The Sims 4

 PC
User Score
4.2

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 2630 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 680 out of 2630
  2. Mixed: 543 out of 2630
  3. Negative: 1,407 out of 2630
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  1. BigPlayer
    Aug 10, 2015
    0
    IMO lacks in comparison to Sims 3 / Sims 2 everything, it is a huge disappointment to me, just ugly.
    No color wheel or pattern system to design clothing or furniture the way you want, very limited color chooses specially for clothes, nothing matches because the colors cannot be adjusted and the predefined colors simply aren't enough. Totally closed and not connected world which means    IMO lacks in comparison to Sims 3 / Sims 2 everything, it is a huge disappointment to me, just ugly.
    No color wheel or pattern system to design clothing or furniture the way you want, very limited color chooses specially for clothes, nothing matches because the colors cannot be adjusted and the predefined colors simply aren't enough. Totally closed and not connected world which means constant loading screens. You can't go in 3D from one neighborhood to another, the sub-hoods aren't connected through roads - you always have to go through map view.
    Loading screen into map, loading screen into neighborhood-selection, loading screen to any lot within the neighborhood. Even all lots in your current neighborhood (there are only 4-5 per sub-hood) are locked from view and you have to go through loading screens to visit lots within your current neighborhood. Very many annoying screens to go through e. g. the neighborhood selection screen appears all the time. Totally flat grounds and lots, no reachable hills and mountains, no private fishing ponds any longer, fake sky, fake horizon, fake grass. The grass deserved not to be named a grass. Bark, rocks and grass lack details and are just painted without a structure on it. Everywhere sparkle effects on foods and harvest items to hide the bad textures. Cartoon style on everything, huge oversize objects and in comparison tiny Sims. Sims with flat paper skin and lots of gaps in the body structure (neck, arms, legs, mouth gaps) and the old fashioned style burrito clothing again this time without structure and mature textures, just clothes appear to me like a piece of paper was brought in a shape. If you now expect better performance in Sims 4 because world is totally closed, most features were removed and graphics were heavily tuned down and the whole simulation was simplified (i would say in Sims 4 is no simulation any longer regarding to family and social reaction aspects) then I have to disappoint you: No faster loading screens, not less bugs but even more bugs, totally modding unfriendly and saving the game is only slightly faster at the very beginning of a fresh save game. So the Sims 4 has no performance gain for the huge sacrifice developers made on it. The world is incredibly small, the sub-hood ends already at your neighbors home, 4 lots are in the neighborhood only. Sims aren't simulated well, Sims only do sport and fishing and nothing else in the neighborhood. You will see them going alone down the road without a family or group. They are mostly jogging, making push-ups on the road, rarely they have an assignment to fish for a while and that's the whole simulation. Only walking, jogging, more walking everyone alone and mostly kids, teenagers and elders. Adults are mostly never on the road which is irritating.
    Kids and teens have no curfew, they roam the roads until 3-4am. Non-played Sims have no needs and no dress code.
    Skills go immediately uncontrolled on everything which is very annoying, from a single conversation your Sim might get already three unwanted skills like comedy, mischief and charisma. Just getting into the pool and out will make your Sim receiving the athletic skill and picking up a fruit will give the Sim the gardening skill. All skills start from level 1 immediately and going already to level 2 which is very confusing. In the other Sims games we had a lock on those skills until we take classes or read a book - here are not existing classes.
