All the ways your Sims can die in The Sims 4, updated for all Pack Releases!

Whether you’re a Simmer searching for ways your Sim can avoid an untimely death, or a Simmer wanting to know how you can get your Sim into some new, tricky situations, you’ll find everything you need to know about all of The Sims 4 deaths right here!

Updated on February 16th, 2026 by author AlyFurlong to include all death types up to 2026.

Is Your Sim Ready to Meet Grim?

You can bet there is no shortage of ways to die in The Sims 4. Some of them are pretty normal deaths, like old age. Others are… kind of out there. And the more packs you own, the more odd The Sims 4 deaths seem to become.

Below, you can find each of The Sims 4 deaths across every pack released to date.

The Sims 4 Deaths: Base Game

Starvation

This death in The Sims 4 is straightforward. Neglect to feed your Sims for long enough, and they will die of starvation once their Hunger bar is depleted. Infants, Toddlers, Children, Cats, and Dogs will be taken by social services before they get to this point. Livestock will run away, leaving the family. Pet rodents can, however, starve to death.

This death type is expanded on by The Sims 4: Get Famous. Sims who get trapped in the Duck Security Screw 9E Super XL Smart Vault can starve to death inside it if not let out in time.

Fire

There are various ways to start a fire in The Sims 4. Cooking, lighting fireplaces near flammable objects, lighting fireworks, angry spectres, rocket ship crashes, and even letting your house become too dusty can all potentially start a fire. If your Sim catches on fire, extinguish them quickly, or they will burn to death! Pets and toddlers cannot die by fire, but children can.

Death by Fire is expanded on by several of the other The Sims 4 DLCs.

• Island Living Expansion Pack: With the Volcanic Activity Lot Challenge, a volcanic meteor could fall on your lot and start a fire. Your Sim could also Attempt to Touch the Meteor while it’s still hot, causing them to catch on fire.
• Adventure Awaits Expansion Pack: Sliding down the BamCo Merry Metal Slide on a hot day could cause your Sim to catch on fire.
• Laundry Day Stuff Pack: If your Sim hasn’t cleaned out their dryer’s lint trap, they could cause a fire the next time they run the dryer.
• Fitness Stuff Pack: The Stationary Wall Climber could experience a mechanical fire, catching your Sim on fire in the process.

Drowning

In previous iterations of The Sims, drowning a Sim was as easy as removing the pool ladder. In The Sims 4, our Sims are a little smarter and can climb out of the pool on their own. To drown a Sim in a pool these days, you’ll have to build walls or fencing all around the edge, blocking Sims in, and wait until their Energy motives completely deplete.

This death has been expanded over the years with the addition of two expansion packs:

• Get Famous Expansion Pack: Jumping into the Luminary’s Exotic Water Garden pond while it is stocked full of piranhas and sharks can trigger Death by Drowning.
• Island Living Expansion Pack: Sims can be lured to their death by a Siren’s Call, causing them to drown at sea. Additionally, Sims swimming in the deep waters of Mua Pel’am or Lan St. Taz may drown by being eaten by sharks.

Electrocution

Sims can die by electrocution while repairing broken electronics. They’ll need to get zapped twice: once to get the Seriously Fried moodlet, and again while it’s still active. The second jolt will kill them.

Death by Anger: Cardiac Explosion

When a Sim surpasses the Very Angry emotional state and becomes Enraged in The Sims 4, they have only a short amount of time to calm down before their heart explodes with rage and kills them!

Death by Laughter: Hysteria

In The Sims 4, Sims can truly laugh themselves to death. If they surpass the Very Playful emotional state and become Hysterical, you’d better calm them down fast before they die of laughter.

Death by Embarrassment: Mortification

In The Sims 4, if a Sim surpasses the Very Embarrassed emotional state and becomes Mortified, they will soon die from embarrassment if you don’t intervene to calm them down.

Old Age

Of all of The Sims 4 deaths, this one is fairly self-explanatory. With aging on, Sims will eventually grow old and die. It’s the circle of life. To get this death type, have an elder Sim and just wait it out. Grim will come for them when their time is up.

The Sims 4: Life & Death Expansion Pack expanded on this death. With this pack, Elder Sims can pass away peacefully in their sleep.

Overexertion

This The Sims 4 death type is more common in Elders. Elderly Sims are frail and don’t have the stamina that they used to. Things like exercise and WooHoo can cause them to become Dangerously Exhausted. If this Sim continues to exert themselves through strenuous activities, like WooHooing, they’ll die!

The Sims 4: Discover University expanded on this death. If a Sim overuses the Electromagnetic Research Archive Machine, they could also die of overexertion.

