The Sims 4 Cheats Guide

Throughout The Sims series, cheats have been a useful way of making life easier for both the player and their Sims. The Sims 4 cheats are no different, affecting money, relationships, careers, and the Sims themselves. This guide lists all cheats you can find in The Sims 4 base game.

The Sims 4 Cheats Guide

While not everyone likes to use cheats, they are a useful way of enhancing a game or making life easier for the player. The Sims 4 is no exception. This entry in The Sims series gives you a generous number of cheats to play with, used and approved by the developers and players alike. Cheats found in The Sims 4 can be very powerful, granting you money, or altering your Sim’s Needs, Mood, Skills, Career, and Relationships. Some cheats found in The Sims 4 may be familiar to you if you’ve played previous The Sims games. You may be curious to know what all the cheats are in The Sims 4, so here’s a complete list put together for your convenience.

The Sims 4 is now available on PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X / S, and PlayStation 4 and 5. It will be free to play (base game only) from October 18th.

Note that this guide covers cheats that all players can use in the base game of The Sims 4

How to Enter Cheats

First things first, you need to know how to enter cheats into your game. You need to know where you enter them, when you can enter them, and how to activate certain cheats to make them work. It may already sound a bit complicated, but it isn’t really. The first step to entering cheats depends on which platform you’re playing on: PC or console. This step involves bringing up the cheat input box, known as the cheat console, which is where you type in the cheat you want in order to activate it in your game.

Entering Cheats on PC and Mac

If you play The Sims 4 on PC, to bring up the cheat console, you simply need to press Ctrl + Shift + C. On the Mac, it’ll be Command + Shift + C. You’ll know you’ve done it right when a white box appears at the top left of your screen.

Note: Be careful when pressing the keys to bring up the cheat console. The C key is the default key shortcut command used to take in-game screenshots. If you don’t want to accidentally do this, hold Ctrl/Command and Shift before pressing C.

Pressing Ctrl + Shift + C (or Command + Shift + C on Mac) brings up the cheat console, where you enter your cheats.

Pressing Ctrl + Shift + C (or Command + Shift + C on Mac) brings up the cheat console, where you enter your cheats.

Once the cheat console is open, you’re free to enter the cheats you want. You can enter as many as you like; there are no limits. Make sure you press the ENTER key to input the cheat.

Note: When entering cheats, make sure you have written it out correctly. Be sure of lower and uppercase letters, as well as which symbols and letters you use. One incorrect letter or symbol can scupper the cheat you’re trying to enter, forcing you to start all over. Also, cheats do not have spaces in them, unless specifically noted.

Once you’re done putting in cheats, you’ll probably want to get rid of the cheat console. You can make it go away by pressing Ctrl/Command + Shift + C again. Alternatively, you can press the ESC key. You can bring it up again any time you want.

Entering Cheats on Console

The Sims 4 on consoles, whether it be Xbox or PlayStation, have different controls to that of PC. This also applies to commands such as bringing up the cheat console.

On the PlayStation 4 and 5, to bring up the cheat console, you need to press and hold L1, L2, R1 and R2 at the same time. Do the same when you want to close the console.

On the Xbox One and Xbox Series X / S, bringing up the cheat console is a similar process to that of the PlayStation consoles. You need to press and hold LT, LB, RT and RB at the same time. Press the same buttons to close the console.

Just as on PC/Mac, the cheat console will appear, allowing you to enter cheats.

For some cheats, you may have to shift-click on a Sim or object. To do this on PlayStation, hold Circle and press X. On Xbox, hold B and press A.

The Sims 4 console players should note that some cheats will affect being able to get certain achievements and trophies.

testingcheats true/false

Some cheats, regardless of platform, requires an extra step in order to unlock them. This cheat is known as testingcheats. It is a toggle cheat, requiring the true or false command after it. By default, it is set to false when you load a game, so if you want to unlock certain cheats, you need to make it as true. When you’re looking to use a certain cheat, make sure to check if you need testingcheats true before you are able to activate it.

The Complete List of Cheats in The Sims 4 Base Game (All Platforms)

You now know how to enter cheats, and you’re probably eager to try them out. Cheats cover different elements in The Sims 4 and can be found in the three game modes: Create-A-Sim, Build Mode, and Live Mode. Make sure you enter the cheat in the right mode and have it activated so it’s ready to use.

Safe Cheats

One reason some players may be hesitant about cheats is the worry that they may be “unsafe” and potentially corrupt a game’s save file. These cheats have been assured as safe to use, endorsed by players and approved by the game’s developers themselves.

