With the Sims 4 being out for ten years, many Simmers have exhausted the game's main mechanics. Yet millions of players still play faithfully. What makes them stay? One word: mods. Mods have added new content and game mechanics, giving even the most veteran Simmer the ability to experience the game in a new and exciting way. This article will review the top 20 Sims 4 mods to help old and new players breathe new life into this phenomenal game. 

 

20. Meaningful Stories by roBurky

More ups and downs make for a lifelike experience.

Meaningful Stories takes the emotional system of the Sims 4 and makes Sims feel like real people. The emotions sims get are related to what happens in their lives, using their traits, situations, and events to give sims more realistic and meaningful reactions. The realistic reactions and emotions to events in their life make this mod a special and unique experience for newbies and veteran simmers alike. Sims can get depressed, feel exuberant due to a new love, or even become inspired by the environment around them. Meaningful Stories is for you if you want a mod that brings a more true-to-life and weighty feel to sim emotions.

Features: 

• An in-game tutorial to help simmers get started
• Intuitive and varied emotions
• Realistic emotional ranges and shifts
• Emotions based on environmental factors
• More realistic happiness

Meaningful Stories

 

19. MC Command Center by Deaderpool

Anyway, if you want it, that's how you need it!

MC Command Center is a helpful mod for any simmer wanting more say in their playthroughs. This mod allows simmers to tweak every aspect of their game to their particular playstyle and have more input on what is happening in the stories of other sim families in their world. This means that simmers can fine-tune their game from Create-A-Sim to woohoo settings precisely as they want. MC Command Center is a necessary mod that brings accessibility to the fanbase.

Features:

• Customization of several ingame effects
• More control over your Sims lives
• The ability to edit core game mechanics with the push of a button.

MC Command Center

 

18. Have Some Personality, Please! By PolarBearSims

Realistic reactions make a better gameplay experience.

The Sims 4 has the best interactions out of all The Sims iterations, but some Simmers may find these interactions shallow even with its updated interface. Stepping up to fix that, Have Some Personality, Please! It brings more autonomy and personality to sims, making the game more realistic and fun to play. If a sim is angry, they are more likely to yell and fight with other sims of their own volition. If they are flirty, they will flirt with sims they find attractive, which is also updated with this mod. If you want stories that contain drama and lifelike reactions, PolarBearSims' mod is for you.

Features:

• Realistic reactions based on traits, conversations, relationships, and events
• More autonomous actions
• Sims react more genuinely depending on their traits
• Overhauled Relationship and Woohoo system 

Have Some Personality, Please!

 

17. 100 Base Game Traits Pack v1.7 by chingyu1023

The more the merrier!

When first creating a sim, you are given a choice between traits your sim can have that provide the sim a unique personality. The variety offered by EA, however, can be lacking. In comes Chingyu to the rescue! Chingyu1023 has made 100 new traits that can be used with the base game and allow all simmers to dive into their sim's personality. With all these new traits, making individual and unique sims is as easy as can be.

Features:

• Unique CAS animations
• New buffs and emotions based on the trait
• Base Game Compatible
• Compatible with any and all mods

100 Base Game Traits Pack v1.7

 

16. Social Activities

Need more of a social life?

Even though there is a large variety of things to do in The Sims 4, it can be backbreaking to meet your social needs. Social Activities is a mod by LittleMsSam that makes scheduling social activities as easy as making a phone call. With dozens of activities to choose from, such as visiting friends, going to a Halloween party, or even going to a music concert, you can fill up your social needs and make friends easily and without much fuss. LittleMissSam's mod brings realism to Sims' lives; who could ask for more? 

Features:

• Adds over 20 activities for sims of all ages to engage in
• Easy access to activities through the Sims phones
• Can take just one sim or the whole household
• Activities can fill needs while in the rabbit hole

Social Activities

 

15. UI Cheats Extension by weerbesu

All the cheats are right at your fingertips.

There isn't a better mod for those who like to play with cheats than the UI Cheats Extension. This mod allows you to easily access all cheats, most with just a button click. Whether cheating for money or raising your Sims' needs, this easy-to-use mod will be irreplaceable only after a few play sessions. With every cheat at your fingertips, will you be a benevolent force in your Sims' life or a force of chaos? Only you can decide.

