The Sims 4: The Pros and Cons of Kits

Since it was launched in 2014, The Sims 4 has had a lot of DLC released. These include Expansion Packs and Stuff Packs, DLC that was part of the first three games in The Sims series. However, The Sims 4 introduced two new kinds of DLC. The first was Game Packs, which are not quite Expansions but bigger than Stuff Packs. In later years, another new DLC was launched for The Sims 4: Kits. These are the smallest – not to mention the cheapest – types of DLC you can buy for The Sims 4. Costing only $4.99 each, these Kits mainly focus on adding a small-yet-decent-sized collection of new objects into the game, whether it be new objects or clothing.

However, while Game Packs have been well-received, Kits have been far more divisive amongst Sims players. Many feel they are a waste of money, a new cash-grab for The Sims, with players wishing that they would instead release new stuff in the form of a Stuff Pack or bigger kind of DLC. But are Kits really that bad? Is there some good that can come out of them? Do they have advantages over the more content-packed DLC The Sims 4 offers? Let’s talk through the pros and cons of Kits in The Sims 4 to get a better insight.

Pros of Kits

Kits Are the Cheapest DLC for The Sims 4

When it comes to buying games, there’s always the issue of money. Games aren’t cheap, especially triple-A games from big companies. Gaming generally isn’t considered a cheap hobby. Consoles are expensive, and so are gaming PCs. A lot of people like to plan ahead of what games they want to spend their money on, working out whether it’s worth getting or not.

One benefit of Kits is that they are the cheapest DLC that The Sims 4 offers, priced at $4.99. Compare this to the cost of the other DLC; Stuff Packs are $9.99, Game Packs $19.99, and Expansion Packs a whopping $39.99.

For $4.99, you get enough content to make the price tag worth it. In each Kit, you probably get about 20 items packed in, whether clothes or objects. 20 may not seem like a lot compared to dozens of objects stuffed into a bigger pack, but you’re given enough to satisfy you.

$5 for a decent amount of items, whether they be objects or clothing, isn’t a bad deal.

Kits Can Provide Niche Content

Every DLC in The Sims 4, no matter what type, comes with a set of new objects and new clothes. Usually, these come with a theme. For example, The Sims 4 Get Famous Expansion Pack comes bundled with a set of lavish high luxury objects and clothes, as well as retro furniture and clothes. The Island Living Expansion comes with tropical-themed objects and clothes, as you might expect.

Expansions and Game Packs come packaged with a ton of new stuff to add into the game. Sometimes, you’re not necessarily interested in the new gameplay, but the objects or clothing that comes with it instead. You may even be tempted to buy it if the game goes on sale, just so you can get your hands on those items you had your eye on, even if you don’t use the new gameplay much. Expansions and Game Packs are more costly though, certainly far more than Kits. That’s one upside to Kits: you know you’re just paying for the stuff you like, not anything extra. If you buy an Expansion or Game Pack just because you want the clothes, you might only use $5 or even $10 worth of the $20 or $40 price tag. When it comes to Kits, you know you’re getting all your money’s worth, because you’re more likely to use the stuff.

There’s another benefit to Kits over any other kind of pack: it can provide stuff that wouldn’t fit in a bigger pack. Since Kits only come with either objects or clothing, there’s an opportunity to release stuff that is more niche or specialized. Quite a number of Kits previously released are good examples of this. Fashion Street has Indian clothing, Everyday Clutter just adds new Clutter-décor items, Book Nook adds library/study-themed objects, Incheon Arrivals has Korean fashion, and so on. When you look at some of these Kits, it’s hard to fit them in with a bigger pack, even upsizing to a Stuff Pack. There’s too many items to have in a free update, so adding them via a Kit is the answer.

Kits can be a good way of providing items that may not fit with bigger DLC.

Cons of Kits

Not Enough Value for Money

One argument against Kits is that people feel there’s not enough content packed in to make it worth even the $5. It might only be $5 compared to a $40 Expansion, but you’ll get a lot more out of an Expansion than a Kit. Kits usually add a few clothing items or objects, and the only Kit that adds any new gameplay is Bust the Dust, and you don’t get any new objects or clothes alongside the new cleaning gameplay. Unless you really love the stuff that comes in a Kit, it’s probably better to save that $5 towards a bigger and more value-for-your-money pack.

Bust the Dust is the only Kit that has new gameplay – but no new objects or clothing.

