This week is full of releases! Learn how you can prepare.
Starting the 14th of March 2023, players will receive the highly anticipated Base Game update for Infants. Additionally, this update also prepares us for The Sims 4 Growing Together Expansion Pack that releases later that same week.
There’s no denying that this will be a huge update to the game! Of course, it does mean that there is a little bit of recommended preparation work required. Doing this will hopefully keep the update process as smooth as possible!
However, we have got you covered with everything you need to know to help you prepare for both the update and expansion pack launch!
The Base Game Update
The upcoming update for The Sims 4 is bringing lots of new content, including:
- Infant Sims
- New Furniture designed around the addition of Infants
- Science Babies
- Pie Menu Update
- Likes and Dislikes limit increased
This is alongside any bug fixes that The Sims Team has been working on to include in this patch.
Fear not, as there are a few ways to ensure that the process goes as smoothly as possible!
Save Files
It is recommended that you back up any save files prior to updating just to be on the safe side!
If you play on PC/Mac you can back up your saves by going to the following location, Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4. From here, you can copy and paste your save files to another location on your PC or an external hard drive/USB stick.
However, if you play The Sims 4 on either Xbox or Playstation, you can back up your saves using your console settings. This can be either via cloud storage or external memory. Take a look at our handy tutorial below that shows the process on PlayStation consoles. The process will be similar for those on Xbox as well.
Mods & Custom Content
Due to the nature of the update, mods and custom content are likely to break. However, remember that the creators of your favorite creators will be working hard to get updates out as quickly as possible.
It’s important to keep track of the creators whose content you have in your game. It will help with ensuring the content in your game is compatible with the latest version of the game. You can keep track of all the latest updates via our dedicated channel on our Discord Server!
While the game will automatically disable any mods and custom content when you first launch The Sims 4 after updating, it’s best to not re-enable them until Mod creators confirm they are safe to use. If you do enable your mods before ensuring they are confirmed safe to use, you could be at risk of breaking your game.
You can, however, test out your current mods and custom content in the game once updated to see if any do work. It is strongly advised that you back up your current save prior to doing so just in case there are any issues. Your save files can be found in Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4.
Here are some helpful articles that will help ensure a smooth patch day process for players who use mods and custom content in The Sims 4:
Even though this update for The Sims 4 prepares us for Growing Together, there are a few more things players can do to get ready for the new content.
The Sims 4 Growing Together Release & System Requirements
The upcoming expansion pack is set to release on March 16th, 2023 at 10 am PT. The EA App will display the exact time the pack is released in your area.
It is also important to ensure that your device meets the system requirements too! Take a look at the full system requirements for PC and Mac below.
PC Requirements
Minimum
OS: 64 Bit Required. Windows 10
CPU: 3.3 GHz Intel Core i3-3220 (2 cores, 4 threads), AMD Ryzen 3 1200 3.1 GHz (4 cores) or better
RAM: At least 4 GB RAM
DISC DRIVE: DVD Rom Drive required for installation only
HARD DRIVE: At least 25 GB of free space with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content and saved games
VIDEO: 128 MB of Video RAM and support for Pixel Shader 3.0. Supported Video Cards: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or better, ATI Radeon X1300 or better, Intel GMA X4500 or better
DirectX: DirectX 11 Compatible
INPUT: Keyboard and mouse
ONLINE REQUIREMENTS: Internet connection required for product activation
Recommended
OS: 64 Bit Windows 10
PROCESSOR: Intel core i5 (4 cores), AMD Ryzen 5 or better
VIDEO CARD: 1 GB of Video RAM, NVIDIA GTX 650, AMD Radeon HD 7750, or better
MEMORY: 8 GB RAM
HARD DRIVE: 50 GB of free space, with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content and saved games
MAC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Minimum
OS: Metal required. Mac OS® X 10.11 (El Capitan)
CPU: Intel Core i3-3225 3.3 GHz (2 cores, 4 threads) or better
RAM: At least 4 GB RAM
HARD DRIVE: At least 25 GB of free space with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content and saved games
VIDEO: Support for Metal. Intel HD 4000 (Integrated Graphics) or better
INPUT: Keyboard and Mouse
ONLINE REQUIREMENTS: An Internet connection is required for product activation.
Recommended
OS: Mac OS® X 10.11 or later
PROCESSOR: Intel Core i5 (4 cores), or better
VIDEO CARD: Intel HD and Iris Graphics from the HD 4000 series or newer
MEMORY: 8 GB RAM
HARD DRIVE: 50 GB of free space, with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content and saved games
For Xbox or PlayStation players, you will need to ensure you have enough storage space on your console to download both the update and expansion pack.
Growing Together with a new Household
With Infants being added and the expansion launching later in the week, why not create a new household? You can use this opportunity to explore new content that comes with the patch and be ready for the expansion. Alternatively, you could use it as a chance to tell a new story you’ve been wanting to tell. You could also use this time to prepare a household ready for a new challenge.
It’s Time to Build!
You can’t create a new household without creating a new home for your Sims! Even if you just spend the time creating a basic home with an aim to furnish it more once The Sims 4 Growing Together is released! There is something about creating a new home that just adds to the excitement of a new pack being released!
With so much new content coming our way this week, it’s going to be hectic for many players. We hope that this information helps you have a smooth patch day and prepares you for Infants and Growing Together!
Stay tuned on Sims Community for all the latest news and articles on this week’s big releases!
