The Sims 4 Paid Packs Will Be More Aggressively Advertised In-Game

The Sims 4‘s latest update dropped this week ahead of the launch of a new Stuff Pack, and players aren’t happy about one of the new features added. A new “packs you may like” icon has been added to the top of the UI, encouraging players to buy expansion packs directly in game.

The new icon is in a prominent position in the game’s UI, next to the icons for navigating between Build Mode, Manage Worlds, and the Gallery. Labelled “packs you may like” on hover, the new feature suggests a selection of packs available for purchase, allowing you to buy them directly from live gameplay, instead of having to exit to the main menu.

In my game, the menu showed a selection of four packs I don’t already own, including both major Expansion Packs and smaller Stuff Packs. Purchasing any packs other than those recommended still requires navigating to the main menu.

“This cart emblazoned button has many uses ranging from sharing pack offers and sales information to recommending packs you might be interested in,” the official patch notes say of the new button. “All accessible without leaving the comfort of your Sims’ homes.” The new addition hasn’t been popular with Sims fans after it was picked up by Sims Community on X (formerly Twitter), with players anticipating the release of mods that’ll hide or remove the button.

The Sims 4 originally released in 2014, and has since added 27 major packs, as well as multiple smaller Stuff Packs and Kits. The game went free-to-play as of October 2022, meaning pack sales are now The Sims’ sole source of monetization.

EA is currently working on the next main Sims game, codenamed Project Rene, which has been confirmed will be free-to-play from launch.