The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies lets your Sim turn a skill, hobby, or space into a player-run small business. You can operate from home or a dedicated Small Business Venue, set rules for customers, and charge for entry or time. The expansion is required for this system; it also adds Pottery and Tattooing skills. This is different from a career, where your Sim leaves for scheduled shifts.
What Businesses & Hobbies adds
EA describes the expansion as adding small businesses that Sims can run on a residential lot or a dedicated Small Business Venue. You can name and brand the business, set customer rules, charge a one-time or hourly fee through a Ticket Kiosk, and hire up to three employees. EA also lists staff task assignments and salary management, business perks, Business Renown, and progression along Dreamer, Schemer, or Neutral paths. These are EA’s feature descriptions, not a guarantee that every detail is unchanged in the current patch.
The expansion launched on March 6, 2025. EA’s product listing says it requires The Sims 4, sells the expansion as a digital-content license, and notes that cross-pack play requires additional DLC purchases. Read EA’s Businesses & Hobbies announcement and check the EA product page for current availability and price; prices and regional listings can change.
How to choose a business concept
Think about what customers will do and how the business earns money. EA’s examples span selling items, offering a service or class, and charging people to use a space. The comparison below is a planning aid based on EA’s feature descriptions, not an official ranking.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →#1 Best Overall
![The Sims 4 - Vampires - Origin PC [Online Game Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/513y5rPI8OL._SL160_.jpg)
- Requires The Sims 4 & all game updates. For PC, see minimum system requirements for the pack.
- Create Vampires
- Unleash Supernatural Powers
- Escape to Forgotten Hollow
- Live the Immortal Life
| Business idea | What customers do | Likely business model | Content to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pottery studio or shop | Make pottery in a class, or browse and buy finished pieces | Teach a skill, sell products, or combine both | Businesses & Hobbies; Pottery is a new expansion skill |
| Tattoo service | Receive a tattoo service | Charge for a service | Businesses & Hobbies; Tattooing is a new expansion skill |
| Art or music venue | Paint, play instruments, or socialize in a ticketed space | Charge for access or time; a class can also be part of the concept | Base-game activities include painting and playing instruments; other activities may require other packs |
| Fitness or pool venue | Work out, swim, or spend time at the venue | Charge for access or time | EA lists working out among base-game activity options; check your installed content for specific activities |
| Cooking or gardening class | Learn or practice an activity | Teach a class | Cooking and gardening appear among EA’s base-game activity options; paid mentoring and gardening customer activities were covered in a March 20, 2025 update |
| Bar, gym, or other ticketed hangout | Use the space and socialize | Charge a one-time or hourly fee | EA lists these as examples of ticketed venues; specific activity options can depend on packs and updates |
For a class, EA says attendees pay only when it reaches at least a Bronze reward. Plan around that condition if teaching is central to the business. EA’s announcement describes the class and business features.
Customer rules: decide what visitors come to do
Each small business can have up to five Customer Rules, according to EA. These rules let you orient the business around activities—for example, a painting studio, a gaming hangout, or a garden-focused business. EA’s announcement gives an overview of available activities, but a list in the announcement should not be treated as a guarantee of every option in the current patch.
Rank #2
![The Sims 4 - Parenthood - Origin PC [Online Game Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51N60qq6z6L._SL160_.jpg)
- Requires The Sims 4 & all game updates. For PC, see minimum system requirements for the pack.
- Develop Parenting Skills – Level up your Sim’s parenting skills to satisfy their child’s needs and influence their behaviors. Gain new abilities through experience and choosing when to discipline bad actions, encourage good behavior, or just let kids be kids.
- Shape Your Sim’s Childhood – The decisions you make influence how your Sim parents and leave a lasting impact on their child’s future. Each choice shapes their personality, affects their traits, influences their family relationships, and guides their path into adulthood.
- Gather your Sim’s family to participate in new activities and spend quality time with each other. Sims of all ages can work together to complete a variety of school projects, express their creativity using construction blocks, or volunteer their time for good.
- Customize your Sims’ looks and their home with new family fashion and build items. Give the kids’ bedrooms extra personality, remodel the kitchen to feel homier, and let your Sims express their sporty or artistic sides with new outfits.
Base-game activity examples
- Art and music, including painting and playing instruments
- Food and drink, including cooking
- Games, including video games
- Hobbies and home activities, such as writing, reading, and programming
- Outdoor activities, including gardening and fishing
- Exercise and social interaction
- Kids’ activities and mischief
Activities that may require other packs
EA also lists activities associated with other packs. Confirm that you own the relevant content before building a business around one of these options; they are not all included in the base game or Businesses & Hobbies.
- Bowling
- DJing and singing
- Basketball
- Flower arranging
- Acting
- Cross-stitch
- Animal care
- Robotics
- Nectar making
For the official activity overview, see EA’s expansion announcement. The pack needed for a particular activity depends on which content you own.
Rank #3
![The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy Expansion Pack - PC EA App [Online Game Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51iL3EXTL6L._SL160_.jpg)
- Requires The Sims 4 & all game updates. For PC, see minimum system requirements for the pack.
- Rule your story: Build a powerful Dynasty, shape shared Values, choose an Heir, or exile family members in a deep life simulation driven by legacy, prestige, and choice.