Cheat Name What It Does
casclockspeed [0 – 10] This cheat is used in Create-A-Sim. It affects how much your Sim moves about in CAS. It’s a good cheat if you get fed up of your Sims constantly fidgeting about while you’re trying to style them. Enter 0 to freeze your Sim, while the highest 10 really speeds your Sim up! Just watch when you “freeze” your Sim, so they’re not frozen in an awkward pose that makes it tricky to edit them in CAS. If you want to resume normal speed, set it back to 1.
fps [on / off] This cheat displays the game’s frames-per-seconds in the top corner and can be toggled on and off. Useful if you want to monitor your game’s performance.
freerealestate [on / off] This cheat allows your household to move into any property for free, regardless of their current funds and the cost of the property. Extremely useful if you have starter Sims and don’t want to be limited by your options due to low funds.
fullscreen This cheat gives you the option to switch between fullscreen mode and windowed mode.
headlineeffects [on / off] This cheat toggles the thought bubbles as well as the Plumbob (the floating gem) above your Sims’ heads.
help This simple command brings up all the cheats (namely safe cheats) that you can use in The Sims 4, if you want to try some out or need a reminder of the cheats’ names.
hovereffects [on / off] You know when you hover the cursor over a Sim or object and a glow appears around it? You can get rid of it using this easy cheat.
quit Typing this sole word into your cheat console will prompt the game to exit.
resetsim [Sim’s First Name] [Sim’s Last Name] This cheat is very useful if your Sims ever get stuck, whether by routing issues or a glitch. You may find yourself using this cheat now and again, and it is completely safe. When entered, all actions, whether current or queued up, will be cancelled. If your Sim is stuck or performing an action/animation, they will be unstuck and stop. You need both the Sim’s first and last name, so make sure you spell it right. Be aware that entering this cheat sets your Sim’s Needs to neutral state. If you want to perform this cheat on multiple Sims, you’ll need to enter this cheat individually for each Sim you want.
sims.get_sim_id_by_name [Sim’s / Pet’s Full Name] Entering this cheat displays the Sim’s or Pet’s ID. You need both the target’s first and last names, just like the resetsim cheat. This may be an unusual cheat, but you may need a Sim’s/Pet’s ID for other cheats, so it’s good to have this cheat on hand if required.
testingcheats [on / off] This particular cheat has already been discussed, but this unlocks other cheats that require this cheat to be activated before they can be used. Note that cheats unlocked with testingcheats are not recognized as “safe” cheats.
Version This cheat simply informs you of what version of The Sims 4 you’re currently playing.
These cheats are deemed safe by the developers themselves, so you don't have to worry about using them if you're a bit nervous.

These cheats are deemed safe by the developers themselves, so you don’t have to worry about using them if you’re a bit nervous.

Money Cheats

Who doesn’t want money? If you’re playing Sims who are just starting out, you’ll usually find that their budget is a little tight, particularly for things such as buying a fancy house or more luxurious items. You won’t always want to cheat for money, preferring to earn money the old-fashioned hard way, but sometimes you’ll be itching to get that bigger house and those more expensive items to furnish it with. 

If you do need money in The Sims 4, these cheats have you covered. Some of these cheats may be familiar to players of previous The Sims games. With money cheats, you can input them repeatedly; there’s no limit.

Cheat Name What It Does
kaching Adds §1000 to your current household’s funds. Useful if you need extra cash but not as much as the motherlode amount.
money [set amount] Sets the current household’s funds to whatever amount you put into the cheat command. You must have testingcheats true enabled to activate this cheat.
motherlode Adds §50,000 to your current household’s funds. Useful if you’re going to buy a seriously expensive item, or if you’re embarking on working on a house or a business.
rosebud This money cheat adds §1000 to your current household’s funds, the same amount as the kaching cheat.

Create-A-Sim Cheats

There are a few handy cheats you can use specifically for Create-A-Sim. For example, there’s this one that you can use in the base game:

Cheat Name What It Does
cas.fulleditmode When you access Create-A-Sim in Live Mode (such as the interaction Plan Outfit via mirror or wardrobe), you usually find that you cannot change certain things that you could when creating a new household. This cheat changes all that, allowing you to change everything about your Sim. You can also use this on non-active Sims. You’ll need testingcheats true for this, and you’ll need to shift click your Sim and select Modify in CAS.
Want to customize your Sim beyond that of a wardrobe or mirror? There's a cheat for that.

