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The best Sims 4 mods

One of the things that makes the Sims 4 one of the best cozy games is how much freedom it gives you in crafting your perfect simulated life. There have been dozens upon dozens of official DLC add-ons for the game over the years that give you more content and options to play with while you wait for Sims 5, but even that is a drop in the bucket compared to what modders have done. These aren’t mere Sims 4 cheats; they bring brand-new content and systems into the game at no cost. If you thought the number of official add-ons was overwhelming, wait until you start looking through the mods. Instead, you can just check out our curated list of the best Sims 4 mods.

What is a mod?

If you’re here, you probably already know what a mod is, but for those getting into them for the first time, let’s go through what a mod is. A mod — as the name suggests — is a modification to the game created by a member of the community. Oftentimes, mods are in line with what the community wants, and in some instances, are even more effective than updates implemented by Maxis. Other times, a mod is an outrageous yet fun implementation that makes the game more enjoyable. Modding has become so ingrained in The Sims experience that The Sims 4 has a section in its menu devoted to mods, allowing you to enable them without going through any weird processes on the back end.

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The game’s developers have embraced mods and recognize that the community loves to create and use them. It’s part of the experience. With that in mind, you will need to download the mods you want to use, install them, and enable them from within the game in order for them to function properly. Once you do so, you’ll be ready to jump in and try out your new mods.

Master Controller Command Center

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No Sims 4 mod list would be complete without Deaderpool’s Master Controller Command Center. This is a mod that contains a series of smaller mods, allowing you to tweak your experience on the fly. It’s really quite incredible the amount you can do with the MC Control Center. It lets you blacklist NPCs, eliminate certain clothing items, and set the ages of your Sims, and it can even be used to control NPCs, turning them into characters you actually like. This is the definitive Sims 4 mod, so be sure to grab it.

WonderfulWhims

Sims drinking at a bar.
EA Maxis

Let’s be honest, we all are living out our ideal romance and relationships that we wish we had while playing Sims 4. WonderfulWhims makes all those social interactions much deeper, with new systems like Attractiveness, Impressions, Personality Archetypes, and even birth control. You can choose to have multiple romantic partners thanks to an open relationship function, and even disable jealousy by using the polyamours attribute.

Mermaid Lifestate 2.0

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Okay, this one isn’t incredibly useful, but who doesn’t want to turn into a magical mermaid or siren? With SpinningPlumbobs’ Mermaid Lifestate 2.0 mod, you can do just that. It gives you a slew of customization options to make your mermaid exactly how you want. All you have to do is upgrade your Mermaid Mythology skill to level 3 and you’ll be able to transform into a beautiful mermaid. The latest version has added multiple language translations, a Mermaid Mythology skill, a Monopool for transformation, and a slew of Mermaid specific abilities.

UI Cheats Extension

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If you’re someone who uses cheats in The Sims 4, this mod is for you. The UI Cheats Extension by weerbesu adds all the cheat options into the UI without having to type in the code. Sure, you probably know many of the codes by heart and can type them in quickly, but with the UI Cheat Extension, you can cheat more efficiently. With a simple click, you can immediately gain as much money as you’d like or even set your Sim’s aspiration goal to its maximum.

Instant Upgrade No Delay

A sink upgrade in Sims 4.
EA

Upgrading appliances and other objects in The Sims 4 is a requirement, but also a drag. If you level up your Handy trait, you get the amazing Instant Upgrade option that fully upgrades an item without needing any parts, but only once every 24 hours. Instant Upgrade No Delay removes that cooldown so you can use this skill as often as you want. With this, you are free to upgrade any item you have one after another.

Morphmaker

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While The Sims 4’s Create-A-Sim offers a more robust way to make your Sim than ever before, players will always want more. And that’s okay, because CmarNYC’s Morphmaker mod lets you get into the nitty-gritty of building your Sim exactly how you want. It lets you create and sculpt your Sim (and pet) to your liking, with a huge array of tools to be as precise as you want. The image above only scratches the surface of how in-depth you can go with it, and after you use this mod, you’ll probably have trouble using the game’s original CAS system.

Better Computer Games

A sim choosing what video game to play.
EA

What could be better than playing a video game inside a video game? The Sims 4 does let your Sims kick back and play some games, but they’re not any of the best PC games out there. The Better Computer Games mod gives your Sims the ability to play much better games like GTA 5, Persona 4, Cyberpunk 277, Sekiro, and more on any in-game computer or laptop. Of course, this is

Kids Keep Skills

A toddler drawing in Sims 4.
EA

The worst part of growing up (at least in The Sims 4) is the fact that jumping from a kid to a teenager will invalidate seven motor skill levels you had to invest in. Sure, there’s no need for that particular skill anymore once your Sim hits the teen years, but it still feels like a waste to simply lose those levels. The Kids Keep Skills mod saves those levels by translating those levels into equivalent skills for adults. Specifically, the Creativity skills will turn into Painting skill levels, and Motor skills will become Fitness skills, and so on.

SupeSpeed Mod

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Artum’s SupeSpeed Mod is great for those who want to get through their days or tedious activities much more quickly. The Sims 4 already lets you do this, but the SupeSpeed Mod allows time to move even faster. This is great to use during mundane activities like sleeping or walking from place to place. Do be mindful — it runs so quickly that it can cause things to glitch out a little.

Build Your Own Houseboat

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Those who were interested in the mermaid mod listed above might also fancy this one. The Build Your Own Houseboat mod, courtesy of Snowhaze, allows you to take your life to the sea (or other body of water). You can pack decorations and furniture into your houseboat, but beware, the space is much more limited than you might be used to. The building process is intuitive and even allows you to add various floors to fit your needs.

Joseph Yaden
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Joseph Yaden is a freelance journalist who covers Nintendo, shooters, and horror games. He mostly covers game guides for…
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