Businesses & Hobbies is the latest Expansion Pack to arrive for The Sims 4. In it, players are invited to visit Nordhaven, a newly-added town brimming with opportunity and artistic history. It allows you to create a small business to call your own, and even manage it from the comfort of your Sim’s home. There are also exciting ways to incorporate the two new hobbies, Tattooing and Pottery, into this new system.
No longer do you have to enjoy your businesses & hobbies alone: Sims can take part in Hobby Meetups and even mentor others via classes and lectures. Additionally, when your little private project turns from a small hobby into a profitable venture, you are able to hire employees: family, friends or strangers, to lessen the workload.
Overall, the idea is not exactly new, a similar concept had been pursued by one of the older expansion packs: Get to Work. In fact, Businesses & Hobbies feels like a faithful continuation rather than its own thing able to stand completely apart from its predecessor.
So what difference is there? Let’s check it out together.
First things first, The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies Expansion pack launches on March 6, 2025, for EA app, Epic Games Store and Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One systems. Pre-purchasing it before April 18th will additionally provide you with a number of in-game rewards. I had an opportunity to try a preview build of the Expansion Pack to share my thoughts.
The new world, Nordhaven, is a northern coastal city boasting its thriving, independent local businesses. Whether you are seeking to make a mark on it with your own profitable venture or simply dive into the welcoming atmosphere to practice your hobbies, there’s no better place to do it.
Whether you are purchasing a Small Business Lot to run your venue and hiring employees, or doing business from the comfort of your own residence (and designating the dedicated spots for your clients) by your lonesome, Nordhaven has something in store for you. What will you run? A tattoo parlor in your back room? A small pottery shop on the first floor, while your Sims’ private living quarters are on the second? Maybe a home gym? Or a thriving karaoke bar away from your main residence to avoid fist fights with disgruntled neighbors? The limit is your imagination… and the amount of The Sims content packs you own.
Create-a-Sim received a number of additions for future businessmen: a new Aspiration: Esteemed Entrepreneur, new tattoos, clothes, hairstyles, accessories, and more so your Sims’ looks and personalities can match the ideas you have for this new adventure.
Similarly, Build Mode is packed full of new items, both what you’d use for a thriving business or simply decorate your place with. Tattoo tables and trolleys, pottery wheels, whiteboards to hold lectures with, retail pedestals to sell your creations, and, of course, the Ticket Kiosk.
The Ticket Kiosk is undoubtedly the most important item when it comes to your new activity. Using this item you can open or close your business for the day, either attracting or making the customers leave, set prices and decide whether you are taking a one-time fee for entry or recurring hourly payments… if any at all. Perhaps you’d like to have an interest club of some kind instead? You can do that, too, by granting your customers a free attendance.
Once your business is registered, you can further customize it by outlining activities, lot assignments, and target customers. The same thing holds true when it comes to employees that you can have up to three of. You can manage their salaries and tasks, for example, picking up a naturally charismatic Sim to entertain your customers and hold lectures, while less people-oriented workers can help keep the place clean.
You can even design and assign feminine and masculine uniforms so that your business fits the vibe you have created down to the smallest details.
While employees can and will take care of the assigned tasks and greatly reduce your load of manual labor, some things are only up to you, such as the whole management aspect.
Ultimately, it is a single Sim, the small business owner, that holds the bulk of responsibilities and opportunities, and there are a number of actions that can be performed only by them. For example, opening and closing the business for the day, even if one (or more) of the employees is a family member under your control from the very same residential lot.
There are also new Business interactions: for your employees, you can criticize or praise their work, allow them to leave early or even fire them. Meanwhile, you can enthuse about repeated business with returning customers and even sway them to buy something. You can even offer private lessons that can make you some quick Simoleon!
Additionally, as you interact with your customers, develop traits and make certain choices, your business will undergo alignment changes. At the start, you have a Neutral business – but your decision might see you be regarded as a Dreamer or a Schemer instead, and that will change the town’s opinions on your practices.
There is a certain freedom available with having your own small business: if you find that you need to focus on your household, the Sims’ needs or skills, or simply want to take a break? No big deal, simply keep it closed for the day as you address more pressing matters. The employees show up automatically when the business opens for the day, so there are no additional steps to go about it!
The Sims 4: Businesses and Hobbies Expansion Pack is an extremely fun addition to The Sims 4. If you are someone who can spend dozens of hours perfecting your residence lot, working on your Sims’ skills and professions, this is the content expansion that will see endless hours added to your gameplay as you do the same all over again with your business.
The developers themselves have pointed out some small business opportunities for other crafty Simmers:
- Cats and Dogs Expansion Pack: Sims who love and adore their four legged friends can open pet cafés.
- Get Together Expansion Pack: Sims who are down to dance until the sun rises can create dance clubs and Sims who game until the wee hours of the morning can open arcades for like-minded gamers.
- City Living Expansion Pack – Sing your heart out in your favorite city at your very own karaoke bar fitted out with your favorite Simlish tunes.
- Get Famous Expansion Pack – Did someone say paparazzi? Open an acting school where you teach celebrities how to play the part!
- Spa Day Game Pack – Fancy a massage, facial or meditative yoga retreat? Say namaste to all the Sims who choose to relax with you at your spa!
- Laundry Day Stuff Pack – Scrub a dub dub in your very own tub! Collect Simoleons as Sims wash their clothes at your laundromat!
- Bowling Night Stuff Pack – Sims who are competitive can open their very own bowling alleys. Get a strike or a spare on a fun night out with friends.
This is just a short overview, you can find the full list of what other Expansions and Stuff Packs add when coupled with Businesses & Hobbies on the official site.
Previous premium DLC were largely standalone content additions that worked regardless of other content packs you purchased. Sure, there was a limited amount of interactivity – for example, between Cats & Dogs and Cottage Living. But by and large they remained independent of one another.
What is different about Businesses & Hobbies? Ultimately, the latest Expansion Pack introduces a major new system that unlocks a wealth of possibilities and options when it comes to your Sims’ employment and interests, even within just the base game. However, when you integrate this new system into other expansions – which, of course, have their own steep price – it leads to truly impressive results.
As such, pricing is a concern if you want to leverage the full potential of this new experience.
