Listen to our Sims developer interview on the One More Life podcast!
Of course, you can stick to your good old Sims 4 cheats too for some simple fun or make more minor changes to the game with the best Sims 4 custom content.
There are also The Sims 4 challenges to try out but using cheat, mods or CC to make them easier might take away from the experience.
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But enough from us, read on and we'll show you just how sim-ple it is to install mods in the Sims 4!
How to use mods in The Sims 4
These are the steps you'll need to follow to install mods or custom content (CC) in The Sims 4 on PC or Mac:
- Download the mod or CC from the internet
- Open the zipped folder it will come in
- Drag the unzipped files into your mods folder
- On PC, the mods folder should be in this location: Drive:Users[Your name]DocumentsElectronic ArtsThe Sims 4Mods
- On Mac, the mods folder should be in this location: Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4/Mods
- Now that the files are in the folder, boot up your copy of The Sims 4
- Go the the Options menu, then select 'Game Options' and then 'Other'
- In the Other tab, check the box that says 'enable custom content and mods'
- Close the game, open it again, and the mods should come into effect
Reminder: you cannot use Sims 4 mods on PS4, PS5, Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S. This is just for PC and Mac players.
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The best Sims 4 mods
Having scoured the web to find our favourites, we've decided that the best Sims 4 mods are the following 12 picks. You can use any of the links on this list to jump to a specific one.
The best Sims 4 mods available right now are:
- Private Practice
- Zombie Apocalypse
- MC Command Centre
- Become a Sorcerer
- MorphMaker
- UI Cheats Extension
- Loads more careers
- The Life Decider
- Adjust Sim heights
- Better Babies and Toddlers
- Immortality and Eternal Youth
- Gender preference
- Have some personality please
- Meaningful stories
14. Private Practice
If you've ever found the public healthcare in The Sims 4 to be lacklustre, then Private Practice from the dedicated Sim Realist team is the mod for you.
Private Practice inserts an almost dizzying amount of new content into the game, including allergies, diseases, healthcare clinics, a whole revised health system, the ability to make appointments and have insurance to foot the bill.
Sim Realist have made oodles of other mods, so it's well worth checking them out to enhance other aspects of the game, too.
13. Zombie Apocalypse
If you've ever been playing Sims and wished the game was just a tad bit more like Resident Evil, well your wish has been granted - now you can see how your own custom-built community would react to a zombie outbreak.
Triggering the apocalypse gives you the choice of either becoming a heroic last survivor or the real villain as you spread the virus - tough only by getting infected do you get the chance to become a playable zombie...
Download now from Sacrificial mods
12. MC Command Centre
If you're a total game control freak like us, you need to add the MC Command Centre mod to your game - allowing you to take charge of the lives of every single Sim living in the neighbourhood.
Choose which clothes everyone wears, stop annoying habits and find out who is pregnant in the town. MC Command Centre allows you to take way more control than the default level the game offers you.
11. Become a Sorcerer
You're a wizard, Harry! Although The Sims 4 developers have gradually added more fantastical content over the years (see: the recent Sims 4 Werewolves pack), fans have been making their own magical experiences with mods for ages at this stage.
One of the best magical mods for The Sims 4 is called Become a Sorcerer, and it comes to us from a creator named Triplis. The mod has been worked on for quite some time, with the current version being the fourth major iteration of the mod.
With this mod installed, your Sim will become infused with magic after they investigate a suspicious lump of clay. From there, you'll be able to specialise in different rituals and unlock an array of spells. You can choose to specialise in dark magic or the light kind, and there are loads of different ways you can tailor your spell-binding experience to each different Sim.
Read more on The Sims:
- Sims 4 challenges - test your skills
- The Sims 4 pronouns - how to change them
- The Sims 3 cheats - more codes to know
- The Sims 4 free - when did the game go free?
10. MorphMaker
Download now from Mod The Sims
The MorphMaker mod for The Sims 4 was made by a creator named CmarNYC, and it was first released in 2018. Since then, it's been updated loads of times, with improvements being added on the regular.
The main point of MorphMaker is to empower players to create Sims that look however the heck they want them to look, breaking free from the confines of the standard Create a Sim function.
Some of the more recent updates have allowed players to use MorphMaker to create cats, dogs, mermaids and witches, which certainly gives you even more options to tailor the game to your liking.
Using MorphMaker will require some technical know-how, but the mod's official page does link off to a few tutorials which should help you get to grips with it. If you're finding Create a Sim to be a little too limited for you, this mod will serve you well.
9. UI Cheats Extension
Download now from Patreon (the link is just above the comments)
Coming to us from a creator named Weerbesu, The Sims 4 UI Cheats Extension is a totally ingenious idea. It's the kind of thing you could imagine the developers actively implementing in the base game, especially considering that cheats are already available in the game.
Essentially, the UI Cheats Extension removes the need for players to type in cheat codes, instead weaving that functionality into the game at a UI (user interface) level. This means you can click on elements you want to cheat, instead of having to type in the codes as you go.
If it weren't for the fact that cheats are meant to be somewhat secret and naughty (they do stop you from earning achievements, for example), we'd recommend this mod to everyone. If you're already using cheats on PC or Mac, you really should get it and save yourself some effort as you bend the game to your will.
8. Loads more careers
Browse the selection at Mod The Sims
Ever wished that there were a few more careers to choose from in The Sims 4? If so, you'll be glad to hear that fans of the game have been creating custom content for years to bring extra careers into the game for players around the world to enjoy.
