Sul Sul, Smarter Sims!
Update 9/22/2026 PC: 1.128.90.1030 / Mac: 1.128.90.1230 Console: Version 2.39 Sul Sul, Simmers! This month, we’re delivering a hefty Quality of Life (QoL) update, influenced directly by your feedback in our Discord Dev Q&As, Reddit, and via top-voted issues on EA Forums. Our biggest focus for this patch is all about Sim Autonomy. We’ve made dozens of tweaks to help your Sims act more logically and feel more realistic. Whether it's making eye contact during conversations, or washing their hands in the actual bathroom sink instead of trekking all the way to the kitchen, your Sims are about to make better choices. We’ve also tuned and balanced relationship autonomy for the Lovestruck and Growing Together expansion packs, so that Family Dynamics and Romantic Satisfaction feel more in line with player expectations. Alongside improved autonomy, we’ve addressed top causes of crashes to improve game stability, so read on for more information on those updates. Lastly, we’re absolutely thrilled to include a special delivery for the younger members of your households! This update introduces a brand-new collection of Children Items into the Base Game. As part of our ongoing effort to celebrate age diversity and representation, we've gathered a fun variety of fresh, adorable additions that give your child Sims even more ways to express their unique personalities. Let's dive into what's new. Happy Simming! The Sims 4 Team What’s New? Free New Base Game Content - Built for Kids, Styled for Stories Kids are taking center stage in this free content drop with fresh Create a Sim and Build Mode items designed to bring even more personality, playfulness, and storytelling potential to your youngest Sims! From colorful everyday outfits, new hairstyles, and adorable accessories, to playful décor, creative clutter, and kid-friendly furnishings, these additions make it easier than ever to create spaces and looks that feel uniquely theirs. This update also includes a new Styled Room, new kid’s Styled Looks, and a new household uploaded to the Gallery from the Maxis account, so you can jump right into the fun! Build Mode Items: The Crayon Chronicle (Clutter Notebook Object) The “Look What I Made!” Frame Family Game Night Favorites (Clutter Object) Junior Artist’s Paint Palette Make-Believe Wall Mural Bright Blocks Playroom Chair Bright Blocks Playroom Table The Dino Dive Tank (Aquarium) Alt text: A Children’s play room with two Child Sims and a Toddler Sim. There is a table with chair, space-themed stickers on the wall, and lots of other fun looking objects.> CAS Items: Kids Sweatshirt Polo Shirt Khaki Shorts Sequin Top Ruffled Blouse Jeans with Lace Detail 1 New Hair (Ponytail with Bangs) 4 Adult Hair Conversions for Kids (Messy Bangs, Afro Part, Long Braids, and Ombre Long Braids) Toddlers Tshirt Colorful Glasses Denim Dress Alt text: A group of four Child Sims and two Toddler Sims standing in various poses while wearing an array of colorful new outfit pieces.> Bug Fixes Top Upcoming Fixes Here are the top-requested fixes coming with this release: [EA Forums] Married Couples will no longer be reverted to Partners when entering CAS through Custom Tattoo planning or Plan Outfits. [EA Forums] Earlier in August, we addressed an issue with the Gallery server where the Gallery was failing to load content, often showing a "No Results," "Slow Loading," or "No Connection" error after frequent searches. Sharing here for visibility on the update since it was addressed on Server and not part of a patch. Sims getting stuck or freezing and interactions resetting are major pain points for players that we put a lot of attention on for this update and that we’ve been investigating for a while. [EA Forums] We've addressed an issue where Time and Sims would freeze when the environment continued to animate. This was connected to a Sim trying to use an object while another Sim was in their spot. We believe this issue was potentially hardware specific. [EA Forums] We fixed a major instance of interactions getting stuck in a Sim's queue relating to interaction priority and the time it takes to complete certain interactions. Our fix specifically relates to the "sleep" and "chat" (specially group chats) interactions, so we'll continue investigating to see if we can find other instances where this fix can be applied as well. [EA Forums] We made some adjustments to interactions that are 'tending' objects, which resulted in Sims waiting on an interaction to complete. Going forward, if new instances of this are found, we’ll need to address them individually with this solution. We fixed an instance where Sims would become idle and frozen after WooHoo if an autonomous interaction was queued during WooHoo. As an update, we are still investigating a series of other bugs that relate to Sims Freezing [EA Forums] or interactions getting canceled [EA Forums]. These issues can present similarly to the one above we fixed, but it's important that we continue to untangle them from each other so we can address them individually and find solutions - it’s a ‘6 raccoons in a trench coat’ sort of thing. We have some good leads. [EA Forums] We addressed a few issues where Infants could be placed on top of each other or pop out of their Playmat or Crib after reloading a lot or save. This fix also resolves a situation where certain interactions on Infants were being canceled or blocked. [EA Forums] We’ve improved how roof trim segments work so nearby geometry does not incorrectly clip or invalidate the trim. This addresses a visual issue where platforms or half walls were placed close to a roof with inward-facing eaves. We addressed a handful of bugs that were causing ‘Sims Dancing’ to be too frequent: [EA Forums] We've addressed an issue where stereos could cause Sims to spam dancing interactions in their queue. This is not-retroactive and only fixed in new saves. The "Dance Interaction" will no longer be autonomously queued when a Sim is painting. Acting on feedback from our Discord Dev Drop Ins, Sims who Dislike Dancing will no longer Autonomously Dance. They will also stop dancing if a song they dislike comes on during their dance. Crash Fixes In this patch, we also focused heavily on improving game stability by targeting crashes for fixes. During our investigation, we discovered that our top automated crash report was actually stemming from a conflict with outdated mod files. Since custom content and mods are such a huge, vibrant part of The Sims 4 experience, we want to help you keep your game running as smoothly as possible. If you use mods, we highly recommend checking out our comprehensive Mods & Game Updates Guide on the EA Forums for the best ways to update your files and safely get back to playing. Mac Fixed a rare rendering issue that could cause an unexpected crash on Mac during extended play sessions. Console We added a change for gamepad directionality for console players that was affecting a large amount of players with a crash. Basegame We've addressed an issue for a mod players had installed that was