Sims 4's Eco Lifestyle expansion will let you upcycle the neighborhood next month

The game that never ends is getting another expansion pack next month. The Sims 4's next addition will be a big urban renewal project called Eco Lifestyle in which you'll be able to recycle and upcycle junk around your neighborhood and participate in good ol' local democracy. Ah, and you can have your very own online store for selling your eco-friendly creations. What's Simlish for Etsy?

"In Evergreen Harbor, every action you take and decision you make influences the state of the world around you," say EA about the expansion's new neighborhood. "Produce your own electricity and water with solar panels, wind turbines, and dew collectors, or grow your own food in a new vertical garden to really control your impact on the world." You'll be able to take up a new job as a "maker" by scrounging for stuff to turn into furniture and clothes or become a "freelance crafter" and sell creations in your online store.

I'll give just a bit of side-eye at the implication that individual actions should bear the burden of improving the environment but The Sims is a life simulator not a civilization one, I suppose. What does sound neat are the Neighborhood Action Plans that your Sims can vote on each week. Choosing different initiatives will change the state of the neighborhood including its air and water quality, EA explain.

That's a lot of cool new stuff for Live Mode players but frankly will all go to waste on me, the eternal builder. I am digging the sound of vertical gardens because yes my tiny houses definitely need them. I also spotted the solar panels in the trailer which are a nice get. I attempted a tiny house container home challenge months back and tried to approximate solar panels by layering glass roof pieces on top of metal ones so having the real thing may get me to go back and revise that build.

Eco Living is just under a month away, coming on June 5th. Looks like it'll be priced at £35/$40 like other expansions over on the Origin Store.

Sims 4 has been around for a dang minute. Is it worth playing in 2020? Alice L (RPS in pieces) finally reviewed the dang thing before leaving us. Eco Living right after Tiny Homes is certainly making me relate to her "millennial simulator" assessment.