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The Sims 4 on PC. Click to open it full size.
The Sims 4 is a life simulation game for PC from Maxis, available on Steam, Epic Games and the EA app. You create Sims, build them a home, and guide their jobs, friendships and families. There is no goal to beat. You decide what story your Sims live.
What you pay for is the extra content. The base game is free, while expansion packs, game packs, stuff packs and kits cost money. You can play for months without buying anything and add only the packs you want.
It first came out on September 2, 2014, and went free to play in October 2022. It runs on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11, needs an EA account, and is played with a mouse and keyboard.
Already playing? Tell us which pack you would buy first. Got questions before installing? Reach out to us directly.
What You Need to Know
- The base game is free on Steam, Epic Games and the EA app.
- You need an EA account and the EA app, even when you play through Steam or Epic.
- Packs cost real money. Small add-ons like kits and Maker Packs are bought in the in-game Marketplace with Moola, a currency you buy from EA.
- Mods and custom content work on PC and Mac only. The console versions cannot use them.
- It is rated ESRB Teen and PEGI 12.
Quick Facts
How to Download The Sims 4 on Windows
Steam is the route most PC players take. Keep 26 GB free for the base game, and more if you plan to add packs.
- Step 1. Install Steam. Download it from the Steam website and sign in.
- Step 2. Open the store page. Go to The Sims 4 on Steam and click Play Game.
- Step 3. Install the game. Steam adds the EA app during setup if you do not have it.
- Step 4. Sign in to your EA account. Create one if you need to, then confirm the link to Steam.
- Step 5. Launch it from your library. Start in Create a Sim to make your first household.
Choose your EA account with care. Packs you buy on Steam stay with the first EA account you link. EA lets you unlink later from Connected Accounts, but your packs and progress do not move with you. EA explains the details here.
Other ways to get it. The Epic Games Store and the EA app both give you the same free base game. The EA app is also how you play on a Mac. It is simplest to buy all your packs in the same store you play from.
💡 Your PC is too weak? Cloud gaming is an option. The Xbox version of The Sims 4 streams through Xbox Cloud Gaming with Game Pass Ultimate.
Boosteroid lets you play PC games you own in the cloud. Check if The Sims 4 is on Boosteroid.
The Sims 4 Packs, Kits and Prices
The base game costs nothing. Everything else is sold in four sizes, and you never need to buy them all. The prices below are the usual US list prices on Steam, and packs often go on sale.
Royalty & Legacy adds family dynasties, noble ranks, scandals and sword duels.
In March 2026 EA opened the Sims 4 Marketplace, a store inside the game. Kits made by the Sims team now come out there, next to Maker Packs, which are small sets of 3 to 50 items made by community creators. Both are paid for with Moola, which EA sells in bundles from 200 Moola for $1.99 up to 5,500 for $49.99.
Moola cannot be earned in the game, refunded, transferred or gifted, and prices vary by region. Buy the smallest bundle that covers what you want, because leftover Moola only works in the Marketplace. EA Play members also get the Get to Work expansion pack included and 10 percent off other EA purchases.
What Is The Sims 4?
The Sims 4 is a life simulation game: you control people living out their days instead of chasing a score. You make Sims in Create a Sim, build or buy them a home, then guide their choices, from careers and hobbies to friendships, romance and children.
Build Mode lets you design a home room by room, down to the wallpaper.
Every Sim has emotions that change how they act. A Sim who is inspired paints better, and an angry one picks fights. Traits and a life goal, called an aspiration, shape what makes each one happy.
There is no way to win or lose. Some players only build houses and never play a household. Others follow one family through generations as Sims grow up, grow old and pass the house on. The game works for both styles, which is a big part of why it has lasted so long.
Official Trailer
Watch the official gameplay trailer for the Royalty & Legacy expansion to see how The Sims 4 looks today, with family dynasties, noble titles and royal scandals.
Key Features
Shape a Sim’s face and body with click-and-drag tools, then pick their walk, voice, clothes, traits and life goal.
Design homes room by room, with custom walls, roofs, terrain, gardens and pools, or place ready-made rooms.
Sims feel happy, sad, angry, flirty or inspired, and each mood opens different actions and changes how well they work.
Send Sims to work, raise skills like cooking, painting or programming, and climb toward the top of their career.
Sims grow from babies to elders, and households can carry on across generations with family trees.
Download Sims, homes and rooms other players made, and share your own, all from inside the game.
Is This Game for You?
Our Take
🎮 Our Take
Create a Sim and Build Mode are still the best reasons to play, and since the base game is free, there is no reason not to try them. The weak spot is everything around them. The free game feels thin after a few weeks, because the depth people remember from The Sims, like seasons, pets and university, sits in paid packs that add up to hundreds of dollars. The Marketplace adds another layer: kits now cost Moola instead of money, and bundles that do not match pack prices tend to leave you with leftover currency.
If you are new to life sims, install the base game and spend real time in it before you buy anything. If you already love The Sims, buy only the one or two expansions that add what you miss most, and wait for a sale. And if the free game starts to feel small, try a few free mods before you spend money, because mods fill many of the same gaps.
System Requirements
These are the requirements EA lists on Steam. Windows 11 is not named, but the game runs on it. This is a light game by modern standards, and the base game runs on graphics cards that are well over a decade old.
What slows the game down over time is not the graphics card. It is how many packs, mods and custom content files you load, and how big your save gets. An SSD makes load screens much shorter, and 8 GB of RAM or more helps once you add packs. If your PC struggles, our Best Gaming Desktops guide is a good place to start.
Tips for Beginners
Take your time in Create a Sim
Traits and the aspiration you pick decide what makes a Sim happy. A few extra minutes here saves frustration later.
Start with a small home
Starting money is tight. A small house leaves room for a bed, a fridge and the skill items your Sim needs.
Watch the needs panel
Hunger, energy, hygiene and bladder drop all day. Let them run low and your Sim gets tense, uncomfortable and late for work.
Check the Gallery before buying
Free homes, rooms and Sims made by other players can scratch the same itch as a paid pack. Try them first.
Use Save As, not just Save
Keep a few save files. If a household takes a turn you hate, you can go back without losing everything.
Best The Sims 4 Mods to Start With
Mods are the biggest reason to play The Sims 4 on PC. EA picked CurseForge as a home for Sims 4 mods in 2022, and it has a free app that installs and updates them for you. To use any mod, turn on Enable Custom Content and Mods and Script Mods Allowed under Game Options, then Other, and restart the game.
Mods go in Documents, then Electronic Arts, then The Sims 4, inside the Mods folder. These five are a good start.
EA does not support mods. After a game update, the game turns mods off and many script mods stop working until their authors update them, so check each mod page before you play and back up your saves first. Download mods only from the creator’s own page or CurseForge, never from a reupload site.
The Sims 4 Screenshots
Create a Sim, a family at home, a first flirt in the park, and three looks at the Royalty & Legacy expansion. Click any image to open it full size.
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The Sims 4 FAQ
Can I play The Sims 4 on a Mac?
Can I unlink my Steam account from my EA account later?
Can I play The Sims 4 with a controller on PC?
Is The Sims 4 multiplayer?
Where are The Sims 4 save files on Windows?
What are the system requirements for The Sims 4?
Support and Community
- The official Sims 4 website from EA and Maxis, with pack details, the FAQ and help.
- The Sims 4 news, where EA posts updates, patch notes and new releases.
- r/Sims4 on Reddit, the biggest Sims 4 community, for builds, stories and help.
- r/TheSims4Mods on Reddit, for mod and custom content questions.
- The Sims 4 on CurseForge, for mods and custom content.
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Love this game, I have been playing for years