I’ve spent the last few weeks trying out the latest expansion pack for The Sims 4, Royalty and Legacy, and I’m obsessed. Its release, serendipitously in tandem with season 4 of Bridgerton, has breathed new life into my gameplay, bringing brilliant features, scandalous new Sims, and a diverse array of build/buy items to enjoy.
Now, your Sims can join the Noble career, vying against others in the same career to take the throne and rule over the Kingdom. Each day, you’ll complete Royal Duties in this active career as you ascend the regal ranks, before ultimately claiming – or challenging – the crown.
Along the way, you’ll have to choose whether you want to earn the favor of commoners or other Nobles; this can have a real impact on your standing with fellow members of the ton, including your own family, so it’s not a choice to be made lightly. The higher your rank, the more power you have over the world; new royal edicts act like more global lot traits, and you can even set taxes for your subjects.
There can only be one ruler in each Kingdom (and these include other worlds from different packs, too!), but your Noble titles can be passed down to your family members and heir. It’s probably some of the most fun I’ve had in a Sims 4 career for a long time, especially when holding court to address your denizen’s concerns; I was expecting some bugs here, but to my surprise and delight, it worked flawlessly every time.
There’s plenty more in store for The Sims 4 Royalty and Legacy, though…
Everybody wants to rule the world
Set in the new world of Ondarion, a coastal kingdom with three opulent neighbourhoods ruled by powerful families, this nobility-themed expansion introduces a wealth of new storytelling mechanics, particularly in the Scandals and Dynasty features.
Dynasties create the opportunity to add some prestige around your Sims families, with a nominated Dynasty head acting as the de facto champion for its values and activities. Obliging these gains your Dynasty rank and points to unlock perks and benefits (much like other expansion packs that use the Social Groups panel for things like organizations and clubs), and gain prestige to lord over other Sims.
Division between Dynasty members can lead to instability, restricting your Dynasty’s ability to assert its good (or at the very least infamous) name for power – I found this was quite hard to accidentally mess up, even when family members had opposing viewpoints, so long as social interactions remain friendly.
You can even nominate family members as outcasts if they don’t quite fit the mold, and form alliances or feuds with other prestigious families. It’s a great addition for Sims family players who want new ways to manifest their storylines, and I can’t wait to see how Dynasties will interface with other packs.
With Scandals, your Sims can hack, purchase, or observe other Sims’ secrets, then choose whether to expose or exploit these assets to further manifest their own power. When my gossip-loving Sim uncovered Geoffrey Langraab’s penchant for frog kissing, for example, I was able to extort him for some of his many, many simoleons. You can also exploit Sims to force them to abandon their Noble titles, accept outcasts from their dynasties back into the fold and more.
Should you choose to expose a secret, the Sim in question and any co-conspirators will be subject to a scandal, earning the ire of Sims around them, affecting their career, and even Dynasty Prestige. Or, of course, you make friends by promising to keep such secrets away from the prying eyes of the ton. The friends and foes you make along the way could come in pretty handy should anyone unearth your own illicit behaviour; my Sim was eventually outed for losing a sword fight against a commoner (the scandal of it all!), but it was quickly remedied in the same way many of the best celebrities and influencers escape the consequences of their actions; by denying the accusation online.
And where better is there to score some juicy gossip than at a Grand Ball, the new event type that sees great families connect over drinks, dancing and dirty little secrets. Simply select your dance partner for romance, fame or friendship and you can commence a joint waltz with other couples at the party; it’s a little stiff but pretty cute to watch. Again, these events work pretty flawlessly – though once or twice my Sims missed their shot at the Waltz due to routing issues.
Plus, with the new Swordsmanship skill, you can also duel other Sims for fun, for secrets, for a title, or even for love – in my case, I just repeatedly duelled my nemesis, Eliza Pancakes, until she eventually aged up to being an Elder and passed from exhaustion. A sweet, totally justified, and proportionate victory.
A setting most elegant
Ondarion makes for a diverse and vibrant backdrop to the pack, bringing with it three unique neighbourhoods, palaces and even a new lot type.
In Dambele, Sims can celebrate the arts or stroll the open palace gardens, while Bellacorde is themed after romance and Latinate opulence, and the nautical-themed Verdemar presents a fantastic stomping ground for adventurous and wily folks. Each brings different Dynasties, each with intermingled histories and scandals to uncover, as well as ample in-neighborhood attractions.
New Backroom Lots also allow for multi-functional destinations; for example a library by day could become a nightclub by night. It’s a nice throw-in for the pack, though I’d have preferred it as a free update for an older pack like Get Together where it would feel more thematically consistent.
With there being a variety of cultures represented in The Sims 4 Royalty and Legacy, the build/buy mode and Create-a-Sim options are impressively diverse, though not without fault. I’m really pleased to see the fruits of The Sims’ partnership with the Pan Africa Gaming Group (PAGG) and Simmers with West African roots bear fruit in the culturally rich Dambele and its nobility, for one thing.
There’s a pretty robust selection of build/buy options with ample matching swatches as well as a full retinue of kitchenware, and the new Secret Passageways are great fun, and genuinely really useful in larger lots like the palaces of Ondarion (or as a WooHoo location for secret rendezvous during a Grand Ball).
Still, I was frustrated to see that lots of the new (and gorgeous) crowns and tiaras unattractively clip through hair models – including those made new for the pack. Given some issues previous packs have had at launch, I’m willing to give them a pass on this one, but it does feel like the bare minimum one should expect from an expansion pack in the good year of 2026 is assets that actually work together.
The Sims 4 Royalty and Legacy is a delight overall, and will pair fantastically with supernatural packs, the Luxury Party and Romantic Garden Stuff Packs and Kits like Secret Sanctuary, Storybook Nursery and Castle Estate.
The new expansion releases on February 12 for $39.99 / £34.99, so there’s still time left to draft up your next save’s illustrious family tree and sharpen your sword for some duelling action.
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josephine.watson@futurenet.com (Josephine Watson)
