Buying Expansion Packs for your Sims game is essential to the best in-depth gameplay. The base game—and the patches made for the base game—are great but they don’t offer nearly as many game opportunities as the Expansion, Game and Stuff Packs. New towns, new aspirations, new traits, new outfits, food, plants — you name it and at least one Expansion Pack will offer it.

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It’s tough to say exactly which expansion is the best, and believe us, not all of them are created equally. That being said, there are some that are way better than others or their previous versions. We wouldn't recommend skipping out on any, but we will recommend you buy these first. They offer more bang for your buck in experiences!

Updated January 25th, 2020 by Helen Ashcroft: As The Sims 4 series grows so do the expansions. With the release of Discover University, this article has been updated to reflect the game changes brought by this new pack but it's not the only addition the game has seen.

During this next year, we're already anticipating exciting things for the franchise. We've seen the release of a new stuff pack, Tiny Living and more is sure to come, the most exciting of which is a new community-created pack, based on arts and crafts. Keep an eye on The Sims socials and in-game menus for details and make your vote count!

8 The Sims 4: City Living

Right off the bat, City Living offers players a new city to really soak up all the new and exciting things about this expansion. The city of San Myshuno is broken down into four main districts. It’s lively and offers a real city living experience like playing basketball on a court, participating in a pickup game, flea markets, and festivals. There are rooftop bars and some amazing apartments if you can snag one.

The NPC Sims you will meet there are out of the box, quirky, and super friendly. Plus this expansion comes with some awesome cultural food options and clothing. If you are looking to see what the creators of The Sims can do with a little culture this is the best expansion pack for it.

7 The Sims 4: Get Famous

via Carl's Sims 4 Guide

Since this Expansion Pack dropped in October, the Sims 4 gameplay has seen a lot of cool and exciting changes. You can become famous, have fans, and be an influencer. There are new careers like acting, a social media career, and the opportunity to “run the town.” No, seriously... you can become so famous that you never have to pay for anything again. This is by far the most fun Expansion Pack for Sims 4.

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The opportunities are endless and in addition to new careers, you get new food dishes, new interactions, new plants and produce, and, of course, new outfits for the new town you will be inhabiting.

6 The Sims 4: Get To Work

Get to Work lets your Sim 4 characters leave their home and do some real hands-on work. The Sims 4 career options for the Get to Work Expansion Pack are a doctor, detective, or scientist. You can also be a business owner who can create almost any kind of business; the most popular being a bakery.

Like the other Expansion Packs, this one promises a new town, Magnolia Promenade, new clothes, more interactions, taking notes, saving lives outside of work, and creating wormholes for your Sim to get lost in. You can even get a new television channel titled !#*%&$@%; it’s an alien exclusive.

5 The Sims 4: Cats And Dogs

via ebuynny3k.com

Unlike previous versions of Pets, your Sim can no longer control their animal. This is off-putting to most people who are used to the original but don’t count this version out yet. It is jam-packed with so many other things that you really don’t miss the controlling part. You can customize your pet to high heaven. They can even be a number of colors if that's what you desire.

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You can give them quirks and traits that were not available in previous versions, and you can cross-breed to make something that no one has ever seen before. This is kind of a creator’s dream. Plus, it comes with a veterinary career that is easy to move up in.

4 The Sims 4: Seasons

via Origin

Seasons is always a fun Expansion Pack because you know immediately that your Sim is going to experience all four seasons. Whether they love it or hate it is the surprise you get to find out. The Seasons Expansion Pack lets you celebrate holidays, become a kick-butt gardener, and enjoy a number of new festivals. However, keep in mind the weather now takes a toll on your Sim, meaning they can get a cold and be absolutely miserable.

Likewise, they can experience a heatwave and pass out from exhaustion. Or get drenched in the rain and be annoyed and have a Moodlet to solidify how annoyed they are. The cool part is not every town will experience that season in the same way. Oasis Springs may not get snow in the winter because it’s basically a desert town but Willow Creek could get so much snow that their lakes can turn into a dangerous ice rink.

3 The Sims 4: Get Together

The Sims 4: Get Together is all about helping you make and keep friends. You can start clubs, join groups with like interest and you always have a steady crew of friends to hang out with. Get together offers players the opportunity to party at obscure and secret locations that’s if your sim is popular enough to be invited.

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How about choreographing a dance with your crew? You can explore all this and more in the new town of Windenburg. If your goal in the sims is to reap the benefits of popularity than The Sims 4: Get Together is the expansion pack you’ve been waiting for

2 The Sims 4: Island Living

On the Island of Sulani, there is the opportunity to do whatever your heart desires. Become besties with a dolphin, layout all day but be careful, don’t get sunburned. Maybe even open a business on the beach.

Essentially anything is possible in The Sims 4: Island Living. It offers a variety of new full-time and part-time jobs like becoming a Conservationist, a Diver, a Lifeguard, or a Fisherman. The island is full of new features to experience and will keep you busy living the island life.

1 The Sims 4: Discover University

If you've ever wanted to study, party, play juice pong and make out with a robot then Discover University is the expansion for you. Study one of several degrees at either traditional humanities campus Britechester, or more modern tech-focused Foxbury.

You can live at home, in dorms or in shared housing and University life includes classes, projects, and parties. Once graduated, your results can give you a boost in your chosen career. Just watch out for the repo man if you can't repay your student loan!

NEXT: The Sims 5: Things We Want EA To Include