    No shops, no community buildings, no city hall, no work buildings, no hospital, only the tripled museums and gyms.
    Meals you buy on your fridge, books you buy on your bookcase, pregnancy is resolved on the toilet.
    Money is taking on the easel for each painting attempt, coffee machine takes money from the Sim and bar does - the floating money effect goes on everything and it annoys - other Sim games didn't that way. Huge bills which come only if you travel with your Sim to other lots, if you don't travel almost never comes any bill. The bill is snapped inside your mailbox, the mailman doesn't come, even if some Sims are working as mailman. The bill usually is snapped inside when you travel from CAS or into CAS or if you visit lots in the city. There is no newspaper and time scaling in weekdays doesn't work proper. Maid doesn't work right and doesn't come when you make a call. All other NPC were removed in this game (fireman, police, gardener, repairman). No repairman is in this game. Things break frequently, your Sim is enforced to do handiness each save game. No right money making or earning in this game exists for your Sim only painting is still profitable even after being downgraded already few times. Patches and updates don't bring fixes for this game - there are only downgrades, new bugs, new annoyances and trait downgrades or things being worsened or being removed from the game even. The graphic was downgraded with patches and more gaps were added to the Sims. Game crashes often or freezes on loading.    … Expand
  2. AriseAndBe
    Aug 6, 2015
    3
    This game went into directions that I didn't want it to go. Where I wanted more realistic graphics I was given a more cartoony, sillier style. I wanted a bigger world with the capacity to have more Sims so that it seemed like more of a real town. Instead the world actually got smaller and devolved into Sims 2 broken up lots which completely destroyed the town/world like atmosphere thatThis game went into directions that I didn't want it to go. Where I wanted more realistic graphics I was given a more cartoony, sillier style. I wanted a bigger world with the capacity to have more Sims so that it seemed like more of a real town. Instead the world actually got smaller and devolved into Sims 2 broken up lots which completely destroyed the town/world like atmosphere that was in the Sims 3. I was hoping for more character customization which was also decreased in the Sims 4 with the only improvement being the diverse body molder which enabled you to create sims with more diverse body shapes (although this was also achieved in the Sims 3 through mods).
    Pretty much everything that I wanted out of the Sims 4 went instead in the opposite direction. But the new paintings were nice and the emotions at least allowed the game to evolve in one aspect.    … Expand
  3. Namaste6
    Oct 6, 2015
    6
    Not the best game from the Sims group. Obviously, for those who have been playing the Sims since day one, this was a necessity to the collection. Sadly, I sometimes find myself playing Sims 3 just to avoid the issues with Sims 4
  4. Jackier
    Nov 6, 2015
    1
    The game crashes so much it has become unplayable!!! How about instead of coming out with more expansion packs EA focuses on fixing this recurring issue! No matter how many times I call customer support I have had no luck in fixing the issue. To top it off I received an error message the other day and then all of my saved files somehow got deleted and I lost two weeks of playing time.
  5. Larrynautik
    Aug 4, 2019
    0
    The game became so buggued now that it's absolutely implayable. Example amongt a ton of others : if a kid has a toy in his hand or in his inventory, and you try to make him take a bath, he will start the interaction, and cancel it before ending it.... because the toy just bugs the action.