corrupting memory, which was affecting a moderate number of players. Fixed an issue that could cause a crash while rendering Sim models in CAS or Live Mode. We addressed a crash in SimService that was affecting a smaller number of players. We added a defensive crash fix in the path-planning/navmesh flow that was affecting a smaller number of players. We've addressed a crash that could occur from transitioning from Build Mode to the Manage Worlds screen. We addressed an assert that could occur when a Swimming Pool was built inside of a contour wall. We've addressed an assert relating to particle VFX. We fixed an assert that could occur when entering Create a Sim from the Simology Panel. We fixed an assert that could occur when there were a lot of VFX on screen at once. This regularly occurred when there were a lot of occults on screen at once (as an example). High School Years We fixed an assert which sometimes resulted in a crash that could trigger in the Social Bunny app after navigating between tabs and then closing the app. Enchanted by Nature We addressed a crash affecting a small number of players relating to Luck. We addressed an assert that could occur when Zhaleh Amani was attempting to WooHoo in a bush in certain save files. Sims Autonomy Improvements & Fixes For this release we wanted our major focus and theme to be around improved autonomy. We addressed top voted autonomy-related issues from EA Forums as well as feedback we received on Reddit, Discord, and in our recent Discord Dev Q&As. We hope these improvements, changes, and fixes make your game feel more realistic and fun! Base Game [EA Forums] Sims now face each other during conversations… eye contact unlocked! <Alt text: An image of two Sims where one is making a lot of eye contact with the other while they are having a discussion.> [EA Forums] Sims will now use a sink in the same bathroom as the toilet. Your kitchen sink can finally rest. [EA Forums] Sims with low energy will no longer randomly wake up and fill their Hygiene, Fun, or Social Needs. [EA Forums] Sims will no longer play a "Browse Phone" idle when they have the Dislike Phones preference. [EA Forums] Sims will now choose from multiple Everyday Outfit options in the Everyday Outfit Category, not just the first Everyday outfit. [EA Forums] Rocks, Dig Sites, Frog Logs, and Wild Plants will now respawn if the Sim is not on the active lot. [EA Forums] We've added a cooldown to how frequently Sims will perform the serenade interaction. [EA Forums] Infant Sims will no longer be attached to a returning Sim who is traveling home after being on another lot. Sims mourn for less time when a Sim they don't know dies via an update to the "Around Death" Buff. When their Bladder Needs are low, Sims will walk a little faster during the "needs to pee" animation. Sims who Dislike Gardening will no longer autonomously garden. Children Sims should no longer use Swings repeatedly back-to-back. We've added a cute little failure for when Sims are doing Push Ups. This failure is more likely to occur when a Sims Fitness level is too low or if a Sim's Hunger or Energy is too low. Alt text: A handsome lumberjack like Sim doing pushups in a flowery field. He fails his pushup and falls into the dirt as an invasive butterfly floats past wanting its three seconds of fame.> City Living [EA Forums] NPC Sims will no longer reset when using the Karaoke Machine during festivals. Get Famous [EA Forums] Sims will no longer obsessively admire Autographs. Seasons [EA Forums] Sims have CHILLED OUT on how frequently they make Snow Angels , Snowmen, and Shovel Snow autonomously. [EA Forums] Sims must now be the owners of a lot to want to shovel snow on that lot. This is more realistic, and it'll prevent a reported issue where Ranch Hands were shoveling snow instead of performing their assigned duties on a Ranch. [EA Forums] Sims will no longer autonomously Lounge in Lounge Chairs during Rain or Storms or cold weather. Sims with the Brave Trait will no longer be afraid of THUNDERSNOW. (I said it in a booming voice.) The Storm Chaser Sims will now get excited for Thunder Snow like they would any other storm. Sweet! A Storm! Discover University [EA Forums] Sims from inactive Households will now attend University classes and are less likely to fail term exams. This fix was intended for rotational play. It is not retroactively fixed in old saves. Note: There is a different bug we are still actively investigating relating to the active household receiving a failing grade while attending University. High School Years Teen Sims who dislike Fitness will no longer Autonomously use the Cheerleader Mat. Lovestruck [EA Forums] Couple Sims Walkbys introduced in Lovestruck will no longer engage in obsessive couple activities like Sky Gazing or kissing in the Library or other Non-Residential Venues. Get a room. Adventure Awaits [EA Forums] Children can use playground equipment and will no longer nap or meditate while playing. Royalty & Legacy [EA Forums] Sims in a Dynasty with the "Artistic" Ideal will no longer autonomously perform Acting scene interactions while executing normal tasks like cooking and painting. Sims with the Mysterious Dynasty Ideal will no longer watch TV over and over and over and... you get it. Relationship Balancing Passes Based on feedback, we also did some balancing passes for two of our ‘relationship’ themed features: Relationship Satisfaction (Lovestruck) and Family Dynamics (Growing Together). Growing Together [EA Forums] Some family beef is best served from a distance. Sims now agree. Sims with awful compatibility and Difficult or Distant Family Dynamics will now rarely initiate socials, avoid each other, and keep conversations short. Per player feedback, we reviewed analytics data on the Family Dynamics feature and found some imbalances in how often certain Family Dynamics were awarded. We've made the following changes to improve the balance of this feature: The "Compliant" Family Dynamic will now occur less frequently. The "Jokesters" Family Dynamic will now occur less frequently. The "Distant" Family Dynamic was rarely seen. We've updated this Dynamic so that when Sims run malicious interactions or fight there is a chance that they will receive the option for this Dynamic. Lovestruck [EA Forums] Relationship Satisfaction will no longer change for inactive households. Their feelings can wait. [EA Forums] Romantic Satisfaction should now decay slowly over time. Relationships take work, but maybe not that much work. Enchanted by Nature [EA Forums] Sims with bad luck will see fewer negative relationship impacts while socializing. Unlucky not unlikeable. General Fixes Steam We’ve streamlined the game startup flow on Steam, clearing out some of those extra loading steps and pop-up windows so you can get to your Sims even faster. Base Game We fixed a Black Photo issue that could occur for the MixPix Portrait Digital Photo Frame or MixPix Landscape Digital Photo Frame when photos were dragged from the Sim's inventory into the frame's inventory or via Manage Photo Inventory. [EA