Sims 4 - Everything You Need to Know!
In Sims 4, you can lead a completely different life or strive for the dreamlife you always wanted. Make choices you never dared to make in real life like becoming a crime boss, the leader of a gang, start fights on the street, set your house on fire, dating a grandma – everything you can think of.
The Sims can’t properly take care of themselves so they’ll need you. You can create their personalities, families, choose their jobs, let them meet the love of their life, tear them apart, and much more.
Sims 4 also offers lots of opportunities to create beautiful houses. Do you want to build a very big mansion close to the sea? No problem. Would you like a very big wooden house in the forest? You can build it. Get your swimming pool, cinema room, fitness room that you basically won't have to leave your castle. Let your creativity run wild!
This article gives you all the tools you need to play the Sims 4 – with a helpful Hotkeys List included! Enjoy!
Sims 4 Suits Many Players
Sims 4 suits many players thanks to a wide range of opportunities. You can decide to live a realistic life, create your real-life house in the game and go for the job you always wanted to feel identified with the Sim you are playing. What's also a fun way of playing is to live a very different life than you normally would.
Run a household with 10 children. Make yourself look and live like a witch. Become a criminal when you normally would avoid this at all costs. Become the richest and most popular person in the world. See how it is to date people of various ages. Try out all kinds of jobs and discover what you need to do to improve them.
There’s so much in-depth game detail in the game with many goals to work on your sim. You can learn from this in real life too!
How to Play the Sims 4
Are you new to the Sims 4 or have you played previous Sims games? When you were a Sims player before you will recognize a lot of the aspects of the game. However, in both cases, it will be good to know the basics of the Sims 4 to get started.
Create your Sim(s)
Firstly, you are going to create your sim. You can try to create yourself or create the person you want to be. Choose if it’s an old man or a child, choose the gender and the way they look. You can adjust and shape anything you see like it’s clay - both their body and their face. If you want to give them a very big nose: go for it. 😀
It's helpful to start with a preset and then rework their eyes, ears, or hair from there. Choose their clothes for different occasions: at night, at day, neat clothes for special activities and so on.
What's new in Sims 4 is that you can change their walk style. It's made so realistic that you have all the tools you need to create someone unique. The most important of your Sim is its personality. You can choose the personality with the corresponding traits.
The aspiration and traits you choose influence your gameplay. They can make it harder or easier for you, depending on what you like to do or how happy you want your Sim to be. For instance, if you choose ‘creativity’ it will be easier to learn music or become a painter.
You can also choose your Sim to be a kleptomaniac, a vegetarian, an ambitious person, and so on. It's also fun to choose one bad trait to make this person more challenging. See if you can handle a person that has the worst traits ever. 😛
Do you want to make one person or a complete household? Be aware that creating a big family leads to doing more tasks. You have to switch between each Sim to look after them. After all, you are responsible for their lives. Remember, they can’t properly take care of themselves.
Pick Your World and House
When you’re done creating your sim or household you can choose a place to live! The more Sims 4 expansion packs you have, the more places you will have to choose from. We will talk about all kinds of expansion packs further on.
What goes for every world is that there are residential lots where your Sims can live or you can pick an empty lot and build your own house. You won't have much money at the start unless you're cheating so know that this will be a humble house. We recommend you to start with a cheaper house so you can afford a good PC, a comfortable bed and a nice shower.
The green Diamonds are called ‘Plumbobs’. These are the typical green diamonds for the Sims to show you where households live or which person you have selected in the game. You will also spot the gym, museum, nightclub, or restaurant. There will also be a nice park in almost every world.
In-Game Controls Sims 4
To make playing the Sims 4 a lot easier we will give you a few helpful tips to get started quickly. These controls will make your gameplay a lot more enjoyable than when you’re not aware of them.
Camera
Firstly, go to Game Options, Game Camera, and enable the Sims 3 camera. By doing this you can use the same camera as in Sims 3 and simply press your mouse wheel to move the camera up and down. Very helpful, especially for building houses and placing furniture. Zoom in and out with your mouse wheel or plus and minus keys.
