The Sims 4: Seasons has been out for a few weeks now and players have had enough time to really start exploring all the game has to offer and it really is a huge amount. Although expansion packs always add a great deal of content, Seasons really goes above and beyond.
Although the weather and seasons themselves are obviously the focus of the pack, it has also brought with it a lot of other features. As with all expansions, there are new clothes and build buy items to explore. These are varied and interesting, with a seemingly endless array of new items to explore. There are also a huge amount of new aspects which have been added to the game, including the holiday calendar.
These new features really help those who love to tell stories by adding a realism and flexibility we’ve not seen in the game before. The addition of a wide range of build and buy and clothing items has also kept those who prefer to build or create sims busy. This expansion is one which is continuing to yield surprises. As you play through the new content expect random events, unpredictable reactions and more. All of these keep the game enjoyable and exciting.
With all this game-changing content it’s not surprising that Seasons has spawned so much praise in the community, despite there being a few bugs to be worked out!
Here are my favorite 15 new features of the pack and 15 surprising hidden features I’ve also discovered.
30 Best: Time Passes More Realistically
The seasons and weather really help it feel like time is passing more realistically in game. Being able to change the season length helps with this as well. You can truly create a sim year which feels complete.
It isn’t just weather which makes it feel realistic, but the effect it has on the environment.
Trees will turn brown and shed their leaves, rivers will become cold and everything will be affected. This does mean that you can’t just run around outside all year with no consequences, seasons force you to make realistic choices in both clothing and activities.
29 Hidden: Profit From Gnomes
Gnomes. A long-time staple of The Sims franchise, these crazy critters now show up in-game and can cause chaos in your household. However, they can also net you a profit if you treat them right.
If you annoy them, expect everything you own to break. Please them on the other hand and you will gain enough seed packets to start a farm. Opening these and selling the contents can yield a surprisingly large amount of Simoleons.
Once you are bored of the gnomes, or if you accidentally upset them, simply head into build mode where they become gnome statues, which you can sell. Bonus.
28 Best: Interactions With The Weather
All sims react realistically to the changing weather. We saw a glimpse of this on the trailer, but the reality is that was just a tiny glimpse. From shivering in the cold to dancing in the rain your sims will react to all changes in weather.
There are also moodlets which are related to the weather.
If you stand out in the rain for too long you can get soaked and uncomfortable and the snow will make you shiver. Stay out too long in the wrong kind of clothing and the effects are much more permanent!
27 Hidden: Profit From Patchy
Patchy doesn’t just look good in your garden, he’s also an incredibly handy scarecrow to have around. You can search his pockets for seeds to help your gardening career blossom and he will also lend a helping hand.
His ability to come to life is unlocked as you build your relationship with him and once activated he will come and help in your garden, tending plants and taking care of things.
Patchy won’t eat your food and he doesn’t need a bed. He performs helpful tasks and is always happy to socialize. He’s a perfect housemate.
26 Best: Celebrating Holidays
The holiday calendar is one of my favorite additions to the game. Not only can you recreate and celebrate common holidays like Easter, Christmas, Halloween, and New Years Eve but you can also create your own unique celebrations.
The traditions offered are really flexible, meaning you can create anything from a religious holiday to the Superbowl. Players have really embraced this by creating many unique events, every bit as crazy as themselves.
25 Hidden: Go Out For Free Food
If your Sim loves to live the high life but you haven’t been using motherlode then keep an eye out for the “Night on The Town” holiday, appearing in Summer and Winter. This hidden event sees local businesses offering free food or drinks for the day.
Your night out could even make you some money as one Reddit user discovered.
Their Sim got food poisoning from the experience and ended up with a couple of hundred Simoleons in compensation. Going out has never been so profitable.
24 Best: Glass Roofs
This addition was actually free for all Sims users as it was added in the free patch before Seasons. The creativity that has been shown in the community since its introduction has been phenomenal.
Aside from the obvious building of greenhouses and conservatories people have also made dome houses. Alongside this are a huge number of modern looking builds with creative roofing as well as sky castles and more. The possibilities are seemingly endless.
23 Hidden: Make New Year’s Resolutions
One of the new holidays you can celebrate in-game is New Year’s Eve. As you click through the traditions you will see “make resolutions” appear. This new feature is a nice way to gain some extra reward points.
To make a resolution simply choose one from the displayed list.
It includes a series of options based on different traits and will highlight the most appropriate ones for your sim. You can choose to raise skills, find love, complete aspirations, get fit, write a book and more. Once you’ve chosen a task you have seven game-days to complete it.
22 Best: Varying World Climates
In seasons the weather is not just variable by day but also by location. Each world has its own unique climate, which makes for more realistic seasonal gameplay.