Forums] Sims are once again able to "Negotiate a Bonus" using their Phone while in a career. [EA Forums] Sims can once again do sit-ups, push-ups, and stretching exercises when directed to do so. The "Do Push Ups" Interaction can once again be run manually on Sims outside of Gym Venues. We've added the Fitness icon to the "Go Jogging," "Do Push Ups," "Do Sit Ups," and "Stretching" interactions. [EA Forums] We don't like auditory jump scares either! The vocalization on the new Energized/Confident animation has been turned down. [EA Forums] The Eyedropper tool will now display Half Wall Trims in the Build Mode catalog when used on Half Wall Trims. We addressed an issue where Sims were not correctly routing and positioning themselves when performing the Toddler Book "Read to Children" interaction. Note: There are still other reading related bugs under investigation. Expanded Buff View will no longer automatically close when the game is played at 2x speed or above. We've addressed an issue where a Sim could be revived and brought back to life by entering Create a Sim via the Simology Panel when the Grim Reaper was actively reaping a Sim. We fixed a llamacorn icon that could appear on the "Neighborhood Reconnaissance" interaction on the Telescope object when For Rent (because of the Nosy trait) wasn't installed. This interaction should now say "Spy on Neighborhood" with the Mischief Skill icon instead. Horse Ranch Sims who Like Horse Riding will no longer get a negative buff when attending a Horse Riding Lecture. Royalty & Legacy [EA Forums] We've addressed a bug that was occurring where Children would be the possible recipients of a Royalty and Legacy invitation. We addressed an issue where Child Sims who were related to the head of a Dynasty would trigger the "Joined Dynasty" notification. We'd previously fixed this for new saves, but had an additional fix that would repair this also in old saves as well where it was already happening. My Wedding Stories [EA Forums] Wedding Venues will no longer be placed as Residential Lots when placed from the Gallery. They’ll now be placed as Wedding Venues. Autosave & Save Reminder Console The Save Reminder notification will now appear for Console Players when it is set to 30 minutes. General Using Save & Exit or Save and Exit to Main Menu will no longer create a new save file in the EA Documents folder instead of a versioned save file attached to the original save. Fixed an issue where restoring an Autosave and then manually saving could create an unnamed save or overwrite the wrong save slot. The countdown timers for Real Time Autosave Options and Save Reminder Notifications will no longer reset when you change options relating to the other. They now reset independently. Marketplace & Gallery [EA Forums] The "Showcase Item in your Profile" button on Gallery is now accessible while playing with Controller or Keyboard and Mouse. We fixed an error that could occur when purchasing the Comfy Gamer Kit from the Marketplace then interacting with a computer. Tagging, Tuning, & Text Multiple We've added comfort values to the following sofas: Bougie Burlap Sofa, Mega Sofa, White Lily lavish Sofa, Tree Napper Sofa, Unliving Sofa, Woodland Lodge Sofa, Big Boss Sofa, The Diving Sit Oblonger, Not Your Average Firewood Loveseat, "I am Lycan You" Loveseat, Must be Loveseat, Split-beam, Seat of Cultivation, Wanderwood Loveseat, Fresh Beginnings Loveseat, Movie Madness Advertising Seat, Mahogany Loveseat, The Resistance Supply Couch, Cantina Booth, The Schomooze and Snooze, The Unyielding Bench, and The Wide (outdoor) Love. [EA Forums] We've moved the following wall patterns from the "Paint" category to the "Paneling" category: Ornate Regency Paneling, Louis the Fourth, Fair & Square, Pleasing Profiles, and All Square. Base Game [EA Forums] The following Build Mode objects will now sort as Africana Style: (lightTableMedium_SDX040GENwicker_set1), (paintWall2X1x2_SDX040GEN_set1), (plantPotFloor_SDX040GENaloe_set1), (rug3x2_SDX040GEN_set1), (sculptTableLarge_SDX040GENbasket_set1), (sculptTableMedium_SDX040Pillow_set1), and (sculptTableSmall_SDX040_GENspices_set1). [EA Forums] (cuBottom_EP01JeansSkinny) and (cuBottom_EP01JeansSkinnyRolled) have been sorted into the Formal category in Create a Sim. [EA Forums] The "March of the Penguins" wall pattern is now correctly tagged as Wallpaper rather than Paint in Build Mode. [EA Forums] The wall patterns Marble Marvel, Seashells on the Seashore and Bathhouse Blues are now tagged correctly under the Tile category in Build Mode. [EA Forums] The wall patterns Garden Glory and Above-Deck have been moved from the "Paint" category to the "Paneling" category. Get to Work The cfHair_EP01BraidsBunSide hair in Create a Sim now sorts under straight texture. Growing Together The 'EP13LongBraids' hairstyle is now consistently tagged across genders. Royalty & Legacy [EA Forums] The "Swords of Ondarion" collection plaque now has a title and description. You can find it called, "Ondarion Swordmaster."Quality of Life Roadmap 2026
The Sims 4: Quality of Life Roadmap 2026 Over the past 6 months, we’ve been sharing how we’re continuing to prioritize stability, performance, and acting on long-standing community feedback in The Sims 4. In September, we introduced our Quality of Life roadmap and then in November we updated you on progress. Today, we’re sharing a look at our 2026 Quality of Life initiative focused on improving reliability, and reducing gameplay friction across some of the most frequently discussed areas. It’s about making the game you already play feel smoother, intuitive, and more consistent, based directly on player feedback shared in EA Forums, The Sims Discord, and more. While the timing and specifics may vary, here’s a look at what we’re planning to focus on over the upcoming months; March through August We’re going to be investigating improvements on these areas: Sim autonomy: such as Sims choosing inappropriate locations for certain actions, being obsessed with certain objects, or NPC interrupting conversations and other behaviors. Additionally, a large focus on improving Sim sleeping behavior and eyelid animations. Infant improvements: improving infant and caregiver autonomy, plus ensuring infants receive the correct milestones, interactions, and buffs. Crashes and data loss: including fixes for black photo issues and the game freezing or crashing. Our next batch of fixes coming in March is currently being tested by QV, where we’re expecting to ship around 55 fixes, including fixes for 7 of 10 top issues reported by players. Plus, we’ll be updating Sim autonomy improvements based on feedback we collected via our Discord community and votes in the EA Forums. Thanks to everyone who shared their feedback. Look for our Laundry List in the coming weeks that will list out all the specific fixes! September through December: Later on this year, we’ll move our focus to improvements to these key themes, which might include issues like; Dining & meal behavior: issues surrounding Sims eating and drinking, plus improving the overall dining experience. Family trees & relationships: strengthening genealogy systems and relationship tracking to protect the important stories built across generations. But wait, there’s more! We’ll respond to player feedback as we get nearer to this time to decide what to prioritize next. The Year Ahead The exact timing of these fixes will depend on our investigations, as some areas require deeper technical investigation. We’ll continue sharing progress, highlighting what feedback has shaped our priorities, and adjusting focus areas as needed. We will provide updates alongside each release so you can see what has been improved and what is still in progress. Thank you for continuing to share your feedback and experiences with us. Your input directly informs the work we prioritize.Laundry List: Upcoming Fixes and Features - Sept 15, 2026
