The Sims 4

The Sims 4

Developers
	Maxis
Publishers
	Electronic Arts
Engines
	SmartSim
Release dates
Windows	September 2, 2014
macOS (OS X)	February 17, 2015
Reception
Metacritic	70
OpenCritic	70
IGDB	67
Taxonomy
Monetization	Free-to-play, Sponsored, DLC, Expansion pack, Cross-game bonus, Subscription gaming service
Microtransactions	None
Modes	Singleplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Bird's-eye view
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Life sim, Farming
Art styles	Stylized
Themes	Contemporary, LGBTQ
Series	The Sims

The Sims
Subseries of Sim
The Sims	2000
The Sims Online	2002
The Sims 2	2004
The Sims Stories (series)
MySims	2008
The Sims 3	2009
The Sims Medieval	2011
The Sims 4	2014

The Sims 4 is a singleplayer bird's-eye view life sim and farming game in the The Sims series.

A special Legacy Edition has been made available for users of affected systems, due to the deprecation of 32-bit systems for Windows and OpenGL for macOS. It can be freely downloaded using the Origin client until December 12, 2022, when it will be discontinued.

The base game was made free-to-play on October 18, 2022.

General information

Official forums

Answer HQ for The Sims 4 at EA.com

Answer HQ for The Sims series at EA.com (OS X)

The Sims 4 Legacy Edition FAQ

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		Expansions were provided on DVDs until the first expansion in the United States and at least the third expansion in Europe. After that, all retail copies came with download codes. Only the Windows version was available on the game install DVD, the Mac version required a download code. Retail copies are no longer produced as of the Snowy Escape expansion.
Amazon.com
Epic Games Store
Microsoft Store		Included alongside the Get to Work expansion exclusively with Xbox Game Pass for PC as part of its version of EA Play.
Origin		Digital Deluxe Edition also available, included with EA Play alongside the Get To Work expansion. Currently only visible in the EA App's Browse menu.
Steam		Included with EA Play (Steam) alongside the Get To Work expansion.
(unavailable)		Digital Deluxe Edition also available.
Green Man Gaming (unavailable)
Humble Store (unavailable)

All versions require Origin DRM.

A Sims 4 Create A Sim Demo is available.

Version differences

List of all different versions and regions can be found on Wikipedia.

Legacy Edition has disabled online features and does not support any downloadable content released after September 2019.

Monetization

Type	Notes
Cross-game bonus	Between 2014 and 2017, registering serial codes for The Sims 3 and its expansion packs (but not its stuff packs) on a since-removed "Rewards" page on EA's websites, would unlock exclusive lamps (Many of them emotion-altering) and a statue.
DLC	Kits contain a small selection of themed object/cosmetics. Stuff Packs contain sizeable additions to content already available in the base game.
Expansion pack	Game Packs contain sizeable (but not major) additions not available in the base game. Expansion Packs contain major gameplay additions not present in the base game.
Free-to-play	Free-to-play as of October 18, 2022. Formerly required an upfront purchase to access.
Sponsored	Certain updates introduced items from different franchises.
Subscription gaming service	Available via EA Play.