Want to customize your Sim beyond that of a wardrobe or mirror? There’s a cheat for that.

Build Mode Cheats

There are more cheats for you to try out. Some of these may need testingcheats true before they’ll work.

Cheat Name What It Does
bb.ignoregameplayunlocksentitlement This lengthily named cheat (reading as “ignore – gameplay – unlocks – entitlement”) unlocks all Career Reward objects. Handy if you’re after a particular object that can only be unlocked by playing through a specific career track.
bb.moveobjects Hate being restricted with where you can place objects? This cheat banishes that frustration, allowing you to place objects anywhere. Additionally, if you want to change the object’s position by height, you can press Ctrl + 9 or Ctrl + 0 to raise or lower an object’s position.
bb.showhiddenobjects This cheat unlocks special usually unseen objects for the player. In Build Mode, after entering this cheat, search DEBUG and these objects will come up. Enter testingcheats true before entering this cheat into the console.

Live Mode Cheats

Live Mode is where all the action happens, where your Sims live out their lives, either autonomously or completely in your control. The following cheats are used in this mode:

Cheat Name What It Does
clock.advance_game_time [hour] [minute] [second] As the name suggests, this sets the in-game time to whatever you put in. Use this cheat with caution, as it can cause some unusual issues, but more importantly, it can have a negative effect on things like your Sim’s Needs and their career.
death.toggle [true / false] This rather morbid cheat affects the mortality of your Sims. When set to false, your Sim will not die. You must input this cheat every time you load your saved game.
objects.consumables_infinite_toggle [true / false] Tired of your dishes getting dirty and spoiling, forcing you to throw away perfectly good food? This cheat saves that bother – but you need to put it into the cheat console every time you load up your save.

Live Mode Cheats with testingcheats true

The following cheats are to be used in Live Mode. These cheats also require you to activate testingcheats before inputting them.

Teleporting Sims

Want to transport your Sim to a particular spot on the Lot or in the neighborhood? You can with testingcheats set to true and shift-clicking on the ground you want to go to, then select the option Teleport Me Here. This is very handy if you want to get somewhere fast, since Sims can take forever to get from A to B in an area. 

Reset Items

Is an item stuck or not functioning correctly? Simply shift-click it and select Reset Item (Debug).

Make Items Dirty or Clean

If you want to make an item dirty or clean (such as a toilet or counter), you can with this. Shift-click the item and select the command Make Dirty or Make Clean.

Tired of dirty dishes? There's a cheat for that!

Tired of dirty dishes? There’s a cheat for that!

Put Object on Sim’s Head

A bit of a weird one, but you can put a random object of your choice on a Sim’s head by shift-clicking the target object and selecting Set as Head.

Mailbox Cheats

Some testingcheats true cheats can be found by shift-clicking on the mailbox on your Sim’s property. These include:

Cheat Name What It Does
Disable [World / Household] Needs Decay Use this command if you don’t want your Sims’ Needs to deplete.
Enable [World / Household] Needs Decay Activate this if you want your Sims’ Needs to deplete.
Fill Needs [World / Household] Fills up the needs of every Sim, either in the whole neighborhood or just the current playable lot.
The mailbox is a source of numerous cheats once testingcheats has been activated.

The mailbox is a source of numerous cheats once testingcheats has been activated.

Shift-Click Sim Cheats

With testingcheats enabled, you can shift-click on your Sims as well as objects. This provides you with a host of useful commands not normally accessible without cheats. Note that some of these cheats are similar to other cheats previously mentioned in this guide.

Cheat Name What It Does
Reset Sim (Debug) The resetsim cheat has been mentioned previously in this guide, but this testingcheats cheat is a little more powerful. It can stop any Sim, active or non-active, right in their tracks, erasing their action queue. This is very useful for pesky visitors behaving in a way that’s annoying you, but you don’t want them to go away necessarily.
Under Cheat Need:
Make Happy Fill up all of a Sim’s Motives. This will put them in a good mood, hence the name.
Disable / Enable Need Decay Disable stops all Needs from depleting. Enable makes them deplete as default.
Under Cheat Sim Info:
Lock All Motive Decay Stops Needs from depleting.
Add Sim Preferences This randomly assigns 3 to 4 likes and dislikes.
Under Marriage:
Clear Marriages This wipes out all married statuses on a Sim.
Marry [Target Sim] Only Leaves only the target Sim as the married Sim.
Modify in CAS Allows you to edit your Sim in Create-A-Sim without needing to access a wardrobe or mirror. Can be used on non-active Sims.
Remove From Family Do you want to get rid of a Sim in your household without manually kicking them out or killing them off? This cheat is what you need.
Add to Family Add the Sim you desire to your household, if you don’t want to go through asking them to join your household. If you have the max number of 8 Sims in your household, you cannot use this.
Make into Plant Sim (DEBUG) This turns the target Sim into the mysterious Plant Sim. This isn’t normally achievable within the game, since Plant Sims were part of a limited time in-game challenge, but this option changes that. 
Career Gigs Picker (Debug)… Want to do a gig in a specific career? This option allows you to do that, regardless of what career your Sim currently has. Gigs come with certain careers such as the Freelancer career.
Under Toddler Care:
Change Outfit…: This opens up CAS for the target toddler.
There are a lot of things you can do when you shift-click on a Sim with testingcheats working.

