The Sims 4 Seasons is the fifth expansion pack for The Sims 4, developed by Maxis and released on June 22, 2018. It brings a full weather system, four seasons, customizable holidays, and a calendar to the game, along with the Gardener career, Flower Arranging skill, beekeeping, and ice skating.
Seasons stands apart from most expansion packs because it doesn't include a new world. Instead, its systems apply everywhere. Every existing world gets its own seasonal cycle and climate, which changes how Sims dress, what activities are available, and how gardens and outdoor elements behave throughout the year.
Weather and temperature
Dynamic weather shifts throughout each season. Rain, thunderstorms, snow, blizzards, and heatwaves all show up depending on the time of year and the world's climate. Oasis Springs stays hot and dry most of the year, while Windenburg gets colder winters with heavier snowfall.
Temperature affects Sims directly. Staying outside too long in extreme heat without cooling down can kill a Sim from overheating. The same applies to freezing cold. Lightning strikes during thunderstorms can also be fatal, though a lucky Sim might get temporarily supercharged instead.
Sims change into weather-appropriate outfits automatically, and the expansion adds new seasonal clothing options in Create-a-Sim.
The four seasons
Each season lasts seven in-game days by default. Players can adjust season length in the game options.
Spring brings rain and warmer temperatures. Flowers bloom, gardens come back to life, and Sims can play in puddles or search for frogs. The Flower Bunny shows up during the spring holiday.
Summer is the hottest season. Sims can swim, have water balloon fights, and run through sprinklers. Heatwaves are a real risk, so keeping your Sims cool becomes part of the routine.
Fall cools things down and turns the foliage. Sims can play in leaf piles, and Harvestfest (the game's version of Thanksgiving) hits during this season. Patchy the Scarecrow, a garden object that can come to life and become a friend or romantic interest, is a fall highlight.
Winter brings snow, ice, and the coldest temperatures. Sims build snowmen, make snow angels, have snowball fights, and go ice skating. Winterfest arrives with gift-giving, decorations, a grand meal, and a visit from Father Winter.
Holidays and the calendar
The calendar tracks upcoming weather forecasts, Sim birthdays, work and school schedules, and holidays. Players can also use it to schedule social events on specific dates and times.
Several pre-made holidays ship with the pack:
- Love Day (spring) focuses on romance and gift-giving.
- Harvestfest (fall) centers on a grand meal, gratitude, and gnome appeasement.
- Winterfest (winter) features decorating, gift exchanges, the grand meal, and Father Winter.
- New Year's Eve closes out the year with a party and countdown.
Every holiday is fully editable. Players can change the date, rename it, add or remove up to five traditions, and control which activities count toward completion. Entirely new holidays can be created from scratch, too.
A recent quality-of-life patch added per-pack festival notification toggles, so players who find Seasons' holiday phone calls disruptive can now mute them selectively.
Gardener career and flower arranging
The Gardener career branches at level 5 into two paths. Botanists focus on plant research and analysis. Floral Designers create arrangements for clients. Both paths include work-from-home days.
Flower Arranging is a 10-level skill. Sims use an arranging table to build bouquets and floral displays that work as decor, can be sold for profit, or given as gifts. Higher-level arrangements carry emotional auras that affect nearby Sims.
Beekeeping
Sims can buy a bee box and start keeping bees on their home lot. With regular care, the hive produces honey that can be collected and sold. Bees also pollinate nearby garden plants, acting as passive fertilizer that stacks with manual fertilizing. Neglect the hive, though, and the bees turn aggressive. Swarms become a risk if the relationship with the colony drops too low.
Skating
Roller rinks and ice rinks let Sims build a hidden Skating skill (6 levels). Rinks can be placed on home lots or found at public venues. Skating builds both the Skating and Fitness skills, and skating with another Sim fills the Fun and Social needs at the same time.
Where to get it
The Sims 4 Seasons is available on PC (Windows and macOS), PlayStation 4, and Xbox One through the EA App, Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation Store, and Microsoft Store. The Sims 4 base game (free-to-play since October 2022) is required.
The expansion's regular price is $39.99 USD, and it goes on sale frequently. EA's Stack & Save feature on the EA App also lets players combine it with other packs for scaling discounts.