New year, new mods! (That's how the saying goes, right?) The Sims 4 is one of the best life simulation games out there, and developer EA is still giving players new free and paid content (For Rent, anyone?) even ten years after its release. However, it isn't only the devs publishing new content. The game has an active community of modders, creating everything from minor tweaks, to new objects and outfits, to major gameplay overhauls.
Whether you're a brand-new player, a vanilla player curious about mods, or a Sims mod connoisseur, there's something out there for everyone. Read on if you want to spice up your game in the new year.
(The Sims 4 is rated T for Teen, so I won't be reviewing adult mods. Let's keep things relatively family-friendly, okay?)
25. Custom Content
CC catalogs: The only place you can shop for designer clothes for free!
This first one technically isn't a mod, but it still falls under the scope of modded content. Custom content, or CC, is any content in Create-A-Sim or Build Mode that's fan-created, like the outfits and hairstyles modeled above (which you can get here).
How it provides a new experience:
Looking to jazz up your Sim's wardrobe? Grab a few pieces of Maxis Match CC—which mimics the game's artistic style—and they're all set! Or go all out with Alpha CC and give them a realistic makeover. (To see the styles compared, check out neecxle's Alpha VS Maxis Match video on YouTube.)
More of a decorator than a stylist? There's plenty of Build/Buy CC as well, so your houses can be just as decked out as your Sims.
How it makes things fun:
Let's face it: unless you own a ton of packs, the game's limited outfits, hairstyles, and decor get stale after a while. The near-endless amount of CC available will keep your Sims and their houses looking fresh for years to come.
Custom Content key features:
- New CAS items
- New Build/Buy items
Where to get it:
The Sims Resource is the main hub for all things CC. Mod the Sims hosts a lot of CC downloads as well, along with gameplay mods. Also, many CC creators publish their creations on their own websites or blogs; thankfully, SnootySims has compiled a catalog of the 100,000+ best Sims 4 CC finds from across the web.
24. Custom Traits
20+ Unique Traits to Define Your Sim's Personality (Maplebell's More Traits mod).
Just as custom content lets you make over your Sims on the outside, custom traits let you make them over on the inside. These are traits you can assign in Create-A-Sim or buy in the Rewards Store to give your Sims more diverse personalities and lifestyles, occult traits, and more!
How it provides a new experience:
Custom traits liven up your households and worlds by adding more variety to Sims' personalities. Not only that, but they can even give your Sims occult bloodlines, make them immortal, or just cause them endless misery. Some creators have even made mental illness and disability traits, for players who want those conditions represented.
How it makes things fun:
Aside from what I've said already, custom traits open up whole new avenues of gameplay. Some turn your Sims into new occult types, like MazeTheMadSim's Kitsune trait. Others, like InsightBond's Zodiac and Enneagram trait packs, impact both personality and compatibility.
Custom Trait key features:
- More diverse Sim personalities and lifestyles
- New and improved occult Sims
- Mental illness and disability representation
- Impact on compatibility
Where to get them:
Mod the Sims is the best place to find custom traits, with over 300 traits and trait packs. Be warned that not all of them are up to date, so sort by update date and check the comments on any older ones—usually they'll tell you if they still work. Maplebell's More Traits mod, featured in the video above, can be downloaded from her own site here.
23. More Traits in CAS
More Trait Slots in CAS. Start at 1:26.
Can't decide which of those new custom traits to give your Sim? Now you don't have to! Thepancake1 and MizoreYukii's More Traits in CAS mod increases the Create-A-Sim trait limit from 3 to 5, giving your Sims more personality than ever before.
How it provides a new experience:
I don't mind adult Sims having just three traits, but it's always bothered me how if a child is Vegetarian, or Lazy, or a Bookworm… that's their entire personality. (Excuse me, how is "Vegetarian" even a personality?) More Traits in CAS gives an extra trait slot to toddlers and two extra to children and older, letting Sims of all ages have actual, rounded personalities.
Plus, extra trait slots pair perfectly with custom traits. The more options you have, the harder it is to choose just three—so why not make that choice easier and pick five?
How it makes things fun:
More personality always means more fun. And that isn't even getting into the possibilities custom traits bring. (Seriously. Just scroll up if you missed that part.)
More Traits in CAS key features:
- Extra trait slots in Create-A-Sim
Get More Traits in CAS here.