Kits Seem to Have Replaced Stuff Packs

One of the reasons why Kits get so much backlash is that in recent years, they seem to have replaced Stuff Packs. While some Stuff Packs were arguably more popular than others, they were more desirable and valued by players than Kits. Stuff Packs might be $5 more expensive than Kits, but people were willing to pay twice the price if it meant more content. Stuff Packs not only mean “stuff”, but this “stuff” is more than just a handful of clothes or objects. With Stuff Packs, you get clothes AND objects, not just one or the other. Not only that, but you get at least one brand-new item with some new gameplay. To give you an idea, let’s list some of the Stuff Packs released (so far) and exactly what they bring to The Sims 4:

1. Spooky Stuff – basically a Halloween-themed pack, complete with costumes, themed furniture, plus a candy bowl and pumpkin-carving table.
2. Movie Hangout Stuff – mainly focuses on the popcorn making machine and a giant-sized TV, plus new movies to watch on TV, whilst also adding colorful Bohemian objects and clothing.
3. Vintage Glamour Stuff – as the name suggests, adds luxurious vintage items, namely for bedrooms, as well as luxury vintage clothing. The vanity table is new, but this Stuff Pack also adds the butler NPC that can be hired to live with and work for your Sims.
4. Bowling Night Stuff – comes with everything you need to create that retro bowling alley, and even comes with pre-built ones. Sims can look the part in 50s-era outfits and bowling wear. This pack even comes with its own skill: Bowling.
5. Fitness Stuff – adds modern fitness wear, new designs of gym equipment, plus a brand-new climbing wall. With Snowy Escape installed, can work on Climbing skill with this object.
6. Laundry Day Stuff – a rather niche themed pack that adds in clothes-washing gameplay, including an electric washing machine and tumble dryer, as well as a clothesline, wash tub, and hamper.
7. Moschino Stuff – the first pack of The Sims 4 to be themed around a real-life company, similar to The Sims 2 H&M Stuff and The Sims 3 Diesel Stuff. Not only adds a collection of objects and real-life Moschino clothing, but also a brand-new fashion photography freelance career.
8. Tiny Living Stuff – adds lots of objects designed to fit in small living, including murphy beds and multipurpose TV/stereo/bookcase. There’s even a brand-new type of lot: Tiny Home  Residential.
9. Nifty Knitting Stuff – this community-voted pack adds the knitting activity to The Sims 4, which comes in the form of a new skill, plus a bunch of objects and clothing.
10. Paranormal Stuff – adds a new freelance career: Paranormal Investigator, plus a Medium skill, and the return of Bonehilda.

This is just some examples of the Stuff Packs for The Sims 4, but you can see how even just one Stuff Pack can add more to the game than a Kit. A Kit may add a handful of items, but Stuff Packs offer a lot more for a few more bucks. Unless a Kit has something you badly want, which would you value more?

Some Kits Should Be Stuff Packs Instead

Here’s another idea: would Kits serve better as Stuff Packs? Some I can understand work better as sole Kits, such as Book Nook, Fashion Street, and Incheon Arrivals, among others. But what about some of the others? One recently released Kit sticks out: Poolside Splash. I’ve seen a few players comment on this Kit, saying it could have worked as a Stuff Pack, and while I do like this Kit, I agree with them. There’s a lot that could have been done with Poolside Splash to upgrade it to a Stuff Pack. They could have added brand-new objects such as a pool slide, pool bar, or new pool interactions such as Marco Polo. I think there was a missed opportunity here.

While Poolside Splash does add new swimwear, it could have had more potential as a Stuff Pack at least.

How Kits Could Be Improved

Not everyone may be a fan of Kits in The Sims 4, but is there a way to make them better? I believe so. Based on what was discussed in the pros and cons, there are many ways Kits can be improved, to make them more value for money.

Get More Content Packaged in Kits

Generally, with Kits, you get about 20 objects or clothing items bundled, perhaps even less than that. But can this number be doubled to make Kits seem more worthwhile? Can Kits be made bigger than they currently are? I think The Sims Team can stretch it a bit further by adding some more content in Kits. They obviously can’t add too much more content, otherwise the Kit will start resembling a Stuff Pack.

When I look back on Stuff Packs from The Sims 2 era, the difference between Stuff Packs then and Stuff Packs now is huge. Back then, Stuff Packs were just… well, stuff! You got a decent selection of clothes and objects. Now, not only do you get clothes and objects, but you get at least one object that has unique gameplay and interactions. With this in mind, couldn’t The Sims 4 Kits resemble more of what The Sims 2 Stuff Packs used to be? I understand The Sims Team has a limit to how much they can package into a Kit, but couldn’t they cram more in?

Let’s take the Little Campers Kit, for example. I liked the new objects that came with it, perfect for outdoor fun for kids, potential set-ups for sleepovers and hangouts. But couldn’t they have added some clothes too? It didn’t have to be an entire wardrobe. Maybe new nightwear fit for sleeping outdoors? Some fun costumes or outfits for nighttime outdoor play?

Little Campers was a good Kit, but some new clothing could have been included as well as objects.