Disable Walls
Also helpful is that in the right-top you can disable seeing walls. This way you can keep track of what your Sims are doing and place furniture easier. When you have to keep a whole family together this is much better.
With the ‘Home’ key you can also put the Walls Up and use the ‘End’ key to put the walls down.
Change the Game Speed
What's great about the Sims is that you can decide how fast you want the time (speed) to go. When your Sim is at work, reading a book, or working out you can speed it up to make this go faster. I like to slow the game down at the best moments and zoom in a bit to feel like I'm there too.
Build Mode
On the right top, you can find a tool's icon. Clicking on this gets you into the build mode. You will hear music popping up and the game is paused, giving you all the time to redecorate your house and shop items. On the bottom of your screen, you can click on the objects you want to buy. To rotate them, simply press the > and < keys on your keyboard.
There is a very wide variety of objects to choose from. Pay attention to your money and see where you can reward yourself after working hard. When you want to sell an item simply click on it, delete it and you will get (most of) your money back. To exit build mode click on the same button you clicked on to activate it.
Besides that, you can switch your game from day- to night mode to immediately see how your creations look in the dark.
Sims 4 Gameplay
When it comes to playing the Sims 4 you can keep this in mind.
Everything you can click on, you can interact with.
Even when you click on yourself. Try this out and see what you can do. There will be more possibilities than you think and you probably have never thought of these in real life too. By giving your Sim orders, a list of activities will be displayed on the left of the screen. You can change this sequence by clicking on an activity to disable it.
Your Sim’s Needs
This is the most important aspect to be aware of. You can prevent your Sims from dying of hunger or peeing on the floor in public. Check your Sims needs at the right bottom of your screen by clicking on the smiley with the little arrow next to it. Also, on the left bottom above your Sims’ face, you will find little clouds that your Sim wants to do to make him or her happier.
Aspiration Goals
The biggest icon on the right bottom is showing your aspiration goals. Keep an eye on them because going after these goals will make your sims happier and give you nice rewards. In our opinion, these aspiration goals give a lot of depth to the game. You can change your aspiration goal whenever you want to. When you click on the aspiration goals, you will also spot a rewards store button to get things to help assist your gameplay.
Mobile Phone
In Sims 4 you can use a mobile phone where you can arrange things such as planning parties, take a vacation (when you have the Outdoor Retreat Game Pack), call with your contacts, or apply for a job in the 'Work' tab.
Sims 4 Jobs
There will be many jobs to apply for. When you have the Get To Work expansion pack you can get a very wide variety of jobs. Become a scientist that invents crazy stuff, a detective or boss of your own huge company. Or maybe a criminal gang leader suits you?
To apply for a job, simply pick your phone by clicking on the ‘career’ icon on the bottom right, read the newspaper or click on the computer to look for a job. When you're a child or a teen, you automatically go to school so you can't apply for a job. Your Sims can have a career while going to university but be aware that they don't have the freedom to work around it. As an adult, you can choose whatever you want to do. You can become an entertainer, an agent, a painter, a doctor, a hacker, and much more!
Once you get employed you can achieve a higher position at work by doing tasks that are necessary to rank up. The ranks start from bronze to gold. Reaching gold can make you receive some bonuses. Getting a higher position at work is necessary to earn more money so you can buy a nicer place to live.
Sims 4 Hotkey List
To help you within your gameplay we’ve made a complete list with all hotkeys you can use in the Sims 4. Feel free to download this picture and share it with others!
Sims 4 Expansion Packs
To get the most out of your gameplay you can consider buying an Expansion Pack too. This will give you more things to do in the game and it makes the game more realistic. We will show you all the expansion packs available right now so you can decide which ones you find the most interesting.
Difference with Game Packs and Accessory Packs
Sims 4 also offers Game Packs and Accessory Packs. The Game packs are medium changers bringing new experiences by letting you play the game in a new thematic way. Accessory Packs provide you with more objects and fashion.
Expansion Packs packs make the biggest change to your game and bring you and your sims new adventures. Let’s dive into them!
