The New Sims 4 Control Overlay for PC and How to Disable It

In a recent update, The Sims 4 introduced a small, yet noticeable change for PC and Mac players, a new Sims 4 Control Overlay that offers a visual guide to basic gameplay controls. You can read the full patch notes here.

While this feature aims to improve accessibility and help new players navigate the game more easily, it hasn’t landed well with everyone. Some Simmers are saying it feels like Sims 4 PC is suddenly starting to feel like a console game (and personally, I agree! More on this later). 

So who is this change really going to be for? Whether you are a new player to The Sims 4 or a seasoned Simmer, this article will give you all of the details on the new control overlay, how it works, and, if you want, a step-by-step guide on how to disable it. 

What’s New?

The Sims 4 Control overlay is designed to act as a helpful in-game legend for players who might be unfamiliar with The Sims 4’s camera controls. Think of it as a quick-start guide, sitting right in the middle of your screen when you launch the game.

Here’s what it includes:

• Movement controls for the camera
• Rotation tools
• Floor-level switching
• Time controls
• Wall view toggles

The intention is to provide a smoother onboarding experience for new Simmers. If you’ve ever watched a friend struggle to figure out the camera controls of The Sims 4, you’ll understand how useful this could be to new players of the game.

Overview of the New UI Control Menu

The overlay appears in the center of your screen, displaying several floating control tips that relate to camera movement and view options.

Here’s what’s included:

• Move Camera: Arrow keys or right click/mouse drag
• Rotate camera: Mouse Scroll wheel button
• Change Floors: Page Up / Page Down
• Toggle walls: Home/end
• Control time: 1, 2, 3, 0 (pause)

While it does not really change or interfere with the existing UI, it adds a visual layer to your gameplay. For new players, this can be extremely helpful, but for seasoned simmers, this could feel intrusive or unnecessary. 

That’s when the option to disable it comes in handy.

How to Toggle New Game Control Settings

Disabling the Sims 4 Control Overlay is simple. Follow the following steps: 

1. Open the “Settings” menu from the pause menu.
2. Navigate to the “Tutorials & Tips” tab.
3. Uncheck “Enable help center icon & controls legend” OR uncheck “Show controls legend in the help center”.
4. Apply the changes and return to your game.

Once these settings are turned off, the control overlay should disappear completely.

Final Thoughts

The new Sims 4 Control Overlay is a new feature that is designed to help new players more easily understand the in-game camera controls. It is a step toward making the game more approachable for new players, especially those who might feel overwhelmed by all that there is to learn about The Sims 4.

As a longtime player myself, I see the value in it for new Simmers, but personally, I will be disabling it right away. For me, it feels pretty unnecessary for those of us who are already pretty familiar with  The Sims 4’s game mechanics. 

With this being said, there is still importance for accessibility features such as the Sims 4 Control Overlay. It feels like The Sims Team is trying to make the game more welcoming, and obviously, that is always a win in my book!

Let us know, are you keeping the overlay or are you on the team disabling it? Let us know below!