The Sims 4 is absolutely stock full of weird, quirky details and unexpected hidden gems that appear at the most surprising moments to throw the player off their course. It’s this randomness and unpredictability and all the strange details that make the game so unique and popular among us Simmers.
Although many have played the game for years and may know everything about it, casual Simmers might be surprised by the extent of detail and depth found in the game and all the fun things a Sim is actually capable of doing. Here are a few things players may not know they can do in The Sims 4 - and should totally try the next time they play!
Since expansions, game packs, stuff packs, and even the newly introduced kits constantly expand the scope of the game, there’s no shortage of fun things to do in Sims 4.
18 Earn Royalties Off Songs
It’s no secret that Sims can learn to play instruments and even go on to become rock stars, but many players don’t realize that there’s actually a way to earn royalties off of their songs, no fancy mod required. If the Sim gets their Guitar skill to a high enough rank, they can write and record songs. The final step is to use the mailbox to publish the song.
The Sim will then earn royalties off that song every day. Songs don’t stay fresh and cool forever, though, and royalties will decrease over time, so if the player intends to live off the royalties from their music, they’ll need to keep recording and releasing new songs to keep revenue up.
17 Make Jam
Playing guitar isn’t the only way for characters to jam out in the Sims. If the player has a decent kitchen and a Sim with a knack for cooking, they can take some fruit and bottles to the stove and indulge all of their jam-making fantasies.
Jam-making might not be as exciting as traveling to a magical forest or another planet, but above all the Sims is about the pleasures of living a second life, regardless of how mundane that life may be. Some players even find vacuuming, taking out the trash, and doing other Sim chores to be enjoyable, so there’s nothing wrong with flexing one’s cooking skills with some preservatives instead.
16 Build A Robot Friend
As the 100 Baby Challenge demonstrates, Sims players love to challenge themselves in new ways. Most Sim skills are things that anyone could learn with enough hard work and patience, and while that’s technically true of robotics, it’s definitely a more involved hobby than some. Maybe the Sim likes seeing how things work. Maybe they like trying to challenge themselves with something new. Or maybe no one wants to be their friend, so they’ve decided to engineer a metallic friendship for themselves.
Added as part of Discover University, the Robotics skill lets Sims create everything from Cleaner-Bots to RoboNannies. If things in the Sim household seem a bit dull, having a robot wandering around may be just the way to spice things up. Just be careful will all that electrical wiring.
15 Befriend A Smart Speaker Or A Talking Toilet
Lin-Z and Potty Mouth 2.0 are two of the most unique objects in The Sims 4. Lin-Z imitates a classic Alexa-style smart speaker, while Potty Mouth is sort of a toilet from the future. Most players have no idea that both of these AI entities can actually be befriended.
In return for their friendship, both objects provide extra features. Lin-Z will start ordering food and hiring a maid automatically with high enough friendship, while Potty Mouth allows Sims to watch TV while on the toilet, get a massage or increase their hygiene.
14 Get Moody From Objects And Clothing
In order for this feature to work, make sure that objects are allowed to affect Sims’ moods by ticking the box in the main menu’s gameplay settings section. Following this, Sims can become affected by emotional décor around them, such as emotional paintings.
Some outfits like the glittering party dress will make a Sim playful, and animal hats will have various other moodlet buffs that are active the duration the Sim wears the outfit. It’s a good idea to take advantage of these extra buffs, especially when they’re positive.
13 Kill Or Age A Sim With A Bouquet
Those looking for a truly vicious way to kill a Sim, the art of flower arranging is one way. At around level 9, Sims can scent their Excellent-level bouquets with Death Flowers. The results are not as deadly as one would expect. Anyone below the Elder age group will age up when receiving the bouquet.
However, Elders, upon receiving this bouquet, will instantly die. It’s a particularly devious way to get rid of a rich older person, especially when doing a black widow type of challenge.
12 Craft Musical Instruments
There’s a lot that Sims can craft, but what many players are not aware of is being able to craft musical instruments with the woodworking table. This is most likely due to the fact that Sims will need a high skill level in both handiness and musical skills. To do this, make sure the Sim in question has level 8 in handiness and level 8 in their instrument of choice.
11 Watch Alien TV Shows
Speaking of Handiness, it’s one of the most underrated skills in the game. A Sim’s life can be completely upgraded with a high Handiness skill. One of the best upgrades relates to TVs, which unlocks brand new channels from a faraway planet.
Alien Sims, when watching these channels, will tend to feel homesick as well, which is a nice little touch from the developers. A Sim will need to have at least level 9 in Handiness to be able to perform the upgrade.
10 Death By Embarrassment
There are a few ways to die in The Sims 4, and none of them are particularly easy to die from. If anything, The Sims 4 has made it much harder for players to kill their Sims, especially through some of the more obscure routes. One such way is death by embarrassment.
