The Sims 4 Growing Together Review

Growing Together is fresh off the presses! The Sims 4's newest expansion pack, Growing Together, arrives with a brand-new world called San Sequoia. Is the new update, which focuses on family dynamics, Growing Together really worth downloading? What's changed on the Create a Sim screen? How are the new items? For all this and more, our editor Elifnaz Erdal reviewed The Sims 4 for us.

The Sims 4 Growing Together Game Review

The Sims 4 Growing Together expansion pack manages to add a tremendous amount of depth to the game. Despite a rather flat world, it's a genuinely valuable add-on for any family-focused player. Its focus on interpersonal relationships and in-game storytelling might not satisfy Sims fans waiting for bigger, more different changes, but Growing Together is without a doubt one of the strongest expansion packs to date.

New World

Exploring neighborhoods, examining the little details, and scoping out lots to design brand-new homes is one of my favorite activities with new packs... What excites me most with every pack that comes to The Sims 4 has also been the addition of a new world.

That's why, when I saw San Sequoia's lush, tree-filled world, hearts practically popped out of my eyes. Colorful flowers, lush green trees, bridges crossing over ponds, and bungalow homes arranged neatly among them greet us in a new world that feels like it's practically been built as paradise.

Across its three neighborhoods (Anchorpoint Wharf, Hopewell Hills, and Gilbert Gardens) there are a total of 12 lots and four pre-made families. Hopewell Hills is a dense suburban neighborhood full of homes. Anchorpoint Wharf sits right on the shore, with a stunning bay area featuring a small boat dock, a subway station entry point, and a rabbit-hole movie theater. As you'd expect, Sims can lose themselves inside watching different films, and can get unique Moodlets depending on the movie they watched and their experience there. The third neighborhood, Gilbert Gardens, was without a doubt my favorite of them all.

The only thing I found missing in the new world was unused parks and benches. This gives the feeling that the Sims are moving around as if they're on a film set.

New Looks

Let's get to the Create a Sim screen... In this part, which is exciting for most of us, updates usually bring new clothes, accessories, and new looks for our Sims' physical traits. But while this part isn't expanded all that much for Growing Together, our Sims now have new physical features added, like birthmarks, scars, and freckles. These new additions bring the game a little closer to real life.

With Growing Together focusing more on family dynamics, most of the additions have become more casual, ready-to-wear, everyday items.

Babies now start life with one of six new traits, and children have an impressive 4 new traits. Of course, the biggest changes on the Create a Sim screen are family dynamics and likes-dislikes. While the High School expansion only added likes and dislikes on things like fashion, Growing Together has added new options to the game for determining Sim traits and conversation topics, and this feature significantly changes the game in terms of your Sim's development and how they behave toward other Sims. Similarly, Dynamics between family members can be set to things like Strict, Distant, or Jokester, and each of these also changes the way Sims interact.

New Items

New items for The Sims 4's creators, and take a seat and watch! The one thing that never completely lets me down when expansion packs arrive is the new items. Growing Together's pack didn't surprise me at all on this front either. Newly added bikes for child Sims, tree houses that can be built by multiple Sims and upgraded over time, and plenty of gorgeous furniture await Sims players.

On the clothing front, Growing Together does a great job of providing enough age-appropriate outfits for every stage of life, from incredible dad outfits to adorable baby clothes.

The Sims 4 Growing Together also includes changes to the "Build and Buy" screen, where you purchase items. A bunch of new pieces have been added, from more basic furniture to numerous new baby items and adorable kids' items. Based on the three new activities added to The Sims 4, there's an impressive number of lovely items too, like new photo frames and sleeping bags.

What impressed me most were items that affect the flow of the story, like the bike, the tree house, and the memory box. Thanks to these items, kids can learn to ride a bike, elders can fill a memory box with objects to pass down to their children, the whole family can build a tree house together for their kids and can also expand the tree house, and best of all, the whole family can gather around the new game table to play or put together puzzles... Items built around family relationships that contribute to those relationships progressing over time have added incredible color to the game.

The Sims 4 Growing Together Overall Verdict

Looking at Growing Together overall, what it adds to The Sims 4 is limited compared to previous packs, but it's a pack that shouldn't be overlooked in any way. We see fewer innovations than the previously added Seasons, High School, and University expansions. But with its family dynamics, it's also a nice pack in the way it strengthens the gameplay of all the previously added packs.

Changing and adjusting family dynamics is unquestionably one of the best additions in Growing Together. Sims can now strengthen their communication with each other depending on each one's likes and dislikes. You can build deeper, more individual relationships with the Sims you meet. This feature took me right back to the years of The Sims 2: The Chemistry system...

These traits determine how your Sim will react when someone else engages in a certain interaction with them. Overall, this has turned out to be a great addition that adds more nuance to Sims and makes the way they interact with each other feel more realistic.

What Are the System Requirements for The Sims 4 Growing Together Expansion Pack?

Minimum System Requirements

• OS: Windows 7 (SP1), Windows 8, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10
• Processor: 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, AMD Athlon 64 Dual-Core 4000+ or equivalent (better processors recommended) Memory (RAM): At least 2 GB RAM, 4 GB RAM recommended
• Storage: At least 10 GB free space (for installing the game and save files)
• Graphics: 128 MB video RAM and Shader Model 3.0 or higher support, NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or ATI Radeon X1300 or Intel GMA X4500 or better DirectX: DirectX 9.0c compatible Connection: Requires an internet connection (for using the game's online features)

Recommended System Requirements

• OS: 64-bit Windows 7 (SP1), Windows 8, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Core i5 or higher, AMD Athlon X4 or higher
• Memory (RAM): 4 GB RAM or higher Storage: 18 GB free space or more (for installing the game and save files)
• Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 650 or higher DirectX: DirectX 9.0c compatible Connection: Requires an internet connection (for using the game's online features)

What Platforms Can I Play The Sims 4 Growing Together Expansion Pack On?

You can play The Sims 4 base game on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and classic Mac OS platforms. If you download the Growing Together expansion pack, it will be automatically included with the base game.

How Much Does The Sims 4 Growing Together's New Pack Cost?

The Sims 4 Growing Together expansion pack is currently offered to users for a price of 679.99 TL.

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