22. Control Any Sim
How to control any Sim effortlessly.
I rarely see anyone talk about this mod, which is surprising, because TitanNano's Control Any Sim is a major game-changer. It adds one simple but powerful feature: the ability to control any Sim. That's right, any Sim, be it your neighbors, coworkers, lovers, or your crazy uncle.
How it provides a new experience:
Normally, The Sims 4 limits you to controlling one household at a time. This can be frustrating if you're the kind of player who loves playing out intricate storylines. We all know other Sims never behave how we want.
Now, NPCs deviating from your carefully-crafted plotline is a thing of the past! Control Any Sim gives you complete control over everyone and everything they do.
How it makes things fun:
Want your Sim's boyfriend to be the one who proposes? Her mother-in-law to ruin the dinner party? Or want to keep playing as your legacy spares even after they move out?
No matter who you want to control and why, this mod has you covered.
Control Any Sim key features:
- Ability to control any Sim in the world
- Ability to turn household members into NPCs (useful for managing large households!)
Get Control Any Sim here. (A word of caution: This mod has been a bit buggy since the For Rent patch, so use it at your own risk. Keep an eye on the creator's page for an update!)
21. Utter Chaos
A Sims mod that makes every choice random. Disclaimer: Gamers Decide is not responsible for any deaths by laughter caused by this video.
Micromanagement isn't for every player. If you're the kind of Simmer who prefers letting randomness determine the course of your Sims' lives, why not turn it up to 11? Frankk's Utter Chaos mod does just that, adding zany and unpredictable consequences to even the most trivial actions.
How it provides a new experience:
You can't set the kitchen on fire if you're just making cereal, right? Wrong! Hey, since when was your roommate an alien? And where did all those skeletons come from?
Utter Chaos throws logic and predictability out the window and turns the game into, well, utter chaos. With it, there's no telling what absurdity will happen next!
How it makes things fun:
As great as The Sims 4 is, any game gets a little boring after you've played it too much. What better way to break out of that rut than wreaking havoc and destruction in the most nonsensical ways possible?
Utter Chaos key features:
- Any action can have random, often absurd consequences
- Domino effect: random outcomes can trigger more random outcomes
- Chaos, destruction, and skeletons. And chickens.
Get Utter Chaos here.
20. Language Barriers
Sims learn languages with this cool mod. Start at 11:31.
If you've ever been to a country where they speak another language, you know how daunting—and exciting—speaking with the locals can be. Thanks to Language Barriers, another mod by Frankk, your Sims can experience that, too This mod adds seven new languages to The Sims 4, as well as the communication barriers that accompany them.
How it provides a new experience:
Aside from the few Simlish-speaking worlds, this mod gives each world its own language. It's fun to go clubbing in Windenburg, but if you aren't a local, you might want to brush up on your Windenburgish on Simlingo first. Otherwise, you might just wind up asking that hot guy about the avocados taking over the city. (Wait, what?)
Language Barriers also lets your Sims learn these new languages. Low skill in a foreign language can lead to hilarious (or embarrassing) mistakes when speaking with natives. It overhauls how toddlers learn to talk, too, letting you raise bi- or multilingual kids.
How it makes things fun:
First of all, when Sims miscommunicate because of a language barrier, the mod gives you a notification showing what was said. It can be nonsensical, accidentally inappropriate (the notifications are PG), or just someone not understanding a word of what the other said. Both Sims will also get a moodlet, which could make them embarrassed, playful, or more.
Second, it's realistic. World travelers, immigrants, and polyglots alike can appreciate how it adds not only cultural depth but also realism to cross-cultural interaction.
Language Barriers key features:
- 7 new languages, each belonging to a different in-game world
- Language learning, including toddler language acquisition
- Funny, confusing, and embarrassing miscommunications
Get Language Barriers here.
19. SimRealist Mods
SimRealist Private Practice mod walkthrough.
If realism is your thing, you can't miss SimRealist's mod suite. This mod collection adds realism to several aspects of your Sim's lives, including healthcare, home maintenance, and even death and mourning.
How it provides a new experience:
Each SimRealist mod brings realism to one facet of your Sims' lives. Just take a look at Private Practice (in the video above) and you'll see what I mean. It's practically a whole expansion pack!