There are a lot of things you can do when you shift-click on a Sim with testingcheats working.

Build Mode Tools

Building properties is hugely popular in The SimsThe Sims 4 is no different, especially since it is superior to its predecessors with its flexible and time-saving tools and tricks. Cheats specifically tailored for Build Mode makes this even better. The following aren’t exactly “cheats”, meaning you don’t have to input anything into the cheat console or have testingcheats set to true. These are nifty little tricks that you may not be aware of. They are very handy if you want to get really creative or open up new building and design possibilities in The Sims 4.

Object Resizing

You can freely move objects around, whether on the ground, wall, ceiling, or a surface, but the only thing you cannot do is resize an object… normally. If you want to place a certain object but want to make it bigger or smaller, there is a neat tool that does just that. With the object you desire selected, you simply hold Shift and then press either [ or ] to enlarge or shrink it.

You should note that this tool isn’t as straightforward as it seems. Some objects will no longer function if resized, whether made smaller or bigger. Another important thing to note is that resized objects can be difficult to place. For example, if you resize a rug, even if there appears to be enough space to place it, you won’t be able to. 

Placing Objects on Quarter Grids

Usually in The Sims 4, you can place objects on grids or half-grids, but not quarter grids. Not with this particular tool though. If you press F5, you can place any object on a quarter tile.

Want more precise object placement? Use F5.

Want more precise object placement? Use F5.

You can also set down quarter floor tiles by pressing Ctrl + F.

By pressing Shift + F, you get quarter tiles.

By pressing Shift + F, you get quarter tiles.

No Fixed Placing or Rotation

Tired of only being able to snap objects on grids or rotate objects by 45 degrees? The Alt key saves the day here. If you hold it with an object selected, you’re free to smoothly rotate it at any angle you please, or set it anywhere, ignoring the grid placement.

Holding the Alt key down with an object selected gives you more freedom with object placement.

Holding the Alt key down with an object selected gives you more freedom with object placement.

Aspiration Cheats

In The Sims 4, Sims have dreams and goals, just like people do in real life. You don’t have to make your Sims achieve these special goals, but they do allow you to unlock unique and powerful rewards. Achieving aspiration goals can be tricky, and you need quite a lot of points to unlock cool and useful rewards, so there are 2 cheats that’ll help you with that. Note that you must have testingcheats set to true in order for these cheats to work.

Cheat Name What It Does
aspirations_complete_current_milestone Aspiration milestones can be hard to complete sometimes, with difficult goals that take a long time to work towards. Fortunately, this cheat saves any hassle, if you’re tired of doing things the hard way and want to work your way up the aspiration ladder.
sims.give_satisfaction_points [enter the amount you want] This cheat simply gifts you the number of aspiration points you desire. 

Career Cheats

Careers play a big role in The Sims 4. Whatever kind of career your Sims go for, whether it’s a full-time job or being self-employed, a job is a good way to make a steady income. As you work your way up the chosen career ladder, you’ll find that the going gets tough sometimes. Unlike past Sims games, you don’t need to worry about how many friends you have or pleasing your co-workers and boss. However, nobody said it was going to be easy as you find yourself having to max out skills. The following cheats will help you out in your career in many ways, making life much easier so you and your Sims can focus on other things. These cheats will need testingcheats as true to work, so don’t forget to enter it first into the cheat console.

