The Sims 4: Horse Ranch

 PC
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 12
  3. Negative: 1 out of 12
  1. GameSpew
    Jul 26, 2023
    80
    Like most Sims 4 expansion packs at this point, Horse Ranch isn’t revolutionary in any way. It does add plenty of welcome new content, though, and once again the Sims designers prove they can make one hell of an inspiring neighbourhood. If you’re a horse lover, you’re going to absolutely adore getting to bond with The Sims 4’s newest equine residents.
  2. KeenGamer
    Jul 26, 2023
    80
    Whether or not you're a horse lover, The Sims 4 Horse Ranch is an Expansion Pack worth checking out. Horses lived up to expectations, being beautifully modelled and animated, not being overwhelmingly challenging to manage, and providing plenty of fun new gameplay. The mini goats and sheep add a little extra fun and cuteness as well. The world of Chestnut Ridge is perfect for the new gameplay in Horse Ranch and is one of the most scenic and tranquil worlds in The Sims 4. There was some great new stuff added in Create-A-Sim and Build Mode as well, although I feel some extra stuff could have been included. All-in-all, The Sims 4 Horse Ranch will give you a smooth ride in a classically rustic and tranquil setting.
  3. Digital Spy
    Jul 24, 2023
    80
    The horses here are an absolute delight and steal the show, and a large part of that is due to how much attention was given to them. Rather than spreading their resources a little thin, the developer was able to deliver on the main selling point of the expansion. And while it may not be as game-changing as some of the most highly-regarded packs, Horse Ranch shows that sometimes less is more and that having a more focused approach with the right theme can pay off.
  5. PCGamesN
    Jul 20, 2023
    80
    The Sims 4 Horse Ranch has given me the equestrian content of my dreams, with a wide variety of horse breeds to choose from and beautiful riding animations. From adorable little farm animals to artisan wine making, there is a lot to love in Horse Ranch. I am only left wishing it was all a bit less Western.
  6. GAMES.CH
    Aug 15, 2023
    75
    The Sims 4 Horse Ranch does horses right - better even than many horse simulation games. Horse lovers won't care that the rest of the expansion lacks a bit of substance, when horse care and riding is done so well that it almost comes close to the real deal.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
tbd

No user score yet- Awaiting 3 more ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 1 out of 1
  1. tangledwings
    Jul 27, 2023
    4
    Horse Ranch underpromised and yet still underperformed. Horses are pretty and well animated, but creating a custom horse in CAS is just bad.Horse Ranch underpromised and yet still underperformed. Horses are pretty and well animated, but creating a custom horse in CAS is just bad. Instead of giving the player common markings to layer on, like socks, stars, blaze etc., you just get a paint tool to scribble on your horse. There are a few templates on the paint tab, but they inexplicably omitted all the common horse markings. It's bizarre and kind of pathetic. And because they chose this paint system over the layered marking system, they have no way to generate foals that are a mix of their parent's markings rather than simply copies of one or the other. Horses have a "breed mixer" button in CAS, so they clearly wanted to put in a decent genetics system that would mix traits from the parents, but didn't. It looks and feels half-baked.

    Speaking of half-baked, the nectar making skill is a 5 point skill instead of a 10 point. There aren't many varieties of nectar. Instead of the flavor profile system from Sims 3, you just use any fruit. I would like to see all these food and drink making skills thoroughly incorporated into Dine Out, but cross-pack compatibility is again ignored. For an 11-year-old game with tons of expansions, I cannot understand why they keep making these expansions stand-alone rather than using them to evolve and develop the original world. Players who buy most or all of the packs, for hundreds of dollars, deserve a better overall experience rather than an isolated bit of new content that they tire of quickly.

    I find myself waiting to really play this pack because I need mods to fix the genetics and fix nectar making. I know people are already working on it. Then I think, why are unpaid, individual modders doing so much of the heavy lifting for this massive company? If one person can vastly improve a feature in a week, there is no excuse for the dev team not doing it. It just makes no sense. Animations and most art assets are consistently good, but gameplay and functionality is mediocre at best. Same old, same old.    … Full Review »