Personally, I'm a fan of SNBank. You might be wondering "why would my Sims need a bank account?", and I don't blame you. It's pretty useful, though—SNBank lets your Sims keep their funds separate from their housemates', earn interest in savings accounts, and send and receive money from Sims in other households.
How it makes things fun:
What's "fun" is different from player to player, but with 7 mods in the collection (and 2 optional add-ons), there's something for everyone.
Is your favorite career the Doctor career? Get Private Practice. Think death and mourning is too simplified in the base game? Mortem is for you. If you're a fan of Laundry Day, you'll love Home & Land Co.
SimRealist Mods key features:
- FlowFit: New exercise machines
- Home & Land Co.: Lawn mowing and laundry additions (requires Laundry Day)
- Mortem: Burial, funerals, final arrangements, and other features related to death and bereavement
- Organic: Realistic hair care
- Private Practice: Comprehensive healthcare system, including doctor visits, chronic conditions, medical emergencies, and even insurance
- R|E: Real estate. Play as a landlord, even if you don't have For Rent!
- SNBank: Banking system with an optional bills overhaul (SNBills)
Get the mod pack here. Don't want the entire set? The download page also has links to standalone versions of each one.
18. Fitness Controls
Sims logic: Jog for one day and lose all those extra pounds!
Maybe the last entry had you rolling your eyes. After all, who wants to deal with tedious things like paying bills and mowing the lawn in a video game? Aren't video games supposed to be fun?
If that's you, chances are you also find maintaining your Sim's weight tedious. That's where roBurky's Fitness Controls comes in.
How it provides a new experience:
The Sims 4 has a pretty unbalanced weight system. Sims get fat after having a couple slices of birthday cake, the calorie system makes no sense (why does tiramisu have zero calories?), and a single day at the gym can somehow transform an obese Sim into a supermodel.
Fitness Controls slows down the rate that Sims gain or lose fat and muscle, making these changes occur at a realistic pace. It also has options to stop NPCs from gaining weight and to make Sims more fat, thin, scrawny, or jacked than the game normally allows.
How it makes things more fun:
Maybe you can't stand how weirdly fast Sims gain and lose weight. Maybe you're just tired of sending your Sim to the gym or spending their precious Aspiration Points on Insta-Lean potions because they keep getting fat despite their strict diet of Garden Salads. With Fitness Controls, okay, your Sims will still gain weight, but birthday cake doesn't have to be off-limits anymore.
Fitness Controls key features:
- More balanced weight and muscle gain/loss
- Optional: Freeze weight and fitness of NPCs
- Optional: Expand or limit weight and muscle sliders
Get Fitness Controls here.
17. Meaningful Stories
Meaningful Stories mod review. Start at 4:13.
Fitness isn't the only thing roBurky has rebalanced. Their other mod, Meaningful Stories, retunes and enhances The Sims 4's emotion system so that "a nice room and a comfortable seat won't cause a mildly amused sim to laugh themselves to death."
How it provides a new experience:
Meaningful Stories gives Sims properly balanced emotions. Your bridegroom won't be despairing on his wedding day because he forgot yesterday was Talk Like A Pirate Day, nor will he have the time of his life after the messy divorce just because he drank a pretty darn good glass of water in his nicely decorated kitchen. Instead, Sims' emotions are made more true to life.
How it makes things more fun:
If you ask me why I prefer The Sims 4 to its predecessors, one of the main reasons is that Sims finally have real emotions. Meaningful Stories makes their emotions even more real: the highs and lows are harder to obtain and last longer, trivial things like furniture don't cause emotional whiplash, and some emotions can trigger others, like a Sim becoming angry when deep down they feel tense.
Meaningful Stories key features:
- Rebalanced emotion system
- Lingering emotions: strong emotions fade gradually instead of suddenly
- Moods can trigger other moods
- In-game tips and tutorial
Get Meaningful Stories here.
16. Home Regions
Home Regions tutorial + review. Start at 4:48. Video is in Spanish; hit "CC" and then the gear icon > "Subtitles/CC" > "Auto-translate" for English subtitles.
Tired of seeing the same Sims show up in every world? Do the worlds seem more like adjacent movie sets than separate regions? Kuttoe's Home Regions mod puts actual distance between The Sims 4's worlds by limiting how, when, and where NPCs travel.
