The Sims 4 City Living DLC

Guide & Expansion Pack Features

The Sims 4 City Living Expansion Pack

The Sims 4 City Living Expansion is available November 1, 2016. This DLC focuses on adding a new city, apartments, and producing a realistic feeling setting. The City of San Myshuno and Apartments are a central part of the addon. Players have to pay rent to live in the city and contend with noisy neighbors and landlords. Sims can easily eat lunch from a vendor, meet tourists and street performers, and pursue new city-themed careers. I'm working to add new guides daily, now that I've got a copy of the City Living Expansion.

City Living Guides

I'm releasing a new guide every day, so check back for more! I'll update this list as new articles become available:

Summary of Features in The City Living Addon - Read on for Details:

  • A New City
  • Tourists
  • Apartments and Penthouses
  • Power outages, roach infestations
  • Video game consoles for groups to play together
  • Basketball
  • Bubble Hookahs
  • Street Art
  • Cultural Events like eating contests
  • Politics Career that appears to be interactive
  • Fireworks

Apartments

Apartment in The Sims 4 City Living Expansion Pack
An Apartment. This is a starter, there are much more luxurious places to live, with higher rent.

Apartments are a new feature in this Expansion Pack. You can rent one of several apartments in different neighborhoods in the city, with different rental expenses. Apartments allow you to use an elevator to leave the building without a loading screen and explore the neighborhood like usual. Building fans will have to get creative to make efficient use of the available space. As your family grows, you're likely to need a much bigger and more expensive apartment. Naturally, you can choose a furnished option when you initially put down the deposit, but you will have to pay for those items' value. Sims on a tight budget may want to buy items as they need them. A downside to apartments that seemingly could've been avoided is that players cannot simply walk into the neighbor's apartment. You're able to socialize with them in the hall or knock for a little chat, but going inside to visit does require a loading screen. See festivals for other explanations about loading screens that pertain to this DLC.

Lot Traits

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How to Change Lot Traits in The Sims 4 City Living Expansion Pack
How to Pick Lot Traits: Choose a lot's traits by clicking in the upper-left corner while in build mode. Some traits can't be changed and are unique to certain lots, such as Historical Site.

This was included as a free update for every Sims 4 owner. Some apartments come with predetermined traits that are locked, though you can change your lot's traits at any time. These provide skill boosts, and may allow you to make your building have some supernatural effects, such as gremlins or gnomes that either damage or repair objects overnight. Buildings can be earthquake-prone, have nice breezes that give your Sims a boost to exercise, or nice lighting for painting. Multiple births are also supported if your apartment or house is built on a ley line. Lot traits are changed by clicking the info panel in the top left when you're in build mode. Hover over them and click the X, unless it's one that is permanent (such as the apartment being an historical site).

New City: San Myshuno

The City of San Myshuno in the City Living DLC
San Myshuno's bridge. City Living offers some beautiful views!

The new city is a great backdrop for living out your Sims' lives. The developer definitely pulled off a city vibe, as traffic goes by in the background, the great skyline and Sims going about their daily lives all contribute to this feeling. In certain areas, Sims can partake in street painting, or buy street food from a vendor. Overall it's nice to be able to get away from the base game's small towns, and you can certainly alter some of the city to suit your design whims. Just to be clear though, you won't be able to plop skyscrapers anywhere you want - you'll build around them, there are just some lots that can be heavily customized as usual. Among the regular Sims you'll run into in San Myshuno, there are plenty of tourists, street performers, and human statues your Sim can meet. This makes each day in the city just a bit more interesting, as city life should be.

City Living Careers

Protesting in one of the new careers in The Sims 4 City Living Expansion Pack
Protesting is part of the new Political Career in the City Living DLC

City Living features three new Careers - Politician (Activist), Critic, and Social Media. All three are fitting for the city life. A new feature for these careers is the ability to work from home. Each day, before your Sim leaves for work, you get to choose if it's a day they'll go in to the office, take the day off, or else work from home. Each of these have two branches like usual, so you can take the career into an entirely different direction.

Festivals

A Festival in the neighborhood in The Sims 4 City Living Expansion Pack
A festival underway. These are great places to meet Sims and even learn new recipes as your Sim tries new foods.

Festivals are held regularly in San Myshuno. The new city's various neighborhoods are all home to different types of festivals. If a festival is held in your home neighborhood, you can visit it at the designated time without any loading screen. Traveling to a festival in another neighborhood does impose a loading screen, though in my experience they were indeed brief. Festivals last several hours and give your Sims something different to do, allowing them to connect with others Sims and sometimes enter into competitions with prizes. Checking the bulletin board outside your Sim's apartment will notify you of any upcoming festivals.

City Living Trailer

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Comments (5)

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New
Rosesays...
smile
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New
Katherinesays...
I play on PS4 I'm probably going to get the city living bundle! ❤️
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New
Kelseysays...
Is there a way to make my own apartment building in the town or another world? Or just own a building and be the landlord myself?
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New
Erinsays...

I don't think you can be the landlord yourself, but if you don't want to deal with the landlords and have more building freedom, try renting the penthouse in San Myshuno

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Senior
Briansays...
My foodie is trying to learn all the recipes, she's up to 21 of 27. Is there any out-of-the-way food vendors I might have missed? I found the one sort of near the gym. I do see that they change sometimes, looks like there's 2 that I still need to find.
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Senior
Briansays...
Ok, never mind... the spice festival came up, and the southwestern booth was there. It had all 6 recipes I didn't have yet.
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Admin
Playalotsays...
Handy Forum post here so you can see what you are still missing. Basically each neighborhood has a place for food vendors so it's just a case of traveling around San Myshuno to get them all.
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Senior
Briansays...
Ok shortly after I posted that, the Spice Festival came around. The Southwestern style booth was there, and it had all 6 of the recipes I didn't have yet.
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Senior
Briansays...
Ugh and I couldn't see the reply I put up earlier until just now, AFTER I replied again...
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New
Alexissays...

Hey Carl! I love your website and it's been extremely helpful these past few years. I am currently trying to complete every collection in the game and was wondering if you thought of making a page about the City Living Posters. They are listed in the game as a collection. Keep up the great work!

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Admin
Playalotsays...

Sure, it's certainly worth a thought! I've passed on your comment to Carl.



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