The Sims 4: Seasonswas released on June 03, 2025, making it the fifth expansion pack in the belovedThe Sims 4franchise. This expansion pack brought with it a variety of new content, including new activities, holidays, weather and seasonal effects, careers, and more. With the addition of this new content,The Sims 4: Seasonsbrought even more immersion to the game by allowing players to experience the changing seasons.
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Compared to many other expansion packs, this expansion pack is one of the most straightforward in the series, with its predecessors,The Sims 2: SeasonsandThe Sims 3: Seasons, using the simple and straightforward name in all iterations of the franchise. At first glance, this expansion pack may not appear to bring many new features. However, it greatly enhances the game’s immersion and realism. Participating in in-game holidays can bring a virtual version of the real-world festivities to life, offering a unique and enjoyable experience. For some players, Seasons is one ofthe best expansions, as it brings features not found in other packs that can be experienced every day of a Sim’s life.
Sources for this article and its images includeEA.comandSimsCommunity.com.
Everything New In A Nutshell
Seasons And Weather
The most impressive feature of this expansion is undoubtedly the season and weather effects. While this pack doesn’t add any new worlds, every world can now be enabled for seasonal changes and weather effects, and the immersion level is quite remarkable. Depending on the world, some areas may experience different weather or seasons than others - for example, some worlds may never experience temperatures low enough to snow, while others might have milder summers. In general, the four seasons of spring, summer, fall and winter provide an immersive experience to players with realistic weather experiences such as hot temperatures and potentially heatwaves during summer, snowfalls and freezing temperatures during winter, rainfalls, and temperatures ranging from cold to warm in the transitional seasons of spring and fall. These seasons also offer a variety of unique activities exclusive to each season, such as festive events, outdoor activities and more for Sim’s to enjoy.
Temperature plays an important role inThe Sims 4 Seasons. To help Sims prepare for the day ahead, they can check the weather for the day in two ways. They can either check the weather channel or more conveniently, simply hover the mouse over the temperature and weather interface located at the bottom of the screen. This will provide them with an instant update on the current weather conditions, allowing them to plan accordingly. Additionally, the calendar in the lower left corner will give an outlook for the upcoming seven days. Players should note that extreme temperatures can be dangerous for Sims, leading to potential overheating or freezing which can lead to death.
To prevent the discomfort of extreme temperatures, Sims should dress according to the weather and make use of their thermostats to regulate the temperature inside their homes to warm up or cool down based on the season. Luckily, one of the objects brought with the pack is a weather machine, which allows Sims to control the weather for the day, which can be used to create convenience for the Sims to not fight against the otherwise expected harsh weather occasions, but of course, also for chaotic purposes if players want to create unexpected events such as a blizzard in summer.
Calendar
The Calendar was an exclusive feature to Seasons until the release of patch 115, which coincided with the launch of theCottage Livingexpansion pack. This update brought the calendar to the base game, and included some useful features such as the ability to favorite, sort, and view events, festivals, and holidays. In general, it provides a new user interface for Sims besides the phone icon in live mode andthe calendar is relatively simple to use.
This is a very welcome addition as it is much more convenient to use as an interface rather than having to interact with an object for the Sims. As the name implies, Calendar is perfect for tracking upcoming events such as weather forecasts, birthdays, holidays, and even events created by the Sims. Players can also customize and edit holidays and events directly on this UI, allowing them to add custom holidays or any other events, delete or edit them, or move them around. Furthermore, players can also keep track of other activities such as festivals if they own the respective packs, and work and school schedules.
Holidays
Holidays in The Sims 4: Seasons are incredibly customizable and incredibly enjoyable additions to Sims' day-to-day lives. Every year, the same holidays repeat in each world and come with their own set of traditions that give them a unique flavor. Sims can celebrate Love Day for Spring, which is akin to Valentine’s Day, Harvest Day for Fall, which is reminiscent of Thanksgiving, and Winterfest and New Year’s Eve for winter, which are respectively comparable to Christmas and New Year’s Eve. The traditions associated with these pre-made events are reflective of those celebrated in real life, allowing Sims to truly immerse themselves in the holiday spirit. Aside from Love Day, these holidays also give a day off for schools and jobs.