TL;DR: Improved Autonomy: Focus on improving Sims' autonomous behavior, including Sims maintaining eye contact during chats, using bathroom sinks instead of kitchen sinks, and low-energy Sims no longer waking up to do random tasks. Bug Fixes & Stability: 95+ bug fixes including 10 significant crash and stability improvements, top community issues from the EA Forums like Married Sims reverting to partners, and Sims getting stuck in interaction queues. Relationship Balancing: Tuning to Lovestruck (slower romantic decay, no satisfaction changes for inactive households) and Growing Together (improving dynamic frequency and making low-compatibility Sims realistically avoid one another). Looking Ahead: Our October Base Game update will shift its focus toward Food, Dining, and Drink improvements. Hi Simmers! Welcome to the Laundry List, where we share the fixes coming in our next game update on September 22. This update releases with 95+ bug fixes! Plus, following our Sims autonomy improvements earlier this year, we’re continuing to improve Sims autonomy. We’ve updated autonomous behaviors, focused on Sims interacting, and tuned a few relationship-themed features so your gameplay feels more realistic and intuitive. We also continue to fix top-reported issues from players, including crashes. Join us later today, September 15 for a special Dev Q&A in The Sims Discord, where members of the development team will talk through these updates, and answer questions live. The Sims Team Coming in our September 22 update: Top Upcoming Fixes Here are the top-requested fixes coming with this release: [EA Forums] Married Couples will no longer revert to Partners when entering CAS through Custom Tattoo planning or Plan Outfits. [EA Forums] In August we addressed an issue with the Gallery server where content failed to load and showed a "No Results," "Slow Loading," or "No Connection" error. We’re sharing this for visibility because it was addressed on the server and was not part of a patch. Sims getting stuck or freezing and interactions resetting are major pain points for players that we focused on for this update. [EA Forums] We've addressed an issue where Time and Sims would freeze when the environment continued to animate. This was connected to a Sim trying to use an object while another Sim was in their spot. We believe this issue may have been hardware-specific. [EA Forums] We fixed a major instance of interactions getting stuck in a Sim's queue relating to interaction priority and completion time for certain interactions. Our fix specifically relates to 'sleep' and 'chat' (specifically group chats) interactions, so we'll continue investigating to see where else this fix can be applied. [EA Forums] We made some adjustments to interactions that are 'tending' objects, which resulted in Sims waiting on an interaction to complete. Going forward, if new instances of this are found, we’ll need to address them individually with this solution. We fixed an instance where Sims would become idle and frozen after WooHoo if an autonomous interaction was queued during WooHoo. We’re still investigating bugs that relate to Sims Freezing [EA Forums] or interactions getting canceled [EA Forums]. These issues can present similarly to the one above we fixed, but we need to continue untangling them so we can address each one individually- it’s a ‘6 raccoons in a trench coat’ sort of thing. [EA Forums] We addressed a few issues where Infants could be placed on top of each other or pop out of their Playmat or Crib after reloading a lot or save. This also resolves certain interactions on infants being canceled or blocked. [EA Forums] We’ve improved how roof trim segments work so nearby geometry does not incorrectly clip or invalidate the trim. This addresses a visual issue where platforms or half walls were placed close to a roof with inward-facing eaves. We addressed a handful of bugs that were causing ‘Sims Dancing’ to be too frequent: [EA Forums] We've addressed an issue where stereos could cause Sims to spam dancing interactions in their queue. This is not-retroactive and only fixed in new saves. However, we believe replacing an affected stereo in old saves will address this. The "Dance Interaction" will no longer be autonomously queued when a Sim is painting. Based on feedback from our Discord Dev Drop-Ins, Sims who dislike dancing will no longer dance autonomously and will stop if a song they dislike comes on. Crash Fixes In this patch, we focused heavily on improving game stability. We targeted and fixed around ten notable player crashes using automated reports. These kinds of fixes are particularly tricky to track down because, in many cases, we don’t have exact steps to reproduce them in-game. This means we often have to rely entirely on player crash data to piece together what went wrong. We’ll keep a very close eye on our automated reports following this release to verify that these pesky crashes have officially been resolved! We also plan to keep fixing more in the next update. In addition to Automated crash fixes, we also fixed a series of reproducible crashes, which will be outlined in the patch notes. During our investigation, we discovered that our top automated crash report was stemming from a conflict with outdated mod files. Since custom content and mods are such a huge, vibrant part of The Sims 4 experience, we want to help you keep your game running as smoothly as possible. If you use mods, we highly recommend checking out our comprehensive Mods & Game Updates Guide on the EA Forums for the best ways to update your files and safely get back to playing. Improved Sims Autonomy For this release we wanted our major focus and theme to be around improved autonomy. We addressed top voted autonomy-related issues from EA Forums as well as feedback we received on Reddit, Discord, and in our recent Discord Dev Q&As. We hope these improvements, changes, and fixes make your game feel more realistic and fun! Here is a taste of some of the autonomy improvements coming your way: [EA Forums] Sims now face each other during conversations… eye contact unlocked! [EA Forums] Sims will now use a sink in the same bathroom as the toilet. Your kitchen sink can finally