The Sims 4 cheats: An updated list of cheat codes and debug options for every occasion
How to use The Sims 4 cheats and debug unlocks on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
In 2024, The Sims 4 celebrated the 10th anniversary of its release, and we learned that EA plans to continue developing the game as a legacy title well into the future. To date, the massively-expanded life sim has received 17 expansion packs, 12 game packs, 20 stuff packs, 38 kits, and nearly 180 free updates, with more additions arriving all the time. It's a significantly different game to the one that launched in 2014, but it's still recognisable as a part of The Sims franchise that we've known and loved since its debut in 2000.
But no matter which of the four main entries into the franchise is your favourite, whether you remember the old-school isometric days of the original The Sims or only started playing TS4 recently — the one thing we all seem to love as Simmers is a good old cheat.
In a games industry that's increasingly moving away from allowing players free access to the developers' toolkit of shortcuts, we should really take a moment to appreciate the fact that The Sims 4 makes "cheating" as easy as it's ever been — regardless of whether you're playing on PC or console, even.
In this guide, we'll teach you how to use cheats in The Sims 4 on all platforms, from enabling testing cheats to a comprehensive list of the best cheats for the base game plus all add-ons:
- How to use Sims 4 Cheats
- Sims 4 Money Cheats
- Sims 4 Character Cheats
- Sims 4 Build Mode Cheats
- Sims 4 Camera Cheats
- Sims 4 Quality of Life Cheats
How to use Sims 4 Cheats
Opening the cheat console
On PC, press Ctrl + Shift + C to open the cheat console. A text box will appear in the upper left of the screen for you to type in and enter your cheat commands.
On Xbox or PlayStation, hold all four shoulder buttons at once to open the cheat console.
Enabling debug cheats
Most of the cheats on this list require you to enable testing or debug cheats in-game before they can be activated. Generally speaking, leaving debug cheats enabled in the background shouldn't interfere with your game in any way, and it's a good anti-frustration feature when you do want to cheat quickly.
To enable debug cheats in your game, enter the following into the cheats console: testingcheats true.
A notification should appear below the console letting you know that cheats have been enabled.
You can turn them back off again by entering testingcheats false.
Looking for pack-specific Sims cheats? Here are all our individual pages:
Sims 4 Money Cheats
Many players — myself included — simply can't imagine The Sims without money cheats. Even people who make a point of avoiding cheat codes in other areas of the game often aren't averse to using a couple of these when they're getting started.
- kaching: Deposits 1,000 Simoleons into the active household's funds.
- rosebud: Older fans who remember the original The Sims will be happy to learn that this one has at long last made a return in The Sims 4! It's functionally identical to kaching, and deposits 1,000 Simoleons into the active household's funds.
- motherlode: Deposits 50,000 Simoleons into the active household's funds.
- Money [number]: Sets the active household's funds to the given amount.
- FreeRealEstate on: Makes all residential lots free to move into. (Apartment deposits become free but you still have to pay rent.)
Sims 4 Character Cheats
Changing a Sim's appearance
In ordinary gameplay, The Sims 4 allows you to use a mirror or dresser to re-enter a limited version of Create-A-Sim at any time. You can use this to change a Sim's outfits, make-up and accessories, hair colour and style, etc. As of Patch 113, you can also edit a Sim's likes and dislikes.
However, there are quite a few things you can't change about your Sim using a mirror, including their body shape, facial structure, skin tone and eye colour, traits and aspirations, gender and sexual orientation customisation, and more.
In order to fully re-enter CAS and modify your Sim without restrictions, you need to have debug cheats enabled (see above). Enter CAS.fulleditmode into the cheats console and then Shift + Click on your Sim. You should see an option called CAS Full Edit Mode. Clicking this will instantly take the entire household back to the full character creator.
