The best Sims 4 mods will make your favorite game feel brand new again. From subtle boosts that add realistic gameplay details to bumper expansion pack-sized overhauls, modding The Sims 4 is something PC players can – and should – make the most of.
Picking through the hundreds of mods on offer can be tricky, but we've narrowed down the best Sims 4 mods that are not only easy to install, but varied in size and utility, too. Some of them might require specific expansion packs, so double-check each mod before you download it to avoid disappointment.
Community-made mods differ from Sims 4 cheats, and although mods aren't necessarily approved by the developer, they can play an integral in your Sims 4 experience. Whether you want to spice up interactions, enter super-speed mode, or even live forever, here's the best Sims 4 mods that'll make your wildest dreams come true. We've checked them all for compatibility with the latest packs and patches of The Sims 4 for PC, so you don't need to worry about them clashing or breaking. Plus, you can head to our guide on the Sims 4 multiplayer mod, an entity of its own given how sought-after a feature it is.
How to add the best Sims 4 mods on PC and Mac
To install the best Sims 4 mods in your game, all you initially need to do is download any mod file you like the look of. Then, open Windows Explorer on PC, or Finder on Mac, and locate Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > Mods.
From here, just drop your downloaded mods straight into this /Electronic Arts/The Sims 4/Mods folder. Normally any specific requirements for mod installation are listed on the page you download the mod from, but it's usually a very straightforward drag and drop job. One thing to remember is that if you download a zipped file, don't unzip it - simply drag and drop the entire zipped file into your mods folder. Newer mods might have a .ts4script extension, and others might have a .package file, both of which you can just drag and drop.
The best Sims 4 mods you can download right now
Realistic Birth
If you've always wanted to witness the miracle of childbirth in The Sims, rather than the standard process of a short-lived labour followed by a baby popping up, then the Realistic Childbirth mod from PandaSama is exactly what you're looking for. You'll need the Get to Work expansion to use it, but with everything installed your pregnant Sim will arrive at the hospital and go through several stages to induce labor for a natural delivery. Alternatively, there's the option for a planned C-section instead to skip the early labor stage, making the delivery just a quick epidural away. As with any mod, there's a detailed instructions for download, updates, and use.
MC Command Centre
The MC Command Centre is a huge Sims 4 mod that gives you a control panel to tweak nearly every aspect of your Sims' lives throughout the neighbourhood, which basically means you’re a Sims 4 god. It lets you set employment rates for various sim ages, find out who's pregnant, change that if required, and even filter through settings for non-player controlled Sims to make sure they're living their best lives. My favourite tweak is the time-based ones though, which make sure your Sim doesn't take hours upon hours to shower and eat breakfast before work every morning. If I can't do that Mortimer Goth, you can't either.
UI Cheats Extension
A lot of Sims players will know the main cheat codes off by heart, and typing in 'motherlode' for a stack of simoleons is almost second nature (although you can follow our guide on how to get more money in The Sims 4, if you fancy going legit). However, there are so many cheats available that, unless you plan on learning them all, looking them up can easily become a time-consuming process. That's where this mod from weerbesu comes it, as it adds all the cheat options directly into the UI without any typing required. Big timesaver!
Choose to live forever
If you want to turn off the ageing or dying process for your Sim, you can easily do that in the settings, but that'll affect every single Sim in your world. If you want to do it on a case by case basis, you're going to need a mod. The Eternal Youth and Immortal buyable trait modfrom vitorpiresa, to be precise. This mod adds two new buyable traits to the game: Eternal Youth, which prevents your Sim dying from old age (but nothing else); and Immortal, which prevents them from all deaths, but they will continue to age regardless.
Meaningful Stories
The Meaningful Stories mod from roBurky gives your Sims deeper, long-lasting, and more realistic emotions, rather than having them change their moods every ten seconds. Your Sim can become depressed for days after a breakup or feel intense happiness after a first kiss. Although, you can utilize the Sims 4 relationship cheats, if you want to boost your Sim's happiness. With this mod, you won't be able to change a Sim's sad mood by simply putting him in a nicely decorated room. Although influencing your Sims becomes more difficult with the Meaningful Stories mod, everything that happens in their lives becomes more... meaningful.
Simulation lag fix
If you want your Sims to behave like actual people in your absence, then you will like this Simulation Lag Fix mod by simmythesim. This mod takes care of your Sims' autonomous behavior problems caused by massive simulation lag, such as sitting and staring at the wall for hours on end. The mod alters the game speed in such a way that the autonomy requests don't cause simulation lag. This fixes time slowing down, time going back, and the empty shell behavior. No more infamous head bobbing!
Have Some Personality Please!
If you're fed up with your Sims having meaningless chit-chats, then this mod from PolarBearSims could be just the ticket to spice up interactions. This extensive mod introduces many changes, but one of the key features is removing idle chat from conversations. This means that instead of nattering, your Sims will have to interact with each other, and the mod will decide how this goes down based on the existing relationship between the Sims, plus their character traits and current mood. Sit back and watch how things pan out, but prepare for fireworks if two Sims don't get along.