rest. [EA Forums] Sims with low energy will no longer randomly wake up and perform unrelated actions. [EA Forums] Couple Sims Walkbys introduced in Lovestruck will no longer engage in obsessive couple activities like Sky Gazing or kissing in the Library or other Non-Residential Venues. Get a room. (Lovestruck) When their bladder needs are low, Sims will walk a little faster during the "needs to pee" animation. + More in Patch Notes Relationship Balancing Passes Based on feedback, we also did some balancing passes for two of our ‘relationship’ themed features: Relationship Satisfaction (Lovestruck) and Family Dynamics (Growing Together). [EA Forums] [Lovestruck] Relationship Satisfaction will no longer change for inactive households. Their feelings can wait. [EA Forums] [Lovestruck] Romantic Satisfaction should now decay slowly over time. Relationships take work, but maybe not that much work. [EA Forums] [Enchanted by Nature] Sims with bad luck will see fewer negative relationship impacts while socializing. Unlucky not unlikeable. [EA Forums] [Growing Together] Some family beef is best served from a distance. Sims now agree. Sims with awful compatibility and Difficult or Distant Family Dynamics will now rarely initiate socials, avoid each other, and keep conversations short. [Growing Together] Per player feedback, we reviewed analytics data on the Family Dynamics feature and found some imbalances in how often certain Family Dynamics were awarded. We've made the following changes to improve the balance of this feature: The "Compliant" Family Dynamic will now occur less frequently. The "Jokesters" Family Dynamic will now occur less frequently. The "Distant" Family Dynamic was rarely seen. We've updated this Dynamic so that when Sims run malicious interactions or fight there is a chance that they will receive the option for this Dynamic. Upcoming Quality-of-Life Updates Next month our team will turn its attention to Food, Dining, and Drink improvements. This update will include many little bug fixes within this theme (across Basegame and All Packs) that when combined should make these experiences noticeably better, a comprehensive tuning pass on calories and food pricing, plus a helpful, new quality of life improvement feature relating to [redacted]. We’ll also continue to address top community issues, including; [EA Forums] Controllers stopping functioning. We’ve been investigating, but are still trying to pinpoint the exact cause for this. [EA Forums] Infants not falling asleep until Energy Motive is low. Investigations into other bugs that relate to Sims Freezing [EA Forums] or interactions getting stuck or canceled [EA Forums]. Plus, more testing to see if we can identify other interactions where our fixes noted in this update can be applied. We’ve made good headway, but more can be done to improve this experience. More crash investigations to further improve stability. For the latest news, follow Sims Direct on X and join our Discord community - we’ll share updates as they’re available. Thank you for your patience and for all the helpful reports. Please keep posting any issues you encounter on The Sims 4 EA Forums. We’ll keep checking in, and together we’ll make this game the best it can be.Free Content and New Performance Cache!
Update 8/25/2026 PC: 1.127.41.1030 / Mac: 1.127.41.1230 Console: 2.38 Sul sul, With this update we are bringing improvements to your Marketplace browsing experience. Previously, Marketplace images were downloaded every time you browsed. Now, they’re cached after the first download, so we’ll only download images that are new or have changed. Along with performance improvements, Create a Sim (CAS) is getting some stylish additions, including new clothing especially designed to celebrate Sims of every size, plus an out-of-this-world hairstyle. And of course, we are bringing some important bug fixes with this update. -The Sims Team What’s New? Image Cache The new Image Cache looks to improve loading times and reduce downloading of images across the Marketplace on subsequent visits, reducing the time needed to do a little window shopping or picking up that new Maker Pack you see everyone talking about. If you run into any issues with Marketplace images, you can manually clear the image cache by opening the cheat console and running the cheat command: clearonlinethumbnailcache true While our PlayStation and XBOX Simmers can’t peek under the hood at the cache directly, on PC/Mac you can view this cache by navigating to: Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\onlinethumbnailcache The cache will also be automatically maintained 14 days after the last Marketplace visit and remove unused images and free up space on your storage device, and while the cache has an upper limit of 250MB the space the cache uses will generally be lower. New Size-Inclusive Styles This base game drop enhances body diversity representation in Create a Sim by adding a new set of CAS assets designed to flatter Sims of all shapes and sizes. This drop contains 6 new CAS assets—from a versatile dress, tops, jeans, cardigans, shirts, and slacks—along with 5 new Styled Looks that use these items to help jump-start your outfit inspiration. We’re also adding 5 new Starter Sims, each created to showcase these new outfits and clothing options. In addition to finding these Sims in CAS, they will also be available on the Gallery so you can easily bring them into your worlds and give them a story! New Afro-Textured Hair Hair is, and continues to be, a powerful part of self-expression, and we know how much it means to you all to see more styles and textures represented in the game. Our newest hair addition is an afro-textured hairstyle inspired by the art of natural hair sculpting... and it’s giving whimsical, cosmic beauty with plenty of main-character energy! We had so much fun developing this look that we couldn’t stop dreaming up different Sims to wear it. Now it’s your turn! We can’t wait to see how you style it. Two New Kits Bring iconic fashion to your Sims with two new kits: The Sims 4 Mean Girls Capsule Kit and The Sims 4 Clueless Capsule Kit. Channel teen royalty in glam Y2K looks inspired by Mean Girls, then serve totally iconic 90s style with chic plaid fits and trendsetting outfits from Clueless. The Sims 4 Mean Girls Capsule Kit and The Sims 4 Clueless Capsule Kit will be available on August 27, 2026. Bug Fixes & Updates The layout of the pages in the Marketplace will now display correctly when entering from Create a Sim after installing a new pack obtained with Quick Buy. Console Addressed one of our top PlayStation crashes which would appear during game launch. Thank you to all the PlayStation Simmers that took the time to provide additional information during the crash through the PlayStation reporting system. When scrolling with the Right Stick, the controls will no longer get stuck when browsing the Marketplace from Create a Sim. When scrolling with the Right Stick, the controls will no longer get stuck when reviewing the Pack Details pages in the Marketplace.
