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Sims 4 Cyber Week Deals: The Best DLC Packs to Buy Before Dec. 7

You can still save up to 50% on Sims 4 DLC packs.

The Sims 4, which is free to download across all platforms, still has deals to snag on downloadable content through Electronic Arts’ website for Cyber Week. It’s a great time to grab the expansion packs you’ve been curious about for Origin on Mac or the EA App for Windows.

You can save up to 50% on expansion packs, game packs, stuff packs, bundle deals — even expansions for The Sims 3. The deals through EA’s website will run through Dec. 7.

Not sure where to start downloading? I recommend checking out these packs:

Cottage Living

$20 from EA (save 50%)

Cottage Living is one of my all-time favorite expansion packs. The pack introduces the world of Henford-on-Bagley — a gorgeous location filled with woodland creatures, lush forests and cozy cottages. It’s the perfect pack for a Rags to Riches or Living Off the Land challenge.

High School Years

$30 from EA (save $25%)

The Sims 4 High School Years expansion pack was one of the franchise’s most ambitious undertakings yet. The pack lets your teen Sim go to high school and you can actually sit in on the classes — unlike with Discover University. The choices your teen Sim makes in high school also have a bearing on their college acceptance.

Dream Home Decorator

$14 from EA (save 30%)

If your favorite part of The Sims is building new properties, renovating premade builds or making over a room, Dream Home Decorator is the perfect pack. Your Sim can take on a career as an interior designer and let their creativity run wild.

Snowy Escape

$20 from EA (save 50%)

The Sims 4 Snowy Escape expansion pack whisks players away to the picturesque world of Mount Komorebi. Take your Sims on a wild winter adventure with skiing, rock climbing and snowboarding, or on a relaxing mountain retreat with Komorebi’s bathhouses, meditation centers and peaceful walks. Mount Komorebi is the first Sims 4 world where Sims can either visit on vacation or live permanently as residents.

Get to Work

$20 from EA (save 50%)

Instead of waiting for your Sim to get home from their job, the Get to Work expansion pack lets you be more involved in your Sim’s career. The pack introduces doctor, detective and scientist career options where you can tag along with your Sim during their work day. You can also open your own business, hire employees, interact with customers and more.

Island Living

$20 from EA (save 50%)

Island Living, which was released in 2019, introduced the gorgeous tropical world of Sulani. Your Sims can make their home on the beach, take a sunny day trip, scuba dive in crystal clear waters, play with dolphins and take up a career in conservation to protect the environment. Did I mention there are mermaids?

Seasons

$20 from EA (save 50%)

The Sims 4 Seasons expansion pack incorporates spring, summer, fall and winter, as well as different weather into your game for a more dynamic experience. The pack also unlocks holidays like Winter Fest, Harvest Fest and Love Day. Decorate your home, throw a festive party, rake leaves and play in puddles — just make sure your Sim is dressed appropriately so they don’t freeze or overheat.

Parenthood

$14 from EA (save 30%)

Parenthood is a great pack to own if you’re a fan of legacy gameplay or are trying your hand at the 100 Baby Challenge. Sims can build up their parenting skills by interacting with babies, toddlers and teens, encourage good behavior, discipline bad behavior, help with school projects and more.

Nifty Knitting

$7 from EA (save 30%)

Nifty Knitting, a craft-themed pack voted on by The Sims Community in 2020, lets your Sims take up a new hobby — knitting. Your Sim can practice knitting to increase their skills, unlock new knitting styles, teach other Sims to knit and sell their handmade goodies on the in-game marketplace, Plopsy. As a fan of the Rags to Riches challenge, I like knitting as a way to make money — and the pack decor is adorable.

Tiny Living

$7 from EA (save 30%)

If you’re a fan of building, the Tiny Living stuff pack offers a new challenge — tiny and micro homes. Build economically and make a cozy space for your Sim to embrace a low-key lifestyle. Get creative with furniture choices to make everything fit in your home like a fold-up Murphy Bed. Just make sure the bed doesn’t drop on your Sim.

For more information, check out our sneak peek at The Sims 5 and tips and tricks for Sims gameplay.

Technologies

iPhone 17 Preorders Spike and Overall Phone Sales Aren’t Slowing Down Despite Tariffs

Global smartphone shipments saw a notable increase in the third quarter of 2025. Plus, preorders for Apple’s new iPhone 17 beat out the iPhone 16.

Despite tariffs and market uncertainty, global smartphone shipments increased 2.6% in the third quarter of 2025, compared to the same time last year, according to the International Data Corporation. Additionally, preorders for the iPhone 17, which launched last month, outpaced last year’s iPhone 16.

These increased sales include premium phones like the latest iPhones and Samsung foldables, suggesting yet again that pricier phones still sell in periods of economic strain. It’s a remarkable achievement, says IDC senior research director Nabila Popal, citing shrewd financing options as the reason people keep buying these high-end phones, which cost anywhere from $800 to nearly $2,000.

«[Phone makers] have mastered the art of innovation not only in hardware and software to entice upgrades but also in removing purchase friction. They have flawlessly combined cutting-edge devices with innovative financing models and aggressive trade-in programs that make the upgrading decision a ‘no-brainer’ for consumers,» Popal said in an IDC press release.

Apple sold 58.6 million iPhones this quarter, an increase of 2.9% over the same period in 2024, with more preorders for the iPhone 17 series than its predecessor. But Samsung wasn’t far behind, with its Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 selling better than all of the company’s prior foldables. The company still reigns atop the phone market with 61.4 million phones sold, representing 19% of the market in the third quarter of this year — an increase of 6.3% from the same period last year. Meanwhile, Apple lands slightly behind Samsung with 18.2% market share this quarter. 

The other phone makers trailing Apple and Samsung are, in order: Xiaomi, with 13.5% of the market; Transsion, with 9%; and Vivo with 8.9%. The remaining companies in the phones industry, from Chinese stalwarts like Oppo and Honor to Motorola and Google, make up the remaining 31.4% of the market for the quarter. All told, 322.7 million phones were sold, up from 314.6 million in the third quarter of 2024, according to IDC.

IDC’s findings for the third quarter continue the small but steady growth of phone sales over the year, including a modest 1% increase in the preceding three months — which includes the April deadline when President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs. In the second quarter, IDC cited midrange devices like Samsung’s Galaxy A36 and other phones that started incorporating AI. But even persistent tariffs haven’t slowed down people’s appetites for pricier phones in the third quarter.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Oct. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 14.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.


Today’s Mini Crossword has an odd vertical shape, with an extra Across clue, and only four Down clues. The clues are not terribly difficult, but one or two could be tricky. Read on if you need the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Smokes, informally
Answer: CIGS

5A clue: «Don’t have ___, man!» (Bart Simpson catchphrase)
Answer: ACOW

6A clue: What the vehicle in «lane one» of this crossword is winning?
Answer: RACE

7A clue: Pitt of Hollywood
Answer: BRAD

8A clue: «Yeah, whatever»
Answer: SURE

9A clue: Rd. crossers
Answer: STS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Things to «load» before a marathon
Answer: CARBS

2D clue: Mythical figure who inspired the idiom «fly too close to the sun»
Answer: ICARUS

3D clue: Zoomer around a small track
Answer: GOCART

4D clue: Neighbors of Norwegians
Answer: SWEDES

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