DLC and expansion packs

Name	Notes
Life of the Party	Included in all but the Standard editions.
Awesome Animal Hats	Included in all but the Standard and Limited Editions.
Up All Night	Included in all but the Standard and Limited Editions.
Digital Soundtrack	Included in all but the Standard and Limited Editions.
Digital Deluxe Upgrade	Includes the above free DLC and the soundtrack.
Rewards	Bonus content for the owners of The Sims 3 expansion packs.
Family Portrait	Bonus content. Could be obtained by signing up for The Sims Mobile at launch.
Holiday Celebration Pack	Free Stuff Pack (FP01).
Grim's Ghoulish Guitar	Bonus content. Can be obtained by signing up for the newsletter.
Get to Work	Expansion pack 1 (EP01).
Get Together	Expansion pack 2 (EP02).
City Living	Expansion pack 3 (EP03).
Cats & Dogs	Expansion pack 4 (EP04).
Seasons	Expansion pack 5 (EP05).
Get Famous	Expansion pack 6 (EP06).
Island Living	Expansion pack 7 (EP07). None of the expansion packs below are supported in Legacy Edition.
Discover University	Expansion pack 8 (EP08).
Eco Lifestyle	Expansion pack 9 (EP09).
Snowy Escape	Expansion pack 10 (EP10).
Cottage Living	Expansion pack 11 (EP11).
High School Years	Expansion pack 12 (EP12).
Outdoor Retreat	Game pack (GP01).
Spa Day	Game pack (GP02).
Dine Out	Game pack (GP03).
Vampires	Game pack (GP04).
Parenthood	Game pack (GP05).
Jungle Adventure	Game pack (GP06).
StrangerVille	Game pack (GP07).
Realm of Magic	Game pack (GP08). None of the game packs below are supported in Legacy Edition.
Journey to Batuu	Game pack (GP09).
Dream Home Decorator	Game pack (GP10).
My Wedding Stories	Game pack (GP11).
Werewolves	Game pack (GP12).
Luxury Party Stuff	Stuff pack 1 (SP01).
Perfect Patio Stuff	Stuff pack 2 (SP02).
Cool Kitchen Stuff	Stuff pack 3 (SP03).
Spooky Stuff	Stuff pack 4 (SP04).
Movie Hangout Stuff	Stuff pack 5 (SP05).
Romantic Garden Stuff	Stuff pack 6 (SP06).
Kids Room Stuff	Stuff pack 7 (SP07).
Backyard Stuff	Stuff pack 8 (SP08).
Vintage Glamour Stuff	Stuff pack 9 (SP09).
Bowling Night Stuff	Stuff pack 10 (SP10).
Fitness Stuff	Stuff pack 11 (SP11).
Toddler Stuff	Stuff pack 12 (SP12).
Laundry Day Stuff	Stuff pack 13 (SP13.
My First Pet Stuff	Stuff pack 14 (SP14).
Moschino Stuff	Stuff pack 15 (SP15). None of the stuff packs below are supported in Legacy Edition.
Tiny Living Stuff	Stuff pack 16 (SP16).
Nifty Knitting Stuff	Stuff pack 17 (SP17).
Paranormal Stuff	Stuff pack 18 (SP18).
Throwback Fit Kit	Kit 1 (SP20). None of the kits are supported in Legacy Edition.
Country Kitchen Kit	Kit 2 (SP21).
Bust the Dust Kit	Kit 3 (SP22).
Courtyard Oasis Kit	Kit 4 (SP23).
Industrial Loft Kit	Kit 5 (SP25).
Fashion Street Kit	Kit 6 (SP24).
Incheon Arrivals Kit	Kit 7 (SP26).
Blooming Rooms Kit	Kit 8 (SP29).
Modern Menswear Kit	Kit 9 (SP28).
Carnival Streetwear Kit	Kit 10 (SP30).
Decor to the Max Kit	Kit 11 (SP31).
Little Campers Kit	Kit 12 (SP33).
Moonlight Chic Kit	Kit 13 (SP32).
Little Campers Kit	Kit 14 (SP33).
First Fits Kit	Kit 15 (SP34).
Desert Luxe Kit	Kit 16 (SP35).
Pastel Pop Kit	Kit 17 (SP36).
Everyday Clutter Kit	Kit 18 (SP37).

Microtransactions

Type	Notes
No microtransactions	No microtransactions are present in the game.

Essential improvements

Skip intro videos

Use the -nointro command line argument

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\
Microsoft Store
macOS (OS X)	$HOME/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4/Options.ini
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/1222670/pfx/

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\saves\
Microsoft Store
macOS (OS X)	$HOME/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4/saves/
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/1222670/pfx/

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
Epic Games Launcher
Origin
OneDrive		Requires enabling backup of the Documents folder in OneDrive on all computers.
Steam Cloud
Xbox Cloud

Video

Video settings

Accessibility settings

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen			Hor+ gameplay with spanned HUD.
4K Ultra HD			UI can be scaled under Accessibility settings. See also UI scale.
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		Lacks specific option. Force in graphics card control panel for best results.
Anti-aliasing (AA)		MSAA, labelled as Edge Smoothing. Off, Low (2x), Medium (4x), High (8x).
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS and 120+ FPS		200 FPS cap by default. See Frame rate capping to adjust the cap.
High dynamic range display (HDR)		See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Frame rate capping

Change 200 FPS limit
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open Options.ini. Find the key frameratelimit and set the value to your preferred max fps. Save your changes.

Depth of field

This mod removes the distance blur (depth of field).

Use 3rd party fix
Download No Blur in Distance. Copy to \Mods in configuration file(s) location.

UI scale

UI can be scaled under Accessibility settings. This can be modified further than what the game allows.

