The Sims 4: Cottage Living Expansion Pack

The Sims 4 Cottage Living Expansion Pack was developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts, released in 2021. It is a full expansion pack that brings rural, pastoral life to the franchise by introducing village living, farm animals, agricultural gameplay and community-centered activities that encourage slower, homestead-style storytelling.

The pack adds the rural world of Henford-on-Bagley with village hubs, markets and festival events, the ability to raise and befriend animals such as cows, chickens and llamas, a gardening and foraging loop that includes oversized crops and new recipes, and community features like the Finchwick Fair where Sims can enter contests and showcase their produce. Gameplay supports garden-to-table cooking, animal care interactions with tangible outcomes for households, and new farmer- and crafting-themed build/buy items and clothing to reinforce the cottage aesthetic.

Promotion for Cottage Living followed Electronic Arts’ and Maxis’ standard channels with trailers, store listing previews, social media announcements and developer highlights that showcased Henford-on-Bagley, animal husbandry, and the Finchwick Fair; community creators, livestreams and gallery showcases were used widely to display village builds, farming workflows and festival events to illustrate how the expansion changes everyday priorities and storytelling options.

Reception was generally positive among players and critics, with praise for the pack’s charming worldbuilding, the pastoral activities and the strong thematic cohesion that encouraged family- and community-focused play, while some criticism focused on technical issues at launch and requests for deeper mechanics or additional variety in long-term systems; overall it became a favorite for players seeking wholesome, rural roleplay rather than urban or supernatural content.