Cowplant

A staple The Sims death of the series, Sims can be eaten by their carnivorous Cowplant. In The Sims 4, your Sim can obtain a cowplant berry, plant it, and take good care of it until it grows into a fully grown Cowplant. It will stick its cake tongue out when it’s hungry. Use the Have a Sim Eat Cake interaction to get swallowed up by the Cowplant. The Cowplant will spit them up the first time, but if they get swallowed up again while their Uncomfortable moodlet is still active, they’ll be digested for good.

Meteor

This The Sims 4 death was added to the game in a free base game update. Along with new smaller telescopes came a new death type: death by meteor. If your Sims are stargazing at night and you receive a warning to get inside, you should listen and get your Sim indoors pronto. If you don’t, they’ll be struck and killed by a meteor!

The Sims 4 Deaths: Expansion Packs

City Living Expansion Pack

Pufferfish Poisoning

Hopefully, your Sim is a good cook, because eating poor-quality Pufferfish Nigiri can cause your Sim to die in The Sims 4! Sims can learn the Pufferfish Nigiri recipe by eating it from the Japanese Food Stall in San Myshuno. Sims in a bad mood or with low Cooking skill have a higher chance of making poor-quality Pufferfish Nigiri.

Seasons Expansion Pack

Overheating

Staying out in the hot sun without appropriate hot weather clothing or swimwear can cause your Sims to overheat and die. Sims may also start to feel too warm if the heat or fireplace is on during a heatwave.

Freezing

Likewise, staying outside in freezing cold without warm winter clothing will cause your Sim to freeze to death. Swimming in colder weather will make your Sim really cold, really fast!

Lightning

In The Sims 4, thunderstorms can be deadly too! If you choose to stay outside during a thunderstorm, you may be struck by lightning. This could be cool the first time, but you risk dying if you get struck again while still Dazed. Or you could become Supercharged and temporarily gain the ability to control lightning. So maybe it’s worth the risk?

Death Flower

If a Sim scents a floral arrangement with a death flower and gifts it to an Elder Sim in The Sims 4, the elder Sim will die by Death Flower! Gifting a death-flower-scented arrangement to younger Sims will just cause them to age up. Interestingly enough, gifting this item to a vampire turns them human.

Discover University Expansion Pack

Catastrophic Meltdown

This The Sims 4 death is unique to Servos. If a Servo goes too long without maintenance, they can break down and suffer a catastrophic meltdown. The poor servo will deteriorate into spare parts, leaving behind a futuristic-looking tombstone.

Eco Lifestyle Expansion Pack

Flies

The classic death by flies makes a comeback from The Sims 2! Letting your trash overflow can attract flies to the smelly junk heap, but the flies are anything but harmless. They are a death waiting to happen. Sims risk being eaten alive by the buzzing pests if they try to get up close and personal with them.

Beetles

Sims who drink beetle juice three times in a row instantly become a ghost with no death notification or urn spawn. This doesn’t appear to be any particular death type and is more of an easter egg; it’s a reference to the movie Beetlejuice.

Snowy Escape Expansion Pack

Vending Machine

You can get all kinds of neat things out of vending machines in Mt. Komorebi but be careful; vending machines get items stuck in them a lot and your Sims can be crushed by the vending machine while trying to get the item unstuck. Having a vending machine fall on your Sim while they still have the Close Call moodlet from being previously crushed will cause a The Sims 4 death.

Rock Climbing Fall

Rock climbing is an exhilarating sport, but it’s also a potential death in The Sims 4. Especially near the summit of Mt. Komorebi. Inexperienced climbers have a high chance of falling to their deaths from The Croft Icefall on a mountain excursion.

Cottage Living Expansion Pack

Killer Rabbit

Who said bunnies were all cuddly and cute all the time? Haven’t you seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail? Well this Sims 4 death is a scene right out of that movie. These fluffy little critters may seem sweet at first, but get on their bad side, and they might just decide to turn vicious on you!

You can easily use this death on your Sim by using the Be Slain by a Vicious Killer Rabbit self-interaction with the following cheat enabled: testingcheats true. This will only kill the active Sim and can’t be used to kill other Sims.

Killer Chicken

Needless to say, you should be nice to your chickens if you want good quality eggs, but there’s another benefit to being friends with your chickens: not being murdered by them. No, seriously. Do enough mean socials with your chicken, and they will decide to go all velociraptor on you and peck you to death in The Sims 4!

High School Years Expansion Pack

Urban Myth

The High School Years expansion includes two new Sims 4 deaths, including Death by Urban Myth. At level 8 of the Mischief skill, Sims unlock the Summon Urban Myth Mischief interaction on other Sims. The first time, both Sims will just get scared and laugh it off, but do it again while your Sim is still scared, and that urban myth will come to life and kill your Sim! What a way to die in The Sims 4!