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Furthermore, there are also surprise holidays which are like mini-events that are not as significant as the pre-made season events but are still worth celebrating. These holidays are not season dependent and will typically appear on the calendar a few days before the event. Just like the seasonal events, these surprise holidays also come with their own set of traditions and activities but are usually easier to complete. Some examples of these holidays include Talk Like a Pirate Day, The Lottery, Prank Day, and TV Season Premiere. In general, holidays start at 6:00 am and end at 2:00 am of the following day. Once the holiday is over, Sims will get either a good or a bad moodlet depending on how many traditions they fulfilled, and also Aspiration Points if they were successful in completing all or most of the traditions. This applies to every kind of holiday, including custom-made ones.
Traditions are an integral part of holidays, and come in many shapes and sizes. Bigger holidays typically have up to five unique traditions, such as a grand meal, countdown to midnight, appreciation, giving flowers, and decorating. Smaller holidays may only have one simpler task. Decorating the home is a beloved tradition for seasonal holidays, and the Build/Buy menu offers an array of decorations to suit the theme of the event. Moreover, each holiday has its own unique holiday theme that households can use to decorate the exterior of their homes; and this can be accessed by the Attic Shack Decoration Box which provides all the necessary materials for trims, lights and more. Additionally, when a holiday begins, the neighboring houses will be automatically decorated with festive decorations, making the celebrations more immersive and aesthetically pleasing.
The themes include Love Day, Harvestfest, Winterfest, New Year’s Eve, as well as additional themes such as Spring and Spooky for players who are interested increating other seasonal events such as Easteror Halloween. This is entirely possible since there are traditions included for such events, such as egg hunts, or playing trick or treat in the event customization menu. Furthermore, some events will also spawn new NPCs such as the Father Winter, which is the Santa of the Sims 4 franchise, as well as the Flower Bunny if players create an event that involves interacting with this NPC.
Gardener Career
The Sims 4 Seasons finally brings a gardening-related career, allowing Sims tomake money from the skillbeyond simply harvesting and selling produce. Similar to careers previously introduced byCity Living, this career even enables players to work from home, though it is not as interactive or demanding as those introduced previously. The Gardener Career branches out at level 5 and Sims can choose to be a Botanist or a Florist. The Botanist career mostly requires Gardening and Logic skills for promotion requirements. Daily tasks for this career tend to be quite mundane, usually consisting of collecting harvestable. Therefore, this career is perfect for those who wish to work from home and provides a nice income if the focus is put into it. Players should be aware, however, that seasons affect most of the harvestable, meaning that players won’t be able to harvest every type of plant or tree in each season. To counter this, players who wish to pursue this branch should focus on planting many different kinds of plants that align with different seasons, as well as planting them in an indoor pot or greenhouse to minimize the effects of some weather conditions.
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The Florist branch focuses on creating beautiful floral arrangements that can sell for a decent price, similar to a painting. Promotion requirements for this branch include gardening and the newly introduced Flower Arrangement skill. This branch is quite similar to the Botanist branch, but the daily task is crafting flower arrangements instead. This branch could be a more suitable option for Sims that are not interested in maintaining a garden. Furthermore, it could work well with the Retail stores fromGet to Work, as players would be able to create a flower shop. This pack is well integrated with the base game and other packs, as it aligns very well with many aspects of the game.
Scout Career
While it’s considered a career due to the similarities in how it functions, scouting is actually an after-school activity and was the first one to be introduced inThe Sims 4. It is available for child and teen Sims, and they can simply choose to become a scout via their phone menu. Players should note that all after-school activities are unpaid, and teens can’t join an after-school activity and have a part-time job. Scouting can provide a great opportunity for child and teen Sims to explore new experiences, develop their skills, and form meaningful relationships. Furthermore, if Sims reach the top of this career, they will be rewarded with the Scouting Aptitude Reward Trait, which will increase their skill gains by a whopping 25% for life. This trait can be used in conjunction with other reward traits or personality traits, making it an ideal choice for Sims that are looking to excel in all skills.