Hit the Super Speeds
You know that ultimate speed level that triggers when your Sims go to sleep or are all out of the house? Well, I know a lot of the time I'm just frantically pressing 3 in the hopes it'll go faster. So let's go faster with this SupeSpeed Mod. No, that's not a typo, creator artum knows there's not even enough time sometimes to add the R to super. They get it. Once installed, you can trigger it when you hit the 3 key twice in quick succession. Begone long days and wasted time, begone!
Unlock every item in Build / Buy mode
Although sometimes it's kind of cool that The Sims 4 locks certain Build / Buy mode items and room layouts behind career track goals, it also takes a long time to get them all. So why not just have them all, right now? The Sims 4 BuildBuyMode Unlocker mod by scripthoge is a handy little thing that unlocks every item and pre-made room that was previously off-limits, meaning your house can be at its very best from the get go (with a little motherlode help, of course). Pair this up with our guides on how to turn furniture in The Sims 4 and using the Sims 4 free build cheat and Sims 4 debug cheat and you'll get yourself a really swanky house in no time.
Deadly Toddlers
Toddlers aren't usually the most interesting people in the Sims 4. They eat, they sleep, they play, and you have to teach them a bunch of skills. However, the Deadly Toddlers mod from Sacrificial Mods will change all that. Your Sims' kids might still look cute, but they will burn you alive or stab you in the neck the first chance they get. This may sound a little weird (and perhaps a bit disturbing), but this mod makes life in The Sims 4 a lot more exciting! And if it gets too much you can always deactivate the mod, or learn how to age up a toddler in The Sims 4.
Wonderful Whims
To lighten the mood after terrifying toddlers, there's the WonderfulWhims mod from turbodriver that enhances a whole bunch of aspects of your Sims' personal relationships. From what they find attractive in a Sim, to who they want to date, to even how they feel about birth control. Allowing your Sim to have unique taste and preferences when it comes to dating in Wonderful Whims makes The Sims 4 a little more intense and way more detailed.
Expanded Mermaids
Unlike the rich gameplay of Sims 4 Vampires or Sims 4 Werewolves, the mermaid occult type is generally lacking. While they might look beautiful to see diving around the placid shores of Sulani, wouldn't it be nice for mermaids to have an XP-based power and progression system like their fanged and furry supernatural siblings? Enter the Expanded Mermaids mod from SpinningPlumbobs. From sea witches to kelpies, Expanded Mermaids will make mermaidism fun again by way of dynamic, merpeople-specific interactions. You'll be able to sleep beneath the surface, dive deeper for kelp and other magical goods, and even train yourself up on mermaid mythology as a whole new skills branch.
Adjust Sim heights
Deciding your Sims' weight and muscle mass is as easy as moving a slider or pushing their bodies around in The Sims 4, but isn't it weird that every single person in your world is the same height? Unnatural, right? Well, this height slider Sims 4 mod from GODJUL1 fixes all of that, adding natural stature variations to your neighbourhoods.
The Life Decider
This one is super handy if you add random NPC Sims to your world. Without the Life Decider mod by KawaiiStacie, NPC Sims will have no career, no income, and zero skills. If you don't want to manually stir every Sim towards a certain career or don't want to fill out their skillset, even with Sims 4 skill cheats and Sims 4 career cheats, this mod will do it for you. It comes with a bunch of interesting bonus traits too, such as a sweet tooth, a drinking problem, or bad cooking skills. Note: while this mod was standalone, it's now only obtainable through the Sim File Share and so won't receive any new updates.
Bring back cars from The Sims 3 days
Another thing missing in The Sims 4 from The Sims 3 is vehicles. I loved it when you could drive around the neighbourhood to get to different locations, or just watch your kids cycle about from their friends' houses after school. But it all disappeared in The Sims 4. Thankfully, The Sims 4 community is on hand to right some of the wrongs in the game, and thanks to this ownable cars mod from Dark Gaia your Sims can now purchase and drive their very own cars around the neighbourhood as the modern age intended.
Create ponds on every lot
Fishing can be a huge part of your Sim's life, but it can be annoying when you have to travel to find a viable fishing pond. Watching a loading screen every time you want to build that angler skill is frustrating, but what if you had a pond in your very own backyard? Download the Buyable Ponds Sims 4 mod by Snaitf, and you can put a pretty little pond in your own lot, saving you having to travel for every fishing expedition. Of course, you can also follow our guide on how to build a pond in The Sims 4, if you want to make one of your own.
Go to School
The ability to follow your kids to school (in the least creepy way possible) was always a nice touch in the previous game, as you could actually get a little closer to what they spent their time in class doing. Well, as long as you've got the Get to Work Sims 4 expansion, you can download Zerbu's Go to School mod that means you can actually follow your children to school and help them achieve their education, learn from a teacher NPC, and even visit the counsellor for a spirit boost. Kids can also earn Emblems from the principal, which they can redeem later in life for reward traits. This works independently of the Sims 4 High School Years pack, which follows teenagers to school rather than children.
Daily Save
This one isn't going to change your game, but more help you keep your Sim creations safe. This Daily Save mod from temptest literally just autosaves your game with every new Sim day. Using the default settings it'll save the game at 5am every Sim day and uses seven rotating save slots, just in case you want to roll back to a specific day within the last Sim week. A handy little mod if ever I saw one.
If we've missed any of what you think are the best Sims 4 mods, please let us know in the comments below and we'll check them out!
Strip it back to basics with our top tips on how to get started in The Sims 4.
