The Sims 4: City Living, one of the game’s many expansion packs, first introduced livable apartments in 2016. For longtime Sims players, this was a welcome addition to the most recent iteration of the long-running series. But since then, players have asked for far more freedom in both apartment gameplay (i.e., playing a Sims family that lives in an apartment) and building.
The Sims 4: For Rent expansion looks to step up and provide players with some long-requested features that haven’t been available before. In a preview event, lead producer Rebecca Doyle and lead designer Jessica Croft took press members through the expansion pack’s features, and even provided the opportunity to play as a property owner.
For Rent has quite a lot packed into it, from brand new ways to earn income as a property owner all the way to greatly expanding the types of buildings players will be able to construct. And as wish-fulfilling as The Sims can be at times, particularly when it comes to living out different careers, being a landlord and a tenant comes with some real challenges that echo the real world.
Let’s talk multi-residential lots
The big, juicy change to come with this expansion pack is that multi-residential lots will now be available for the first time in The Sims franchise. A residential lot is a playable section within the game where players can build homes and play with their Sims households. Before For Rent was announced, you could expect to play with one Sims household on a single lot with a maximum number of eight Sims at any given time.
For Rent introduces multi-residential lots that will allow players to build out multi-unit homes where several Sims families can live — all with the normal household limit of eight Sims. There’s a limit of six units per lot, making for a total of 48 potential Sims tenants to look after. That’s already inviting a ton of chaos while playing, but players will be happy to know there is a cheat that will easily expand the number of units that can be built per lot if you’re looking for an extra challenge.
These new multi-residential lots (known as Residential Rentals) can be anything from a single one-off room that you want to rent out, to multiple apartments in one building, to something more sprawling like a trailer park. This new ability to have multiple families on one lot opens up the potential for all kinds of different storytelling potential too. You could decide to play with several generations in a large home, have a collective of friends sharing a tiny home, or even a single Sim who is looking to rent out different parts of their home.
Landlords vs. tenants
Residential Rentals come with a new role for Sims to take on: property owner. As a property owner, Sims will be responsible for maintaining each rental that they own and working to ensure that their tenants are happy. One unique feature is that the property-owning Sim can choose to live among their tenants or call a completely separate residence home.
Whichever way players choose to have their Sims live, it’ll be important to keep on top of all of the little details that come with owning rental properties. Sims will face a range of unwanted surprises that include pest infestations, broken objects like water heaters and fuse boxes, and mold. Property owners will need to address these issues in order to keep tenants happy and keep their ratings from slipping. If property ratings dip, Sims may be left to face a tenant revolt.
Property owners will be able to visit each rental property, perform inspections as they like, and even evict Sims, even without a “just” cause (though this kind of eviction will have negative consequences).
Property maintenance and keeping good relations between property owners and tenants aren’t the only tasks that come with For Rent. As can be expected from a new expansion pack, there are also new aspirations and traits for players to explore. Aspirations include both renting-related Five-Star Property Owner and Discerning Dweller and the world-related Fount of Tomarani Knowledge. Five new traits are available including Nosy, Cringe, Child of the Village, Generous, and for the first time, the elder-specific trait Wise.
Welcome to Tomarang
While For Rent is bringing a slew of new gameplay features to the table, we can’t forget to look at the new world of Tomarang itself. A Southeast Asian-inspired location, Tomarang features two neighborhoods and a number of different community activities for Sims to explore. Community activities include a tiger sanctuary, a botanical garden, a fish market, and a night market that features vendors and unique food options that can only be found in Tomarang.
There are also a total of nine new lots to choose from, including starter homes and community lots like the botanical garden. Players who enjoy building on smaller lots can expect two 20 by 15 and three 20 by 20 lots spread out across both neighborhoods. The step into property owner shoes isn’t just contained to the colorful world of Tomarang either; Residential Rentals can be built in any of the livable The Sims 4 worlds, from base game worlds like Willow Creek to expansion locales like Britechester.
If you’ve been fantasizing about really pushing the limits of how many Sims you want to try your hand at playing with or you’ve always wanted to live out your landlord dreams, For Rent is finally putting the power in your hands.
The Sims 4: For Rent expansion pack will launch December 7, 2023, on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X\S, and PC.
Disclaimer: Images shared in this article are not final game footage and are subject to change.
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