Have More Gameplay Kits

What else can we do with Kits? We’ve got a good selection of Kits that add new clothes or objects to The Sims 4. How about more Kits that bring new gameplay, like Bust the Dust? This added a new cleaning gameplay, and even included two new aspirations. So far, this is the only Kit that has added new gameplay. I think we could have more of these types of Kits though. We can’t have anything too major. Horses were so big, they came with their own Expansion Pack. What about small-but-worthwhile gameplay, something that we feel is worth spending $5 on? 

I’m going to throw a few random ideas on the table, but gameplay Kits could mean things like a cotton candy machine, or even a car you could fix up. Even if it’s just one new object. Or they could add a new career such as a Professional Dancer or working in construction. Then again, these ideas could serve better as Stuff Packs at least. With Kits, it’s trickier because they’re much smaller.

The Sims 3 Store has many original items that come in bundled packs, such as this popcorn and cotton candy machine.

My Own Experience With Kits

I have to admit, when I first heard about Kits being introduced for The Sims 4, I was sceptical. I wasn’t sure they were worth bothering with. I was quite happy with the other packs on offer. I felt I had plenty to keep me going with. Then, I got my very first Kit. That was Desert Luxe, which I got for free when The Sims 4 became free-to-play. I probably wouldn’t normally have worried about going for a Kit like Desert Luxe, as the theme didn’t really interest me that much, but I was getting it for free, so I took it. Getting Desert Luxe, while maybe not my first choice for my first Kit, made me realize that there probably was something positive to Kits. Perhaps they weren’t as bad as I first thought. Perhaps there was some value to the stuff you get bundled in them?

After getting Desert Luxe, I started looking at the other Kits with interest. I wasn’t interested in getting all of them. I didn’t see the point of spending $5 on a Kit that didn’t really interest me, or that contained content that I’d probably never use. I looked through the Kits that took my interest. Eventually, I was persuaded to go for it. At $5 each, I wasn’t going to lose that much by trying them out. I ended up accumulating a small collection of Kits overtime. I’ll list them below with notes on why I was tempted to buy them in the first place:

• Throwback Fit Kit – I was drawn to the retro-style fitness wear, plus I like the bucket hat and sneakers! I use this stuff quite often to dress my Sims up for exercising in.
• Pastel Pop Kit – Probably one of my favorite Kits released so far. I love the objects that come with this Kit, perfect for decorating a child or teen’s bedroom, plus I love the wall patterns and new carpet.
• First Fits Kit – I got this to give my child Sims some trendy new clothes to wear, to give them that edgy street-wear look.
• Moonlight Chic Kit – I like the clothes that comes with this Kit, sleek and stylish. Initially I thought these outfits would be good specifically for going out and dates, but I found that they worked for casual everyday wear as well.
• Little Campers Kit – I wanted to give my younger Sims something fun to play around with outside, specifically for outdoor sleepovers or hang outs. I got this around the same time as The Sims 4 Growing Together Expansion Pack, and the two worked well together.
• Poolside Splash Kit – Spookily, for ages I’d been wanting new swimwear for my Sims, and then this came out! I knew I had to get it, and I was pleased with the selection of new swimwear.
• Modern Luxe Kit – Decided to get this alongside Poolside Splash, as they were released together. It reminded me a lot of The Sims 2 Glamour Life Stuff, a pack that I quite liked, so I decided to give this one a go. I ended up liking this Kit as well, pleased with the objects that came with it.

As of now, I have 8 Kits, including the free Desert Luxe one I got. I have no regrets buying any of these Kits. I didn’t feel like I wasted my money, and I feel as if I got something out of all of them. So far, a staggering 24 Kits have been released for The Sims 4, with plenty more to come. I’ve only got 8 of these. Some didn’t take my fancy at all. Others caught my eye but I ultimately didn’t buy them. Some of them I haven’t bought but might in the future. I don’t buy every single Kit that comes out, just as I’ve skipped some Stuff and Game Packs, but I’m happy with the Kits I did buy, and I don’t think they’re pointless.

Pastel Pop, my favorite Kit for The Sims 4.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to the topic of The Sims 4 Kits, it’s a toss up whether or not they serve a useful purpose to the series. Do they add something, or should we scrap them all and focus on Stuff Packs instead? Everyone will, of course, have their own opinion, for or against Kits. Personally, I don’t hate them. At first, I wondered if they were a bit pointless, but now I don’t think so. I think Kits do bring something to The Sims 4. On the other hand, if I was asked whether I wanted a new Kit or a new Stuff Pack, I would go with the Stuff Pack. Saying that, I don’t think Kits should be sidelined or even binned off completely. I agree that some previously-released Kits may have been better off as Stuff Packs or more, but there are others that work as they are.

The good news is, we have the first Stuff Pack coming out in a long while: The Sims 4 Home Chef Hustle Stuff, so The Sims Team are listening to their players. I hope to see more Stuff Packs in the future, but I also wouldn’t say no to any new Kits either, if they look good.