We have some raunchy new words added to the official Sims Dictionary.
There seems to be a new surprise addition with the last Sims 4 SDX Drop, and that’s a new Simlish Song added to The Sims 4 Pop Station. Kim Petras, a German pop singer and songwriter makes another Simlish debut after the song “Malibu” premiered with Eco Lifestyle Expansion in 2020.
“Kim Petras” Household on The Gallery (sirenv4mpire EA ID)
Song titled “XXX” from her 2022 EP “Slut Pop” is now a part of The Sims 4 Base Game, and we have a full simlish song preview and behind the scenes takes of this new Simlish Pop masterpiece.
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Behind The Scenes of New The Sims 4 Simlish Song
A new video of recording the “XXX” Simlish song version has been published on Kim Petras’ official Instagram Story. Pop Crave on X captures the entire behind the scenes look down below:
LA-based Pop Singer Kim Petras also revealed on her IG Story the full Simlish lyrics translation. Giving us some new official Simlish words that we can add to the dictionary.
The new Simlish Song by Kim Petras can be found in The Sims 4 Base Game with the latest SDX Drop. Simply head over to the Music > Pop Radio Station and find the “XXX” song title.
If you can’t jump into your Sims 4 game straight away we have a full Simlish Song that you can listen below:
What do you think about the new Simlish Song in The Sims 4? Join the conversation below and stay tuned on Sims Community for more Sims Celebrity updates!
Complete walkthrough of Week 2 Quests and Rewards!
The Sims Team has just rolled out Week 2 for The Sims 4 Blast From The Past Event. Bringing two new quests for you to accumulate new Points and unlock new Rewards.
In the new Quests you’ll have to do extra research at the Library and Museum, gather needed materials and craft a Time Travel Component. With new Rewards such as the Alarm Clock, Banquet Table and Emit Relevart Costume in CAS!
Without further ado, let’s jump into the new Quests and Rewards for this week:
Table of Contents
Echoes Of Time Quest
After discovering the IOU Note, you realize that understanding the secrets of time travel is crucial to stopping the thief. With Emit’s guidance, continue learning everything about this mysterious phenomenon.
Read the History of Time Travel at a Library (+25 Event Points) – A little knowledge of time travel might help on where to begin! Go to a Library Venue, and select Read History of Time Travel from a bookshelf.
Experience the Past by Playing The Sims Archives vol. 2 (+25 Event Points) – The book at the library had some interesting theories about time travel and video games. Select Play Game and then Play The Sims Archives vol. 2 on a Computer to explore the past.
Study a Historical Display at a Museum (+25 Event Points) – A museum might help to find additional clues. After all, that’s where the past comes to life! Travel to a Museum Venue, select Study Historical Display on any work of art or sculpture.
Personal Tip: All you have to do is select the View interaction on any painting or sculpture inside of a museum!
Ask an Elder about the Shard (+15 Event Points) – Maybe someone who has been around for a while knows something about the Shard. Find an elder Sim, and select Ask about Shard.
Elder Story
I never thought they were real! I remember stories from when I was a youngster about something like this. People believed it was an echo from the past which could be used for time travel. But, I always thought they were just that, stories.
Research Shards of Time (+25 Event Points) – The internet has the answers to everything! There must be more information on the Shards of Time there!
Select Web… and then Research… and then Research Shards of Time on a Computer to do one last search.
Search Objects for Shards of Time (3 Required) (+35 Event Points) – Even everyday items can contain echoes of the past. Select Search for Shard of Time on items such as Sofas, Bookshelves, Computers, Refrigerators or maybe other objects. If you’re observant, you will find one…or three!
Show Emit the Shards of Time (+25 Event Points) – Emit absolutely must see the Shards! Maybe he knows something more. Select Show Shards of Time on Emit.
Emit can be found at Magnolia Blossom Park, or select the Social category on the Phone to Invite Emit Over.
Inventing The Past Quest
Having discovered the secret element of time travel, Emit has challenged you to become a time traveler as well! Continue this quest to find out how to build a time travel component.
Read Theoretical Electronics at a Library (+25 Event Points) – Nikolai Volt was a genius in the field of theoretical electronics before his time. His book is kept at the library for historical preservation.
Go to a Library Venue and select Read Theoretical Electronics from a Bookshelf.
Collect Plathinum (+35 Event Points) – To find Plathinum, search for rocks or dirt mounds ready to be dug up. Look closely for when they appear, or speed up the process of rock formation by using Ultra Speed from the time controls.
Explore areas like parks, and seek out rocks with crystals or dirt mounds, and select Dig. A great place to look is Desert Bloom Park in Oasis Springs!