Scouting is quite similar to a mini career, and progressing through all five levels is relatively easy. All you need to do is check thescouting badge board daily, complete tasks and earn badges. These tasks involve performing positive interactions with others and by oneself. For instance, to get the Scholarly Aptitude badge, Sims will need to complete homework, and for the sociability badge, Sims will need to do friendly interactions with other Sims. Tracking progress and earning all the badges is relatively easy and quick, as performing daily activities will contribute to the badge progress. To reach the maximum level, Sims need to obtain all nine badges, so they should pay attention to what activities they still need to complete in order to achieve this.
Flower Arranging Skill
Flower arrangement has made a comeback inThe Sims 4, having previously been a talent badge inThe Sims 2: Open for Business. Sims can now improve flower arranging skills and build beautiful floral displays which can be used as decor items with emotional moodlets, sold, or gifted. This skill is learned by arranging flowers using the Flower Arranging Table introduced with the pack. Interestingly, players can also build this skill without owning the pack, by trimming the bonsai tree.
However, they won’t be able to benefit from some of the useful perks this skill provides with a normal flower arrangement. Moreover, since death flowers are one of the flowers Sims can use to scent the arrangement, it can be an interesting method to age up Sims or even kill them, since if it is gifted, the receiver will age up once they open the gift. Furthermore, players who ownThe Sims 4: My WeddingStories can also craft wedding bouquets.
Skating Skill
Skating is a new activity introduced in the Seasons, and it comes with a hidden skill that consists of five levels. Unlike most other skills, players won’t be able to see it in the skill list or know what level their Sim has achieved. To determine the level of the skill, players should check the animations of the Sim to get an idea.
Sims can gain this skill by using the Rinks (normal or ice rinks) available in certain worlds, or they can purchase one for their own lot if they have enough space. Skating will not only increase the Sim’s Skating and Fitness skills, but it will also fill their fun need and also social need if they skate together with another Sim, making it a great activity to enjoy in any season.
New Aspiration Reward Traits
By completing Whims, fulfilling Aspiration tasks and successfully participating in Holidays, Sims can earn Satisfaction points, which can later be spent on various rewards in the Rewards Store.The Rewards Store provides a range of items from potions to powerful Reward Traits, which can significantly enhance the Sims' experience. With the addition of The Seasons Expansion Pack, 6 new Reward Traits have been added to the Reward Store: Heat Acclimation, Cold Acclimation, Iceproof, Heatproof, Waterproof and Storm Chaser. These essential traits allow Sims to better cope with the adverse effects of each season, so they can enjoy any weather occasion with greater ease.
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In general, the Heatproof and Iceproof traits are stronger versions of the Heat Acclimation and Cold Acclimation traits, which give them immunity against heat or cold, opposing to being less affected by extreme temperatures otherwise. Though they cost more Satisfaction Points than the weaker versions, they are worth investing in - especially since two ofthe new death typesadded in Seasons are freezing to death or death by heatstroke. Further, Waterproof Sims are not affected by rain, meaning they won’t experience any adverse moodlets from getting wet and won’t need to carry an umbrella, while Storm Chaser Sims will enjoy thunderstorms or other rough weather events instead of being negatively affected.
New CAS And Build/Buy Items
The Sims 4 Seasonsbrings over 180 CAS items for Sims of all ages and genders to enjoy. These items focus on seasonal themes, with outfits for various holidays and outerwear to help protect Sims from the changing temperatures. The Seasons pack introduces two new outerwear categories - Hot Weather and Cold Weather - toThe Sims 4. When summer rolls around, Sims will be wearing their hot weather outfits for the season, and in winter, they will change into cold weather clothing when heading outside.
The expansion also brings around 180 new items to Buy/Build mode, which is relatively less than many other expansion packs. Most of these items are focused on holidays and seasonal activities, such as wreaths, banners, garlands, holiday trees, and much more. This is a great addition to the game for those players who want to add festive touches to their homes and enjoy celebrating the holidays. There are also new objects such as a Beekeeper box, which can be used to tend to bees and collect honey.
The Sims 4is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S
