The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy Trailer Has Been Unveiled – Here’s Every Detail You May Have Missed!

The Sims Team has released a brand new announcement trailer for the next Expansion Pack, The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy! The 21st (and rumoured last) Expansion Pack brings royal families, rivalries, secrets, and gorgeous new locations to The Sims 4. There’s a lot to take in, so we’ve collated a list of things you may have missed in The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy trailer. Let’s take a peek at what this pack may offer!

Three New Kingdoms – Unique & Vibrant

All the rumours are true! It was said that at least one of the new neighbourhoods within the new world of Ondarion would be inspired by an African nation, something fans have been asking for for a LONG time. Until now, the only African world in the franchise was Al Simhara from The Sims 3 World Adventures Expansion Pack. Unlike Al Simhara, your Sims aren’t just vacationing, they can live there too… and even rule over it!

It’s safe to say the neighbourhoods look stunning, and make a nice change from the former-mining-town-blue-suburban worlds we are used to. The world is made up of three Kingdoms: Dambele, Verdemar, and Bellacorde, the former being the African-inspired world. Each world is home to a distinct royal family, with the Thebe Dynasty ruling over Verdemar (The family of Princess Cordelia)!

The store page describes Verdemar as being “lush and vibrant”, and from the looks of things, the forests surrounding the royal residents resemble something akin to a jungle. Each neighbourhood/kingdom has its own distinct feel, vibe, and stories hidden within it. The Capp family rules over Bellacorde, which seems to have taken a Mediterranean inspiration in its design. It’s certainly reminiscent of the sun-kissed Principality of Monaco.

Prestige & Values – Another Name For Fame?

The trailer, blog post, and store page don’t seem to give us any insight into what the new Prestige system may entail, but from the look of things, this is yet another addition to the Simology panel (Collective sigh). Scandals seem to be a big player in affecting your families Prestige raiting, and also ties in to the values system which allows your family to live by a set of rules and ideals.

Whether or not this will be similar to the Fame system in The Sims 4 Get Famous is yet to be seen, or if the paparazzi will stalk your royal Sim’s every move. The trailer does show us that the system works on a 1 to 10 star scale, being affected by your Sims’ behaviour. Bad behaviour does seem to have a bad impact on the Prestige rating, as we see one of the Capp Dynasty men lose themselves a star after acting in a disrespectful manner.

Disownment – A New Shift In Family Dynamics

Trouble is brewing in the Capp Dynasty! After a string of bad behaviour and trashing the public image of the family, one of the members is disowned by a Sim who looks to be the current Monarch. This is just one of many ways your Sims can regain public support post-scandal. They can write books, apologise publicly, or cause dramatic departures. As noted in the section above, all of this can be done to maintain your family’s prestige, or ruin a rival family’s public standing!

Secrets & Rumours – The Staff Know It All

Hopefully, your palace staff would know to keep their mouths shut; it seems as though they may play an integral part in your family’s image and legitimacy. Royal families throughout history are sometimes best known on the world stage for their scandals and crimes (Hey, British people), and the leaking of these stories to the press can topple family relationships and even end monarchies entirely. Maybe your Sims are going through a messy divorce, maybe “there are three of us in this marriage”, or maybe your Sims have been caught plotting against another Kingdom!

In the trailer, we see a housekeeper potentially bribing the Queen of Verdemar to keep her secret safe. What is this secret? Well, it seems as though there is another lover on the scene, how scandalous! After denying to cough up her, undoubtedly endless, stacks of Simoleon,s the housekeeper unleashes the rumour on the public. With rumours comes chaos, and being the Sims, that means fistfights, and now, SWORDFIGHTS!

Swordfighting – A Right Royal Rumble

Speaking of swordfighting, it’s pretty hard to miss! While it may only be undertaken as a sport now, in the past, many quabbles would be settled by a duel, and sometimes to the death! While it’s unlikely to be a new death type, it’s the perfect way to end a feud or settle a debate that got a little too out of hand. The blog post expands on this new activity, as Sims can enter tournaments and even win prize money for their efforts!

Hosting A Ball – This Is So Bridgerton!

What’s the point of having all that space in a palace and not throwing a good party? Your Sims can now throw ‘Grand Balls’ and invite the glitterati to dance the night away. Alos included is a new Waltz style of dance for your Sims to partake in with a partner of their choosing. Although this is The Sims 4, so it is likely Eliza Pancakes will be throwing it back in the background.

New Food – Bon Appétit

As with Grand Balls, what would the cream of the crop’s dinners be without an abundance of food to chow down on? The Sims team have collaborated with IceMunMun and LittleBowBub to bring new recipes fit for a king. Both creators are known for their mouthwatering custom food. From what we can see, one of the new dishes is a fancy prawn cocktail platter, as well as a new cocktail type drink. Eagle-eyed Simmers may have already spotted the bar-cart in the trailer!

New Gameplay Objects – Fill Your Palace With Stuff

Every Expansion comes with several new focal gameplay objects, and The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy is no different! Every ruler needs a throne to look down upon their subjects, and fro both the teaser and reveal, we have now seen two thrones that are available to us, matching various styles. Also available is what looks to be a speaker’s stand. This stand seems to be available for Sims who wish to tell stories or recite poetry; perhaps we can also make public declarations here, too!

A new woohoo location was also shown off in the trailer: the cuckoo clock! The blog post explains that this can be used as a secret passageway, and a little tampering can put a new death type upon an unsuspecting Sim! Sims into swordfighting will need a place to train, and what better apparatus to use than a training dummy?

New Fashion – Fit For A Queen

You’ve got to dress to impress if you want to be the ruler of a kingdom! With three unique locatiosn there are plenty of inspirations for the team to use for their new catalogue of Create A Sim items. The Pan African gaming Group (who assisted with the West African update) have also collaborated on some of the cultural aspects of Royalty & Legacy. New robes, gowns, suits, and crowns are all on offer. Let’s hope there’s an iconic revenge dress in there somewhere.

Fantasy Features – A Happily Ever After?

Even though the focus may be on modern royalty, that doesn’t mean there can’t be aspects of fantasy thrown in for good measure. As seen in the trailer, Sims can kiss frogs, as the classic story goes. We don’t know what the outcome will be yet, but will it deliver your Sims a handsome prince, or an awkward, slimy kiss? While not seen in the trailer, Sims can pull a sword from a stone, just like Arthur, who proved himself worthy to be king.

What other fantasy features will The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy contain? We will have to wait for subsequent trailers and the release on February 12th 2026!

What did you spot in the trailer? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned to Sims Community for all the latest on The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy Expansion Pack!