• So if you bomb everything does it get rebuilt over time?

No. The closest any of the games have to buildings evolving/changing on their own is Sims 4’s Eco Lifestyle world where the neighbourhoods change depending on the neighbourhood’s eco footprint.

• Is the game worth getting into a recent version? 💰 No 🏴‍☠️ Absolutely

• I’ve stayed away because it sounded like they started charging for a bunch of crap after buying the game

That’s always been the model, though. The Sims 1 had several expansions. The Sims 2 added stuff packs. The Sims 3 had the store with digital currency. The Sims 4 removed the store and added kits.

When Sims 4 launched it was very meagre in terms of content, they’d started development in the middle of the “social networks are cool” era and pivoted when SimCity 5 failed. They tossed together an underwhelming mess, but over the years they’ve fleshed out the base game. There’s a lot of expansions now, to the point that they’re starting to cover similar themes they’ve already covered.

Given EA’s proclivities I wouldn’t recommend buying the game. In light of their recent acquisition by Trump and the Saudi Arabian government, I would urge against buying the game. But it can be an enjoyable experience.