Further UI scaling
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open Options.ini. Find the key uiscale and set the value to (your dpi - 150). UI becomes smaller with increasing values. Save your changes.

Input

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion		Both axes can be inverted in the "Game Camera" options.
Controller
Controller support		Console versions only.

Audio

Audio settings

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Object Music, Music, Voices, Sound Effects and UI Sound sliders.
Surround sound		Quad, 5.1 and 7.1 in-game setting is available.
Subtitles		No intelligible dialog. All in-game dialog uses the fictional Simlish language.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost		Labelled Audio Focus.
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Czech
Danish
Dutch
Finnish
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Norwegian
Polish				Region locked to Polish, Czech and Russian in Poland. Changing language to any other languages is impossible.
Brazilian Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
Swedish

Issues fixed

Unresponsive and stuck sim

You may want or need to reset your Sims if they become stuck or unresponsive.

Resetting your Sim will return it to a playable state but the Sim will not return to its home lot and its needs will remain the same. This works for all Sims, not just the ones you are controlling, except in cases of “Sim not found.”

Resetting your Sim will cancel your Sim's wishes and moodlets, so make sure to check back with your Sims if you need them to complete specific actions.

ResetSim method
Open the cheat window by pressing Ctrl+⇧ Shift+C. Type resetSim Firstname Lastname and press ↵ Enter. Make sure you enter the name of the Sim you want to reset. If you need to reset all of the Sims in your current game, you can type resetSim *. This cheat command may not be able to reset all Sims and you may receive a “Sim not found” error.

Testingcheats true method
Open the cheat window by pressing Ctrl+⇧ Shift+C. Type testingcheats true and press ↵ Enter. Press ⇧ Shift and then click on the Sim you want to reset. Select the Reset Object (Debug) option.

RivaTuner OSD does not display

Run the game in Windows 8 compatibility mode[citation needed]

Game does not launch

The game will not launch on 32-bit Windows systems and macOS (OS X) systems without Metal support after the 1.58.63.1010 (PC) / 1.58.63.1210 (Mac) update, released on November 12, 2019.

Install the free Legacy Edition update, available in the Extra Content tab of the Origin client.

Game keeps minimizing on launch

The game will minimize a few seconds after a black screen appears, any subsequent attempts to restore it will lead to the same problem.

The issue appears to happen when the game resolution mismatches the desktop resolution.

Set proper resolution
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open the file Options.ini. Set the options resolutionwidth and resolutionheight to your desktop resolution, e.g. for a 2560x1080 resolution you'd use resolutionwidth = 2560 and resolutionheight = 1080. Save the file.

Oversensitive/unresponsive camera rotation

The Origin and Discord overlays can interfere with the game, where the mouse becomes oversensitive (especially when rotating the camera) or unresponsive.

Disable Origin and/or Discord overlay for the game

VR support

3D modes	State	Notes
vorpX		G3D Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9.0c
OpenGL		Only macOS (OS X) in Legacy Edition.
Metal support
Shader Model support	3.0

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows			32-bit support only in Legacy Edition.
macOS (OS X)			32-bit support only in Legacy Edition.

System requirements

All specifications mentioned are the base game only, no DLCs accounted for.

Windows

macOS (OS X)

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	10 Legacy Edition: 7 SP1, 8, 8.1	10
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core i3-3220 3.3 GHz Legacy Edition: Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 1.8 GHz AMD Ryzen 3 1200 3.1 GHz Legacy Edition: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ 2.1 GHz	Intel Core i5-2400 AMD Ryzen 5 Legacy Edition: AMD Athlon X4
System memory (RAM)	4 GB	8 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	50 GB (Legacy Edition: 22 GB) and 1 GB for saved games
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 6600 ATI Radeon X1300 Intel GMA X4500 128 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0, 10, 11 compatible Shader model 3.0 support	Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 AMD Radeon HD 7750

A 64-bit operating system is required for non-Legacy Edition.

For computers with integrated graphics, a minimum of an Intel Core 2 Duo T5750 2.0 GHz or AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-62 2.1 GHz CPU is required.

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	10.11 (El Capitan)
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core i3-3225 3.3 GHz Legacy Edition: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz	Intel Core i5 (4 cores)
System memory (RAM)	4 GB	8 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	25 GB (Legacy Edition: 22 GB) and 1 GB for saved games	50 GB and 1 GB for saved games
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro Intel HD 4000 256 MB of VRAM	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 AMD Radeon RX 560 Intel Iris Graphics

A 64-bit operating system is required for non-Legacy Edition.