Cheat Name What It Does
careers.add_career [career name] Before you enter this cheat, first select the Sim you want to enter a career. Then input this cheat with the name of the career you wish them to join. This saves you from having to manually join a career the traditional way, via through the Career panel, phone, or computer.
careers.demote [career name] Use this cheat to knock your Sim down a level in their current career.
careers.promote [career name] Finding it difficult to get that promotion? This cheat saves a lot of trouble.
careers.remove_career [career name] If you want your Sim to completely leave a career without quitting manually, use this cheat.
careers.retire [career name] Is it time for your older Sims to call it a day from their job? Use this cheat if you wish. Your retired Sim will receive a weekly pension when you use this cheat.
sims.modify_career_outfit_in_cas Entering this cheat transports you into Create-A-Sim, where you can change the outfit they wear for their career. Especially handy since you cannot do this action without cheats.
Cheats tailored for careers are useful if you're struggling with getting to the top.

Cheats tailored for careers are useful if you’re struggling with getting to the top.

To make the career cheats work correctly, you have to make sure you input the right name for the career you want. What you need to put into the cheat console may not exactly match the name of the desired career. The following is what you need to input into the cheat console where it says [career name]:

  • Astronaut
  • Athletic
  • Business
  • Criminal
  • Culinary
  • Entertainer
  • Painter
  • SecretAgent
  • TechGuru
  • adult_Writer
  • adult_freelancer_agency_artist
  • adult_freelancer_agency_programmer
  • adult_freelancer_agency_writer
  • highschool
  • gradeschool

This also applies to part-time jobs:

  • PartTime_Babysitter
  • PartTime_Barista
  • PartTime_FastFood
  • PartTime_Manual
  • PartTime_Retail

Skill Cheats

Building skills in The Sims 4 is great for unlocking new actions and passing the time, plus you need skills for careers and getting those promotions. Some skills can be hard to work on though, particularly higher level skills. That’s when these cheats come in handy. Once again, you need testingcheats set to true to make these cheats work.

Cheat Name What It Does Skills That Apply
stats.set_skill_level Major_[skill name] [skill level] This sets the chosen skill level to whatever you want, ranging from 1 to 10. If entering skill level 1 doesn’t seem to work, try skill level 2 instead. This cheat works even if you haven’t begun to progress in the chosen skill. Cooking (HomestyleCooking), Charisma, Comedy, Fishing, Gardening, Gourmet Cooking (GourmetCooking), Guitar, Handiness, Logic, Mischief, Mixology (Bartending), Painting, Photography, Piano, Programming, Rocket Science (RocketScience), Video Gaming (VideoGaming), Violin, Writing
stats.set_skill_level skill_[skill name] [skill level] Set the desired skill level to whatever you want. Range from 1 to 10. Fitness
stats.set_skill_level Skill_Child_[skill name] [skill level] Used to set skill levels specifically for child Sims. Range from 1 to 10. Creativity, Mental, Motor, Social
stats.set_skill_level Skill_Toddler_[skill name] [skill level] The skill cheat used for toddlers. These cheats range from 1 to 5, or 1 to 3 for the Potty skill. Communication, Imagination, Movement, Potty, Thinking
Skill cheats are great for maxing out cheats the fast way.

Skill cheats are great for maxing out cheats the fast way.

Tips for Cheats

To round off this guide to cheats in The Sims 4, let’s end on some final notes and tips on using cheats so you can make the most of them while also using them safely.

  • It’s generally a good idea to save your game before you enter any cheats, even those that appear in the “safe” list. You never know when a cheat might mess up your game. If it does, you can quickly exit and re-enter your saved game.
  • If you want to try out a cheat but you’re not sure what it does, you could try using the cheat with a tester household. This allows you to play around with cheats you’re unfamiliar with, just in case it goes wrong.
  • Is a cheat not working? There may be a few reasons for that. It might be because you’re in the wrong game mode (Create-A-Sim, Build Mode, or Live Mode), haven’t entered testingcheats true, or you’ve written the cheat out wrong. Check which cheats need testingcheats enabled, make sure you’re in the right mode, and double-check that you’ve written the cheat down correctly with the right symbols, letter placement and numbers. Some cheats also require you to shift-click on the ground, mailbox, an object, or a Sim to work.
  • Some players may not want to use cheats, which is fine, but don’t ever be dismissive of them. Cheating is never really a bad thing in games (unless it affects other players if you’re playing multiplayer or online). You may find some cheats are very useful, such as the Reset Sim cheat if your Sim gets stuck. Builders can also get more creative and flexible with certain Build Mode tools you may not have been aware of before. You should try them out now and again.

That’s all the cheats you can find in The Sims 4, at least for the base game. Remember that these cheats apply to both PC and console versions. The only difference is how you enter the cheats.

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