25 February 2026

I’ve Been Playing The Sims 4’s Royalty and Legacy Nonstop, But One Thing Keeps Pulling Me Out of It

By newsgame

When Royalty & Legacy was first announced, I was immediately on board. I thought I couldn’t get more excited about a Sims 4 Expansion Pack than I did for Life & Death, but Royalty & Legacy waltzed in with fanfare and a scepter to prove me wrong. And I’m glad to report that my hype was well-earned. It’s the kind of Expansion that instantly reframes how you approach a save file, and it scratches that long-standing itch Simmers have had for years: meaningful storytelling with actual stakes.

As a Sims 4 Expansion Pack, Royalty & Legacy doesn’t have much to fault. Its systems are deep. The Create-A-Sim and Build Mode items are thoughtful and plentiful. The gameplay offers multiple rabbit holes for a player to spend hours going down. Yet, for all its virtues, there’s a pain point that I can’t help but think of as the systems unfold. Frustratingly, it’s not a missing feature or a shallow mechanic. It’s something familiar to Sims 4 players, which makes it harder to ignore.

I’ve Been Playing The Sims For 20 Years, And The Sims 4’s Next Expansion Pack Feels Like An Answered Prayer

There’s always been one Expansion Pack I’ve wanted for The Sims, but after 20 years, it seemed impossible. Now, my dreams have come true.

Pack Integration for The Sims 4’s Royalty and Legacy Is the Gap Between Excellent and Perfection

The Sims 4 has over 10 years of DLC under its belt. And as any Sims player may expect by now, these DLCs have to talk to each other. Hobbies and Businesses should be compatible with Dine Out. Vampires and Werewolves need to acknowledge tensions that may arise. While some crossovers don’t make the most sense, the obvious ones should almost stick out like a sore thumb.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)

Pack integration in The Sims is a symptom of a DLC ecosystem that has kept the game alive for over a decade. However, crossover DLC is not a guarantee. Some Packs behave like lone wolves—sometimes, to their detriment. Royalty & Legacy’s cross-pack features exist, albeit scarcely, and if it weren’t for the existence of Get Famous, this wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.

When I Realized That Get Famous Would’ve Been Perfect for Cross Pack Integration With Royalty & Legacy

The way I figured out that cross-pack integration wasn’t stellar with Royalty & Legacy was at a pivotal moment during my playthrough. I’ve planned my dream dynasty for Royalty & Legacy, and I’ve been working hard at pursuing noble chaos. But in typical Sims fashion, the game had other plans. The dynasty head, Marius, was merely a Knight. A Knight is the lowest noble title in the new EP. Naturally, this meant that he was working hard to ensure both a name for himself and the members of his dynasty. His appointed heir ran into a destiny that put my careful plans to shame.

While Marius was coming back from visiting a historical site as one of the tasks for the Noble career, my game immediately panned to his daughter. Anyone who has played The Sims knows that a camera jerk usually means trouble: a housefire, death, or a burglar demanding attention. But this time, it was good. Pilar, Marius’ daughter, pulled Simcalibur from the stone located in Verdemar while exploring. This made her eligible to bypass every single hurdle in her way—including her father. She became Queen of Verdemar with a single click.

Embracing Royalty & Legacy, Longing for Get Famous

Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy - Sim Wielding Simscalibur

Above is a screenshot of Pilar wielding Simcalibur with her daughters blissfully unaware in the background (dad in foreground, tending to his unpictured grandson). The screenshot not included in this article, however, is one that depicts me with my jaw on the floor. I was rightfully dumbfounded. This was not how my save was supposed to go! Yet, there she was: instantly crowned and suddenly the center of gravity for this playthrough. I pivoted. I threw myself into the role of the young queen. I speedran learning curves and power-leveled new systems because the game demanded this of me. Yet, the longer I played, the more something felt missing.

My Sim had just lived through a myth-making moment. She pulled a literal sword from a stone and became a ruler through a single interaction. Everyone witnessed divine favor. So why did my world act like she was a nobody?

The Sims 4: How to Become a Noble (Noble Career Guide)

This guide will tell players what they need to know about becoming royalty and climbing up the noble career ladder in The Sims 4.

The Sims 4’s Get Famous Would’ve Made Royalty & Legacy Legendary

I don’t expect every player to know who the Count of Somewhere is without Googling, but surely, you remember who Queen Victoria is. Or at least, you probably know who the current King of England is. Monarchs aren’t obscure figures in history: their histories have existed beyond their borders, their scandals travel faster than acts of diplomacy, and their names have even become shorthand for entire eras. Which is why Royalty & Legacy feeling disconnected from Get Famous is so jarring. Here are a few ways that Royalty & Legacy and Get Famous currently talk to each other:

As the game stands, Sims gain Fame Points slowly as they ascend the ranks, but this fame goes as swiftly as it is given.
Monarchs who want fame may have to pursue hobbies to speedrun Fame Levels.
Sims involved in a scandal will not only lose Reputation, but Fame if they have Get Famous installed. This feels unnuanced.
A way to gain lots of Fame Points as a monarch is to write a tell-all about a scandal they caused. This punishes players who do not wish to jeopardize dynasty prestige in The Sims.

So many of Royalty & Legacy’s largest moments fall through Get Famous’ cracks. A good monarch, or one that ascends through a world-altering event, feels like trees falling in an empty forest. What would have made Royalty & Legacy an immaculate EP would have been to have allowed me to simulate more than just power, but presence.