Stink Capsule

This Sims 4 death can happen to any teen who thinks it’s funny to prank the school lockers. After reaching level 3 of the Mischief skill, teens can click on lockers to plant a stink capsule in them. Every time you do this, there’s a chance the prank backfires and stinks your Sim instead. If you attempt to prank a locker again while your teen still has the Self-Stinked moodlet, the second backfire will be deadly!

Lovestruck Expansion Pack

Broken Heart

Dying from a broken heart is not just an expression; it can really happen in The Sims 4! Too many sad events back-to-back, like several deaths or breakups, can cause your Sim to die of a broken heart.

Additionally, Sims with the Very Sad moodlet should avoid eating the Sweetheart’s Box, or they may die of a broken heart.

Life & Death Expansion Pack

Murder of Crows

Sims who use the Provoke interaction too many times on the Pet Crow may end up being attacked and dying by a murder of crows!

Baleful Bog

Submerging in Ravenwood’s Baleful Bog lets your Sim have an Out of Body Experience, turning them temporarily into a Ghost. Doing this too many times in a row will cause your Sim to become a Ghost forever! Your Sim’s death will be automatically assigned a random death type based on the packs you own.

Enchanted by Nature Expansion Pack

Emotional Starvation

Since Fairies in The Sims 4 don’t have the traditional Hunger or Bladder Needs, they must focus on their Emotional Force instead. If this Need is depleted, they will die of Emotional Starvation.

Emotional Overload

Fairies thrive off of emotion and need it for survival in The Sims 4. Absorbing too much emotion, however, will cause your Fairy Sim to become emotionally unstable. Continuing to Absorb Emotion or Detect Emotion in this state can trigger the Hysterical, Enraged, or Mortified moodlet. These will quickly lead to Death by Anger, Death by Embarrassment, or Death by Laughter.

Royalty & Legacy Expansion Pack

Malfunctioning Cuckoo Clock

If a Cuckoo Clock has been sabotaged, there is a chance that using the Check Malfunctioning Cuckoo interaction could kill your Sim! Your Sim may be lucky enough to get a warning the first or second time, but it is probably best to proceed with caution.

The Sims 4 Deaths: Game Packs

Spa Day Game Pack

Steam

Saunas can be relaxing, but don’t overdo it! Staying in the sauna too long can be fatal. Your Sim may get too much steam if you leave them in there for too long. Talk about a Sims 4 death too hot to handle!

Vampires Game Pack

Sunlight

This Sims 4 death is unique to vampires. Leave a Vampire Sim out in the sun until their Vampiric Energy completely depletes, and you’ll have an extra crispy vampire tombstone on your hands. Vampires with the Full Sun Resistance ability are immune to this death type.

Jungle Adventure Game Pack

Poison

If you’re planning a trip to the wild jungles of Selvadorada, beware of the danger. Temple traps and creepy crawlies in the jungle can poison your Sims. Sometimes they can fight it off on their own, and sometimes they can’t. If your Sim isn’t able to overcome the poison on their own, they’ll need an antidote quick, or they will eventually succumb to this Sims 4 death after a few days.

Strangerville Game Pack

Consumed by the Mother

This death requires your Sims to play through the StrangerVille Mystery storyline. When you get far enough along in the story, you’ll come face-to-face with a terrifying plant monster known only as The Mother. She means business. If your Sim rushes into battle unprepared, she will gobble your Sim up, and that’s the end of your Sim. This is definitely a unique way to die in The Sims 4.

Realm of Magic Game Pack

Spellcaster Overload

This Sims 4 death is unique to Spellcasters. A Spellcaster needs to watch their magical charge; casting too much magic too quickly can cause them to become overcharged. If a Spellcaster continues to use magic while overcharged, they can literally explode. Boom! No more Spellcaster.

The Sims 4 Deaths: Stuff Packs

My First Pet Stuff Pack

Rabid Rodent Fever

Another old favorite returns in The Sims 4. If a rodent with a dirty cage bites your Sim, they can contract Rabid Rodent Fever. This Sims 4 death starts as a highly contagious illness that spreads to everyone in the household if you don’t act fast to quarantine the infected Sim. Neglecting to cure them with Rabid Rodent Fever Medicine will result in death after a few days.

Tiny Living Stuff Pack

Crushed by Murphy Bed

And yet another fan-favorite death type from The Sims universe returns. Murphy beds are great space savers, but uh… make sure you upgrade them as soon as possible. They have a bad habit of falling on your Sims and killing them. Like a lot.

Romantic Garden Stuff Pack

Whispering Wishing Well

Making a wish in the Whispering Wishing Well can be risky, but doing so in a bad mood can be deadly! Sims who make a wish while in a bad mood could be turned into a Ghost, with their type of death automatically applied based on the packs you own.

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Out of all of The Sims 4 deaths, which one is your favorite? Are there any death types from The Sims universe you wish they’d bring back? Let us know in the comments below!