How it provides a new experience:
Simply put, Home Regions keeps NPC Sims in their home regions. More precisely, it makes it so that when Sims spawn on lots or neighborhoods, they'll be locals from that world. (It only affects random spawning, so anyone you invite is free to travel.)
That doesn't mean your worlds will be totally isolated, though. The mod also accounts for travel and tourism. Individual Sims can be set to appear in multiple worlds or be world travelers, and festivals and tourist hubs will attract visitors from all over the world (well, worlds).
How it makes things more fun:
By making travel between worlds special instead of trivial, Home Regions makes the game's worlds feel truly separate. Consider pairing it with Language Barriers (#20 on this list) and Townie Demographics (also by Kuttoe) for an immersive international experience.
Home Regions key features:
- Makes worlds feel separate by limiting NPC travel
- International Hub lot trait for tourist attractions
- Highly customizable settings
Get Home Regions here.
15. Ownable Cars
The Sims 4 Mods - Ownable Cars
Do you miss the days when Sims had cars? Sims 4 modder Dark Gaia did—so they created the Ownable Cars mod.
How it provides a new experience:
Now your Sims can travel in style! Ownable Cars adds five cars from The Sims 2 and The Sims 3, from the cheap Smoogo Minima to the flashy Bwan Speedster YL.
How it makes things more fun:
These cars aren't just decorations—they actually work! Okay, the game's insta-travel means there's no driving animation, but traveling by car instead of… however Sims normally get around… will give your Sim a powerful moodlet. Each one boosts a different emotion, so that's all the more reason to build your rich family a five-car garage!
Ownable Cars key features:
- Functional cars!
Get Ownable Cars here.
14. Rambunctious Religions
Religion in Sims 4 - Lumpinou's Rambunctious Religions
Religion is an important part of many real people's lives, but it's sorely missing in the Sims universe. If your Sims are looking for something greater to believe in, check out Rambunctious Religions by Lumpinou.
How it provides a new experience:
This mod adds four Sims-style religions to the world. Your Scientist may be drawn to the Treaders of the Occult after discovering they aren't alone in the universe, while nature-lovers will feel at home among the Cult of the Cowplant. If you fancy yourself the God of your Sims' world, have them join the Worship of the Watcher and dedicate their lives to appeasing you.
Belief in a high power isn't for every Sim, of course. Those who'd rather put their faith in science and logic can join the Congregation of Non-Believers.
How it makes things more fun:
Religious Sims gain a variety of new actions and interactions, as well as benefits specific to their religion. There's also a Religious Official career for Sims called to ministry.
Rambunctious Religions key features:
- 4 Sims-style religions
- New items, actions, and social interactions
- Religious Official career
- Church building and Religious Gathering social event
Read the full mod description here. Interested? Download it here.
13. Psychic Sims
Must-have mods for occult gameplay. Start at 7:36.
Also by Lumpinou, Psychic Sims adds exactly what its name promises: Psychic Sims!
How it provides a new experience:
This mod gives your Sims psychic powers. These powers (represented by the Psychic skill) range from making psychic predictions, to stealing others' emotions, to binding and summoning ghosts. High-level psychics can even bestow their powers upon others.
How it makes things more fun:
If you like occult Sims, you'll love Psychic Sims. Psychic Sims are technically human, but they have so many unique supernatural abilities and interactions, they may as well be a new occult type. Plus, with a skill that gives your psychics more abilities as they progress, it's more than just a fun gimmick.
Psychic Sims key features:
- Psychic powers for your Sims
- Skill progression; more powers unlocked as your Sim increases their Psychic skill
- Ghost summoning
- New social interactions
Read the full mod description here and download it here. For more occult-themed mods, check out the rest of the video above.
12. Paranormal Aspirations and Career
Messing with otherworldly powers—what could possibly go wrong?
So, your Sim is psychic now. Cool, but they still need to make a living—and that's what adeepindigo's Paranormal Aspirations and Career is for.
How it provides a new experience:
The Paranormal career lets psychics, spellcasters, and grifters alike capitalize on their abilities (real or fake) through services like palm-reading and fortune-telling. Entry-level Psychic Phone Friends can work their way up to become wise Masters of Mysticism—or fraudulent Celebrity Psychics.
How it makes things more fun:
This career is semi-active, meaning your Sim can work from home. That's right, they can give psychic readings, hold séances, and much more, without disappearing into a rabbithole. The mod also adds two aspirations, each related to one of the career branches.
