What does SDX mean in The Sims 4?

They're really cool.

A freezer bunny in a box for The Sims 4's SDX drop system.
Image via EA

The Sims 4 has had an incredibly long lifespan that doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, even though it first launched back on Sept. 2, 2014. Because of this, one of the ways The Sims 4 team has been keeping the base game fresh is with SDX content.

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There are a lot of different pack and content types to keep up with, which means there’s a good chance you might not be familiar with this one, so here’s what SDX means in The Sims 4.

What is SDX in The Sims 4?

SDX stands for Sims Delivery Express, which is fresh free content EA occasionally adds to The Sims 4 base game without a full game patch. These drops are essentially small and random presents like new hair, a Sims townie overhaul, a Scenario, a furniture item, or a recipe.

According to EA, the goal of SDX drops is to “bring exciting new content in the game to players without the need for a full patch.”

The Goth family.
The iconic Goth family was completely redesigned in one SDX drop. Image via EA

Some SDX drops are bigger than others, like the May 16, 2023 one that completely redesigned the Caliente family, while others are rather small, like the Nov. 14, 2023 one that just added new hair. The size and scope of each drop varies completely based on whatever The Sims 4 team has ready to go at the time.

SDX drops sometimes launch to complement upcoming or recently released content, as was the case with the Aug. 22, 2022 drop that added new swatches to the base game backpack and lunchbox items to go with the release of the High School Years expansion pack. Most of the time, though, they’re just random little content drops to expand upon what’s available in the base game.

How often do The Sims 4 SDX drops happen?

SDX drops have no consistent time frame or scheduling in The Sims 4 and they usually drop at completely random times. Most of the time, you’ll only notice that one has been released if you open your game and it says so since EA usually doesn’t announce when it releases them, although it sometimes does as is the case with the early 2024 roadmap.

A collection of SDX drop assets.
This drop had quite a few different assets. Image via EA

Since these drops aren’t very consistent or large, they aren’t a great way to expand the content you have. Your best bet for that is obtaining more packs since all of them introduce more features, like The Sims 4 For Rent where you can become a property owner and create multiple units on the same lot.

Author
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Kacee Fay
Staff Writer at Dot Esports covering new releases and a wide array of topics including Minecraft, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Phasmophobia, general gaming, streaming, and more. She has been avidly writing and gaming her whole life and now spends her time combining the two. Kacee graduated from San Diego State University in 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a Certificate in Creative Editing and Publishing. She then joined Dot Esports as a Freelance Writer in 2022 before transitioning to a Staff Writer in 2023. In her spare time, she enjoys buying more books than she can read, gaming alone or with friends, drinking too much tea, attending concerts, fangirling over movies and television, listening to music, and spending time with her family, friends, and pets, who are the most important parts of her world.