When I was growing up, I loved to play The Sims 2. I would load up the game on my GameCube every day after I got it for Christmas one year, and now in celebration of the franchise’s 25th anniversary, it’s back and with all of its content.
Sims games are no stranger to adding a plethora of DLC in the form of expansion packs, which add new jobs, features, and NPCs to the base game, and stuff packs, which are smaller updates that only add a handful of new items but are usually targeted to a specific theme. While I never got to experience all of those features when I played The Sims 2 back in the day, as well as several base game features like being able to age due to their removal from the console versions, I’ve been excited to reignite my Sims 2 love with its recent rerelease that bundles all of its previous content. Because of that, I wanted to take a look at which expansion packs and stuff packs were the best Sims 2 DLC so that players like me can focus on which pieces of DLC are the cream of the crop.
I have a lot of catching up to do, but these pieces of DLC for The Sims 2 are the ones I’m most excited to delve into.
The Sims 2: Family Fun Stuff

While expansion packs always made sense to me as far as Sims DLC goes, Stuff packs were always a bit more questionable since I felt that just granting players a new set of items was a weak justification for spending money unless they had a meaningful impact on the game. And, for what it’s worth, Family Fun Stuff is a pretty meaningful pack. While the title may not be 100% clear what the focus of this pack is, this is a pack that adds a lot of new items for children.
While there were definitely items for children in earlier expansions, Family Fun Stuff allows you to craft your kid’s room to feel like an actual kid lives there, like designing their bedrooms to be underwater-themed or medieval-themed. There were a few new items included for adults, but seeing a Stuff pack centered on children really does help make this era of a Sims life feel more fleshed out and distinct.
The Sims 2: Open For Business

While there’s plenty of stuff to do in The Sims 2, one of the most compelling things about the Open For Business expansion pack was the ability to start your own business. With this expansion, players could go to the shopping district Bluewater Village, and while players could visit several stores there and buy a whole host of new items, the expansion’s main feature was how you can open and start your own business there. There is a lot of depth in how players can run their business, including who to employ there and measuring the talent of Sims, which was a new feature, making Open For Business one of the most comprehensive expansion packs in the game that players can become completely fixated on.
The Sims 2: Seasons

While Seasons may add a few new career tracks and expand upon earlier mechanics like gardening the big hook of this expansion pack, obviously, is the addition of seasons. Watching the seasons change in The Sims 2 is fun and adds a lot of visual variety to the experience, as well as having certain events now becoming available to the player based on what season it is. You could have a snowball fight in the winter or contend with thunderstorms in the summer, and while that may seem basic by today’s standards, the fact that seasons have become a mainstay in the series and one of the most sought-after expansion packs in The Sims 3 and The Sims 4 means that fans love the additions that simple weather changes can provide to gameplay.
The Sims 2: Teen Style Stuff

Much like with the Family Fun Stuff, what makes the Teen Style Stuff pack work so well is how it expands upon an underrepresented group within the game – teenagers. While kids received plenty of love and attention in Family Fun Stuff, Teen Style Stuff grants teenagers several new themes and items that allow each of them to develop their distinct personalities. Plus there were new items that could be used by any age group, making this a pack that was both targeted in its focus, yet didn’t neglect the other age groups within the game. That, and you can make your Sims Goth. That alone makes this one of the best Stuff packs.
The Sims 2: University

The first expansion pack for The Sims 2 has a lot, and I mean, A LOT, to love. A lot of features that would become series mainstays made their introduction in this expansion pack, like the ‘Young Adult” stage of a Sims life, the influence system, and lifetime wants. At points, it honestly feels like its own separate game, with Sims able to attend one of three colleges that are separated from the main house, select a major, attend classes, and finally earn one of several graduate-only jobs like Artist and Natural Scientist. By all accounts, there are enough new mechanics and features in University to justify why many Sims players consider it not only the best expansion pack for The Sims 2, but also the best expansion pack for the entire series.
Published: Feb 2, 2025 10:47 pm