    The developper has reached a stratospheric level of amateurism about bugs issues. This bug is known    The game became so buggued now that it's absolutely implayable. Example amongt a ton of others : if a kid has a toy in his hand or in his inventory, and you try to make him take a bath, he will start the interaction, and cancel it before ending it.... because the toy just bugs the action.

    The developper has reached a stratospheric level of amateurism about bugs issues. This bug is known by them since 2 years, and nothing is done.    … Expand
  6. TheLadyLace
    Jan 8, 2016
    5
    I see a lot of negativity for this game, and truth is I'm also a little bit disappointed. True, there are some good aspects. More emotions. More job opportunity... a more human approach to it, in a way. Now I am an avid user of all things Sims. From Sims 2 all the way to this one. Along with many, many, many expansion packs and stuff packs I have purchased over the course of many years. InI see a lot of negativity for this game, and truth is I'm also a little bit disappointed. True, there are some good aspects. More emotions. More job opportunity... a more human approach to it, in a way. Now I am an avid user of all things Sims. From Sims 2 all the way to this one. Along with many, many, many expansion packs and stuff packs I have purchased over the course of many years. In a lot of ways Sims 4 is akin to Sims 2, normally there'd be nothing wrong with going back to the roots, but in this case I didn't expect them to take away everything from the game that made the Sims 3 so incredible. It disappointed me in the worst way. There was... so much they could have done for the Sims 4 that would have made it far surpass its predecessors. Instead, it chose to ignore all the great things of 3 and simply went back to a new, better version of 2. If the Sims 4 had the flexibility in design, in everything, that the 3 does... they would have had an extreme bestseller on their hands. When 4 was first introduced I was soooo excited. I was excited for the new graphics, for the more humanization of the Sims; I was thrilled. And then I got the game as a gift and couldn't wait to play it. I think the new owners of this game unintentionally set themselves up for failure, and it breaks my heart a little bit because I hold this game so near and dear. If they had combined Sims 3 with 4... well I think this game could have been brought up to #1. Perhaps Sims 5 (if there is one) will hold up to my high standards that I hold for this game, simply because I am and always shall be a Simmer. Maybe an expansion pack would solve all the problems I have. It probably would, if the game-makers ever decided to make one like that.… Expand
  7. Ranch
    Dec 29, 2016
    3
    I played the demo, but didn't really see it as the next squeal. It was fun because it was like the sims 3, but with nicer customization and more realistic tech. Something really pissed me off the didn't even add all the crap the made in the third game from the dlcs and started back to the bases from the third game. I thought man this a great game and i thought how are they gonna top it.I played the demo, but didn't really see it as the next squeal. It was fun because it was like the sims 3, but with nicer customization and more realistic tech. Something really pissed me off the didn't even add all the crap the made in the third game from the dlcs and started back to the bases from the third game. I thought man this a great game and i thought how are they gonna top it. welp the didn't even bother and were like meh lets recycle the last one no one will notice. EA can go **** themselves… Expand
  8. VMuraviev
    Mar 3, 2018
    1
    It is unbelievable that you have to pay £30 and then after a few hours it crashes. And no I don't have a bad computer (£2550 in fact). I mostly agree with the other reviews saying that the only good things are 'make a sim' and house builder.
  9. Buseto_Kaiba
    Aug 14, 2018
    3
    The worst The Sims game ever, at least at my opinion, without the free roaming that you already have on the others games, and without many things, like cars. for me, this game is ridiculous, and btw it's fully of loadings.
  10. Bbplayer
    Jun 22, 2019
    6
    Pros: Worked out multi-tasking very well. Added a good amount of cool skills and social interactions, fixed loading times that the sims 3 was known for. Sims actually go to community events when you are there. Much better create a sim with sliders. First person Camera

    Cons: Got rid of the free-roam world, made the cites much smaller, Butlers are an added feature, No Fire fighters for    Pros: Worked out multi-tasking very well. Added a good amount of cool skills and social interactions, fixed loading times that the sims 3 was known for. Sims actually go to community events when you are there. Much better create a sim with sliders. First person Camera

    Cons: Got rid of the free-roam world, made the cites much smaller, Butlers are an added feature, No Fire fighters for some weird reason, No Cars or driving.

    Overall it is a big step down from The Sims 3.    … Expand
  11. Roosa
    Mar 28, 2021
    1
    After playing the sims franchise since 2007 and having been playing the sims 4 on and off since 2014 when it first released. The sims 4 even after all these years feels lacking to it predecessors. Completely unplayable for me now. If you want to play a life simulation game I'd say you're better off with the sims 2 or 3.
  12. huntershaw111
    May 23, 2019
    2
    Customers: "Oh hey look a new Sims game, what do you have for us this time?"
    EA: "Build your Sim family! Build your Sim family house! Uhhh...buy the rest of the game through DLC!"
    Most of Customers: "Wait what? Hold on, where's the rest of it?" EA did NOT go easy on the expansions. Expansions are supposed to expand currently complete games, not complete unfulfilling incomplete    Customers: "Oh hey look a new Sims game, what do you have for us this time?"
    EA: "Build your Sim family! Build your Sim family house! Uhhh...buy the rest of the game through DLC!"
    Most of Customers: "Wait what? Hold on, where's the rest of it?"

