The Sims™ 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack Review Summary

The praised Grim Reaper career and content-rich DLC are exciting and worth a sale buy, but career-breaking bugs plus install and launch failures mar the experience.

Grim Reaper active career is popular: Players enjoy the new active career where they can play as the Grim Reaper, collecting souls. Many find it unique, interesting, and fun.

Exciting expansion pack with strong appeal: Players find the expansion highly enjoyable and exciting, often calling it the best or one of the best expansions. Many highlight that it is a substantial pack worth the price.

Content-rich DLC worth its price: The DLC is repeatedly described as very entertaining and packed with content, with some calling it the best DLC for the game. It offers substantial value and a lot of gameplay.

Funeral gameplay works without glitches: Funerals function smoothly with no reported glitches. The feature is a highlight and adds enjoyable, realistic interactions to the game.

Resurrection and life after death: Players appreciate the ability to resurrect dead Sims as new characters. The careful handling of Sims before and after death is a standout feature.

Reaper career bugs break gameplay: Multiple reports indicate the reaper career is buggy, with issues such as softlocks, tasks not completing, souls not spawning, and error messages when loading the office. These bugs can make the career unplayable and disrupt the overall game experience.

Game installation and launch failures: Players frequently report that the game will not install or open after purchase, including after preordering or installing DLC. Reinstalling and deleting save files often do not fix the issue, causing significant frustration.

Empty and lifeless world: The new world and stories feel empty, with unoccupied homes in Ravenswood, empty graves, and few lots. The maps are described as lifeless and not suitable for living characters.

EA ignores bug reports: Players report that EA does not handle bugs, and moderators rarely respond, making players feel ignored. Bugs persist for long periods and grow with each update.

Lack of backstory and lore: New and returning sim families lack backstory and lore, with empty graves and missing family tree connections. Characters like Nyon Specter and Lady Ravendancer Goth have incomplete or absent family trees.

Includes Grim Reaper career: Players can pursue a new active career as a Grim Reaper or Undertaker, with specific gameplay mechanics. This feature is frequently mentioned across multiple clusters.

Ghost occult abilities expanded: Ghost Sims receive enhanced occult powers and abilities, making them more playable. This includes new interactions and gameplay depth.

Bucket list feature added: A bucket list system is included, allowing Sims to set and achieve life goals. This is a prominently noted addition in the expansion.

Tarot card collection included: A Tarot card collectible system with associated powers is part of the pack. Players can collect cards and use them for gameplay effects.

Reincarnation and rebirth mechanics: Reincarnation and a lifecycle system for rebirth are included, allowing Sims to be reborn. This adds a cyclical gameplay element.

Softlocks in buy mode: Entering buy mode or the world map causes the game to softlock, forcing players to close it via Task Manager and lose unsaved progress.

Map travel and loading errors: Players cannot travel to the map because no locations are clickable, and one player experienced a loading error when returning to the office as the reaper.

Game remains open after login: After logging back in, the game stays open but appears unresponsive or stuck, requiring manual intervention.

Worth buying on sale: Many reviewers advise waiting for a discount before purchasing. The pack is considered a solid addition when its price is reduced, but less appealing at full price.

Must-have for Sims fans: Dedicated Sims players highly recommend this expansion, especially for those who enjoy the franchise. It is seen as a great buy for various playstyles.

Full price purchase justified: Some reviewers feel the pack is worth its full price and that buyers will not regret paying full price. However, this view is less common than recommending a sale.

Recommended with high ratings: Many reviewers give the pack a 5-star rating and strongly recommend it to others. It is often described as a worthwhile addition to the game.

Mixed or negative feedback: A few reviewers explicitly do not recommend buying the DLC or consider it not worth the full price. Some advise caution and lower expectations.

Community fair range: $20.00 - $35.00.

Players report a brief initial okay experience with the funeral feature, but the Reaper career becomes buggy, repetitive, and boring rather than improving.

Friction: Reaper career bugs such as dead Sims or spirits not spawning correctly; Repetitive office job tasks; Grindy gameplay; DLC bugs with no EA fixes; Funeral feature becomes dispensable after first use; Boring tasks.

Occult and Macabre Enthusiast: Plays occult sims and ghost-focused households, seeks out spooky life states and eerie storytelling. Motivation: Exploring supernatural gameplay, ghost powers, and macabre life simulation stories. Stance: buy.

Legacy Family Storyteller: Manages legacy saves, develops family narratives, and carefully migrates or preserves existing sims and builds. Motivation: Continuing generational family stories and preserving emotional attachments to long-term sims. Stance: buy.

Victorian Build/Buy Decorator: Builds and decorates homes, compares world aesthetics, and moves sims and builds between saves. Motivation: Getting strong Build/Buy assets for elegant, Victorian, and manor-style lots. Stance: buy.

Monetization: The provided reviews are limited to The Sims DLC pricing and bug-quality complaints. They mention steep DLC prices, weak value at full price, and one pack that is not broken. No review describes real-money microtransactions, paid gacha, loot boxes, battle passes, currency obfuscation, or pay-to-win mechanics. Because the only monetization evidence concerns traditional DLC/expansion pricing, the audit score remains in the fair range.

Rich world design and atmosphere: The world of Ravenwood is Romanian-inspired with a dark, atmospheric vibe compared to Dark Souls or Bloodborne. It offers substantial sightseeing volume and a beautiful city, though some find it smaller than desired.

Souls not spawning bug: A bug prevents souls from spawning, documented on EA bug reports and discussed on the official forums. The issue remains unresolved despite updates.

Priced too high: The DLC is not worth its full price, which equals the base game's original price, leading many to recommend waiting for a discount. This pricing concern is common for Sims 4 DLC.

Redefines Sim death concept: The pack fundamentally changes how death is handled, introducing new gameplay mechanics like the Grimborn sim type and death career. This shift is a milestone for the series.

Favorable comparison to City Living: The pack offers similar non-gimmick depth to City Living, with more focus on home building rather than CAS. It meshes well with Vampires and is preferred by some for a gothic style.