Memory Boost - Step-by-Step Guide
Sul Sul! With the July 21st base game update, Memory Boost is now available and enabled for all platforms. Thank you all for helping us test this new feature and for sharing your experiences. Please continue to share your feedback and report any issues you may be experiencing. Feedback and Support For our FAQ about Memory Boost please Visit: https://forums.ea.com/blog/the-sims-game-info-hub-en/memory-boost---early-access---faq/12559451 Visit our forums to report issues and provide feedback. For more information, please check the link below: https://forums.ea.com/blog/the-sims-game-info-hub-en/memory-boost-technical-issues-and-feedback-thread/12559480Save Options, Memory Boost, Free Content, and More
Update 7.21.2026 PC: 1.126.58.1030 / Mac: 1.126.58.1230 Console: 2.36 Sul sul, treasured Simmers with precious digital lives. Save Gnome here. Yes. That Save Gnome. The one entrusted with the sacred duty to protect your progress. AT ALL COSTS. The Sims 4 now has Autosave across all platforms! It works quietly and vigilantly. You may notice a gentle little “Autosaving” message while you play. That’s me. Dutifully guarding. Preventing tragedy. But wait! I have more! There are also… SAVE REMINDERS. Completely configurable, just like the new Autosave options. Turn them on, and I shall appear at intervals of your choosing to gently firmly lovingly insist that you save your game. All it takes is one click. Sweet, beautiful security. While I was polishing your save files, we also made some memory improvements for smoother gameplay and addressed a few community-requested fixes. Now for another bit of good news! We've added free, culturally inspired accessories influenced by Caribbean, Indigenous, Latin American, and South Asian cultures. You'll find eight new Starter Sims in Create a Sim and the Gallery wearing them. They are ready for you to shape their stories. Coach is back! We know you loved the first drop, so we partnered with Coach again to bring 4 brand new items in the Coach Repurposed Capsule, bringing even more timeless style to your Sims. Head to the Marketplace to download it for free! Then, for the musically-inclined Sims who enjoy listening to their favorite songs, or getting in “tune” with their creative spirit (pun intended) - it’s time to turn on the stereo, strike some keys, and strum a guitar to your favorite melody with The Sims 4 Music Den Kit. This retro-futurist inspired space is sure to be the ultimate sonic sanctuary. Now then. Open your game. Build boldly. Style freely. Live dramatically. And always remember: Save often. The Save Gnome What’s New? AutoSave and Save Reminders From big life moments to everyday chaos, every Sim story deserves to be saved. Today, we're introducing AutoSave and Save Reminders to help protect your progress while you play. Whether you're spending hours in Build Mode or guiding your Sims through their next adventure, these new features make it easier to keep your stories safe so you can focus on what comes next. AutoSave works quietly in the background, automatically creating save points at key moments while you play. You can customize when AutoSave happens in Save Settings, with options like saving after traveling between lots, after a period of playtime, or at important gameplay milestones. If you'd rather stay in control, Save Reminders like the friendly (or slightly grumpy) gnome notification below can prompt you to create a manual save at the frequency you choose. Together, these features help reduce the risk of lost progress while giving you the flexibility to save the way you want. Two grumpy save-reminder gnomes in red hats and glasses, each holding up a blue floppy-disk icon, in a playful, chaotic style Memory Boost is Coming to all Platforms Whether you're playing with a bustling household, building your dream home, or returning to a save that's been with you for years, smoother gameplay means more time enjoying your stories. That's why we're introducing Memory Boost in today’s update across all platforms. Memory Boost improves how The Sims 4 manages memory while you play, helping deliver a smoother experience with reduced lag, improved frame rates and responsiveness, shorter loading times, and a lower risk of memory-related crashes. Players may notice the biggest improvements during longer play sessions, in large households, on highly decorated lots, and in older save files. While Memory Boost isn't a dedicated save repair feature, it can also improve save stability and help reduce some memory-related save issues. Want to learn more? Read our deep dive on Memory Boost. 8 New CAS Starter Sims & Accompanying Accessories In our continued efforts to increase diversity and representation within The Sims, we’ve expanded the pool of Sims that appear when you first enter Create a Sim, because every story starts with a Sim. Inspired by Caribbean, Indigenous, Latin American, and South Asian cultures, we’ve added eight Sims and eight culturally inspired accessories to bring more variety to the stories you create from the very beginning. The eight new accessories (one for each new Sim) feature details such as turquoise jewelry, bangles, cowrie shell bracelets, and woven bracelets. These additions bring heartfelt touches to these new Sims, while adding more exciting accessory options for you to express your Sims’ unique style and personality. For those eager to welcome these new faces into their world, you can also download them directly from the Maxis Gallery page. Introducing The Sims 4 Music Den Kit For music lovers, this kit lets you set up the perfect space to listen and chill or lock in and hone your skills. Design a retro-futuristic sonic sanctuary with soundproofing panels, bold furniture, wall