Last updated: 23 August 2026

Is The Sims 4 Actually Free?

Short answer: yes, and it's not a limited trial or a scam link — EA made the base game permanently free in October 2022. The confusing part is what "free" covers, since The Sims 4 still sells dozens of paid expansions. This guide breaks down exactly what you get for free, what still costs money, and how to install it on your platform without falling for a fake "free with all DLC" site.

01Yes, The Sims 4 Base Game Is Free

EA made The Sims 4 base game free to download for all players starting October 18, 2022. It is not a limited-time trial, a demo, or a free weekend — the base game stays free permanently, on PC via the EA app or Steam, on Mac via the EA app, and on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One.

You do not need an EA Play subscription to get it. Just create a free EA account, install the game through your platform's store (EA app, Steam, PlayStation Store, or Microsoft Store), and download The Sims 4 like any other free game.

02What's Actually Included for Free

The free base game is the full core experience, not a stripped-down version:

• Create A Sim (CAS): the complete character creator, including all base-game hairstyles, clothing, and body customization.
• Build Mode: the full house-building and lot-editing toolset.
• Live Mode: raising Sims through their life stages, base-game careers, skills, relationships, and aspirations.
• All base-game worlds that shipped with the original 2014 release, such as Willow Creek and Oasis Springs.
• Every base-game patch and free update EA has released since — the free version and a version bought before 2022 receive the same ongoing patches.

Nothing was removed or paywalled from the base game to make it free. If you owned The Sims 4 before October 2022, your save files, installed content, and any packs you'd bought carried over exactly as they were.

03What Still Costs Money

Going free only applies to the base game. The Sims 4's expansion content structure is unchanged, and packs are sold individually:

• Expansion Packs (the biggest, most expensive tier — new worlds and systems like Get to Work, Cottage Living, or Lovestruck).
• Game Packs (mid-size, a focused new activity or world, like Vampires or StrangerVille).
• Stuff Packs (smaller cosmetic/object bundles).
• Kits (the smallest paid bundles, usually a handful of build or CAS items around one theme).

For a full breakdown of which expansions are worth buying first, see our best Sims 4 expansion packs guide.

04What Existing Players Got When It Went Free

If you'd already paid for the base game before October 2022, EA didn't refund the purchase — but it also didn't take anything away. As a thank-you, EA gave existing players a free Desert Luxe Kit during a short window before the free-to-play switch.

EA Play and EA Play Pro subscribers also received upgraded starter bundles at the same time: the EA Play Edition included the Get to Work Expansion Pack, and the EA Play Pro Edition included both Get to Work and the Toddler Stuff Pack, on top of the now-free base game.

05How to Download It Safely

Only get The Sims 4 through an official storefront — EA app, Steam, PlayStation Store, or Microsoft Store. Because the base game is genuinely free, there's no legitimate reason to use a third-party "free download" site, and sites advertising a free copy "with all DLC unlocked" are piracy or malware, not a real offer from EA.

1. Create or sign in to a free EA account.
2. Open the EA app (PC/Mac), Steam, PlayStation Store, or Microsoft Store and search for "The Sims 4."
3. Select the base game listing — it should show as Free — and install.
4. Any expansion, game, stuff pack, or kit you want beyond that is purchased and added separately.