It turns out I've taken a lot of Sims 4 features for granted.
The Sims 4 turned 10 years old this week, bringing the longest-reigning game in the series into double digits. It’s been around so long now that I sometimes forget what it was like at launch: Back in 2014 it didn’t even have basements, for instance. After poring over old patch notes for other examples, it turns out I’d forgotten about all sorts of other features that I’ve gotten used to taking for granted.
As a Sims player, there will always be more features I want the series to add. Like, are we ever going to get cars in The Sims 4? I may occasionally dip away to The Sims 3 to revisit features like the open world and Create-A-Style, but The Sims 4 has made big strides of its own since it launched, adding better representation of skin colors and genders, as well as introducing my beloved tiny houses. For its 10th anniversary, I wanted to acknowledge how much further The Sims 4 has changed. So here’s a rundown on all the features you likely forgot didn’t exist 10 years ago.
2014
#1 Ghosts
(Image credit: EA)
This update came just a few months after The Sims 4 launched, but prior to Patch 5, Sims who died would just… be dead. After the ghosts update, the afterlife started to look way more like we know it now, with ghost Sims who can be a nuisance around the house by possessing objects and pranking live Sims or be added to the family to stay playable in their post-mortem state.
#2 Pools
(Image credit: EA)
I had completely forgotten that The Sims 4 launched without swimming pools. It’s a travesty that the original launch was missing such an important cultural touchstone for the series. With Patch 7, The Sims 4 got swimming pools in Build Mode and a swimwear category in Create-A-Sim. It also meant that Sims could die by drowning when running out of energy in the pool, but that whole “deleting the ladder to trap them” thing remains a relic of the past, since Sims in The Sims 4 are able to just climb out of the edge of a pool on their own.
2015
Genealogy: Patch 12 added the genealogy menu showing the family tree for your Sims so you don’t have to remember off hand who’s related to who in your big Legacy challenge.
#3 Basements
(Image credit: EA)
Wait, The Sims 4 didn’t even have basements when it launched? That can’t be right. Oh but it is. Building below ground level was added in Patch 15, though at the time you were only able to build two floors below the ground. These days, you can build four basement levels in The Sims 4, you know, for your really really secret lairs. This patch also added jobs for townie Sims and the ability to meet other Sims while at work with those drop down work performance choices.
#4 Newcrest
(Image credit: EA)
Patch 20 for The Sims 4 feels like a big one because it added an entire world that I’ve totally taken for granted since then. The blank slate Newcrest neighborhood didn’t exist when The Sims 4 launched and players just didn’t have enough empty lots to use for building their own homes. So in crashed Newcrest with 15 empty lots in all sorts of sizes and honestly, I’ve almost never built a house in Willow Creek since then. Patch 20 also added the Welcome Wagon, that event where all your neighbors show up with fruitcake to say hello to any new neighbor.
Half Walls: Patch 21 added the handy half wall feature for all those ’90s style kitchen-to-den floor plans or your stylish city lofts with open bedrooms.
#5 Dishwashers
(Image credit: EA)
Yet another really basic feature from past games that I’m shocked arrived a year later—Patch 23 for The Sims 4 added dishwashers to Buy Mode. This wasn’t a huge patch, it was mostly bug fixes and the dishwasher, but that feels like such a critical addition. I know dishwashers aren’t a given all over the world, but I almost never build a house in The Sims without one. Especially since designating sinks didn’t come until years later and Sims were always so likely to scrub dishes in the bathroom.
2016
#6 Gender customization
(Image credit: EA)
The Sims 4 made some big changes to gender in Create-A-Sim with Patch 34. This is when we got the ability to determine whether a Sim is able to get pregnant and whether they use the toilet sitting or standing. It also totally decoupled gender from style by making all clothing pieces, accessories, and hairstyles available to Sims regardless of gender. It was a big deal at the time and Maxis shared that it had been working on the update for over a year and consulting with GLAAD during the process.
Nannies: Patch 37 added the ability to call a per-hour nanny service to watch over your smaller Sims. Live Mode players rejoice, having two working parents is finally feasible.
Apartments: The release of the City Living expansion brought apartments to The Sims 4, at least their first iteration. Rental units were pretty restricted at this point, but it was nice to decorate those high rise units.
2017
#7 Toddlers
(Image credit: EA)
We all got so caught up in asking for the infants life stage (which came later) that I totally forgot that toddlers didn’t get added until 2017. Prior to Patch 46, babies in their little bassinets would age up directly into a walking, talking, school-bus-riding child. Childcare was such a small part of The Sims 4 until this point but the toddlers patch added specific traits, skills, clothes, and interactions for tiny Sims.
Photography: Patch 57 brought the Photography skill and the ability to take selfies with a Sim’s cellphone which they could then decorate their homes with.
Item resize hotkeys: The same Patch 57 also gave new powers to Build Mode players with the ‘[‘ and ‘]’ hotkeys for sizing up and down objects. I can’t live without resizing rugs and paintings now.
