The Sims 4: Lovestruck review – An expansion worthy of the name

The Sims 4: Lovestruck brings a much-needed update to the relationship side of the life simulation game, along with some other welcome changes.

Maxis’ The Sims franchise has been praised for its dedication to the mechanical aspects of day-to-day life, with new expansions and DLC packs building on areas missing from the base game.

The latest expansion pack, Lovestruck, is centered all around dating and relationships. From lovelorn singletons to long-married couples, expect each new feature and item to be highly useful on your next playthrough.

EA / Maxis

Key details

• Price: $39.99
• Developer: Maxis / EA
• Release Date: July 25, 2024
• Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
• Reviewed on: PC

New Create-A-Sim options

Before you even jump into Live Mode, the expansion has new Create-A-Sim options that you should check out. Many new clothes fit the aesthetic of Lovestruck’s new world, Ciudad Enamorada. 

Some of these outfits are also geared towards dating, such as expensive dresses and smart shirts to complement a night out. While there are fewer options here for the homely life, your Sims have more than enough new options when dressing up for a big date.

Outside of the expansion pack, a free update releasing alongside Lovestruck brings polyamorous relationships to The Sims 4. 

As always, Maxis is keen to expand The Sims 4’s options when it comes to the representation of different identities and lifestyles. The update adds options in Create-A-Sim related to romantic boundaries, allowing Sims to engage in polyamorous relationships with multiple Sims.

It exists as a new menu alongside the already-existing gender and sexual orientation options, allowing you to tailor your Sim’s romantic and sexual boundaries at the click of a button. By default, Sims will get jealous seeing their partner engage in romantic interactions with other Sims, but these options open up the possibility for them to have multiple partners without any issues.

This is an excellent addition to The Sims 4, as having Sims with polyamorous identities is something players have wanted for a while without resorting to mods. It’s similar to the way Maxis has historically expanded its options to accommodate many gender identities and sexual orientations beyond cisheteronormative ones.

Turn-Ons and Turn-Offs

Much like real life, Sims are going to be attracted to specific traits and will get the ick from others.

Lovestruck also introduces Turn-Ons and Turn-Offs, which are sets of triggers that determine if a Sim may find a potential romantic partner attractive. These can range from the types of traits another Sim possesses to the clothes they’re wearing.

For example, a Sim may find outgoing or confident Sims to be a Turn-On, and therefore have an easier time romancing them. Meanwhile, if lazy or nerdy Sims are a Turn-Off for them, it makes building a relationship with them much trickier.

While the new Turn-Ons and Turn-Offs feature is interesting and is integral to the expansion’s romance-angled gameplay – it’s not too restrictive in how you play. As I was able to see during my own playthrough, Sims can still have fulfilling relationships with other Sims who have Turn-Off traits.

It makes sense Maxis wouldn’t restrict romance options too much with this feature, but it does feel like a very surface-level understanding of attraction and how two people connect. I feel like there could have been more done with this feature, and instead leaves me wanting more

Dating sim

To see everything Lovestruck has to offer, the best way to play with this expansion is to play a Sim who has the odds stacked against them. I created a Sim who preferred to be alone, was a hopeless romantic, and liked staying indoors. Would they ever find love?

It turns out it’s quite easy with some of the new features in the pack, such as the Cupid’s Corner dating app which makes it far easier to meet new Sims who you might have an attraction to.

Here you can filter through all the different Sims available on the app and message the ones you want to date. In the real world of 2024, where most people meet on dating apps, it’s only right that The Sims 4 finally has a feature that allows your Sims to spark romance through the internet.

Similarly, it also really helps avoid that frustration of meeting someone you like, only to be let down by the fact they’re already spoken for (we’ve all been there). Ultimately, meeting and pairing off Sims in romantic courtships is made all the more easier with the Lovestruck expansion.

So with my latest Sim, Cherry Pie, ready to enter the dating world, I settled her down in Lovestruck’s new world, Ciudad Enamorada. 

Ciudad Enamorada is a beautiful urban landscape inspired by Mexico City, featuring the types of lots you’d expect from a dating-themed expansion pack such as bars, lounges, and several one-bedroom residential lots perfect for single Sims entering the world of dating. 

While there isn’t a lot new here that can’t be found in other packs, it’s a beautifully realized world with lots of detail put into it. Props to the Maxis art team for bringing the city to life, and designing it in a way that makes it friendly to players running a dating-angled playthrough.

Mate for life

But the romance features go beyond that initial spark. Romantic satisfaction and relationship dynamics are also key to keeping the love alive in Lovestruck.

In particular, the new Romance Dynamics allows Sims to build their relationship in a way that affects their mood and interactions with their partner. Is your Sim’s relationship a steamy one based on physical intimacy? Or is it an unpredictable will-they, won’t-they affair? 

What this feature achieves is adding a degree of individuality to romantic relationships. It makes them more interesting to pursue and maintain when your Sim approaches each romance differently. It’s a major step up from how relationships are kept in the base game, which generally didn’t feel like they went as deep as they could have gone.

Did Cherry find love in the end? Let’s just say we may hear wedding bells.

Verdict: 4/5 

Lovestruck overhauls the romance side of The Sims 4 in such a way that it feels new and exciting again. Despite the base game now entering its 10th year since release, the expansion proves that Maxis still has some fresh ideas that can keep the gameplay dynamics modern and unwilted.

If you’re keen to check out more from The Sims 4, be sure to also find out what the best packs are to get. And if you’re keen on our thoughts on older expansions, we have reviews on Cottage Living and High School Years.