Paranormal Aspirations and Career key features:
- Semi-active Paranormal career
- Two new aspirations
Read the full mod description here. The download link on that page is broken, but you can get it and adeepindigo's other career mods here.
11. Ghost Hunter Career
Who you gonna call?
Paranormal Stuff fans rejoice, because next up is another paranormal-themed career! Sims who join adeepindigo's Ghost Hunter career can make a living… cleaning up ectoplasm? That's just the start, though: with time and hard work, Tarot Card Readers and Ectoplasm Cleaners can work their way up to become Spirit Sweepers, Ghost Grabbers, and eventually Paranormal Experts.
How it provides a new experience:
This is basically Paranormal Stuff's freelance Paranormal Investigator career reimagined as a 9-to-5 (overnight, that is) job. It's a rabbithole career, but that doesn't mean it doesn't add anything new to the gameplay. Like their freelancing counterparts, Ghost Hunters perform séances and investigate haunted houses between their usual off-screen shifts.
How it makes things more fun:
The Ghost Hunter career combines the Paranormal Investigator career with a steady income. To get promoted, Ghost Hunters must deal with spooky specters and curious curses, all on screen. Plus, their off-screen shifts are pretty lucrative, paying better than most base game jobs.
Ghost Hunter Career key features:
- New Ghost Hunter career
Read the full mod description here. Again, the download link there is broken, but you can get it from adeepindigo's career mods page here.
10. Career Services
If only you could land your dream job this easily in real life.
Speaking of careers, employment in the real world isn't as easy as applying for your dream job (with nothing but a high school diploma), immediately getting hired, and earning a promotion every week. In the Sims, it doesn't have to be. Adeepindigo's last mod on this list, Career Services, introduces four new services to aid Sims of all employment statuses.
How it provides a new experience:
With Career Services, Sims can gain income between jobs by applying for unemployment benefits or signing up with the Temp Gigz Agency to find temporary work. Young Adults figuring out what they want to do in life and older Sims wanting a career change can take the Career Aptitude Test to discover what line of work is best for them. Job-seekers and promotion-seekers can take training courses online to build their skills and land that sought-after job or promotion.
How it makes things fun:
Making money isn't that hard in The Sims 4, even if you're unemployed, but Career Services gives you more realistic options than "grow a money tree", "marry rich townies and kill them off", or "make a fortune off the paintings made by the slaves in your basement". Besides, who hasn't had a Sim they just can't find the right career for?
Career Services key features:
- New income sources for unemployed Sims
- Skill training courses
- Career Aptitude Test
Read the full mod description here. Career Services is part of adeepindigo's Small Mods Collection, which you can get here.
9. Live In Services
Live In Services mod review.
Okay, enough about your Sims' jobs. Let's talk about the Sims who work for them. Now Sims can hire full-time staff, thanks to LittleMsSam's Live In Services mod.
How it provides a new experience:
This mod adds an option to the phone that lets Sims hire four live-in services: nannies, maids, gardeners, and ranch hands. These act like the normal service NPCs, except they live on your lot instead of going home the moment there's no work to do. You can hire any existing NPC and even customize their uniform, so yes, you can make Mortimer Goth clean your house dressed as a French maid.
How it makes things fun:
Royalty and Mansion Barons can now have proper servants, and busy parents who have the cash can hire a live-in nanny to help raise the kids. Never again will your maid leave at 10am because the house was briefly clean!
Live In Services key features:
- Live-in service NPCs
- Hire existing Sims to work for you
- Customizable uniforms
Get Live In Services here.
8. Live In Business
Live In Business mod review.
20 years ago, The Sims 2: Open For Business let us run businesses from our own Sim-homes. 11 years later, The Sims 4's Get To Work pack brought back player-run businesses, but sadly, at-home ones remain a thing of the past. That is, unless you have LittleMsSam's Live In Business mod.
How it provides a new experience:
With the Live In Business mod, your Sim can run one (or more) of several business types from their own home. This is perfect if you want her to run a café and live in the apartment above, if you want to keep playing with her family during business hours without forcing them all to tag along, or if she just can't afford a second lot. Plus, it adds new business types that normally can't be player-owned, like daycares and bars (hopefully not on the same lot!).
