The Sims 4 Adventure Awaits is the life sim's next expansion and the third big update to drop in 2025, making it a particularly busy year for the series as it celebrates its 25th anniversary. Thanks to a steady trickle of updates through the Sims 4 blog, trailers, and a little of my own hands-on experience, we now know even more about what's in store for us at Gibbi Point.
Fortunately, the wait between now and the next Sims 4 update won't be very long. Until then, I'm rounding up every detail I can find on the Adventure Awaits expansion and keeping this up-to-date as we count down the days to its new Getaway System, Custom Venues, and Imaginary Friends.
The Sims 4 Adventure Awaits release date and trailers
When is the Sims 4 Adventure Awaits release date?
The Sims 4 Adventure Awaits launches on October 2, 2025. EA's storefront also notes the specific time the expansion goes live at 12 pm CDT. That's 10 am PDT / 1 pm EDT / 6 pm BST / or 3 am on October 3, 2025 AEST.
Adventure Awaits will cost $40/£35 when it launches on Steam, Epic Games, and the EA App.
Here's the Adventure Awaits reveal trailer
The first Sims 4 Adventure Awaits trailer takes a tour through Gibbi Point, mostly focused on the expanded childhood content. New activities and systems flesh out younger Sims more, giving them games to play, formative moments, and what I'm assuming is our first look at Imaginary Friends.
The Adventure Awaits gameplay trailer details big changes to kid Sims and Custom Venues
The Adventure Awaits gameplay trailer debuted just a week after EA's Adventure Awaits reveal and expands upon new features teased in early footage by following Nigel (the Camp Gibbi Gibbi director) through childhood. Imaginary Friends look like they play a big role in the upcoming expansion and don't have to disappear when younger Sims reach adulthood—you can offer to make them real. Kind of terrifying, kind of heartwarming.
We also see more of the Getaway Planner and rules, with more examples of the types of Custom Venues you can create, like a cozy bed and breakfast or evil villain hideaway. All of the customization options look ambitious and complex in the best ways, so I'm crossing my fingers for a smooth transition into Gibbi Point.
The Sims 4 Adventure Awaits gameplay features
Adventure Awaits in the new Sims 4 Getaway System
The Getaway System is the big Adventure Awaits staple, and it all starts with your planner where you'll select a destination, add participating Sims, set their schedules, and pick rules for the trip. Think of it as an expanded Travel menu, but with options for planning every day right down to the hour and using rules to influence behaviors.
I've played around with my own getaway formulas, and I'm mostly into it just for the scheduling component. I like being able to micromanage larger groups all from one menu, then spend the rest of my time swapping between them while they (mostly) follow the plan.
Schedules also give you custom roles, so Sims can fulfill certain duties or needs planned for your getaway. It's honestly way more involved than just selecting times and activities, the schedule tab is where all the magic happens.
I've found less interesting uses for the rules—more than half of which are set up as elimination challenges—but that's fine. The getaway scheduling options are granular enough for planning my Sims' retreat, and I prefer relying on EA's preset competitions if I want to do something for a challenge.
Gibbi Point adds three new neighbours to The Sims 4
The Adventure Awaits expansion adds three new neighborhoods for your Sims to explore: Wanderwood Wilds, Crystal Valley, and Jellyfish Junction. Each location is tied to the new Getaway System, and EA's announcement blog highlights destination-specific activities and landmarks available in the new locations.
Wanderwood Wilds seems geared toward those of us who desire more greenery as it's "laced with forest trails, erupting geysers and a whisper of mystery." The neighborhood's getaway whisks you off to Camp Gibbi Gibbi, where your Sims can fish and share campfire stories.
- Custom Venue: Camp Gibbi Gibbi
- Venues: Plumbird Park
- Residential Lots: Wanderwood Wonder, Hothead Rock Hideaway
Crystal Valley is "where sparkling rock formations ignite the imagination," so I'm assuming it's the location with more of those mountainous outcroppings in the reveal trailer. It's also where you can visit the Love Highland retreat for a more romantic getaway.
- Venues: Fearful Fish Lounge
- Residential Lots: Miner's Manse, Love Highland, Prospector's Paradise, Crystal Cottage
Jellyfish Junction is the most distinct locale in the expansion's early footage thanks to all the glowing critters inspiring its namesake. EA describes it as "a waterfront wonderland with a glistening lagoon," and a good place for your Sims to recharge at the Revive & Thrive getaway.
- Custom Venue: Revive and Thrive Retreat
- Residential Lots: Fletcher's Cottage, Seabreeze Scenic
Choose your own adventure with Custom Venues
Custom Venues offer more options than your standard lot types, expanding selections beyond regular ol' businesses, bars, and residential spaces. I mean, you can still make those places sure, but with fewer Build Mode requirements and a menu to dictate what happens at your new venue and when. It's the freedom of a generic lot, but Sims actually behave like they know the purpose of the space when visiting.
Take Cryptid Creek Camp (a Custom Venue made by Sims daniellebuilds) as an example. There was nothing stopping you from building a camp on different lot types before, but generic lots meant Sims didn't really get the vibe—it kind of ruins the atmosphere. As a Custom Venue, the schedule and roles attached to Cryptid Creek Camp tells my Sims they're visiting a place built for stargazing, telling scary stories, and sitting around a campfire.
At first glance, I didn't think much of the change and couldn't wrap my brain around how this was very different from lot options we already had, but now I get it. I can combine all sorts of activities and roles to make a cafe that doubles as a place for afterschool tutoring, or a weird little hole in the wall where I send my Sims to get tattoos, hold seances, and cross-stitch. My dream.
More Adventure Awaits expansion features
We don't know everything on the way in Adventure Awaits just yet, but here are a few more noteworthy additions coming with the expansion:
- Career: Park Worker (Counselor or Park Ranger)
- Skills: Archery, Papercraft, Diving, Entomology
- Activities: Pan for Crystals, Hide and Seek, Rock Paper Scissors
- Traits: Competitive, Scrappy
- Aspirations: Cool Kid on the Block, Critter Hunter
- Objects: Diving board, Waterslide, Kayak, Blender, Weights
- Festivals: Round the Fire Festival, Glow and Flow Festival, Fitness Fest
- Formative Moments to expand on childhood content
- Imaginary Friends that can grow with Sims from childhood
- Modular playground builder
- Underwater WooHoo