Changing a Sim's personality and other character values
The vast majority of cheat codes in The Sims 4 relate to character values in some way. Many of these can't be changed even in CAS Full Edit Mode. If you want to overhaul any aspect of a character's Simology, check the table below, because there's probably a cheat for it:
| Cheat code | What it does | Variants (Base Game only) |
|---|---|---|
| fillmotive motive_[need] | Maxes out the named need for the active Sim. | fillmotive motive_Bladder fillmotive motive_Energy fillmotive motive_Fun fillmotive motive_Hunger fillmotive motive_Hygiene fillmotive motive_Social sims.fill_all_commodities (maxes all needs for every Sim in the active household) |
| traits.equip_trait Trait_[traitname] traits.remove_trait Trait_[traitname] | Adds or removes the named trait for the active Sim. | You need to type in the name of the trait as it appears in-game, but with no spaces, e.g.: traits.equip_trait Trait_ArtLover traits.remove_trait Trait_MusicLover |
| modifyrelationship [Sim1 fullname] [Sim2 fullname] [value] [relationship] | Sets the relationship values between the two named Sims. | Examples:
|
| stats.set_skill_level [skill] [value] | Sets the named skill value for the active Sim (Teen and older). |
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| stats.set_skill_level Skill_Child_[skill] [value] | Sets the named skill value for the active Sim (Child only). |
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| stats.set_skill_level Skill_Toddler_[skill] [value] | Sets the named skill value for the active Sim (Toddler only). |
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| career.[promote/demote] [career] | Promotes or demotes the active Sim to the next level in the named career (Young Adults and older). If the next level is a branch level, you'll be prompted to select a branch as normal. |
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| careers.[promote/demote] Teen_[grade/career/activity] | Promotes or demotes the active Sim to the next level in the named school grade, part-time career, or after-school activity (Teen only). |
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| careers.[promote/demote] [grade/activity] | Promotes or demotes the active Sim to the next level in the named school grade or after-school activity (Child only). | careers.promote Gradeschool |
| career.[add/remove]_career [career] | Join, quit, or retire from the named career. | careers.add_career [career] careers.remove_career [career] Careers.retire [career] |
| sims.add_buff buff_Pregnancy_Trimester[number] | Advances an existing Sim pregnancy to the named trimester. | sims.add_buff buff_Pregnancy_Trimester1 sims.add_buff buff_Pregnancy_Trimester2 sims.add_buff buff_Pregnancy_Trimester3 sims.add_buff buff_Pregnancy_InLabor |
| traits.[equip/remove]_trait [CauseOfDeath] | Active Sim becomes a playable ghost with the cause of death named. Note that they do not have a grave or urn. Alternatively, remove the cause of death to resurrect a playable ghost. |
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Sims 4 Build Mode Cheats
Despite the game's mixed reception in other areas, The Sims 4's build mode is widely praised as the best in the franchise so far. However, there are still some restrictions on your creativity that you might prefer to see removed. Enter the following cheats to give you a bit more freedom when designing your Sims' world.
- bb.moveobjects: Removes restrictions governing where objects can be placed. This can very easily result in builds that Sims can't actually interact with, but a surprising amount of the time you'll find Sims can still interact with objects as long as they aren't completely blocked.
- bb.ignoregameplayunlocksentitlement: Unlocks all career rewards in build/buy mode. (Note that it doesn't unlock career rewards in Create-A-Sim, however.)
- bb.showhiddenobjects: Enables all debug items in buy mode. You can see them all by entering the word debug into the build/buy search bar. (You'll need some patience to search out the one you want, since they all have the same name so there's no way to narrow down the search.) Many items such as fish, plants, etc. don't function as normal when accessed this way, so this cheat should be regarded as being for decorative purposes only.
- bb.showliveeditobjects: Gives you access to environmental objects that you can only see in out-of-bounds areas during ordinary gameplay, such as vehicles. These objects have no in-game function but can be used decoratively. You need to turn on the show hidden objects cheat (above) before you can see them in buy mode.
- bb.enablefreebuild: This cheat allows you to edit hidden lots, which in The Sims 4 are any lots you can't access directly from the map (including actual secret lots, active profession workplaces, supernatural sub-worlds, and the mountain peak in Mt. Komorebi). Travel to any lot you want to edit and then enter this cheat to gain full build/buy control. This has to be done when your active Sim(s) are on the lot you want to edit. You can also use this to edit other Sim houses when you visit them and change regular community lots. Note that you can't use this cheat to edit areas that aren't part of a lot, however, such as public walks between houses in residential neighbourhoods or shared areas in apartment buildings.
Additionally, you can resize objects by holding Shift + [ or Shift + ]. This isn't so much a cheat as a hidden feature, but it can be very useful when building.
Resized objects retain their functionality. Just be aware that Sims' animations when interacting with the object will stay the same, even if it's now much bigger or smaller than it should be. The results can be hilarious or unnerving, but are rarely photogenic.
Finally, clicking on a roof and using Shift + C gives you more freedom to manipulate roof shapes.