When a Sim has done too many embarrassing things in a short time span, such as have their privacy invaded, said something inappropriate, and peed themselves, they’re really putting themselves at risk of dying from being absolutely mortified.
9 Visit An Alien World
Aliens and other supernatural creatures have always been a staple of The Sims franchise, and each game has sought to bring us a bit closer to these mysterious, strange creatures. In The Sims 4, playes actually get the opportunity to go and meet aliens for themselves at the alien planet of Sixam.
However, this secret option is only available to the most brilliant scientists who reach the peak of their career. They’ll then receive an invitation to a fancy celebration on a rather strange but beautiful exoplanet somewhere far away from home.
8 Resurrect Sims With A Book
Death is one of the most interesting aspects of The Sims franchise because of all the peculiar details the developers have added to its mechanics. Players can beg the Grim Reaper for mercy and spare a loved one’s life and even cheat life itself by drinking an elixir to stop themselves from aging.
However, did players know that the sheer power of a well-written book can bring a Sim back from death? Once a Sim reaches the highest level in both writing and the Bestselling Author career path, they can capture a living Sim’s Epic Saga in it. When they die, the book can then be used to resurrect them.
7 Meet A Mysterious Hermit
Deep in the woods of Granite Falls, a lone Hermit lives among his plants in a wooden house. Only the most determined campers and herbalists will find their way through a shrub from Granite Falls and stumble upon his quaint abode. Meeting the Hermit is important, especially for Sims who aspire to become professionals in the art of gardening and herbs.
In order to learn the “Fungal Infusion Fertilizer Remedy,” the Hermit has to be befriended until he trusts the Sim enough to share his secrets. His house is surrounded by tons of rare insects and species, making it a dream location for any aspiring herbalist.
6 Become A Grilled Cheese Addict
Who doesn’t love grilled cheese? Well, while enjoying this dish every once in a while in moderation is fine, others have a bit of an obsession with this cheesy treat. If a Sim happens to eat grilled cheese three times in a row, they will soon gain a secret aspiration that isn’t otherwise available in the game.
From there onward, the Sim will want to eat as much grilled cheese as possible and discuss it with Sims until the final stage of the obsession where they wish to paint this delicacy to decorate their walls.
5 Travel Through A Tree
Good old Willow Creek looks normal on the surface, but if players travel to Crick Cabana and spot a large, old tree that seems out of place, they’ve discovered a portal to a secret location. If a Sim interacts with the tree appropriately, they will be brought to beautiful Sylvan Glade.
This is a perfect location for any gardening or fishing enthusiasts looking to find rare fish, bugs, and plants. If players have Spa Day installed, their Sim can also teleport here through meditation if they are skilled enough and have already been in Sylvan Glade before.
4 Turn Trash To Treasure
It might sound kind of unbelievable, but trash does have its utility, even in The Sims 4. If, for some reason, a Sim is too lazy to pick up a pile of trash they’ve left outside lying on the ground, it will begin to rot and Sims around it uncomfortable.
However, if players wait long enough and interact with it, they’ll find they can actually turn this pile of garbage into a flourishing plant known as the Trash Plant. Once this plant bears fruit, it can be safely eaten by a Sim, so long as the plant is maintained just like any other in-game.
3 Live As Your Sim
The Sims 4 lets players live their dream life just the way they want, which is no doubt one of the reasons why the game is so popular. For those wanting to get even more up close and personal with the lives of their Sims, a recent feature comes in handy despite how buggy it still is.
Earlier this year, developers introduced a function that lets players play the game from a first-person perspective and switch freely among the members of the household. Pair this with any VR headset, and players are set for their dream life!
2 Have Grim Reaper As Roommate
There are a few unlikely housemates that players can befriend in The Sims 4, from a vampire to an alien to even a mermaid with the Island Living expansion. However, the weirdest person available through cheats has to be, without a doubt, Grim Reaper himself.
In previous installations of the game, it would break the game to have a supernatural being like him in the household, but that’s no longer the case in The Sims 4. Press “CTRL + Shift + C” to open a white bar at the top of the game and type “testingcheats on.” Now, Shift + Click on the Grim Reaper to add him to the household.
1 Enter A Long Lost Grotto
When it comes to secret locations, The Sims 4 just keeps on giving. In Oasis Spring, in the back of Desert Bloom Park, the player might notice an abandoned mine entrance.
Although, at first, they’ll most likely be unable to do anything to get inside, if they reach level 10 in Handiness skill, they can actually break into this old mine. After a short rabbit hole adventure, they’ll be transported to the beautiful Forgotten Grotto, filled with rare crystals, bugs, and fish available for catching.
The Sims 4 is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
