The Sims 4 – almost a decade old at this point, and seriously creaking on the PS4 – is getting another major expansion on 20th July, this time revolving around a Horse Ranch theme. The main addition is Chestnut Ridge, an idyllic slice of Americana where you’ll be able to live out your dream country lifestyle, breeding animals and line dancing with the locals.

It looks like this add-on is incorporating a ton of new gameplay possibilities: you’ll be able to clean out your animals, harvest crops, and even brew your own liquors from the local produce you grow. There are even equestrian competitions – essential with all the horse rearing you’ll be doing on your ranch, we suppose – where you’ll be able to pit your animals against those of your neighbours.

And you can expect all of that in addition to new items, clothing, and so on – some of which have been inspired by Native American culture, according to EA. In fact, the publisher is so eager to get these elements correct that it’ll be making an undisclosed donation to the Sacred Healing Circle, which is responsible for “working to support Indigenous communities through preserving traditional methodologies and practices”.

The pack itself is pretty pricey at £34.99/$39.99, although anyone who purchases it before 31st August will get some bonus items, including an in-game resonator guitar, wagon wheel art, and rustic rocking chair. The problem is that, in this author’s opinion, The Sims 4 is borderline unplayable on console these days: it runs terribly, takes an age to load, and its interface is awful. Unfortunate stuff.

[source youtube.com]