Features:

• Easy access to all cheats in the game
• Updated often to keep current with new game expansions
• Shift-click to bring up the cheats menu
• Click on needs to fill the bar 

UI Cheats Extension

 

14. Jane Simsten's Regency Romance

Back in my day…

For all my Jane Austen lovers out there, why not bring some of the class and sophistication of Regency Romance into the game? This mod dives into the world of etiquette and balls to present you with an all-new experience perfect for those of a higher class. With the new etiquette skill, have your sim become the debutante at their debut ball and find the ideal match for their sensibilities. 

Features:

• Two brand-new aspirations and three new careers to choose from
• Social classes have been added to bring to life the hierarchy of regency times
• Have your sim own their own estate and host a ball, an all-new event
• Have a good gossip sesh with the ladies with the gossip papers
• Everyone loves a good scandal!

Regency Romance

 

13. SimRealist SNBank and SNBills

Banking and Bills; what fun!

Sure, when you first think of bringing finance and bills into The Sims 4, you might think twice, but with this mod, you can add so much realism to your game. Sim Realist's amazingly fleshed-out banking system brings a new side of the game to life with loans, water bills, and the ability to open a savings account. This mod is a must-have for those who love realism in their games. There are even government benefits such as child support and alimony!

Features:

• Introduces banking and bills into the Sims 4
• Adds bills such as water and sewer, electricity, cellphone, and more
• Realistic finance gameplay
• Take loans out to pay for a new business or file for bankruptcy.

SNBank

 

12. SimRealist Mortem

Quite morbid, don't you think?

Another mod from the excellent programmers behind Sim Realist is Mortem. This mod adds a lifelike process to death in the Sims 4. Instead of the grim reaper coming to take your sims to the afterlife, you will need to call the Emergency Services, and a specialist will come out and start the after-death process. Is it morbid? Sure. Is it still a fantastic mod? Definitely. 

Features:

• Emergency Services will be available when a sim dies
• Realistic choices and gameplay
• No more Grim Reaper
• Funerals 
• Funeral Homes
• Memorial Services 

Mortem

 

11. SimRealist FlowFit

Exercising has never been more fun!

Flowfit brings a new fitness experience to those begging for more ways to get in shape. Our last mod by Sim Realist, Flowfit, brings a wide array of new workout equipment to make your sim the fittest sim in the neighborhood. Sims will now have the choice to work out on an elliptical, a row machine, a climber, and more! Bring diversity to your exercise routine with FlowFit.

Features:

• New ways to work out
• New workout machines
• Flawless animation 

FlowFit

 

10.  Daily Save Mod

Never lose progress again!

Daily Save is exactly what it sounds like. It's a mod that saves your game at a specified time every Sim Day. We all know the Sims 4 can be buggy and sometimes crash, but with this mod, you will never lose days of hard work. This mod is great for the peace of mind it brings, allowing you to play your game without fear of crashes or bugs. 

Features:

• Saves the game every in-game day
• What else would you need?

Daily Save Mod

 

9. Emotional Inertia Mod

Emotions may vary.

When you think about the Sims 4, emotions are simplistic. Hey, no shade to the Sims 4 team, but it is true. With this mod by roBurky, the shallow, fleeting emotions of the base game are replaced with more compelling, lasting, and complex emotions, making for a more enriching and realistic gaming experience. By bringing emotional inertia, emotions become more important and meaningful. Sims' emotions no longer have little to no effect on their lives and instead have evolved to bring the best - and the worst- out of your sims. Like in real life, you must work to get your sims in a better headspace.

Features:

• More realistic emotions
• More appropriate timeframes for emotional states
• Longer lasting emotions with more unique ways to improve sim moods
• Emotions gradually decrease in severity

Emotional Inertia Classic

 

8. Fairies vs. Witches Mod by SpinningPlumbobs

Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

This mod adds fairies and witches to the Sims 4 to bring magic and whimsy to the game. Now, I hear you. "We already have spellcasters!" you jeer. This mod goes into much more detail regarding our magical practitioners. It brings alchemy, magic, covens, fairy rings, alignments, and wings! You need Realm of Magic to function correctly, but this mod brings a new spice to our favorite fairytale friends. 