How it makes things fun:
Live In Business brings existing business types and new ones to your Sims' homes with gameplay so immersive it might as well be an official game pack. Best of all, it's base game compatible, so you can open your very own business even if you don't own the expansion packs.
Live In Business key features:
- Businesses that work on residential lots
- Immersive business gameplay, even with only the base game
- New ownable business types
Get Live In Business here.
7. More Buyable Venues
Mod review: More Buyable Venues. Start at 4:27.
What if you want to own one of LittleMsSam's new business types but don't want to run it from home? LittleMsSam has you covered once again with More Buyable Venues.
How it provides a new experience:
More Buyable Venues lets you buy pretty much any community lot. What's more, many of them can be turned into player-owned businesses. It also adds new lot types, including versions of the Science Lab, Police Station, and Hospital from Get To Work that you can visit even if you don't work there.
How it makes things fun:
If you didn't read the last entry on this list, then scroll up, because the business side of gameplay is basically the same in both mods. That aside, who doesn't want to take their Sims to the arcade or movie theater, or discover just what strange things are taking place in the Science Lab?
More Buyable Venues key features:
- More buyable community lot types
- More business types
- New and un-hidden lot types
Get More Buyable Venues here.
6. The Personality Mod
Sims 4 personality mod with new whims. Start at 0:59.
Even 20 years after its release, The Sims 2 is still a fan favorite. It's no surprise that modders have made ways to bring this iconic game's features into The Sims 4. The Personality Mod by MissyHissy is one of these throwback mods, recreating the original Aspiration system.
How it provides a new experience:
Once upon a time, Aspirations worked pretty differently. Instead of being a set of life goals, they just determined Sims' wants and fears. The Personality Mod brings back the original Aspirations from The Sims 2, along with a boatload of Wants for each.
Don't want to give up The Sims 4's more detailed Aspirations? Don't fret—these new Aspirations are buyable Reward Traits, so they don't override anything.
How it makes things fun:
First of all, there's the nostalgia factor. But even if you've never played The Sims 2, don't scroll past! The Personality Mod adds a ton of variety to your Sim's Wants, so they'll finally want to do more than just flirt with random acquaintances and listen to the same music on the stereo.
The Personality Mod key features:
- All Aspirations from The Sims 2 (including the hidden Grilled Cheese Aspiration)
- Secondary Aspirations from The Sims 2: FreeTime
- New Wants for each Aspiration
Get The Personality Mod here.
5. The Hobby Mod
Sims 2 hobbies in Sims 4. Start at 5:23.
Also by MissyHissy, The Hobby Mod turns your Sims' interests into full-fledged hobbies, with a system inspired by The Sims 2: FreeTime.
How it provides a new experience:
"What's the point of a hobby mod?" you may be asking. "We have hobby traits! We have likes and dislikes!"
The Hobby Mod gives your Sims' hobbies so much more depth. Not only does it come with 14 hobbies with new Wants and interactions, it also adds a hidden Enthusiasm need. Sims gain Enthusiasm by engaging in their hobbies, but if they ignore their hobbies for too long, they'll lose Enthusiasm and become unhappy.
How it makes things fun:
Everyone has hobbies, but it's easy to get so focused on our Sims' aspirations/careers/family drama that we neglect to give them hobbies too. The Hobby Mod turns hobbies into a core part of gameplay, making our Sims less like achievement machines and more like people.
The Hobby Mod key features:
- 14 hobbies inspired by TS2 and TS4
- New Wants and interactions
Get The Hobby Mod here.
4. The Hopes & Fears Mod
MissyHissy is one of my favorite modders, if you can't tell yet.
Can't get enough of new Wants? Neither can MissyHissy. Her Hopes & Fears Mod is a much-needed overhaul for The Sims 4's Wants and Fears system.
How it provides a new experience:
The Hopes & Fears Mod adds a ton of new Wants and Fears, including some Whims that got scrapped when Whims became Wants. What's more, it also adds more triggers for Reactionary Wants, (the kind triggered by certain situations or locations), making your Sims' Wants more context-appropriate.
How it makes things fun:
I liked Whims. They were fun, they were varied, and they changed with my Sims' moods and the situations they were in. Whenever I didn't know what to do next, I'd let my Sims decide.