    EA did NOT go easy on the expansions. Expansions are supposed to expand currently complete games, not complete unfulfilling incomplete messes. Examples:
    -Weather and Seasons are their own Expansion
    -Events for hosting parties are an expansion
    -Family Pets are an Expansion
    -Interactions for Jobs/Careers are an Expansion
    -THE CITY FOR THE CITY WORLD IS AN EXPANSION
    -An expansion for house objects (yeah that's right, we took out half the available items)
    -Restaurants and Night Clubs are separate expansions

    -Current Cost for the full game: est. $520
    -Honestly there is no fixing this void of content unless about a third to half the "DLC" are given to you through free giveaway events.    … Expand
  13. Jppf08
    Jul 3, 2019
    0
    This is truly the worst Sims game ever created by EA. They are destroying Will Wright's legacy in my opinion. The gameplay is extremely superficial and shallow. The Sims, originally a fun, witty and detailed life SIMULATOR, is nothing more than a doll house where the simulation aspect only happens in your imagination.
  14. Joe2126
    Jan 22, 2020
    0
    Oh boy, EA ruining another Maxis game here we go again. Now I know it is rather late to be expressing my concerns with the series after this game's release 5-6 years ago but I just want to talk about how this series has gone terribly wrong ever since EA introduced the fourth instalment.

    This game is the prime reason as to why fans are losing faith in the developers because they feel the    Oh boy, EA ruining another Maxis game here we go again. Now I know it is rather late to be expressing my concerns with the series after this game's release 5-6 years ago but I just want to talk about how this series has gone terribly wrong ever since EA introduced the fourth instalment.

    This game is the prime reason as to why fans are losing faith in the developers because they feel the need to turn the product into a cash cow. Some how this has succeeded but it isn't because of EA but it's because EA is now involved in very dodgy influencer marketing. As a marketing student, while EA is doing an amazing job at inflating profits by doing so, the problem is that in the end they will have no source of credibility or a positive reputation to continue the series after this instalment. I'm always keeping up to date with what they do with the sims 4 because it is a marketing lesson but it seems that to have any source of fun with this game you need to purchase a few of the many expansion packs on offer (32 of them). To get this game with all the expansions you'd be paying over £400, how generous! and what's criminal about what they've done is that this DLC only adds very little to the game. With other games, DLC will usually add a whole new plot or chunk to the game but not with the sims 4 because pets and a weather system has to be separate.

    Now why are people throwing money at EA when they know this is a ludicrous money making scheme? it's because of the marketing. It has nothing to do with EA being EA. YouTubers are promoting this game the same way Ninja promotes Fortnite only difference being is that Epic's Fortnite is FREE and probably offers more fun to a consumer when comparing it to the sims 4. YouTuber's who promote the sims 4 get all the expansions from EA for free because they know that these opinion leaders will encourage their followers to buy the game and that's what it all boils down to. Then, because of the strength of these opinion leaders, their followers will anticipate the next money grabbing DLC that EA throws out to them because the opinion leaders are going to make a radical cool video expressing how excited they are for all the new features that their audience has to pay for while they get it for free.

    Even when YouTuber's criticise EA's money making schemes, the opinion leaders will of course, defend EA the same way that politicians defend companies involved in bad schemes.