Sims 4 Camera Cheats
These aren't so much cheats as features that aren't readily advertised within the game itself. They remove the game's UI and give you more freedom to move the camera, which is useful if you're trying to capture a particular photo or gameplay clip. Note that you can't actively control your Sims while using these.
- Press Tab to toggle Cameraman Mode. While in this mode you can zoom in and out much further than is possible in ordinary gameplay, and pan to view areas of the current neighbourhood that would ordinarily be hidden off-screen.
- Press Shift + Tab to toggle First Person Mode. Your point-of-view will now be that of your currently controlled Sim. While the "camera" is now where your Sim's head is as they move around, you have total freedom to rotate your view around in ways that couldn't naturally be achieved. In other words, you can turn "your" head 360 degrees on all axes (and it's quite disturbing to find yourself staring down at your own back).
Sims 4 Quality of Life Cheats
Whether it's uncovering functions that make life easier for you as the player, or making things in-universe a bit more pleasant for your Sims, the following cheat codes will undoubtedly come in handy:
- aspirations.complete_current_milestone: Auto-completes the current Aspiration milestone for the active Sim, granting all associated Satisfaction Points.
- deathtoggle [true/false]: Disables (or re-enables) death. Note that a similar effect can be achieved by turning off ageing in the options menu, but that will only prevent death from old age; this cheat makes it impossible for Sims to die of any cause.
- fillmotive_[MotiveName]: Instantly refill the named need for the active Sim.
- fps [on/off]: Toggles an FPS counter in the corner of the screen.
- household.autopay_bills [true/false]: Toggles whether the active household will receive bills.
- headlineeffects [on/off]: Toggles the plumbob that appears above the head of the active Sim, plus other overhead indicators like the name/age/fame/club info panel, and the transparent hexagons used by non-played members of the currently assembled group.
- resetsim [FirstName] [LastName]: Resets a stuck Sim. Useful in situations where a Sim's action queue can't be cleared and thus they are unable to exit the current action. For Sims who are stuck in scenery, a simpler option is the Teleport Here debug command (see below).
- sims.get_sim_id_by_name [FirstName] [LastName]: Displays the Sim's hidden ID number. This information can be used in conjunction with a number of powerful developer cheats and shortcuts, such as the "summon" one below.
- sims.give_satisfaction_points [#]: Grant the active Sim the stated number of Satisfaction Points, used in the Simology Rewards Store.
- sims.summon_sim_to_zone [SimID]: Immediately summons the chosen Sim to the current lot.
In addition to these cheat codes, there are a lot of debug cheats in The Sims 4. As mentioned above under Character cheats, once you have testing cheats enabled, you'll be surprised how many things in the game you can shift-click to see their debug functions. There are far too many to go into detail about them all, but here are a few of my favourites:
Teleport Here
Whether they've glitched into a shrubbery or suddenly forgotten how stairs work, it's just a fact of life that sometimes Sims get stuck.
Luckily, if it's a Sim in your active household, you have some options before you're forced to start tearing up gardens and knocking down walls to free them. Shift + Click on the ground and select Teleport Here for a quick solution to the immediate problem.
Then you can work out what's interrupted their pathfinding without worrying about keeping their needs high in the meantime.
Make Me Happy / Cheat Need
Back in the olden days, resetting a Sim was a well-known exploit to cheat all of their needs back into the green, since doing so had the side-effect of fully refilling every need bar.
The Sims 4 is a bit more newfangled than that, but there's still a quick and easy way to cheat all their needs to full. With testing cheats enabled, simply shift+click on the Sim whose wellbeing has you concerned and select Make Me Happy from the self-interaction pie menu.
On a related note, you can instead (or additionally) select Cheat Need, which takes you to a sub-menu where you can toggle between disabling or enabling need decay. Disabling needs will freeze the active Sim's need bars exactly as they are in that moment, which could be very nice for them but also has some nefarious potential if you're so inclined.
Make Clean
House a mess? Too busy to clean? Too broke to hire a maid?
No need to worry, because with testing cheats enabled you can shift+click on a dirty object and select Make Clean (although I regret to inform you that this only works in the video game).
You can also, should you want to for some reason, click on a dirty-able object that isn't currently dirty and follow the same process but select Make Dirty instead, ya filthy animal.
Even if you're the straightlaced type who likes to play Sims without cheats (and I know some of you must exist), we've got gameplay guides galore for you as well! If the Simology cheats section of this page caught your eye, for example, you might like to know how to set your Sims' turn-ons and turn-offs and likes and dislikes in The Sims 4.