Repair Something while Handiness Level 2 or Higher (+35 Event Points) – Build Handiness skill by fixing broken items, upgrading objects such as Sinks or Toilets, or reading books on Handiness. With a skill level 2 or higher, select Repair on a broken object.
Obtain an Electronic Upgrade Part (+25 Event Points) – Electronic Upgrade Parts can be obtained in a couple of ways. Repairing a broken electronic object may yield an upgrade part. Be careful, as fire can easily be the outcome of the unskilled. Or Select Order and then Purchase Upgrade Parts… from a Computer.
Exercise Your Mind while Level 2 or Higher in Logic (+35 Event Points) – Spend some time preparing to expand your mind by performing any logic activity. Logic is built on things like Playing Chess, Using the Telescope or Microscope, or Reading a Book on Logic.
Collect Ironyum (+35 Event Points) – To find Ironyum, search for rocks or dirt mounds ready to be dug up. Look closely for when they appear, or speed up the process of rock formation by using Ultra Speed from the time controls.
Build the Time Travel Component (+15 Event Points) – To build a time travel component, first make sure you have:
Level 2 in both Handiness and Logic
A piece of Ironyum and Plathinum
An Electronic Upgrade Part
A Shard of Time
If any of the components are missing, select Replace on a Mailbox to recover the needed parts. From your inventory, select Build Time Travel Component on a Shard of Time.
Sims 4 Blast From The Past Event: Week 2 Rewards
The Week 2 of The Sims 4 Blast From The Past Live Event contains 10 total new rewards. Including six exclusive event items and four base game prizes. Here’s what you’ll be able to unlock during your second week:
Handiness Vol 1: Try Not To Die! Skill Book
Get Up! Alarm Clock
Missing Sim Milk Carton (Bella Goth)
500 Simoleons
The Relevart Neck Stabilizer Bowtie
Bigger Gatherings Banquet Table
Logic Vol 1: An Introduction To Reason Skill Book
Missing Sim Milk Carton
Be “The Emit” Full Body Outfit
Programming Vol 1: Turn It Off And On Again Skill Book
Reward Overviews
Two New Missing Sim Milk Cartons
This week’s new Missing Sim Cartons from The Sims 4 Blast From The Past Event are Bella Goth, Starry-Eyed Stargazer and Skip Broke, Prolific Father.
New Items In Build Description
Get Up! Alarm Clock
The Get Up! Alarm Clock comes in 10 different unique swatches, including:
This object is fully functional. Meaning that you can set the time for the alarm to ring at any time of day to get your Sim up and ready.
Bigger Gatherings Banquet Object
A massive amount of 28 swatches is included with the Bigger Gatherings Banquet Table. Allowing you to set the tone for any Social Event – from Weddings to Funerals.
The object lets you serve a premade assortment of dishes, or you can choose to stock it with any recipe of your choice:
The Relevart Neck Stabilizer Bowtie
Be “The Emit” Full Body Outfit
The third week of The Sims 4 Blast From The Past Live Event is set to begin on February 18th, 2025 at 9AM Pacific Time. To make things easier for everyone we’ve included a handy countdown below which should let you know when to expect Week 3 of this live event!
Countdown to Week 3 of The Sims 4 Blast From The Past Live Event
Did you enjoy the latest two new quests from The Sims 4 Blast From The Past Event? Let us know your opinion in the comments below and stay tuned for all the latest Live Event Updates!
Prioritize your Bucket List Goals with these Hot Takes!
We all have wants, dreams, and goals we hope to achieve in life, right? Well, so do Sims! The Sims 4 Life & Death expansion pack introduced an aspect of gameplay called the Bucket List, and we are loving it. The Bucket List lets your sim live their life (and…afterlife) to the fullest. Keep on reading for our Sims 4 Life and Death guide including tips, tricks, and hot takes on this exciting feature!
The Bucket List Guide
What are Bucket Lists in The Sims 4 Life & Death?
Bucket Lists are available in The Sims 4 Life & Death pack for teens, young adults, adults, and elders. Kids, toddlers, and infants need time to grow a bit first! Once your sim becomes a teen, their Bucket List will appear in the aspiration tab with four slots for their Undiscovered Goals.
To write goals, select the “Unfinished Business” option from a computer or diary. These can be random goals (Write Goal), goals from certain categories (Write Goal from Category), or even specific goals (Write the Perfect Goal). If you’re not a fan of the goals your sim writes, you can select Scrap Bucket List to start over. This will erase all current Bucket List goals, including goals that are in progress, and open up space to choose new ones.
Make sure to hover over the goal in your Bucket List to read the description with hints on how to achieve it. Completing these helps your sim progress through their Soul’s Journey.