Wants are… they're lacking, to put it nicely. Without mods, too many of my Sims' Wants fall into the following categories: 1) listen to music, 2) talk/flirt with some random acquaintance, and 3) something trivial and contextually inappropriate (my current Sim always wants to nap when she's not tired and order pizza when she's full).
Not only does The Hopes & Fears Mod bring some needed variety to your Sims' Wants, it also takes personality, skills, and context into account to make their Wants much more meaningful.
The Hopes & Fears Mod key features:
- New Wants and Fears
- More situation-based triggers for Wants
- In development: Fully functional, but with much more planned!
Get The Hopes & Fears Mod here.
3. Sims 4 Multiplayer Mod (S4MP)
How (not) to play Sims 4 with multiplayer.
Multiplayer in The Sims? Yes, it's possible! And it's as chaotic as you'd expect.
How it provides a new experience:
From The Sims 1 in 2000 to The Sims 4 today, The Sims has always been exclusively singleplayer. (Okay, there were a couple online spinoffs. Those don't count.) S4MP transforms The Sims 4 into a game you can play online with your friends—no need to fight over the mouse!
How it makes things fun:
What isn't more fun with friends? Thanks to the S4MP team, playing together is as simple as downloading a mod and connecting to a server, no matter where you are.
Sims 4 Multiplayer Mod key features:
- Online multiplayer mode for The Sims 4
Get the Sims 4 Multiplayer Mod here.
2. WonderfulWhims
WonderfulWhims mod demonstration.
WonderfulWhims is the PG-13 version of Turbodriver's popular 18+ mod WickedWhims. Together, these mods are probably the most popular out there for chemistry, relationships, pregnancy, and, of course, WooHoo.
How it provides a new experience:
If you ask me, WonderfulWhims' biggest draw is its chemistry system, which is really two features in one. One is Impressions: Sims can have compatible or incompatible Personality Archetypes (determined by traits), which affects relationship building. Sims can even fake a different personality to try to impress someone.
The other half of the chemistry system is Attraction. You can decide what physical features your Sim is attracted to (or turned off by) or leave it up to chance. Now your Sims will actually consider whether they find someone attractive before they try and romance the first person they meet.
The WooHoo and pregnancy features get a little TMI, so I won't go into them here, but they're explained on the mod page and in the video above. Don't worry—you can turn off any features you don't like, and WonderfulWhims has no explicit adult content.
How it makes things fun:
Impressions and Attraction bring a whole new dimension to relationship building, especially when it comes to romantic relationships. Your Sim's Prince Charming might turn out to be not so charming after the first date, while she and her single coworker are compatible in every way… if she can get past his looks.
WonderfulWhims has also been praised for its depth of realism in its other features, but again, I'll spare you the TMI.
WonderfulWhims key features:
- Chemistry based on physical attraction and personality compatibility
- WooHoo and pregnancy features
- New traits
- Unwanted features can be disabled
Get WonderfulWhims here.
1. MC Command Center (MCCC)
How to use MC Command Center in The Sims 4.
If you've been playing The Sims 4 for a while, you've probably heard of MC Command Center. This mod by Deaderpool is the biggest and most popular Sims 4 mod, which is why it deserves the number-one spot on this list.How it provides a new experience:
MCCC gives you near-total control over your Sims, their world, and even how the game works. You can edit Sims' info, get easy access to cheats, and adjust the difficulty (in a lot of ways), and that's just scratching the surface.
Story progression is one of the main features of MCCC. Neighborhood Stories is pretty neat, but MCCC lets you customize story progression way further. You can decide how often NPCs get married and have kids, control population settings, and even turn on new relationship events like shotgun marriages, affairs, and divorce.
The mod has way too many features to list here, but you can read the documentation here or watch the video up there for a good overview.
How it makes things fun:
With so many options and features, MCCC has something for everyone. Whether it's story progression, cheats, or just a way to edit those ugly townies without going through Manage Households, this mod's got you covered.
Plus, it comes with a heap of quality-of-life improvements, like auto-pausing when you change lots, making sure Sims put away books when they're done reading, and auto-saving. These might sound minor, but trust me, they make a big difference!
MC Command Center key features:
- Highly customizable gameplay settings
- Expanded story progression (optional)
- Autonomy tweaks
- Sim info editing and shortcut to Create-A-Sim
- Easy access to cheats
- Quality-of-life adjustments
Get MC Command Center here.
