Behind The Sims 4 ‘For Rent’ Expansion Pack

The latest Expansion Pack for The Sims 4 has arrived, and we here at Maxis couldn’t be more excited for you to try it out. As in any Sims Expansion Pack, the new Southeast Asian-inspired city of Tomarang brings with it a bunch of ways to expand your Sims stories, from new Traits and Aspirations to new objects and meals. But the biggest change to arrive with this expansion is a new system that allows for all-new experiences for your Sims: Residential Rentals!

With The Sims 4 For Rent Expansion Pack, your Sims will be able to buy, build, and manage rental properties as Property Owners—or simply live in them as Tenants and embrace the lifestyle that comes with rental living. 

The team has wanted to add this feature to the game for quite some time because it was a popular request from players. “There was a lot of demand from fans,” Lead Designer Jessica Croft tells us. “We knew folks really wanted this one. And it makes sense; Residential Rentals reflect the living situation of a huge portion of our audience—and the rest of the world. So adding rentals makes the game more relatable to those real-world experiences.”

“And that’s part of why we designed them to be super flexible!” says Senior Game Designer Sydnie Ritchie. “Maybe you want your Sim to rent out a spare bedroom, or build a cottage in the backyard for their grandparents. Or maybe you want them to build a full apartment empire spanning multiple  properties—there are loads of options.”

Here’s how it works: A rental property is a new type of residence that also functions as a business. Players who want their Sims to be Property Owners can turn an existing lot into a Residential Rental—or buy one like any other business. You can then build up to six units on that space (plus a communal area!) using the existing room widget. 

But you don’t have to take on the burden of managing a property; your Sims can also experience multi-unit living from the perspective of Tenants. Or they can do both—manage a building that they live in along with other Sims!

“We wanted to allow players to tell both sides of the story,” Jessica says, “and also give them a wide runway to tell whatever other stories they wanted. For me, I really enjoy the storytelling that comes out of having Sims living in such close proximity.”

Sydnie provides some examples of how those stories might unfold: “A grumpy Property Owner might “blame tenants” for their problems,” she says, “while a more positive one might “ask about rental conditions” in an attempt to make their property more pleasant to live in. Tenants can “complain” or “compliment” their rental conditions, giving the Property Owner feedback on how they’re doing. And a really unhappy Tenant can also “give notice”, breaking their contract and moving out early.”

The close quarters also lead to opportunities for some all-new activities. Sims can now eavesdrop on their neighbors, for example—or even break into their apartments!

But here’s the thing about rental living: You can experience it anywhere! That’s right, the team made the decision to make Residential Rentals available to all Sims worlds. “One of the core tenets of The Sims is empowering the player’s story,” Sydnie tells us. “If we limited rentals to just our new world, we would be facilitating a much narrower set of stories.”

“Right, a feature like this adds so much value to the game if it can be used in any world,” Jessica says. “Unlocking the ability to build these types of residences in any world was a challenge, but we felt that it would be far too limiting if you could only build them in Tomarang. By allowing Residential Rentals to be built in any world, we add to the possibilities of every world. That was worth the challenge.”

And that challenge led to some exciting new developments. “I’m really proud of how the build tools turned out,” says Sydnie. “I think they’re intuitive but powerful, which will allow players of all types to make something new and interesting. The tech is built partly on existing Apartments tools from City Living, but our engineering team modified and expanded the functionality—and they did it with an eye towards future reusability, so hopefully this is just the start!” 

Now, anyone who’s lived in rentals for long knows that the landlord/tenant relationship can be kind of a minefield. “There are serious and valid concerns about cost of living and the power wielded by property owners,” Jessica says. “We’ve had constant conversations internally to ensure we’re sensitive to this, and we worked with external consultants to further check ourselves—especially given the new region.”

“Right, especially since our pack is set in a Southeast Asia-inspired world, we wanted to avoid portrayals of gentrification or exploitation,” says Sydnie. “So we were really vigilant about making sure we weren’t setting up insensitive stories, because the team is passionate about offering positive representation.”

That’s the thing about The Sims, though: Players have the power to tell their own stories. “We do try to present an optimistic world in The Sims,” Jessica says, “but ultimately, we just provide tools to tell stories. Which stories you choose to tell are up to you!”

The Sims 4 For Rent Expansion Pack is now available on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC via EA app for Windows, Origin™, Steam® and Epic Games Store. Requires The Sims 4 & all game updates. For PC, see minimum system requirements for the pack.

And if you purchase the For Rent Expansion Pack anytime from November 2 to January 18, you’ll have access to our Street Eats Digital Content, which includes a grill cart, street umbrella, and fruit basket.