    It is clear now that EA Is ruining the sims as a series and its gotten so bad that people are still playing the sims 3 and 2 even though they are no longer supported. They aren't ruining it through "forgetting to add Toddlers at base game", they are ruining it by being extremely greedy and somehow their marketing works. But if they make a next sims game, it will not make as many profits due to the amount of DLC available for this game and that fans will go into an uproar of buying the same old DLC all over again.    … Expand
  15. Danil_L
    Nov 13, 2021
    0
    неа , не, НЕТ! не куплю это барахло, эго тупо создали чтоб доить деньжищи.
  16. AlexeySoltan
    Mar 18, 2022
    6
    too frequent and long loadings, less variability then in previous parts, too much of donation
  17. Smtm1819
    Dec 27, 2019
    0
    I've had all 4 games and this is the worst. Dont like the controls at all. Also i absolutely adored being able to customize everything in the other game but u cant do that here its horrible. Fortunately I still have the sims 3 so I've been playing that instead. Love that game.
  18. Tasknyldz
    Jan 16, 2020
    0
    The sims 3 better than the sims 4! Where is the open world ? Every time ı see, wait screen ! That's crap!
  19. Marcusshsp
    Jun 24, 2020
    0
    A EA simplesmente lança o jogo incompleto e e vai lançando DLCs com o preço de um jogo completo. Se eles quisessem lançar as expansões de forma justa, cobrariam muito mais barato
  20. Hunterblaster
    Mar 19, 2020
    2
    It is a good building simulator. However, The Sims title has always been known as a life simulator, and I can't call it The Sims 4. Traits for your characters do not affect gameplay in any way - they change your emotions from time to time by adding so-called buffs and that is it. Story progression is not a thing either - it was there in The Sims 3, for instance (your neighbours could getIt is a good building simulator. However, The Sims title has always been known as a life simulator, and I can't call it The Sims 4. Traits for your characters do not affect gameplay in any way - they change your emotions from time to time by adding so-called buffs and that is it. Story progression is not a thing either - it was there in The Sims 3, for instance (your neighbours could get married, adopt children, etc). Do not buy the game unless you are into architecture and building only.… Expand
  21. fridge24
    Apr 13, 2020
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Never wrote any reviews but after that i had seen ohh God, I have to write it. I was playing in The Sims 3 I gotten a lot of awesome feelings!This is Game is the best all of the entire line of games The Sims.So what I see here...1)Very small maps of worlds2)Inability to edit them3)Closed world4)Grafics for five years old children, everything is artificial not natural5)Plasticine faces6)Fake of objects and etc. You back to 2004?Cmon we are in the future we have more resources and brains for **** amazing Video Games!What happened to you EA Games? Its pity.… Expand
  22. Eldoreth
    Apr 23, 2021
    0
    An embarrassment and a shame. Inferior in almost every way to two previous generations of the game.
  23. liebenmin
    May 15, 2020
    0
    The developing team clearly cares only about the profit, not the content they are providing for a quite solid price. This lack of love and passion for their product is showing in everything: lackluster DLCs and an absence of details make a sloppy game overall.

    Do not buy this game.
  24. LadyViper_23
    Jun 22, 2020
    6
    First of all I have to say that i am a big fan of The Sims' saga. I played all of them with all of the dlc and I really play most to create Sims and World (houses, lots), so I'm generally less interested by the "life" part. If I have to judge only the BASE game i cannot say that i wasn't disappointed. We have no pool, no basement, no cars, no open world, no free lots' positioning, noFirst of all I have to say that i am a big fan of The Sims' saga. I played all of them with all of the dlc and I really play most to create Sims and World (houses, lots), so I'm generally less interested by the "life" part. If I have to judge only the BASE game i cannot say that i wasn't disappointed. We have no pool, no basement, no cars, no open world, no free lots' positioning, no TODDLERS and NO COLOR WHEEL. It was a big step back from TS3. Yes, now with all the patch and expansions we have some of that but it's really not enought if we compare it to the 3rd chapter or even the 2nd. I like the CAS, expecially the direct mouse manipulation and there are some big improvement with the build mode. For these reason and also because I like the new graphic I continued play The Sims 4 instead to go back to TS3. But even now with same good packs and dlc I miss these things expecially the color whell because, (I don't know why, maybe just to troll us players), EA can't put colors consistent with each other. For a build/buy enthusiastic like me this is really, really, annoyng. What's the point of put a bed in wood color that doesn't match with the bedside table? It's a mistery. Anyway I resigned myself to play with what we have and I try to see also the improvement and make the most of it. But I cannot say that TH4 was not a big missed opportunity to make a great game (with all the good aspects of TS2 and TS3 combined).… Expand
  25. Piotr_R
    Jun 20, 2020
    0
    You can't officially change the language of the game. The game publisher assumes you only ever speak one language and want to play your games in one language only. The steam version doesn't seem to have a similar issue so if you want to pay a second time for a mediocre experience that's one way out of this impas.
  26. Demodestroier
    Aug 11, 2020
    5
    Fun game but it’s almost forcing you to buy the dlc that comes out in total as £400
  27. fordfan8800
    Apr 11, 2021
    0
    a good idea but horribly executed, likely i got mine through gamepass ultimate through EA desktop but the interface is completely and totally complicated. just trying to build a basement was like trying to control a nuclear reactor and requires you to watch a video on youtube about how to build a basement. it should work like this:
    1. set a room as a staircase for the basement
    2. build    a good idea but horribly executed, likely i got mine through gamepass ultimate through EA desktop but the interface is completely and totally complicated. just trying to build a basement was like trying to control a nuclear reactor and requires you to watch a video on youtube about how to build a basement. it should work like this:
    1. set a room as a staircase for the basement
    2. build the basement, following the floorplan to the staircase room
    3. put what you want into the basement