Features:

• New Sim types: Fairy and Witch
• New spells
• New magic system
• Alignments
• New spell energy mechanic
• And so much more!

Fairies vs Witches

 

7. Height Slider

What's up shorty?

Nothing says diversity more than the myriad of heights in the human world. Height is an innate and vital aspect of our lives, and it is sorely missed in the Sims 4. But with GODJUL1's height slider, you can now have sims of differing heights in your save file. This makes the game all the more realistic, making for more lifelike sims and better gameplay. Sims no longer have to be the same height!

Features:

• Height Slider in Create-A-Sim

Height Slider

 

6. Custom Food Interactions by TheFoodGroup

Bon Appetite!

Food in the Sims 4, as with life, is integral in a sim's life. You need to eat to live, but wouldn't it be better to live to eat? This mod introduces custom interactions centered around food your sims can now exhibit while cooking and eating. You can even make custom food and get unique interactions with stoves and fridges while playing. This is just another mod that brings more realism to the Sims 4 and helps to take your game from drab to fab!

Features:

• New interactions surrounding food
• New interactions with stoves
• New interactions with fridges
• Customization options

Custom Food Interactions

 

5. Healthcare Redux

Turn your head and cough…

Sims can get sick in the base game, but it isn't explained or expanded upon. With Healthcare Redux, these illnesses are expanded and detailed. Your sim could develop diabetes or may break their wrist, all ending in a trip to the doctor to get medicine and treatment advice. For those of you who are itching for a more realistic healthcare experience, this mod is for you.

Features:

• New diseases and chronic illnesses
• Accidents and injuries added
• Pregnancy-related conditions
• Immune system levels
• Preventative care 
• And more!

Healthcare Redux

 

4. Simda dating app

So many fish in the sea!

Is your sim having trouble with love? Download the Simda Dating App and find that special someone, or just hook up for the night. This mod by LittleMsSam makes it possible to bring the world of online dating to the Sims! What could be more fun than going on a blind date with your sim or finding that quick booty call that your sim will never call again? All this is possible if you download this mod. 

Features:

• Specific Date Option
• Blind Date Option
• One Night Stand Option

Simda Dating App

 

3. Relationship and pregnancy overhaul by Lumpinou

Where do we even begin?

This isn't just one mod, but a bundle of mods that will make relationships and pregnancy much more realistic and interesting in the Sims 4. Lumpinou brings a host of mods, ranging from preferences to diseases your sim can catch. With this overhaul, you will always be energized again by your sim's health and wellness. With this flurry of mods, you can finally experience what it is like to dive deep into a sim's personal life. 

Features:

• Pregnancy preferences
• Family preferences
• Fertility and Protection
• Woohoo transmittable diseases
• Paternity
• And so much more

Pregnancy and Relationship Overhaul

 

2. Granny’s cookbook

Just like grandma used to make.

For all the foodies out there, Grannies Cookbook may be the mod for you. It adds so many recipes to the game from an adorable cookbook found in Build and Buy Mode. Your sim will be busy making the best comfort food straight from Granny herself. This adorable mod gives the game a nice, homey touch and reminds us all of our grandmother's special dishes we all enjoyed when we were younger.

Features:

• Adds a cookbook to Build and Buy Mode
• All new recipes

Grannies Cookbook

 

1.  Wonderful Whims by TURBODRIVER

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

WonderfulWhims is a giant in the Sims world; everyone who mods knows about this mod and its naughty cousin. This mod gives personalities and preferences to sims, adds a menstrual cycle for female-bodied sims, and introduces an attractiveness system into the game, plus a lot more. This is, by far, the number one must-have mod for the Sims 4, as it gives the game a new life and complexity. Each sim will have a unique personality and have different preferences for what they like in another sim. If you don't download any other mod, download this one. 

Features:

• Realistic attraction system
• Relationship addons
• Birth control
• Mod-specific attributes and traits

Wonderful Whims

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