The Sims 4 drops long-awaited skin tone update a day early

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There's over 100 new skin tones, new sliders for skin tones and makeup, and more

The Sims 4
(Image credit: EA)

The long-awaited free skin tone update for The Sims 4 has released a day early, so hop on to see all the new content.

As we previously reported, this free update seeks to fix a skin tone problem that has plagued The Sims 4 since its 2014 release and was recently addressed by The Sims 4 Lyndsay Pearson. The game has a long history of inaccurately representing dark skin tones with middling options in terms of variety. Black Simmers have pointed this issue out repeatedly for over five years, along with the lack of appropriate hairstyle options. 

After acknowledging the issue and promising a fix, The Sims 4 team elaborated on their plans to address the skin tone issue back in September with a free update to the base game that would arrive on December 8. That update has gone live a day early, so hop onto The Sims 4 now to check out the strides EA has made towards a better representation of the Sims community.

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The update includes more than 100 new skin tone swatches in a variety of cool, neutral, and warm tones with a slider on each swatch to further modify every skin tone. The team also improved new and existing skin tones, "including strengthening the quality of suntans and sunburns." There's also makeup sliders to adjust colors so that they better suit different skin tones (although some are locked "for a better gameplay experience") and an improvement on three base game hairstyles. The main menu has gotten a makeover as well. 

The Sims 4 team worked closely with high-profile Simmers like @Xmiramira, @EbonixSims, @MiaZaff1, and more, who provided feedback throughout the process. 

Check out our interview with SimGuruGrham on the future of The Sims 4.

Alyssa Mercante
Alyssa Mercante
Former Features Writer

Alyssa Mercante used to be a features writer at GamesRadar+ and is now a freelance writer and editor. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.