Are Sims 4 Kits worth buying when Custom Content exists for free?

5 days ago 2

In the world of life sim gaming, The Sims has always been a behemoth. As of last May, The Sims 4 has been played by over 81 million people, benefiting hugely from going free-to-play in 2022. However, free-to-play does not always mean free, and The Sims 4 is the perfect example of that fact.

Yes, the base game and all of its content are free, but that’s where it ends. EA is constantly releasing new monetized packs, kits, and expansions. At the time of writing, there are:

17 expansion packs, costing $39.99 each
12 game packs, costing $19.99 each
20 stuff packs, costing $9.99 each
36 kits, costing $4.99 each

While purchasing each new kit or pack that comes out might seem like a small amount, if you were to purchase all of the additional content in one splurge, you’d be parting with $1,299.15. That’s a hell of a lot for a “free” game.

But is it necessary? Sadly, if you’re playing on anything other than a PC or Mac, then the answer is yes. Console players are at the mercy of EA if they want to add additional items to their game, something which the developer itself has acknowledged, thanks to the newest “Creator Kits” that are designed in collaboration with notable Custom Content (CC) creators.

CC is nothing new; it’s been around for years, and talented designers have given PC and Mac players a hoard of items that can be added to the game with relatively little effort and without parting with any money whatsoever. Even the creators who release their creations behind a paywall such as Patreon or Kofi usually release them to the masses after a fixed exclusivity period.

It’s not hard to find, either. A quick Google search for “Sims 4 Custom Content” will bring up endless links to Tumblr pages listing a massive amount of CC ready to be downloaded and added to your game. There are entire websites, such as The Sims Resource, entirely dedicated to collating CC and providing easy access for players to download. It’s easy, and most importantly, it’s free, which is only beneficial in a cost-of-living crisis.

You could argue that all of these kits or expansions are optional, but there’s a degree of FOMO when it comes to The Sims 4 community. There’s a huge section of YouTube dedicated to speed builds, and the majority of the creators are given access to new packs for free in an aim to show it off and advertise it for those not lucky enough to be sponsored by EA. Even some challenges require certain packs to complete.

Watching these creators build stunning designs using items locked behind optional packs drives sales, and the FOMO is real. Of course, there are some things that CC just can’t provide, such as new features and worlds, but Custom Content offers close, if not identical, matches to many of the items offered in packs.

It’s not as if you’re sacrificing style if you choose this route. CC creators spend a long time perfecting their styles, and many choose to create “Maxis Match” items (those that can blend seamlessly with the “official” Sims 4 items) to be downloaded and enjoyed by PC players. Of course some creators design more realistic items as well, so the possibilities are endless.

You can create incredibly detailed rooms using CC, tailored to not only your Sim’s style but yours as well. It’s not limited to Build or Buy Mode items either. There’s heaps of Create a Sim content, including everything from body hair and skin details to stunning designer gowns and even recreations of real-life clothing items and shoes.

Even if you spend money on CC and support creators through Patreon or Kofi, it inevitably ends up being cheaper than buying an actual expansion or game pack. Creators have released entire CC packs, filled with more items than EA would ever put into one of their own , with more color choices and fewer restrictions.

The only thing that CC creators can’t do is give you more worlds to play in. Some mods allow it to a degree, but it’s not something that has been tapped into just yet, at least not that I’ve seen. Either way, it’s hard to argue against using CC if you can do so, given the amount of money you’ll be saving.

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