Which is better, The Sims™ 4 or The Sims™ 2 Legacy Collection?

On Steam reviews The Sims™ 4 scores higher (87.1% positive) than The Sims™ 2 Legacy Collection (70.1% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, The Sims™ 4 is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.

Should I play The Sims™ 4 or The Sims™ 2 Legacy Collection first?

If you want chronology, The Sims™ 4 (2020) came out before The Sims™ 2 Legacy Collection (2025). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.

Are The Sims™ 4 and The Sims™ 2 Legacy Collection similar?

They overlap on Simulation on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.

Is The Sims™ 4 free?

Yes — The Sims™ 4 is a free-to-play Steam title. The Sims™ 2 Legacy Collection is paid (17.99 USD).

The Sims™ 4 vs The Sims™ 2 Legacy Collection

The Sims™ 4 and The Sims™ 2 Legacy Collection both land in Simulation on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are Simulation games on Steam. The Sims™ 4 (2020) is 5 years older than The Sims™ 2 Legacy Collection (2025). The Sims™ 4 scores higher on Steam reviews (87.1% positive) than The Sims™ 2 Legacy Collection (70.1% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.

Which should you pick?

Choose The Sims™ 4

Choose The Sims™ 4 if you want an Adventure, Free To Play, and Casual game with Stereo Sound, Surround Sound, and Playable without Timed Input. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 87.1% positive across 103,350 reviews.

Choose The Sims™ 2 Legacy Collection

Choose The Sims™ 2 Legacy Collection if it's the newer release (2025) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 2,670 Steam reviews back the pick.

Both The Sims™ 4 and The Sims™ 2 Legacy Collection sit in Simulation on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.

The Sims™ 4 vs The Sims™ 2 Legacy Collection — Steam metadata comparison
	The Sims™ 4	The Sims™ 2 Legacy Collection
Released	2020	2025
Genres	Adventure, Simulation, Free To Play, Casual	Simulation
Platforms	Windows	Windows
Steam Deck	Deck Playable	Deck Playable
Price	Free to play	17.99 USD
Steam reviews	87.1% positive (103,350 reviews)	70.1% positive (2,670 reviews)
Multiplayer	Single-player only	Single-player only
Developers	Maxis	MAXIS

Side by side

Both are Simulation games on Steam.
The Sims™ 4 (2020) is 5 years older than The Sims™ 2 Legacy Collection (2025).
The Sims™ 4 scores higher on Steam reviews (87.1% positive) than The Sims™ 2 Legacy Collection (70.1% positive).
The Sims™ 4 is free; The Sims™ 2 Legacy Collection is paid (17.99 USD).
Both are Deck Playable.