Whether you fancy yourself as a sex-obsessed 'Woohoo Columnist' or want to become a community preacher, there is probably a Sims 4 mod that makes the career of your dreams a reality. You could even work as a private investigator, a web developer or a plasma tycoon!
There really is a staggering range of custom content careers to choose from, with cat whisperer being one that sounds like fun. Or on a totally different path, you could pursue the 'ultimate' military career. Browse the vast selection on the Mod The Sims website and see what you fancy! Your Sims will be loving their new jobs in no time... probably.
7. The Life Decider
Download now from Sims 4 Updates
Whether you're making a bunch of your own Sims or filling a world with NPCs, it can be annoying when you end up with a load of generic characters without much to set them apart. That's where The Life Decider mod comes in.
Brought to us by a creator called Kawaiistacie, The Life Decider is designed to 'give your Sims a head start in life' along with giving them a little history. For your own custom-made Sims, it will give them a career straight off the bat, as well a bonus trait, skills and income.
You can also use it on NPC Sims, who'll receive all the same stuff - to decide their lives, you just need to use the bespoke social interaction which will be added by the mod. It'll take 10 in-game minutes for their new life to be generated - not long to wait for a full backstory and a fleshed-out life, then!
6. Adjust Sim Heights
Although it might seem like an exceedingly odd omission, the base game of The Sims 4 launched without the ability to alter the height of your Sims. Of course, children are smaller than adults, but you can't differentiate between taller people and smaller people within the same age group.
As you'd expect, there's a fan-made mod for that! Created by Simmythesim and owing some credit to CmarNYC's aforementioned MorphMaker, the Tall/Short Slider gives you the much-requested ability to pick the height of each Sim you create using a sliding scale.
There are a number of options here - you can either stretch out the individual body parts you want to extend (e.g. the neck), or you can pick between some pre-made options that do all the work for you. Either way, you'll finally be able to decide which Sims tower over the others in the worlds you've created.
5. Better Babies and Toddlers
If you've ever thought that the parenting options in The Sims 4 are a little bit thin on the ground, even after The Sims 4 Infant Update, this is most definitely a mod that you need to download. From a creator named Caradriel, Better Babies and Toddlers does exactly what it says on the tin – it makes major improvements in the baby and toddler department.
With the mod installed, you'll see a lot more options and choices at every stage of the child-rearing process in The Sims 4. For example, when you're talking about your Sim's infant, you'll have a lot more conversational topics to choose from. And when you interact with the bassinette, your options there will be enhanced as well.
On top of that, you'll see new moods that relate to parenting, as well as new computer interactions that allow you to scrub up on your Parenting skills. And when your baby becomes a toddler, you'll find a lot more conversation options there as well.
4. Immortality and Eternal Youth
Download now from Mod The Sims
Sometimes, a mod doesn't have to be complicated to make a big difference to your game. By simply adding two new traits to the game, this mod from Vitorpiresa grants the player access to a brace of important abilities that many would find... unnatural.
With this mod installed, you'll be able to buy the Eternal Youth trait (which would set you back 6000 Simoleons) and the Immortal trait (which goes for 800 Simoleons). In either case, it's not exactly a very high price to pay, is it? Especially if you're open to using cheat codes for quick cash, of course.
The Eternal Youth trait will save your Sims from ageing (but they could die in other ways), whereas the Immortal trait will ensure that your Sims are immune to harm (but they would age). You'd need both of these traits if you wanted to live forever and be invincible, then.
3. Gender preference
Download now from Mod The Sims
At launch, The Sims 4 did not give players a huge amount of control (if any) over their Sims' sexual preferences, which did come across as something of a missed opportunity.
After all, players will have their own ideas about which sorts of people their creations would like to have WooHoo with, and it can be frustrating to see the game itself having its own ideas. Of course, you could always do your best to shut down any unwanted liaisons, but that's beside the point.
Thankfully, it wasn't long before this mod from PolarBearSims came along to change that, allowing players to set the gender preference of each Sim. It used to be quite a binary choice, before an update to the mod made it possible to set the preference as a percentage instead.
2. Have some personality please
Download now from Mod The Sims
Another impressive mod from PolarBearSims, Have Some Personality Please is a massive overhaul to the way personalities work in The Sims 4.
With this mod installed, you'll notice that 'idle chat' has been totally removed, with Sims being forced to have meaningful interactions instead of filler at every opportunity. Using their traits and moods and other pointers, the game will find things for Sims to talk about whenever they interact.
These changes don't just apply to adults, either. You'll notice that toddlers, cats and dogs also have more personality when this mod is installed, making the overall experience of The Sims 4 a lot more varied and interesting, especially when you're not in build mode.
1. Meaningful stories
Here's another fantastic mod that adds extra layers to the overall gameplay experience of The Sims 4. Developed by a creator named Roburky, Meaningful Stories redesigns the mood and emotions system of The Sims 4 to make your Sims' lives feel more important and interesting.
"Your Sim might get into a depressive rut for days that takes planning and effort and some help from their friends to overcome," the official description says.
"Or your Sim's creative nature might be filling them with inspiration when they ought to be focused instead, so you send them to work on their novel to get the ideas out of their head. But then something special happens, like a new friend, a promotion, or a first kiss, and they feel truly happy for once, in a way they never have before." Sounds pretty cool, right? Check it out if you haven't already!
Discover more with the best mods:
- GTA 5 mods
- Minecraft mods
- Hogwarts Legacy mods
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