The Sims 4: Cottage Living

Henford-on-Bagley is charming and picturesque and I had a great time tending animals, getting to know the local community and completing some minor tasks for my neighbors. I would have been even happier with Cottage Living, if the developers had added more new furniture pieces and made the barn larger, as it only holds one cow or llama. [10/2021, p.37]

The Sims 4 Cottage Living is a much-needed return to form for The Sims franchise.

The world of Henford-On-Bagley is absolutely breathtaking and has such a fairy-like and whimsical charm. EA really did a wonderful job capturing the rustic vibe of the European countryside. There are a few flaws with inventory management and the relatively scant wardrobe options, but you can still really enjoy your time on the farm. Because honestly, what’s better than being able to hug and pet your cows and llamas!

Overall, for a DLC pack that has been requested for a long time, The Sims 4: Cottage Living met a lot of expectations. The animals are fun to care for and not too troublesome. Befriending wild animals such as birds and rabbits prove rewarding and worth the effort. Henford-on-Bagley beautifully captures the rural British lifestyle, completing the immersive living-in-the-countryside feel. The errands system is also good fun and rewarding, but is sadly only limited to Henford-on-Bagley and to certain residents. The competitions felt a little lackluster, as well as the collection of new objects for furnishing homes. Apart from this, Cottage Living is a great new addition to The Sims 4. If you want an authentic farming experience, you won't be let down.

The Sims 4 - Landhaus-Leben lets you become self-sufficient and cuddle a lot with cute animals. Despite the lack of breeding possibilities, a successful add-on with many innovations.

A The Sims 4 expansion always seems to suffer from the base game limitations, and they are a lot. But Cottage Living goes where few expansions from this edition have gone before. Beside the return of the lore and some dear characters, it also seems to symbolize a change in the way EA and Maxis look at this game, with more and more attentiveness to player feedback.

Idyllic farm- and country life with a fun treats feature. Authentic animal husbandry and sophisticated gameplay are, however, left out.

The Sims 4 Cottage Living is a step in the right direction for The Sims team and shows that they’re listening to what the community wants. With a beautiful world, deep story, returning, and highly requested features, the overall experience of Cottage Living is incredibly positive. However, after taking off the rose-tinted glasses and taking a step back, it highlights significant gaps in the overall gameplay loop that need to be expanded upon to truly create something that will give its players more to keep coming back to in The Sims.

Cottage Living has room to improve, but it delivers on the simple joy of taking care of cute animals in a farm-like setting and shows that The Sims 4 still has much to offer.

A nice DLC that adds new zones and activities, but lacks a bit more of farming simulation features.

The Sims 4: Cottage Living adds a variety of new and exciting opportunities to the base game. The new style is themed very well and fits the country aesthetic. The overall number of added features can be overwhelming at times, but this pack comes highly recommended to anyone wishing for a bit more action in the lives of their Sims.

The Sims 4: Cottage Living is a gorgeous expansion that adds some of the best and most on-trend in-game items and experiences we’ve ever had, but it's come with that it seems are causing issues for pretty much everyone playing the game. There is a lot to do, a lot to see, but also a lot of glitches to fix in Henford-on-Bagley.