Sims 4: Cats and Dogs
When you’re a pet lover you should get Sims 4: Cats and Dogs. You will experience the joy and love that these four-legged friends give. You can create them yourself and design very unique patterns for their fur. Take care of them, train them, and play with them.
This also improves the social need of your Sim. You will have the opportunity to become a vet and build your vet clinic. This pack adds a new world to the game: Brindleton Bay. A beautiful place to be with your pets. Be aware of stray animals: you can take them home and give them a good life.
Sims 4: Seasons
This is personally one of my favorites. Without this pack, you won't experience different weather circumstances and celebrate holidays. Sims 4: Seasons make the game much more dynamic and give snowstorms in winter, heavy thunder and rain, and so on. You can also see a tree on fire when lightning hits it. The changing weather also makes it possible to get a career in gardening and deliver the nicest flowers in the city.
Sims 4: Snowy Escape
The name itself says it. You can escape with your Sims to the snowy mountains and go skiing, snowboarding, slide down with your sled or climb the mountains. There are exciting and sometimes dangerous excursions.
Do you want to sit in a hot pool close to the kotatsu? You can do it. Walk through bamboo forests and snowy landscapes. Decorate your house with a Japanese inspired style.
Sims 4: Eco Lifestyle
You can make a difference in the world with this pack. Go for a sustainable life by making your electricity and water with solar panels or wind turbines and grow your food. In your world, you're able to vote and you can work together with technicians, hobbyists, and activists for support. You can also become a civil designer to create a better neighborhood. Everything you do affects the world: from misty skies to crystal clear water. When you have a low budget you can have a look in garbage containers and repair used stuff like furniture or clothes to use yourself. Sims 4: Discover University
Sims 4: Island Living
Always dreamt about life on an island? Now you have the chance to do so. You can go to the island Sulani and experience the sun every day. You can go canoeing, meet mermaids, become a conservationist, talk with the island's ancestors, and taste tropical food. Put on some tropical clothes or make your sims ready for water activities like snorkeling or swimming. Make from your home an oasis. Everything is relaxed and chill on this island, you'll find peace here.
Sims 4: Discover University
Start your student life with this expansion pack. The new chapter for you starts at the historical university of Britechester of the modern Foxbury institute. Explore Britechester and work together with students to be ready for your exams. Choose the subjects you want to learn and make your Sims successful. Time management is key here but it is up to you how you want to classify your student life. Create your style in your little room! Hang your favorite posters on the wall and use your mini-refrigerator. Walk in sweatpants or very neat trousers.
Sims 4: Get Famous
Follow your bliss with this expansion pack. Become a great star in your current career or follow a completely different path to become famous! The more famous you get, the more attention, benefits, and fans you will attract.
Work on a breakthrough with music or play in television series. You can get your name on the Starlight Boulevard which makes you the conversation of the day in no-time. Live a luxurious life in a beautiful villa.
Sims 4: City Living
When you like to explore very big cities and discover their full potential, this is a pack for you. The bustling city of San Myshuno has very unique neighborhoods. Take your friends to the city center to play video games or sing karaoke in bars. Work your way up from a starter house towards a penthouse with a breathtaking view. The city brings lots of new opportunities so make sure your Sim benefits from that and inspires the masses with social media.
Sims 4: Get Together
Are you the one who wants to bring people together? To create a happier life for everyone? Discover a new world called Windenburg with very atmospheric neighborhoods and picturesque monuments.
There are beautiful swimming pools, properties and you can become a DJ. Challenge other Sims for a dance competition. Go darting, play table soccer, and make bombs into the swimming pool. There are lots of interesting clubs and you can also set up your own.
Sims 4: Get To Work
Create the business of your dreams. You can learn your Sims new abilities to create objects for all Sims to enjoy. Become a scientist that invents crazy things. Work as a detective or doctor to cure patients, bring babies to the world, or work on emergency operations. You are the boss of your own company. Start your bakery, clothing boutique, art gallery, bookstores, and much more. Within the build mode, you can build your company however you like and manage your staff.