- Claim the crown: Rise through Nobility by winning the people, pleasing rival Nobles, dueling with swords, or exposing Scandals that can change the balance of power.
- Scandal fuels drama: Forbidden romances, secret children, and public disgrace can impact careers, relationships, Dynasty Prestige, and Noble Favor.
What Pottery and Tattooing add
Pottery and Tattooing are new skills in Businesses & Hobbies. EA describes making and glazing pottery, then using Kintsugi on broken ceramics at higher Pottery skill levels. Finished pieces can be sold or given as gifts, and the pack adds retail surfaces for displaying them. These features can support a product-focused business as well as a class or studio concept.
The expansion also emphasizes teaching and mentorship. EA describes Sims mentoring others and teaching classes, alongside the small-business system. For a class to charge attendees, it must reach at least a Bronze reward. Since the game has received updates affecting business activities, check current in-game options rather than assuming every activity behaves exactly as it did at launch.
Rank #4
![The Sims 4 StrangerVille [Online Game Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51pIwWba5ZL._SL160_.jpg)
- A Different World - Explore StrangerVille, a rural desert town shrouded in secrecy. Encounter weird weather, creepy townies, dangerous plants, odd collectibles, and more.
- Unravel the Story – Immerse your Sim in unique and mysterious events. Unmarked vans appear in neighborhoods, government agents use secret listening devices, and scanners are key in detecting the unusual.
- Crack the Code – Have your Sims investigate using their Military training, searching for clues to solve a mystery that lies within the secret lab.
- Suit Up Your Sim – Get Sims in the mystery-solving mood by gearing them up in desert-inspired clothing and military fatigues, or prepare them for the end with conspiracy-themed clothes, secret agent attire, and a hazmat suit.
Where to run the business
EA describes two broad locations: your Sim’s residential lot or a dedicated Small Business Venue. A home business can make sense when the business fits the household’s space and routine; a separate venue is a natural choice for a studio, gym, pool, or other destination. The choice is a planning decision, not a claim that any particular concept requires a specific lot type.
Nordhaven is the expansion’s world, with the neighborhoods Gammelvik and Iverstad. EA highlights Hobby Meetups there as places where Sims can socialize and find mentors. They can complement a hobby-focused playthrough, though they are not a substitute for the small-business system itself.
Recommended Free Tools
Best Value
- PLAY WITH LIFE, IN REAL LIFE: Dive into the neighborhood, meet iconic Sims, and fulfill your life’s aspirations like never before!
- A NEW WAY TO PLAY SIMS: Gather up to 5 players as you each craft your own story while collecting matching SIMbols along the way in this family strategy game
- EVERY GAME, A NEW STORY: Embark on an entirely new journey each time you play while encountering unexpected surprises at every turn — what will your life look like?
- ICONIC DETAILS FOR FANS: Ideal for play and display, featuring iconic artwork, nostalgic touches, plumbob movers, interaction dice, and a needs tracker familiar to fans
- MAIN CHARACTERS WANTED: Recommended for 2-5 players, ages 12 and up
How to start a small business
Use this planning sequence to set up a business around the options EA describes. Exact menus and patch-sensitive interactions can change, so follow the current prompts in your game rather than relying on an unverified menu path.
- Choose the concept. Decide whether the business will sell items, provide a service, teach a class, or charge for access to a space.
- Check your content. Confirm that you own Businesses & Hobbies and any other pack required for the activities you want to offer.
- Pick a location. Plan to use a residential lot or a dedicated Small Business Venue, depending on the space and style your concept needs.
- Name and brand the business. EA says small businesses can be named and branded.
- Set up to five Customer Rules. Choose activities that fit the business and the content installed in your game.
- Set the charge, if appropriate. EA describes using a Ticket Kiosk to charge a one-time or hourly fee. A product sale, service, or class may suit a different concept.
- Decide whether to hire. EA says a business can hire up to three employees and describes assigning tasks and managing salaries.
- Run the business and develop it. EA lists business perks, Business Renown, and Dreamer, Schemer, or Neutral paths as parts of the system.
Small business or a job?
A player-run small business is not an employee career. With a business, you operate a venue or service on a lot and shape what customers do. Careers and part-time jobs send Sims away for shifts; EA identifies Retail Employee as a base-game part-time job. Its career overview distinguishes careers, active professions, and part-time jobs. Choose a business if you want to manage a customer-facing venture; choose employment if you want your Sim to work for an employer.
Updates and current-game caveats
Some business mechanics have changed since launch. EA’s March 20, 2025 quality-of-life update documented changes involving Businesses & Hobbies, including paid mentoring and gardening customer activities. That makes patch version relevant when following detailed setup instructions or planning around a particular customer activity. Consult the March 20, 2025 update notes alongside the current game behavior.
Quick Recap
Which business should you build?
- Choose a shop or maker business if you want to create or display products, such as pottery.
- Choose a service business if customers come for a specific service, such as tattooing.
- Choose a class if you want the business to center on teaching; account for the Bronze reward requirement for attendees to pay.
- Choose a ticketed venue if the appeal is access to a space or time spent there, such as a pool, gym, studio, or music venue.
- Choose activities you already own if you want to avoid basing the business on a feature from a pack you have not purchased.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute
