The Sims™ 4 Businesses & Hobbies Expansion Pack Review Summary
Last updated: 2026-09-15
- Worthwhile and high-quality DLC
- Small business system is game-changing
- Enables creative and varied businesses
- Excellent cross-pack integration
- Tattoo design tools are inadequate
- Employees fail to show up
Emotions
Archetypes
- Sample precision
- Helpful reviews
- 89%
- Unhelpful reviews
- 11%
- Protest reviews
- 0%
- 65%Helpful reviews with positive sentiment
- 35%Helpful reviews with negative sentiment
- Positive points
- 168
- Negative points
- 137
- Gameplay points
- 129
- Perf. points
- 2
- Rec. points
- 39
- Misc points
- 47
| Point | Description | Importance |
|---|---|---|
Worthwhile and high-quality DLC
| Many players consider this pack among the best Sims 4 DLCs, praising its value, quality, and game-changing content. It is seen as a complete pack that brings together the best charms of previous packs. | 93% |
Small business system is game-changing
| The small business venue allows ownership of almost any type of business, including spas, gyms, studios, and pools, opening many gameplay options. It enables running multiple businesses from a single lot and expands with owned packs. | 84% |
Enables creative and varied businesses
| Players can run just about any business imaginable, such as daycare, gym, magic classes, cat cafes, and more, using diverse themes. The social group activity system allows creativity about what the business is about. | 82% |
Excellent cross-pack integration
| The pack combines exceptionally well with activities from most other packs to create highly varied businesses, such as mini clubs with Get Together or magic training grounds with Realm of Magic. Cross-pack gameplay is well done and adds a lot of depth. | 79% |
Tattoo system is super fun
| The tattoo skill and custom tattoos allow incredible customization, including free-paint mode that can create permanent makeup, bruises, and skin details. Playing as a tattoo artist is enjoyable. | 73% |
Pottery skill is fun and profitable
| The pottery skill is widely enjoyed and can easily be turned into a business, such as running a pottery shop or studio. It includes interactive pieces like planter pots and incense burners. | 69% |
Strong build/buy and CAS items
| The pack includes good quality build/buy and Create-A-Sim models and textures, with versatile clothing and Scandinavian modern minimalist furniture. The items are mostly unobtrusive and easy to combine. | 58% |
Good pack overall
| The pack is generally well-received, with players loving it and enjoying everything it offers. It fulfills the core purpose of the game and is fun. | 51% |
New world Nordhaven is beautiful
| The Scandinavian-inspired world of Nordhaven is praised for its beauty, lively atmosphere with hobby meetups, and great lore. It is considered one of the best Sims 4 cities. | 48% |
No major bugs encountered
| Several reviewers reported no major bugs at the time of review, with smooth gameplay and no problems faced. The pack ran perfectly after disabling mods. | 42% |
Great customization and interactivity
| There are many interactive objects and great customization opportunities, such as custom tattoos and free-paint. The build aspects are worth it and the pack is fun to play with and build with. | 42% |
Adds a whole new play style
| The pack introduces a new play style that makes sense and adds a lot more to The Sims 4 quality of life than expected. It allows being in the city while on your home lot and actual events happen. | 37% |
Home lot business ownership
| Players can start a business on their home lot without buying a separate lot, and can select a specific area for a small business under a residential lot or rental property. This makes staying-at-home play more convenient. | 37% |
Good for new players and versatile
| The pack is a great expansion, especially as a first expansion, and is good for new simmers. It offers a lot of variety in gameplay and is one of the better options. | 35% |
Employees and customers behave well
| Hired Sims no longer follow rabbit-hole work patterns and are seen working when visiting the business venue. Customers in a tattoo shop wait, talk, and get tattoos in an orderly fashion, and hiring works smoothly. | 30% |
Houses are well-designed and enjoyable
| The houses in this pack have layouts that are not a mess and are worth saving, such as the single mom's tattoo parlor/house. Renovating and decorating the houses is enjoyable enough to keep players busy. | 23% |
Collecting and selling on Plopsy
| Collecting collection items is enjoyable, and there are more items to sell on Plopsy, making staying-at-home play more convenient. Selling individual meal servings in display cases has a workaround. | 23% |
Makes Get to Work retail irrelevant
| The small business system is a better way to run a food establishment than Dine Out's notoriously glitchy restaurants and makes the Get to Work retail system near completely irrelevant. | 18% |
Art still broken for profit
| The art system remains broken in a way that lets an art gallery make thousands, which some players exploit. This is a minor bug but notable. | 9% |