking in carnival games or finding them with a metal detector. The mostimportant aspect of taking a trip inVacationis that it costs lots of money. There was a flat fee of 500 to begin a vacation, but after that point, almost every activity nickeled and dimed the Sims throughout their trip. While this is an accurate depiction of real-life vacations, it does start to add up, especially with a larger Sim family.
5Superstar
Fame Comes At A Cost
LikeVacation, the expansion packSuperstarintroduced a mechanic to the series that would be re-introduced in multiple sequels.Superstarallowed Sims to become celebrities for the first time, which also let players to go towork with their Simsfor the first time.New career paths like rock star, movie star, and supermodel were added alongside a new neighborhood and a short list of real-life celebrity NPCs, including Jon Bon Jovi, Avril Lavigne, Freddie Prinze Jr., and other extremely Y2K celebrities.
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To make it big, players would have to mold their Sim into the perfect star by earning high levels in the Charisma, Body, and Creativity skills. Sims would also need to become good friends with other famous Sims, pick good projects to work on, and regularly visit the new neighborhood, Studio Town, to keep up their fame levels.Superstarrequired a lot of work, especially if players wanted to earn a Simmy, butthe entirely new lifestyle the expansion pack introduced was a lot of fun for playerswho wanted to shake up the typical gameplay loop ofThe Sims.
The amount of work needed to keep up a decent celebrity Sim lifestyle was at times tedious, andoften couldn’t be easily integrated in base gameplay since it needed to be the player’s sole focusif any success was to be achieved. That tedium knocksSuperstardown the ranking slightly, but only because the rest of the expansion packs were such incredible additions toThe Sims.
4Livin’ Large
An Expansion Of Base Game Leftovers
The very first expansion pack forThe Sims,Livin’ Largeisa hodgepodge of random additions that seemingly didn’t make the cut for the base game, likely due to their more whimsical nature. The pack introduced a lot of iconic items and NPCs that have appeared in almost every game since, likethe Grim Reaper, the Tragic Clown, and professions like journalist and musician, so it does deserve some significant accolades.
The most important addition to the base game fromLivin’ Largeisthe sheer number of new items added to buy mode, including the famous Heart-shaped bed, and the expansion of the neighborhood. These additions are great for the base game, which may be why this expansion pack was eventually folded intoThe Sims: Deluxe Edition.Livin’ Largedoesn’t introduce any game-changing additions, but it does injectThe Simswith a large dose of the whimsy and absurdity that would come to define the series’ tone.
3Unleashed
Pets, Farming, Careers, And More
The first pet-themed expansion pack,Unleashed,introduced a huge range of items, careers, property lots, families, NPCs, and of course, pets. Alongside the ability to adopt a range of pets, including dogs, cats, birds, turtles, fish, and iguanas, were farming mechanics and new careers like animal care, culinary arts, and education. The expansion pack gave players five new careers, over a hundred new objects, and ahuge expansion of the default neighborhood from 10 to 40 lots.
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InUnleashed,dogs and cats could now become full-fledged members of the family, while the other types of pets were only interactable like other objects. Sims could train their new pets and enter them into pet shows, or just enjoy petting and playing with their pet at home. Alongside hanging out with their dogs and cats, Sims could now farm and sell their crops at the local farmer’s market.Unleashedaddeda huge amount of content for the base game that enriched the entire experience, from fun new careers and hobbies to a huge neighborhood and families to meet.
2Hot Date
Get Out Of The House And Have A Good Time
Hot Date, as the name implies, is an expansion pack solely focused on date night for Sims. It introducedleaving the house for a community lot for the very first time in the series, new types of interaction systems, and Townies. Players could call up a taxi for their Sim and go downtown for a date, which was an extremely fun feature for a game that had previously been completely limited to the home lot.Hot Dateis also the expansion pack that broughtwoohooing toThe Sims,which alone cements its place as a top tier pack.
Technically, the spicy interaction wasn’t called Woohoo until later games, butHot Dateis the first instance of the function.
Alongside new gameplay features was a long list of romantically themed items, like the Niagara Love Tub, a heart shaped hot tub for two, or the Cuddle Couch.Hot Datealso introduced some fun new NPCs, like an older lady who shames Sims for too much PDA andClaire the Bear, a “bear” that visits lots to snuffle through trash and make various inhuman noises. While the updated relationship function did make it more difficult to maintain relationships, especially long-term ones,Hot Dateas a whole provided a whole new environment for players to enjoy.
1Makin’ Magic
Dragons, Wands, Potions, And Spells
The first ever magical expansion pack, and the best, isMakin’ Magic. This pack was the last of the seven, coming out in October 2003, and it introduced elements that remain with the series today.Makin’ Magicadded Magic Town, Bonehilda, a new neighborhood, the ability to brew potions, cast spells, and create magic charms. In all,the final expansion pack truly expanded the gameplay forThe Simsin a fun, creative waythat allowed players to try something magically new. Clearly, the love for the supernatural stuck, as every mainline entry since hasreleased a magical-themed expansion pack.
The one additionMakin’ Magichad that has never quite been replicated is its approach to dragons. While dragons have appeared in other, later expansion packs,Makin’ Magicallowed players to raise dragons and care for them like any other pet. Dragons could drop rare items for magic potions, which made them highly beneficial, but carried the extra risk of setting the house or any guests on fire. Having a pet dragon encapsulated whatMakin’ Magicadded toThe Sims, as it blended fantasy fun with a little risk to everyday gameplay.
