I’ll start by being totally honest; when it comes to The Sims, I don’t often bother with businesses. I’m not a business-minded person, either in real life or video games. In The Sims 4, I tend to steer more towards traditional careers (aka going to a rabbithole for several hours) or active careers. However, when The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies Expansion Pack was announced, I knew I had to give it a try. I did – and I was pleasantly surprised. Running your own business, small or otherwise, is the key feature of Businesses & Hobbies, and I’m pleased to say that not only does The Sims 4 get it right, but it has changed my perspective on the whole concept of owning businesses.
You may want to find out more about what I thought of this new Expansion Pack for The Sims 4, so let’s not waste any more time as I give my review.
The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies Expansion Pack is now available on PC via Steam and EA App, Origin via Mac, PlayStation 4 | 5, Xbox One | Xbox Series X/S, and Epic Games Store for $39.99. If you buy this pack before April 18th 2025, you’ll get three exclusive bonus items with the Set Up Shop Digital Content.
Story – Nordhaven, the Hub of Businesses and Hobbies
As ever, The Sims 4 is all about players making up their own stories. However, that’s not to say there isn’t any story in any shape or form. Which brings us to the new world introduced with Businesses & Hobbies: Nordhaven.
Worlds in The Sims 4 are inspired by real places. In the case of Nordhaven, it’s modeled after Scandinavian countries such as Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. I was really excited to learn that the new world would be Scandinavian.
The world itself, and its new offerings of clothing and architecture, does a good job of immersing you in a Scandinavian setting. However, I was left wanting more from Nordhaven. There are only two neighborhoods, each only containing six different lots, and there’s just one starter home available. Also, while there are four blank lots to build on, most of these are quite small, with the largest not being the desired 64 x 64 squares.
I was also hoping for more to do in Nordhaven. There are only two community lots—a lounge and museum—and a church, but this is a rabbithole. While the Hobby Meetups do offer some activity, they don’t have quite the same depth as the festivals from City Living.
Nordhaven: a good world, but it could do with more lots.
Nordhaven’s Highlights
Despite the disappointments, there were aspects of Nordhaven that did impress me. I liked the selection of pre-made households living there, each with different businesses, hobbies, and ambitions. The homes these Sims lived in are some of the most impressive I’ve encountered to date in The Sims 4, which is probably due to the collaboration with notable content creators who designed and constructed these lots. One interesting lot that gave players license for creativity was an abandoned half-finished venue that could be transformed into a thriving business.
Another feature of Nordhaven was the new train watching activity. This isn’t the first time trains have made an appearance in any world in The Sims 4, but Nordhaven recognizes it as an activity that Sims can take part in. However, they need to fix the camera so it’s easier to navigate Nordhaven, as it doesn’t extend to certain areas far enough such as the train station.
Nordhaven also includes two new collectibles exclusive to this world: bike parts and a unique art collection. Collectible fans should enjoy completing these.
Overall, while Nordhaven may not be the best world in The Sims 4, it’s by no means the worst. It offers new and fresh activities unique to the world that makes it appealing enough to either visit or live there, especially if you’re interested in a Scandinavian setting.
Despite its limitations, Nordhaven is a good place for setting up a business or pursuing hobbies.
Gameplay – Turning Hobbies Into Businesses
I want to turn my attention to the new gameplay in The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies, which I think is the most important part of this new Expansion. In my opinion, it’s the gameplay that’s the biggest selling point, particularly the ability to set up and run your own businesses. Let’s go into it in more detail.
A Smooth Business
I often avoided having my own business in The Sims because of the daunting amount of work that seemed to go into it. I’d rather have my Sims enrolled in a rabbithole career to keep things simple, or set them up with an active career if I wanted to be more involved. However, when I got Businesses & Hobbies, I knew there was no way I could write this review without at least trying to run one business.
I was pleasantly surprised by the small business system. It thankfully avoids being overcomplicated or tiresome. Once you get a business up and running, the process is nice and easy.
Working From Home
Although The Sims 4 Get to Work Expansion already introduced business ownership, as did Cats & Dogs with veterinarian clinics and Dine Out with restaurants, none of these allowed you to run a business from your Sims’ home lot. This was something you could do in The Sims 2 Open for Business Expansion, but this has been reinstated with The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies, which I’m very pleased about.
Creativity and Control in Your Hands
What really stands out in this new system is how much control and creativity there is. You can name your business, give it a description, and even assign a logo to it. While we do get a decent selection of nicely-designed logos, I wish there was the option to design our own logos to allow for even more creativity. If we can customize our our tattoos, why not business logos?
You can assign what sort of business you want to run. The possibilities are endless, only really limited by your imagination and what DLC for The Sims 4 you have installed, whether you want to have an art gallery, pottery studio, candy store, tattoo parlor, or café.
There are preset templates you can assign to your business if you want to quickly and easily set up activities and services depending on the type of business. However, you’re not constrained to these presets, being able to incorporate activities and services to vary what the pre-established ones offer.
There’s no fear in business management being daunting with Businesses & Hobbies.
Business Management
You also have the option to hire employees, including family and friends, if you feel you need extra help around the business or want your close ones to get involved.
What’s really impressive are the options you can set for visitors. You can establish what kind of Sims you want to attract, based on things such as their age, interests, or even celebrity status. You can even make visiting children have a caregiver with them at all times. All these options really makes you feel like you’re in complete control of your business.
