The Sims 4 mods can do anything from add new personality traits to adjusting your Sims’ height. We’ve rounded up the best of the best.
Revamp your Sims 4 experience with our selection of the best mods for 2024. These mods are essential for players looking to add new features and experiences to the game.
The Sims 4 has been greatly expanded with over 40 different expansions, kits, and game packs, such as the Horse Ranch expansion. These mods complement the existing content, offering new ways to enjoy the game.
As well as providing new content for you to play, gameplay mods in the Sims 4 can also drastically overhaul certain elements of the game such as the emotions system, and improving the UI. With such a sheer volume of mods out there however, it can be difficult to decide which to install.
We wouldn’t leave you to track down the best mods all on your own, though. Here’s a sampler of the best Sims 4 mods, from small tweaks to complete feature overhauls. Don’t miss reading the installation section to get you on your way.
So, here are our full recommendations for the best Sims 4 mods to download in 2024 and beyond.
How to install Sims 4 mods
How do you install mods for The Sims 4? Luckily it’s pretty simple, especially if you only want to make a couple tweaks.
To install Sims 4 mods, you can drag and drop the mod folders you’ve downloaded into your Sims 4 “Mods” folder. The game should automatically have created one for you after you start up the game for the first time.
Once you’re in game, you’ll also need to enable mods in your game settings by going to your Options menu under the Other tab. Make sure to check off “Enable Custom Content and Mods” and “Script Mods Allowed” depending on what you’ve chosen to install. You’ll need to restart your game afterwards.
Always check out the installation instructions for any mod you download just to be sure there aren’t any more additional steps. Most should just be a quick matter of copying files over. Do keep an eye out for any dependencies your mods have, such as meshes creates by other mod that you’ll also need to install.
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How to install & download Sims 4 mods
Before you start shopping around for the best mods in The Sims 4, you’ll need to know how to add them to your game. Luckily, downloading and installing mods in The Sims 4 is a much easier process than in the past:
Players can also download mods from the official hub for The Sims 4 over on CurseForge. According to the site, it’s a “secure and curated space for the highest quality mods and CC”. Many well-known content creators’ mods can already be found there too, including MC Command Center and the SimDa Dating App.
How to enable mods in The Sims 4
Mods won’t work straight off of the bat in The Sims unless you’ve signified to the game that you want them to appear:
- Once you’ve launched the game, select the ‘…’ icon from either the main menu or the top right of the screen when in-game.
- Click ‘Game Options‘.
- You’ll see an ‘Other’ tab on the left side of the window that pops up. Click that.
- Make sure that both ‘Enable Custom Content and Mods‘ and ‘Script Mods Allowed‘ are checked.
- Press ‘Apply Changes‘ and then restart your game.
Any mods that you’ve now downloaded should be working. If you want to check what mods the game recognizes that you’ve installed, select ‘View Custom Content‘ once you’ve restarted to see what appears.
Best Sims 4 gameplay mods
What are the best Sims 4 mods? The Sims became a must-have simulation game on the PC when it was first released in 2000, and over 20 years later, the series is still going strong with a new Sims game on the horizon. You only need to look at the game’s strong library of user-generated content to see where all this success coming from.
Woohoo Wellness
This intimate collection of Sims 4 mods adds a touch of realism to ‘woohoo’ and its consequences. From transmissible diseases to custody battles, Woohoo Wellness digs into the real fears, anxieties, and hurdles that can arise during intercourse, conception, surrogacy, and adoption.
It even digs into the social elements of family relations. How would a dedicated child-free Sim react when they discover their life partner considers the perfect nuclear family to be their happily ever after? With this Sims 4 mod, you can find out. There are even some additional built-in interactions surrounding dating and cheating, if you want to really turn the neighborhood into a suburban drama.
Expanded Mermaids
With the release of the Island Living Expansion Pack, many Simmers were excited to be able to become a mermaid with the introduction of the fan-favorite Occult. Despite this, the gameplay included for mermaids is incredible, well, shallow.
SpinningPlumbobs has expanded what the life state can now do, from adding the ability to dive for and consume kelp, sleep below the surface of the ocean, or dive down to the deep depths of the ocean at higher fitness skill levels to return with rare fish and “interesting items”.
Kelpies and other Aquatic Sims
Kelpies are another kind of aquatic creature dwelling in the sea. They’re more fishy than their mermaid counterparts and have their own set of abilities that have been improved with this update.
Kelpie Form- Kelpies have a separate form that has been given a makeover with better textures and overall design. They have several color variant options that can be chosen through the Kelpie Form pie menu as well as some new customization options.
Shapeshifting Power- This motive controls a Kelpie’s ability to hide their true self. If it depletes, the sim will be forced to transform similarly to a werewolf and will be stuck that way for a while. In this update, Kelpies now have a hidden skill that gives better control over the transformation as time goes on.
Height Sliders
Download from: ModTheSims
With the new Create-a-Sim tool in The Sims 4, you can spawn Sims of many different widths, but you can’t alter how tall they are. This height slider from GODJUL1 lets you adjust the height of your Sims so that the world looks more naturally varied: just click and drag their feet in Create-a-Sim to stretch or shrink them.
Food Delivery Service
Look, we love pizza as much as the next person, but you sometimes just want something else. That’s where The Sims 4 Food Delivery Service mod comes in. Little Ms Sam yet again comes in clutch with this mod, bringing more options to food ordering, including more food options and choices to order for more people.
OMSP Shelf
Download from: PictureAmoebae
This is a big must-have for players who like constructing intricate scenes. Placing clutter items naturally in The Sims 4 can be a bit of a headache. Even if you’ve gotten good at using your ALT key for free placement and the 0 or 9 keys to change an object’s height, you can run into snapping nightmares. The OMSP shelf helps you add clutter to just about anything by acting as a placeholder surface while you clutter to your heart’s desire.
