There’s no doubt aboutThe Simsbeing one of the best life simulation games out there. It’s been around since the early 2000s, so it has decades of updates, expansions, and fan-created content for all to enjoy. In nearly two and a half decades,The Simshas amassed quite a following of casual players who use the game to unwind, and streamers and content creators who turn their gameplay into creative masterpieces.The Sims 4itself has been around for 10 years now,the longest tenure of any coreSimsgame thus far.
DespiteThe Sims 4being the currentSimsgame to play, with continuous free and paid updates still being released, it’s missing a few important features ofSimsgames of the past, particularlyThe Sims 3.The Sims 3certainly felt more alive thanThe Sims 4,thanks to things like the open-world design and deeper personality traits that Simmers could bestow upon their Sims. Fortunately,Simsmodders have created several mods to bring the magic ofThe Sims 3intoThe Sims 4.
10Relive The Magic By Becoming A Fairy
Bring This Missing Occult Type Into Your Sims 4 Game
Supernatural Sims became prominent inThe Simsuniverse starting inThe Sims 2with the introduction of vampires, werewolves, zombies, witches, and plantsims. InThe Sims 3,even more supernatural beings were introduced with ghosts, genies, and fairies. Fairies became a fan-favorite occult type for their mischievous personalities, powers, and interactions, yetfairies are still missing fromThe Sims 4. Whileplayers still have occult-type Simslike vampires and werewolves, the absence of fairies leaves a noticeable gap in the supernatural lineup.
Thankfully, the mod Fairies vs. Witches fromSpinningPlumbobsbrings fairies intoThe Sims 4. The Fairies vs. Witches mod ispacked with a ton of content. New spells, abilities, aspirations, power sources, and more. Players can choose between being a good fairy or a dark fairy for their aspiration, and then also choose from several different fairy perks to further the story.
This mod does require Realm of Magic to work.
Sprite form lets the fairy Sim shrink down to sprite-size, which makes causing mischief and mayhem much more fun. There’s also a perk that gives fairies healing abilities. So, if you’ve been missing fairies from yourSimsgameplay, then this mod is the mod for you.
9Let The Stars Guide You With Zodiac Signs
Make True Star-Guided Connections Between Your Sims
Zodiac signs are also missing fromThe Sims 4. Astrology has been a significant gameplay mechanic since the originalSimsgame, so it feels odd to have it left out inThe Sims 4. In the originalSimsandThe Sims 2,Zodiac signs were assigned to Sims based on their personality.
While it doesn’t affect a Sim’s personality or lifestyle, it’s still a fun tool to progress storylines and find romance between Sims. Initially,this feature was also missing fromThe Sims 3until theLate Nightexpansion pack, when it was reintroduced. Still, it has yet to make an official appearance inThe Sims 4, but players can bring astrology back into the game with the right mod. Compatible with the base game,Vicky Sims' Zodiac Signs Mod V2 adds zodiac signs that can affect compatibility between Sims, so your Sims can once again find love with the help of the stars.
8Add In More Trait Slots To Let Your Sims Shine
Give Your Sims More Personality With Additional Traits
Sims inThe Sims 4can start to feel a little stale and lifeless after a while, unlike in previous games. Some could argue that it’s due to a lack of traits each Sim can have. InThe Sims 3, adult Sims can have five traits. InThe Sims 4,adult sims are limited to three traits.
The Sims 4’s Worst Traits Need One Simple Fix To Be Fun
After 10 years of adding content, The Sims 4 has a ton of traits, but very few slots for traits in CAS. So, it’s time to revamp the worst traits.
It can be hard to choose just three, but withthepancake1 and MizoreYukii’s More Traits in CAS mod, you don’t have to. Instead, with this mod,you’re able to choose two additional traits for an adult Sim, so you can once again have five traits in total. This opens more possibilities for Sims to develop more personality and feel more alive.
7Have More Interesting And Unique Interactions With Your Sims
Make Your Sims Have More Interesting Interactions With This Mod
PreviousSimsgames definitely had more options in terms of interactions that Sims could have. Without some of these interactions, gameplay can quickly become repetitive and boring. Thankfully,there’s a mod to fix that and give your Sims 100 new social interactions.
Maplebell’s 100 Social Interactions mod adds interactions like a Sim confessing their love for their best friend or commanding someone to get out of their room. There are many interactions between family members, too, like asking a sibling about their love life. With this mod, the story possibilities are endless.Several interactions will require a high friendship score between Sims, though, so ensure to work on those relationships when using this mod.
6Progress Your Sims' Story With Story Progression
Use MC Command Center To Control Lots Of Aspects Of Your Sims Story
If you truly want to make yourSimsexperience complete, then you need none other than the modMC Command Center. MC Command Center basically gives you almostfull control over your Sims 4 game experience. you may even control NPC stories and alter previously played households with this mod for the ultimate story progression.