2018
Hot and cold outfits: Patch 68 alongside the Seasons expansion added two new outfits to Create-A-Sim: hot weather and cold weather. This is great for Live Mode players who enjoy the realism, but a trial for me having to design two additional outfits for every Sim.
Gallery overhaul: In Patch 71, the Gallery got an overhaul to improve hashtags, search functions, and getting some of the best user-created Sims and houses in front of you. Honestly, the Gallery is still pretty wonky to this day, but it used to be wonkier.
#8 Terrain tools
(Image credit: EA)
I don’t remember a time when I didn’t have terrain tools despite playing through it. The brushes for sculpting lot topography that we’d had in The Sims 3 didn’t make it into The Sims 4 until Patch 73. After this, I started seeing all sorts of incredible speed builds like hobbit hole houses or castles with moats. The possibilities skyrocketed way past my modest skills. Patch 73 was a pretty big one beyond this major feature, also adding the first-person camera, more basement levels, more half wall heights, and the ability to name a custom career for, say, your Sims who don’t technically have a job but make money writing novels or hit songs.
2019
Debug items cheat: Patch 82 added “bb.showliveeditobjects” to the list of Sims 4 cheats, giving build mode players access to all sorts of objects previously reserved for use by the development team.
#9 Custom stairs
(Image credit: EA)
Back before Patch 84, building a staircase with a basic landing required a lot of finagling and I remember watching more than one tutorial on the subject. But with the addition of customizable stairs, all sorts of lavish houses became commonplace. Now we can have spiraling stairwells (though still no actual spiral staircases), switchbacking fire escapes, and grand ballroom stairs too. This was truly a good year for the tryhard Build Mode enjoyers among us.
2020
Tiny Houses: Patch 91 and the Tiny Living stuff pack kicked off the tiny house craze in The Sims 4. Honestly, I still build tiny houses more often than not to this day.
That Sims 1 hottub: Patch 92 celebrated the Sims series 20th anniversary with… just a hot tub. Sure, it was the iconic hot tub from the original game, but it felt like a pretty meager celebration.
Ladders: Remember when we all spent years begging to finally have ladders? They finally got added in Patch 95 ahead of the Eco Lifestyle expansion.
Platforms: This is one I didn’t even know I wanted until I had it. Patch 103 alongside the Snowy Escape expansion let us change the height of individual rooms with platforms and now it’s one of my go-to Sims 4 build tips.
#10 New skin tones
(Image credit: EA)
After years of Sims 4 custom content creators sharing new skin tones, Patch 105 in 2020 finally added over 100 more default skin tones to choose from and a slider to freely choose the shade you want as well. It was a while in the making after EA committed in summer 2020 to improving its inclusivity of more skin colors and hairstyles. A few base game styles for textured hair got a tune-up in this patch and other hair styles have been getting the same treatment in the years since.
2021
(Image credit: Maxis, Electronic Arts)
Bunk beds: The Sims 4 added working bunk beds in Patch 109 and there was much rejoicing! Finally kiddos can share one of the most quintessential childhood experiences.
Likes and dislikes: Patch 113 brought the system that lets you decide that your Sim loves the color green, hates classical music, and loves grilled cheese.
Ponds: Patch 115 brought the water tool for adding ponds, rivers, or whatever outdoorsy water features you desire.
Nail polish: Patch 118 added nail polish as an accessory category in Create-A-Sim and honestly I can’t remember what life was like before custom nails now.
The big swatch drop: As a Build Mode enjoyer, I distinctly remember Patch 119 adding tons of new color swatches to base game objects like kitchen counters, tables, bookcases, and curtains.
Scenarios: Patch 120 added challenge scenarios to The Sims 4 with unique family dynamic setups and goals to achieve as well as the Neighborhood Stories system allowing your townie Sims to have life changes without your oversight.
2022
(Image credit: Electronic Arts)
Custom pronouns: Patch 129 added the ability to write custom pronouns for your Sims. In addition to default choices he/she/they, you can also write in the pronouns you want your Sim to use.
Sexual orientation: On the heels of the pronoun update, Patch 132 added toggles for Sim sexual orientation to determine which genders they’re romantically and physically attracted to.
Curved walls: Patch 132 also added long-requested curved walls. The initial implementation was pretty buggy, and they sometimes still can be, but hey our floor plans are like 90% more groovy than before.
2023
Light switches: Patch 140 added a ton of Create-A-Sim customization like surgery scars and hearing aids, but I’ll be truthful and say I was most excited about light switches. They’re purely cosmetic, but I put them everywhere now.
Infant life stage: The first new life stage since toddlers in 2017, the infants update freed baby Sims from their cribs and gave them their own traits and interactions.
Apartments (again): The For Rent expansion elaborated on the existing apartments in The Sims 4. Now we can build rental buildings totally from scratch and lay out each unit just how we like.
2024
(Image credit: Electronic Arts)
Polyamory: Patch 162 this year overhauled romantic relationships by letting you choose your Sim’s romantic boundaries. This means you can set up all sorts of different polyamorous Sims families who are happy to live alongside each other without jealousy mucking up their lives.
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