The desert world of Oasis Springs may cool down, but it rarely experiences rain, mostly staying hot and dry as it did before. Brindleton Bay, on the other hand, will often experience brisk sea breezes and an abundance of rain.
Each world has a climate which suits its location, from the tropic jungles of Selvadorada to the big city of San Myshuno.
21 Hidden: Fight Without Consequences
This secret holiday is the closest your Sims can get to The Purge. For one glorious day your neighborhood will descend into chaos with the “neighborhood brawl” holiday. During the event, you are encouraged to fight with anyone and everyone.
Walking the streets will ensure you see fights on every corner.
The best thing about this holiday is that the very next day it’s as if nothing has happened. No relationships are affected by the fighting of the day before. The brawl is one day where you can get out all your frustrations with your neighbors without consequences.
20 Best: More Realistic Clothing
Seasons has also brought with it a much wider range of more realistic clothing. Not only have we gained some much-needed swimwear options but there are also several different outfits for other weather conditions.
Whatever the weather you can find a new outfit for the season.
From warm coats and big boots to summer dresses, tiny shorts and crop tops. The create a sim clothing options are varied and yet fit nicely with the options we already have in game.
19 Hidden: Boost Your Garden Growth
There are several ways to boost your garden and really earn some Simoleons from your plants. Patchy can be called upon to do some gardening but you can also employ the power of bees.
If you care for your bees not only can you ask them to cheer you up and bring you gifts but they will also look after your plants. The pollinate option will mean your garden gets a growth and quality boost, allowing for more profitable plants.
18 Best: The Scouts Career
The scouting career is a fantastic addition for kids and teens. At this age hobbies are quite limited, and the scouting career gives you the opportunity to do more and achieve more goals with your younger sims.
Earning badges of the Llama Scouts entails visiting different locations and completing specific tasks. This is not only fun, but it gives you a path to follow which will lead to a more thorough investigation of all the game has to offer.
17 Hidden: Master The Seasons
When the game came out we knew that the weather machine would affect the weather itself, but its power is much greater than expected. Not only can you summon lighting, create a blizzard or send away the clouds, you can change the entire season.
Look out, Winter is coming.
The upgrade requires a handiness skill of eight, but if you work at it the weather machine will allow you complete freedom to create your very own ecosystem of chaos. Now you can skip all those seasons you hate or create an entirely random climate. Eternal winter anyone?
16 Best: New Date Locations
The addition of the new skating rinks means we now have another great location for Sims to go on dates or family outings. As the game grows it is a much-wanted feature to have new activities and community lot types. The addition of skating rinks allows for this.
The versatility of them also means that they could be small easy to visit features in a park or part of bigger complexes with other entertainment in them. Overall this is a feature that really adds something different to the game.
15 Hidden: Talk Like A Pirate
Yet another hidden holiday, this one is based on the real quirky holiday, International Talk Like A Pirate Day. During this event, everything becomes more nautical as Sims interactions take on a distinctly seafaring tone.
All of your normal interactions will be replaced with more interesting sounding options which will stir your pirate hearts. So get into costume and embrace your pirattitude.
14 Best: Better Bedrooms
A boost for Sims 4 builders is the addition of more bedroom furniture. The simple but elegant beds have been highly praised by the building community. Many felt that the existing beds were often too similar, and many were over the top.
These new additions match well and have a range of color options available.
There are also some other nice bedroom items including new dressers, lamps and bedside tables. Reasonably priced these updated bedroom basics are a blessing for building.
13 Hidden: Be Your Best Dressed Self
If you befriend Patchy, the lovable scarecrow, he will allow you to dress as him by unlocking his outfit in create-a-sim. If you head on over check it out, you will also notice that Seasons brings with it a wealth of other outfits as well. You can also dress as father winter, the spring bunn, and even a giant gnome.
Never before has dressing up been so much fun. With the option to create Halloween in-game you can go trick or treating in costume and live your best-dressed life.
12 Best: The Gardening Career
Growing and selling plants has long been a money maker for Sims but the addition of a semi-active gardening career really helps it feel more structured and easier to progress. As with the other careers of this type you can choose to send your Sim to work or complete the tasks the game assigns.
The career itself doesn’t pay amazingly well but you will earn a large amount of money from selling plants alongside it and as part of your daily tasks.
11 Hidden: Secret Worlds Are Transformed
Although it appears that the games hidden worlds do not naturally have too much in the way of climate, apart from the cloudy skies of Syvan Glade, you can use cheats to place a weather machine and manipulate their weather. If you’ve ever fancied seeing snow on Sixam or a thunderstorm in Forgotten Grotto, then the enable free build cheat and the weather machine are your friend.
With regards to the lots which house the hospital, police station and science lab, these do have weather and it's beautiful.