records, and display instruments. Then, check out the sleek new keyboard, violins, and guitar to help your Sims refine their craft. Whether kicking back by the stereo or starting on the path to becoming a Musician, this kit strikes the perfect balance between substance and style. Get 200 Moola included with the Music Den kit if you buy before October 22. More Notification Improvements Last Patch, we added a new Festival Notifications Toggle in the Options Menu. In this update, we’re adding “Nordhaven Hobby Meetups” as an additional option that is available to toggle off. We've also removed the "Sugary Cravings" and other Businesses and Hobbies Expansion Pack related notification pop-ups to help further reduce TNS spam. An image of the Sims 4 Game Options menu that shows all Festival Notifications, including the new Nordhaven Hobby Meetups toggle, which reads, “Enables notifications for Meetups in Nordhaven" Marketplace Quick Buy Now Available on PlayStation! The Quick Buy feature detailed in our June 30th update is now available for Simmers on PlayStation consoles. New Swatches for the Stove, YumCooker (Used)! For players who own the City Living Expansion pack, we’ve added a few new swatches per your feedback. In the past, we added new swatches to the Basegame YumCooker stove, but we didn’t update the grungy City Living Expansion version. We’ve now added the same swatches (but grungy) to the City Living YumCooker (Used) stove. Enjoy! An image of the Sims 4 City Living Expansion Pack’s “The YumCooker (Used)” oven. On the left, the image shows the three original swatches in yellow, green, and grey that came with this oven. On the right, are the three new swatches in the colors: pink, light blue, and black. They are highlighted with a square with the words, “3 New Swatches” overhead. Fixes for Most Voted Issues: [EA Forums] We've done extensive testing around ‘Corrupted Lots appearing in saves with a lot of Residential Rentals.’ This has been the top “Save Corruption” issue reported that we’ve been tracking. Using Memory Boost (which is now available for all players with this patch) we are no longer able to reproduce this issue on any of the saves we've collected. As we’ve addressed all other reports in this EA Forums thread, we’ll be closing the thread, but are watching for more feedback since reports like this are very hardware dependent and might vary depending on user setup. There are some remaining visual issues we’ve noticed with the UI when a player had mods installed in a previous save but then removed them. [EA Forums] We’ve resolved an issue where parts of a roof, or entire roof sections, could disappear when viewing upper floors in Build Mode. Roof pieces should now remain visible and render correctly regardless of the selected floor level. [EA Forums] We addressed a crash that could occur after playing for a few Sim hours relating to caching. We fixed a game crash that could occur after interacting with a Sim that was a member of the active Household. Technical Notes for Modders: Patch Note Note for Modders We've removed the "Sugary Cravings" and other Small Business related TNS pop-ups from Business and Hobbies to help furtherreduce TNS spam. Removed the loot from Motive_Hunger Last patch we added new Festival TNS Toggles in the Options menu. For this patch, we added a new one for Nordhaven Hobby Meetups. Added the new option to festival_notification_options_tuning and the test itself onto DialogDramaNode_HobbyMeetup We've done testing around Corrupted Lots appearing in saves with a lot of Residential Rentals. Using Memory Boost (which is now available for all players and activated) we are no longer able to reproduce this issue on any of the saves we've collected. The issue is fixed by enabling memory boost mode. With memory boost we can decode larger data blocks than before. Enabled memory boost mode for all platforms, including PC, Mac, Xbox and PlayStation. Memory boost is forced to be enabled for all platforms, including PC, Mac, Xbox and PlayStation. With memory boost we can decode larger data blocks than before. Also removed memory boost related UI toggle from the option menu. We fixed a game crash that could occur after interacting with a Sim that was a member of the active Household. This fix updates internal Sim cache and Sim state handling to better validate incomplete or invalid cached Sim build data during gameplay interactions and extended play sessions. It improves cleanup and failure handling around cached Sim appearance-related state so bad cache states are handled safely instead of asserting and crashing. Mods that manipulate Sim appearance, outfit/state rebuilds, or other flows that force cached Sim data to refresh should review this area. No tuning, catalog, UI, or Python assets were changed, and QA marked the fix as retroactive. We addressed a crash that could occur after playing for a few Sim hours relating to caching. This fix improves internal handling of cached Sim build/state data in cases where gameplay progresses for several in-game hours and a save reaches an invalid or incomplete Sim cache state. The update adds safer validation, cleanup, and failure handling around cached Sim appearance/build data so those bad states are less likely to escalate into asserts or crashes during normal play. Mods that interact with Sim appearance data, outfit/build refreshes, attachment updates, or other lifecycle-sensitive Sim cache flows should review this area. No tuning, catalog, UI, or Python assets were changed. In the past, we added new swatches to the YumCooker Basegame stove. We’ve now added the same swatches to the City Living YumCooker (Used) grungy variant stove. Added new variants to the YumCooker (Used) model.Turn Up the Volume... and Your Moola!