Rewards for Success
It wouldn’t be The Sims 4 without some kind of reward system in place for having a successful business. As your Sim’s business thrives and their customer satisfaction grows, you can progress through five levels of renown. At each level, you unlock new perks and benefits in order to make business management easier and more rewarding.
One feature that I particularly like is that whenever your Sim closes their business for the day, you get a pop-up window informing you how much profit you’ve made, as well as customer feedback. This is a really great way to let you know how you can further improve your business regarding what strategies to follow and customer satisfaction.
The end of day report you get when the business is closed gives insight on what is currently working and what needs improvement.
Making a Business Out of Hobbies
As the name of the Expansion suggests, it’s not just about businesses, but your Sims’ hobbies as well. This pack offers to turn your Sims’ passions into profit-making businesses. Sims can sell paintings straight from their easels, but what if they could make this into something even bigger? I’ll share a few new hobbies you can enjoy with Businesses & Hobbies.
Pottery and Tattooing
The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies adds two new skills: Pottery and Tattooing. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet had a go at Tattooing, although it does look very appealing and I’ll definitely try it some time. However, I did get into the Pottery Skill, and even set up a pottery studio for my Sim.
I loved the pottery activity from The Sims 2 FreeTime, so I was excited that it came back to The Sims 4 in this Expansion. For the most part, I enjoyed it, though I think it could be expanded on with its existing options in ceramic designs and decorating palettes. These palettes did sometimes clash with the designs, for example the gnome. Saying that, the available designs did generally complement the ceramics.
Pottery is a fun and creative skill to learn.
Making Candy
Another new feature I’m keen to share is making candy. I’m especially thrilled that we finally have cotton candy in The Sims 4! Making candy is tied to the Cooking Skill, so the higher your skill, the more different candies you can make. The amount of options is impressive. It’s got me inspired to open a candy store with my Sims in the future.
Make candy with the new candy making machine.
Sharing Passions With Others
I’m pleased with the way this Expansion mixes business ventures with personal hobbies, but it takes it a step further with allowing Sims to share their passions together. This is a little different to the club system in The Sims 4 Get Together Expansion, as instead of clubs, Sims who share interests are united through businesses.
Sharing Hobbies With Businesses and Classes
With Businesses & Hobbies, there are more options for Sims sharing their favorite hobbies and skills. They can sell their creations through their businesses, but another new option allows Sims to set up their own classes. As long as your Sim has the right set up such as a whiteboard and plenty of space, plus the right equipment, they can teach their skills to others. If your Sim is knowledgeable in Pottery, for example, they can teach other Sims about it through lectures and mentoring. Your Sims in turn can attend classes hosted by other Sims.
These classes work like other social events with given tasks and goals in The Sims 4, where at the end you get a ranking based on task completion. Hosting a class can give your Sim more renown, while attending one will boost their chosen skill based on their level of engagement. These classes last several hours, so you have plenty of time to achieve all the goals and earn a gold level ranking.
Pass down your Sim’s best skills onto others.
Hobby Meetups
Sims with similar interests can attend events hosted exclusively in Nordhaven called Hobby Meetups. These meetups have a variety of themes and activities, such as cooking, art, literature, science, and athletics. While they are enjoyable to attend, they offer less activities compared to the bustling and lively festivals of City Living, which I still consider the best examples of these kind of events in The Sims 4.
In fairness, the primary objective of these meetups is to make connections with Sims who share similar passions, as well as provide a place for Sims to meet with potential new mentors.
Looking for a new mentor, or other Sims who share the same hobbies? Try out the Meetups.
Skill Mastery Perks
Another exciting new feature introduced in The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies Expansion is Skill Mastery Perks. Once a Sim achieves a high level in a particular skill, they have the chance to unlock these perks. Perks are very beneficial to Sims and their hobbies. They can enhance the quality of crafted items such as food and artwork, or have positive effects on a Sim’s mood, needs, and skills. Each Sim can have up to four Skill Mastery Perks at a time.
We’ve talked about the new world Nordhaven and gone into detail with the new gameplay of The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies. What about the new stuff that comes with Create-A-Sim and Buy/Build Mode? That’s what this section is going to cover.
I’ll start with Create-A-Sim. Your Sims will fit in perfectly in Nordhaven wearing the new apparel on offer, whether they’re exploring the mild-climatized Scandinavian world or busy running their business or learning a new trade. Businesses & Hobbies gives you everything you need so your Sim is perfectly dressed for the part. There’s something for every age group, but the teens and adults have the best selection.
I always get excited about the new Create-A-Sim content, and Businesses & Hobbies adds a ton of great new stuff.
Let’s move onto the new objects via Buy/Build Mode, which is just as pleasing and fitting as the new Create-A-Sim additions. You have everything you could ask for to set up your Sim’s new business, or to give them a comfortable and stylish living space Scandinavian style. I particularly like the items featuring diamond patterns, complemented with the matching new wallpapers.
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- Tattooing is one of the new skills in The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies.
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- Order before April 18th to get some exclusive items.
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- There are many opportunities for different types of businesses.
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- Perks are earned by improving renown and reward Sims and their businesses.
The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies Expansion Pack was reviewed on PC.