Sea Witch’s Cauldron
This item, which can be found in Build/Buy under the activities & skills section in the Study category, allows Sea Witches to learn and craft potions of varying types. Once your sim starts gaining Sea Sorcery skill, they will unlock more advanced potions. These potions can then be consumed or thrown at other sims to see their effects or to fulfill the terms of a contract.
Just like in the older version of this mod, Sea Witches can form contracts with sims in exchange for unique payments, but this system has been expanded on and improved massively. Now, contracts are actual objects that can be crafted once your Sea Witch learns how to with level 5 Sea Sorcery.
Crafting Contracts – This can be done at the cauldron. Your sim will conjure a contract over the cauldron, where you’ll be able to select a number of options for the spell/potion used, the payment required, and the time limit for the other sim to give their payment. Once crafted, you will be able to see the terms listed in the object’s tooltip description.
Signing – Once a contract is crafted, it can be placed back over the cauldron, where you can select nearby sims who fit the proper criteria to sign this agreement. The Sea Witch will explain the terms and the other sim will sign their name, sealing their fate!
Fulfillment – Fulfilling a contract is simply done by selecting the contract and choosing “Initiate Contract Fulfillment”. A special event will begin, instructing you to perform the agreed upon spell or use the potion necessary. Spells and potions need to be learned by the Sea Witch in order to successfully complete this event!
The Green Table
Download from: ZWHSims’ blog
Similar to the OMSP shelf, the green table is a mod that gives you better control over staging your perfect build. Just like objects snapping to surfaces, sometimes chairs snap to tables in ways you won’t like. To keep that from happening, use the green table to position a chair just so, casually pulled out or at a diagonal, or near a table without being at the table.
MC Command Centre
For mod fans who want to get into the nitty-gritty details of playing The Sims, then check out the MC Command Centre mega-mod by Deaderpool. This mod is a collection of smaller mods that give you the power to make small adjustments and tweaks to how sims live their lives.
Don’t like a particular item of clothing? You can blacklist it. Is an NPC interaction annoying you? Take control of that NPC and change it. This mod also comes with story-progression mechanics, which have been dearly missed since The Sims 3.
PlantSim Lives
If you’re a fan of the PlantSim scenario in The Sims 4 or want to bring back a little more of that nostalgia from the likes of The Sims 2, SrslySims has everything you need right in one mod.
While PlantSims are a thing in The Sims 4 (and are part of the Base Game, in fact!) your sims can only temporarily remain in this state and will eventually turn back into a regular ole Sim. With this mod, however, your Sims can live out their green-fingered days for as long as they live. You’re also free to choose whichever hair you like (previously, only one green style could be used with the default version of this occult).
Become a Sorcerer
Download from: Triplis.github.io
Do you miss the magic of previous Sims games? Become a Sorcerer adds a hearty serving of the supernatural, letting your Sims sling magic spells that can either suck the sadness out of a friend or strike down an enemy with a bolt of lightning.
You just need to touch lump of clay, choose one of three rituals—they’ll determine which Needs are replaced with new magical ones—and get to casting. Using magic strengthens your powers and unlocks new spells, but it also depletes your “Magical Connection” (a mana bar, basically), and you’ll have to drain either yourself or another Sim to replenish it.
Depending on your choices, you’ll lean towards good or evil, which changes the type of spells you can cast.
Kelpies and other Aquatic Sims
Kelpies are another kind of aquatic creature dwelling in the sea. They’re more fishy than their mermaid counterparts and have their own set of abilities that have been improved with this update.
Kelpie Form- Kelpies have a separate form that has been given a makeover with better textures and overall design. They have several color variant options that can be chosen through the Kelpie Form pie menu as well as some new customization options.
Shapeshifting Power- This motive controls a Kelpie’s ability to hide their true self. If it depletes, the sim will be forced to transform similarly to a werewolf and will be stuck that way for a while. In this update, Kelpies now have a hidden skill that gives better control over the transformation as time goes on.
Have Some Personality Please!
Download from: ModTheSims
This is one of our favourites on the best Sims 4 mods list. It’s a huge overhaul of—as you can probably guess—the way Sims’ personalities work. It changes lots in the background (read the description on the mod page for an exhaustive list) but the best thing about it is that it eliminates all idle conversations. Never again will two Sims blab aimlessly to each other about nothing in particular: instead, they’ll be forced to choose an interaction, which is far more interesting.
Those interactions aren’t random, either: the mod will select them based on traits, moods and the existing relationships between the two Sims in question, which will give them a greater sense of autonomy than ever before. Expect more kisses from love interests—and more sucker punches from your enemies.
New Objects/Item
New objects, both purchasable in Build/Buy and gameplay-acquired objects, are included in this mod. Most have custom interactions and gameplay features!
Requirements
This mod only requires Island Living and the Base Game to function! Certain gameplay interactions won’t work without packs like Seasons or Vampires, but this doesn’t affect the stability or functionality of the mod itself.
Compatibility
This mod overrides the Mermaid and Mermaid Form traits that came with Island Living and will conflict with any mod that alters those as well. The mod also overrides the Ask if Mermaid interaction, the base mermaid trait buff, the loots for Child of the Ocean sims reacting to mounted fish and consuming fish, and the transition interaction for drowning. Mods that use these resources will also conflict, but very few mods if any use these as far as I have seen.
Installation
*Make sure to remove the old Expanded Mermaids mod before installing this version!
I highly recommend placing ALL FILES from this mod DIRECTLY into your main mods folder, especially the .ts4script file. If you keep the files in their subfolders and you’re having trouble finding items or gameplay doesn’t work, try unpacking ALL the folders into the main mods folder!