Good music makes everything better, and for a limited time, it comes with a little something extra! From July 23 through October 22, when you purchase the Music Den kit, you'll also receive 200 Moola in your Marketplace wallet to help you add a little flare to your new listening lounge. Not able to redeem it just yet? No worries! If you purchase Music Den before October 22, your Moola will not expire, even if you don’t login until after October 22. But don’t worry, the music doesn’t stop there The Music Den kit will still be available after October 22, however purchases made after this date will not include the 200 Moola. If you’re looking for a deal, or you want to test out some of the great things Makers have been creating on The Sims 4 Marketplace, make sure you grab this kit before this offer ends.Laundry List: Upcoming Fixes and Features - July 14, 2026
Hi Simmers! Welcome to the Laundry List, where we share the fixes and features we’re working on for our July 21 Base Game update. This month we’re introducing a new AutoSave to The Sims 4, and rolling out Memory Boost to Mac and console players to improve overall performance for more Simmers, plus continuing to fix the top-reported issues from players via EA Forums. Join us on July 14 for a special Dev Q&A in The Sims Discord, where members of the development team will talk through these updates, and answer questions live. The Sims Team Coming to The Sims 4 on July 21 AutoSave and Save Reminders From big life moments to everyday chaos, every Sim story deserves to be saved. With the July 21 update, we're introducing AutoSave and Save Reminders to help protect your progress while you play. Whether you're spending hours in Build Mode or guiding your Sims through their next adventure, these new features make it easier to keep your stories safe so you can focus on what comes next. AutoSave works quietly in the background, automatically creating save points at key moments while you play. You can customize when AutoSave happens in Game Save Settings, with options like saving after traveling between lots, after a period of playtime, or at important gameplay milestones. If you'd rather stay in control, Save Reminders like the friendly (or slightly grumpy) gnome notification below can prompt you to create a manual save at the frequency you choose. Together, these features help reduce the risk of lost progress while giving you the flexibility to save the way you want. Two grumpy save-reminder gnomes in red hats and glasses, each holding up a blue floppy-disk icon, in a playful, chaotic style. Memory Boost is Coming to all Platforms Whether you're playing with a bustling household, building your dream home, or returning to a save that's been with you for years, smoother gameplay means more time enjoying your stories. That's why we're introducing Memory Boost in the July 21 update across all platforms. Memory Boost improves how The Sims 4 manages memory while you play, helping deliver a smoother experience with reduced lag, improved frame rates and responsiveness, shorter loading times, and a lower risk of memory-related crashes. Players may notice the biggest improvements during longer play sessions, in large households, on highly decorated lots, and in older save files. While Memory Boost isn't a dedicated save repair feature, it can also improve save stability and help reduce some memory-related save issues. Want to learn more? Read our deep dive on Memory Boost. Bug Fixes This month, much of our effort went into delivering new features like Memory Boost, Auto Save, and the Save Reminder system, which meant we tackled fewer individual bug fixes than usual - but these improvements build an important foundation for what's ahead. We'll have more to share as we get closer to September, and in the meantime, here's what we've addressed in the July 21 update: Last patch, we added new Festival Notification toggles in the Options menu. In this patch, we’ve added a new toggle for Nordhaven Hobby Meetups. [EA Forums] We’ve resolved an issue where parts of a roof, or entire roof sections, could disappear when viewing upper floors in Build Mode. Roof pieces should now remain visible and render correctly regardless of the selected floor level. [EA Forums] We tested reports of corrupted lots appearing in saves with many Residential Rentals. With Memory Boost now available and enabled for all players, we can no longer reproduce this issue in any of the affected saves we collected. Upcoming Quality-of-Life Updates Over the past six months, our Quality of Life team has remained focused on delivering improvements driven by community feedback while continuing to strengthen the overall health of The Sims 4. Across multiple game updates, we've addressed many of the community's most-voted issues - from gameplay systems and Sim behaviors to UI, routing, Build/Buy, and Create a Sim fixes - alongside hundreds of additional bug fixes and quality improvements. We've also made meaningful investments in the game's long-term stability and performance, including reducing simulation lag, improving save stability for larger and more complex saves, and introducing features like Memory Boost, AutoSave, and Save Reminders to make everyday gameplay smoother, more reliable, and more resilient. Our work doesn't stop here. The next major Quality of Life update, coming in September, is focused on improving general Sim autonomy - making Sims behave more intelligently, consistently, and responsively across everyday gameplay. It's another step in our ongoing commitment to making The Sims 4 feel smoother, more reliable, and more enjoyable every time you play. We'll have more to share about the September update as we get closer to release. For all the latest news, follow Sims Direct on X and join our Discord community - we’ll share updates as they’re available. Thank you for your patience and for all the helpful reports. Please keep posting any issues you encounter on The Sims 4 EA Forums. We’ll keep checking in, and together we’ll make this game the best it can be.Memory Boost Coming to all Platforms on July 21
Sul Sul, Simmers! We're always looking for ways to make your time in The Sims 4 feel smoother, more stable, and more fun. We're focused on improvements that benefit as many Simmers as possible. Memory Boost is one of those improvements. Available on all platforms with our July 21 Base Game update, Memory Boost improves how The Sims 4 manages memory while you play. That means less lag, better performance, and fewer memory-related crashes, so you can spend more time telling stories and less time dealing with technical hiccups. You may notice the biggest improvements during longer play sessions, when playing with large households, on highly decorated lots, or in save files packed with years of Sims, builds, and stories. Every setup is a little different, so your experience may vary depending on your hardware. But across all platforms, Memory Boost is designed to improve stability and help make gameplay feel more consistent from the moment you hit Play. What's Included with Memory Boost? With Memory Boost enabled, players will see: Improved memory management during gameplay Reduced lag and performance slowdowns Improved frame rates and responsiveness Greater stability during extended play sessions Reduced risk of memory-related crashes Reduced loading times Improved Save Stability Memory Boost can also help with certain save-related issues associated with memory limitations. During testing, some players experiencing issues such as missing lot data were able to recover affected content after enabling Memory Boost and loading their save. While Memory Boost is not intended to be a dedicated save-repair tool and may not resolve every save-related issue, its improvements to memory management can help reduce the likelihood of certain problems occurring and support overall save stability. Thank you to everyone who continues to share feedback and experiences with us. Your reports help shape our Quality of Life initiatives and guide future improvements to performance, stability, and the overall gameplay experience in The Sims 4. Happy Simming! The Sims Team