MC Command Center lets you do things likeadjust Sims' relationships and careers, manage their moods and ages, and tweak autonomy. It’s a must-have mod for making the game feel alive, like in pastSimsinstallments where autonomy was a thing. You can also manage game settings and cheats through the MC Command Center mod, which is great for keeping everything in one place.
5Add Unique Stories With Sim Biographies
Give Your Sims Unique Stories And Backgrounds To Add Some Fun
A fun part ofThe Sims 3was the ability to tell a Sim’s story through biographies. This was especially nice for creative players and streamers who wanted to add depth and personality to their Sims and make their gameplay feel more personal. Biographies allowed players to flesh out their Sims' backstories, motivations, and relationships, and while it didn’t impact the game mechanics,it was a simple yet fun tool for storytelling.
Unfortunately,The Sims 4did away with sim biographies, but the modderLumpinoufixed that with their Life Notes/Personal Bios mod. Players can use this modto write and edit their Sims' life notes and personal biographies from the Actions menu. Even after death, these notes and bios are returned to the household inventory for safekeeping so that the deceased Sims' memories live on. It’s indeed a great mod for those with stories to tell.
4Become A Burglar And Steal From Your Neighbors
Live Out Your Jesse James Fantasy Of Becoming A Thief
Another missing fan-favorite feature fromThe Sims 4is burglars. In previous games, burglars were a fun encounter that added an element of surprise and tension. Burglars could sneak into homes and steal valuable items. Your Sims could then confront them, or perhaps not realize that their home was being broken into. Either way, it added some fun and excitement to random encounters. InThe Sims 3, you could also become a burglar and steal from your unsuspecting neighbors.
While stealing from people inThe Sims 4 is possible, it’s not quite as fun or rewarding as the burglars were. Thanks toNeedCoffee4That’s NC4T Be A Burglar mod, you can once again become a thief in the night and partake in some mischievous behavior.This mod adds a new reward trait, skill, and two new interactions, all centered around being a burglar and living a life of crime.
3Own And Drive Your Own Vehicles To Get Around
Get From Point A To Point B In No Time
The Sims 4community has requested cars since the beginning, but EA still hasn’t fulfilled the wish. Cars haven’t been a significant part of gameplay inThe Sims, but they’re still a nice feature to have. Sims can drive to work, school, or just cruise around town. They’ve also been a nice decor option to use to makeThe Simsuniverse feel more realistic.
Cars inThe Sims 3were introduced inFast Lane Stuff. There are also other vehicles like bicycles, motorcycles, and scooters inThe Sims 3.
While EA has refused to listen to players' pleas, the modder Dark Gaia took matters into their own hands by introducing a mod that adds five drivable cars toThe Sims 4. The Ownable Cars mod byDark Gaiaadds the Smoogo Minima, Smord P328, Tofunda Wagon, Vorn Stallion, and Bwan Speedster YL to the base game. While the cars aren’t animated,Sims can interact with them to get themselves from point A to point B.
2Choose From More Colors Using A Color Picker
The Color Picker Gives A Lot More Variety
The Sims 4is pretty lacking when it comes to colors you can choose from in CAS. InThe Sims 2andThe Sims 3,players had a color wheel that let them choose from a very wide range of shades. Customization options were practically endless. Unfortunately, this is not the case inThe Sims 4, and is also one of the bigger complaints withinThe Sims 4community.
For even more customization options, trybrowsing custom content websites.
Thankfully,Carl’s Guides' ColorPicker mod solves this with a selection of over 100,000 colors. While it’s not exactly a color wheel, it’s close enough. It introducesa slider to choose between shades and a place where you can enter hex numbers.
1Explore The World As It Should Be With An Open World
Skip The Long Loading Screens When Exploring The Map
One of the biggest complaints inThe Sims 4community has been the loading screens and lack of an open-world environment. InThe Sims 3, Sims could move freely around neighborhoods, homes, and community lots.That was done away with inThe Sims 4and replaced with long and frustrating loading screensthat make moving between locations a chore. So, undoubtedly, one of the mods that have done a great deal for quality-of-life gameplay inThe Sims 4comes fromArnie’s Brookheights, in which a new open-world map is placed intoThe Sims 4.
While this mod doesn’t make the previous officialThe Sims 4maps open-world,it does give players a new neighborhood without the annoying loading screens. Sims can explore and interact with the entire map without waiting between screens. Brookheights is a welcome addition toThe Sims 4, making the game feel more immersive and less interrupted.
The Sims 4has its perks and a lot of them are better than in previous games, yet it still falls short in some areas, particularly with how stale and lifeless Sims can feel and with poor quality of life mechanics. With the right mods, though,The Sims 4can bring much-loved game mechanics back, restoring past magic and making the game feel more complete than ever before.
Sources:SpinningPlumbobs/Patreon,Vicky Sims (chingyu1023)/Patreon,thepancake1 and MizoreYukii/Patreon,Maplebell/Patreon,MC Command Center,Lumpinou/Patreon,NeedCoffee4That/Patreon,Dark Gaia/Mod The Sims,Carl’s Guides/Patreon,Arnie/Patreon
