Top Mods for The Sims 4 in 2024: Enhance Gameplay, Realism, CAS & Download Guide

For players looking to enhance their experience in The Sims 4, the modding community offers an extensive selection of mods that significantly expand gameplay and Create-A-Sim (CAS) options. With a decade of content accumulating in the fourth installment of this beloved franchise, there are plenty of modifications to rejuvenate your virtual world.

Whether you’ve exhausted the Life & Death Expansion Pack’s Reaper career or are seeking alternatives to cheats for the Werewolves, mods can greatly enrich your gameplay. Here is a curated list of the most impactful mods you should consider for 2024, along with instructions for downloading them.

Top Gameplay Mods for The Sims 4

Expanded Mermaids

The Island Living Expansion Pack introduced players to mermaids, but the gameplay options were rather basic. Thanks to SpinningPlumbobs, mermaids can now dive for and consume kelp, sleep underwater, and explore the ocean depths as their fitness improves. Players can also discover rare fish and unique items.

This mod also adds Kelpies and Sea Witches, providing your Sims with bespoke interactions and formidable spells, making the mermaid experience much richer.

Fanart Maps

If you’re seeking to refresh the aesthetic of your neighborhoods, this map menu mod breathes new life into the game’s maps, offering a painterly look for various locations. With options spanning from Willow Creek to Evergreen Harbor, you can even snag a remastered map for Newcrest. However, not every world has a fanart map yet, with the latest addition for Mt. Komorebi.

PlantSim Lives

Nostalgic for the PlantSim scenario from The Sims 2? SrslySims offers a comprehensive mod that allows PlantSims to enjoy their green lifestyle indefinitely. Updated options include custom hair selections and additional interactions like “Complain About Aphids” and “Go on a Nature Walk” . Additionally, new food, drink, and tattoo options further enhance your PlantSim experience.

SimDa Dating App

Add a touch of modern romance to your Sims’ lives with the SimDa Dating App by LittleMsSam. This mod offers options for arranging specific dates, blind dates, and even introduces new aspiration goals and holiday traditions, enhancing storytelling elements within the game.

MC Command Center

A staple among The Sims 4 mods, Deaderpool’s MC Command Center provides comprehensive control over the gameplay experience. From managing relationships and skill levels to enabling story progression for non-played Sims, this mod is indispensable for enhancing your simulation.

It includes various functional options like altering gameplay populations and NPC appearances, catering to various player preferences.

Playable Pets

If you want to gain control over your pets, this free gameplay mod allows you to manage pet actions directly. While pets lack the range of interactions seen with human characters, this mod offers sufficient control for pet lovers to enjoy.

Essential UI Mod in The Sims 4

UI Cheats Extension

Tired of repeating cheat codes? The UI Cheats Extension by modder Weerbesu simplifies this process, allowing you to manage your Sims’ needs and skills directly through the interface without entering multiple commands.

Realism-Enhancing Mods for The Sims 4

Slice of Life

For those desiring richer personalities in their Sims, Slice of Life introduces Myers-Briggs personality types that affect daily life and moodlets. Additionally, extensions like ‘My Phone Pack’ and ‘My Health Pack’ further enhance the mod with skills and traits.

Meaningful Stories

This free mod overhauls The Sims 4’s emotion system to create a more nuanced experience. This alteration ensures that Sims experience a wider emotional range, resulting in more realistic reactions to events.

Complete Cooking Overhaul

If you love cooking in The Sims 4, Srsly Sims’ Complete Cooking Overhaul revitalizes the cooking experience. This mod introduces grocery shopping for new and existing recipe ingredients, alongside an array of custom recipes that mirror real-life dishes.

Road to Romance

Add more depth to your Sims’ romantic engagements with the Road to Romance mod. It offers a new skill and mood, impacting how relationships are formed and progressed through varied interactions.

Best CAS Mods for The Sims 4

More Columns in CAS

Are you overwhelmed by the vast list of clothing and accessories? The More Columns in CAS mod increases the number of columns, providing a clearer organization of your custom content.

Stand Still in CAS

Frustrated by Sims moving around during customization? This updated mod enables your Sims to remain stationary while you alter their appearances, making the process smoother.

Old School CAS Room

Revisit the charm of earlier Sims games with this nostalgic mod, which reinstates a customizable room backdrop reminiscent of The Sims 2 and 3.

Luumia CAS Overhaul

Recognized for significant contributions in The Sims community, Luumia’s mod elevates CAS with improved lighting and diverse backgrounds, enhancing the visual presentation of your Sims.

CAS Lighting – City Light

Perfect for grabbing the ideal shot of your Sim, the City Light mod casts a soft glow on your characters for beautiful photography within the Create-a-Sim mode.

The Sims 4 Best Mods for Build/Buy

Better Build/Buy

The Better BuildBuy mod enables searching by color, shows hidden debug items, and organizes your catalog display for a more efficient building experience.

OMSP Shelf

Enhance organizational aesthetics with the OMSP Shelf mod, allowing you to effortlessly clutter surfaces in your home without visual disruption.

Photographic Memory Photo Spawner

Add a personal touch to your Sims’ homes with photos using the Photographic Memory mod, allowing you to customize how and where your pictures are displayed.

Shiftable Mirrors

One of the simpler yet highly effective mods, this mod allows for flexible mirror placement, enabling you to position them more freely within your builds.

TOOL

For builders craving extensive control over their lots, TwistedMexi’s TOOL mod grants the freedom to manipulate objects both on and off lots, facilitating an unparalleled building experience.

How to Download & Install The Sims 4 Mods

Downloading Mods

Getting mods for The Sims 4 is straightforward. For most mods, simply select the download link on their respective pages, usually hosted on platforms like CurseForge or Patreon.

Locating Your Sims 4 Mods Folder

After downloading, find the Mods folder typically located under Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > Mods.

Move the downloaded files into the Mods folder. If a file ends in .package or .ts4script, just transfer it over. For ZIP files, extract their contents and manually place the necessary files in the Mods folder.

Enabling Mods

To ensure mods function correctly:

Open the game and select the ‘…’ icon from the main menu or in-game.
Choose Game Options.
Select the Other tab and check Enable Custom Content and Mods and Script Mods Allowed.
Hit Apply Changes and restart your game.

Game Options window in The Sims — EA / Maxis

Are Mods Available on Console?

Currently, mods are not compatible with console platforms. While changes are unlikely at this stage in the game’s lifecycle, updates will be provided if this situation alters.

With these mods, your Sims 4 experience can be vastly improved. For more tips and guides related to The Sims 4, check out our articles on everything from ghost creations to career tips.

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