The Sims 4 will add two new expansions and infant content

The Sims 4 is getting two new expansion packs in the next year, Maxis announced Tuesday during its Behind the Sims Summit. The developer also revealed changes coming to the infant life stage in 2023.

Maxis showed concept art of two expansion packs during the summit. This included two colorful images of “new worlds,” with one that looks a little like San Francisco (with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background), as well as images of cute new outfits and room layouts, and bedside storage for keepsakes and dentures. The stream also teased new features that were artfully censored, with “more info to come.” Though Maxis didn’t specify what precisely will be in these expansions, we know they’ll be sizable additions, as expansion packs offer marquee add-ons like university, the fame system (and celebrities), and a seasonal calendar.

The spotlight on infants, though brief, showed a baby Sim sitting and making baby noises before a mother Sim came to pick them up. That’s a pretty typical moment for most families, but it is a major dream come true for many Sims fans.

In order to understand why, we must investigate the nature of a baby Sim. Sims have seven life stages: baby, toddler, child, teen, young adult, adult, and elder. Babies in The Sims 4, unlike these other six life stages, are essentially props that cry and sleep. The player must kept them fed, clean, and in contact with other loving Sims in the house, but they have no agency or ability. They are linked to a bassinet. You will own a bassinet. Social services or the hospital will provide one to your Sims if you do not purchase it for them on your own, and they are the anchor point for the baby in question; the baby can’t leave the immediate area of the bassinet. Even vampires and wizards have bassinets, just with different decorations.

This isn’t the first addition to childhood in The Sims 4 so far. Toddlers were added to the game in 2017, which brought a lot of gameplay depth to the family process. Toddlers have their own unique traits and personalities, and parents can teach them good skills while they’re still young that will carry over into the rest of their lives. Or you can just give them a Wabbit Tablet, which is more efficient and probably ethical.

During the summit, Maxis committed to supporting, updating, and releasing kits, expansions, and Sims Delivery Express drops for The Sims 4 as it becomes free to play as of Oct. 18. The Sims 4 has four tiers of DLC, with over 50 packs total. Expansion packs are the most major; “kits” are small, like the ability to dust or items for a perfect country kitchen, while stuff packs and game packs are in the middle, like adding new careers, skills, or supernatural elements like vampires and werewolves.

The two new expansions are due within the next year, according to Maxis, and changes to infants will arrive sometime in early 2023. We’ll likely learn more about these expansions, as well as how babies will work, in the coming months. Maxis is also currently developing the next main installment of the series under the codename “Project Rene.”