    the video didn't even help, it just confused me even more.

    likewise the sim's are basically robots. they don't do what they need to, surely if they need to go to the toilet or have some food they could do it themselves instead of me sending them a command. what's this i hear about "autonomy" and how the sims can run themselves, sometimes they will do things on their own, such as sleep... on the couch. despite there being a bed.

    i really wanted to like the sims. it would seem like my kind of game, a game where you didn't need to do much aside from upgrade the house and send commands to do more complicated things such as deciding what they will eat so when i tried it i only played a few hours before giving up.    … Expand
  28. kayrakaanonline
    Aug 17, 2020
    5
    Vanilla Sims 4 had nothing. No toddlers, no pools, just nothing. Also no open world and No cars. It was a bad, buggy and boring game.
  29. Colonial
    Nov 2, 2020
    1
    dearest sim community, my girlfriend & I would like to express our extreme dissatisfaction at the **** tier door selection in this subpar game
    thank you,
    peaches & cream
  30. Mikey252
    Sep 23, 2020
    2
    Unnecessary amount of updates. The Sims is only a game I play intermittently and only for an hour or two at a time. Every single time I want to play I have to wait. Sometimes it's just not worth it and I end up going months without playing.
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
7
#7 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 75 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 42 out of 75
  3. Negative: 2 out of 75
  1. Cubed3
    Jul 23, 2020
    60
    While an enjoyable title that has been polished up and seems generally very modern, it cannot be expected that The Sims 4 is not going to be compared to The Sims 3. In this respect, it seems that while the game took a few steps forwards, it also took a few steps backwards by abandoning features that were very helpful and appreciated in the previous versions. It does have new features that people have been waiting for, such as emotions and more personality for the Sims. As for now, for some players it may not quite be worth to abandon The Sims 3 for it, but for new players looking for a first experience with the franchise, they may have an easier time navigating than former The Sims 3 players. People that have previously enjoyed the latter may be disappointed by the menus (Sim creation, building, or navigating town), as they have been so massively oversimplified that they are now actually confusing.
    Read full review
  2. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 25, 2014
    80
    The Sims 4 is once again a new beginning. Needs more content and soon, please. [Oct 2014]
  3. CD-Action
    Oct 24, 2014
    40
    The Sims 4 is just a foundation of a game. How would you react if you bought a new Elder Scrolls game and realized that half of the cities are unavailable (because TES6: World Adventures is around the corner), there are only 4 weapons (TES6: Accessories), you can’t ride horses (TES6: Pets), there are only 12 quests (TES6: Careers), 2 guilds (TES6: Friends) and 3 spells (TES6: Supernatural)? [Nov 2014, p.50]
See all critic reviews »