The latest Sims 4 expansion wants me to relive the worst years of my life

High school. Either the best or worst years of your life and for me, they firmly fall into the latter camp. It's not exactly a time I look back fondly on, but maybe The Sims 4 can change that with its new High School Years expansion pack.

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Eagle-eyed Sims fans clued up to the theme of this pack pretty quickly, but now a brand-new trailer and official announcement have confirmed we'll be getting a more thorough, fleshed-out teenage Sim experience. High school is no longer some mysterious void your teens get shipped off to each morning—they'll be able to attend classes in person, decorate their lockers and hang out around the school building. There'll also be major events like proms and graduations for teen sims to attend, with the latter probably working in a similar fashion to the University Life expansion.

Teens themselves seem to be getting more traits, behaviours and interaction options that will help better differentiate them from young adult and adult sims. It looks like they'll have more interactions around pranks and other mischiefs, be able to sneak out past curfew, skip class or ask their crushes out on a date. I'm also hoping to satiate my boba addiction in the virtual world too, with the trailer showing a group of teens grabbing the delightful bubbly beverage.

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Welcome to Copperdale High, the new center of your teen's world! Inside these fully customizable halls & walls, you can attend class, join extracurricular activities, commit a little mischief & of course PROM!Check out more on #TheSims4HighSchoolYears: https://t.co/UaHapyHbUR pic.twitter.com/4B9Kc6bPq8June 30, 2022

It'll be nice to have yet another age group feel more defined and... well, behave like their actual age. Teens have felt so indistinguishable from young adults and adults throughout The Sims 4, considering all three age groups share near-identical models and wardrobe. These types of expansions are always the ones I look forward to the most, and I can't wait to have more reasons to play with teen sims.

The Sims 4 High School Years is out on July 28, with a couple of bonus goodies if you decide to preorder the expansion. Personally, I'd recommend waiting until after the expansion is out. After all, it could be a smash hit like Werewolves or a broken mess like My Wedding Stories.

Mollie spent her early childhood deeply invested in games like Killer Instinct, Toontown and Audition Online, which continue to form the pillars of her personality today. She joined PC Gamer in 2020 as a news writer and now lends her expertise to write a wealth of features, guides and reviews with a dash of chaos. She can often be found causing mischief in Final Fantasy 14, using those experiences to write neat things about her favourite MMO. When she's not staring at her bunny girl she can be found sweating out rhythm games, pretending to be good at fighting games or spending far too much money at her local arcade.