Ghost Sims
Did your sim laugh at a joke so hard that they died? Try fixin’ up the stove without any practice, and get electrocuted to death? Or even just decide they want to give the afterlife a shot as a ghost? No matter how they met Grim, don’t worry! The ghost sim you know and love can still cross items off their bucket list.
Living sims can only progress to the Dreams Fulfilled tier, but there’s much more to explore in the afterlife. If they didn’t give it a try in their living form, your ghost sim can choose to start their Soul’s Journey now and check goals off their bucket list. Ghost sims that made progress on their Soul’s Journey during their life will pick up where they left off and take care of any unfinished business.
The Soul’s Journey is made up of eight tiers
The Road Ahead-Unlocking thistier gives your sim the ability to gain extra Satisfaction Points going forward in life.
Making Headway- Reaching this tier gives your sim extra skill gain bonuses.
Finding Purpose- With this tier unlocked, your sim will receive bonus gains to their career performance, extra discounts on computer purchases, and access to the Share Soul’s Journey interaction.
No Regrets- Unlocking this tier will extend your living sims lifespan. Ghost sims will get the option to Move Onto the Grave to move on from this world and enjoy peace.
Quite a Journey- Sims who have reached this tear will be able to use the Pass Down social interaction and create additional Heirloom objects.
Dreams Fulfilled- Living and Ghost sims alike who reach this tier will unlock the Rebirth option. Living sims will be given the choice to be reborn at death, but Ghost sims will be able to make this choice at any point by going for a swim in the Baleful Bog in the Mourningvale neighborhood of Ravenwood.
Newfound Purpose- Unlocking this tier gives your sim the ability to gain extra Ghost Mastery experience points. *This tier is only available to ghost sims.
Big Picture- This tier will give your sim enhanced stamina when performing Ghost Mastery, the Burning Soul trait, and the Peer into Soul interaction on mirrors. *This tier is only available to ghost sims.
Tip: Timing, Timing, Timing
Completing your sim’s Soul’s Journey is not an easy task. It shouldn’t be! It is your sim’s soul, after all. If that is your goal, you’d better focus on timing. Start working on the journey as a teen to set your sim up for success.
The goals for teens tend to be tailored to the teenage lifestyle, so activities like attending prom, having their first kiss, or getting a part-time job will appear as options. These are (usually) easier to complete than some of the more time-consuming goals that appear later in your sim’s life.
Entering young adulthood with a tier or two of the Soul’s Journey completed gives you plenty of time to finish it out through a few more goals. The goals during adulthood can range from easy-as-pie to what-did-I-get-myself-into, sometimes having multiple tasks per goal. Once you have progressed to the fourth tier, your sim’s lifespan will extend, giving you even more time to cross goals off of your Bucket List.
Remember: time is of the essence!
Trick: Two Birds, One Stone Method
To quickly complete your sim’s goals and progress through their Soul’s Journey, I recommend using something I call the “Two Birds, One Stone Method”. This means you choose similar goals that your sim can complete simultaneously or soon after. When writing your sim’s goals, select four goals of the same category. Usually, the steps taken to achieve goals in the same category are the same or similar.
Choosing “I want to get busy” four times created four Woohoo-related goals. Once my sim finds a Woohoo Partner, she is set to cross off these goals and progress through her Soul’s Journey! If you choose this method, you may need to scrap your Bucket List a few times before goals with similarities appear.
Hot Take: Creative or Genius?
Notice anything interesting about your goals? A lot of these goals are pretty mundane tasks like, “Enjoy a trip to the countryside”, which asks your sim to spend a day frolicking through Henford-on-Bagely with the rabbits and locals. Or “I want to climb a mountain!”, asking your sim to climb to the top of Mt. Komorebi. It seems like the Sims creators found a creative (dare I say…genius?) way to get our Sims out to explore parts of the world and interact with items that are sometimes overlooked during gameplay.
These goals might not fit into your storyline at first, but letting your sim complete them may lead you to all new in-game experiences. Who knows what you’ll uncover!
What are your thoughts on Bucket Lists in The Sims 4 life & death pack?
Family Recipe System, difference between Small Business and Retail and more interesting discoveries!
It’s been an interesting week for EA and Maxis revealing the upcoming The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies Expansion Pack. Just a few short hours after its announcement, @anadius reported about an incident of EA accidentally exposing an earlier build of the 18th Expansion Pack on Steam. Revealing hundreds of megabytes of in-development files.
Now, it’s worth noting that all the information you’ll see below belongs to a feature time capsule from August 2024. Which is from when these files supposedly date back to. We have a lot more to learn about the upcoming Pack with the next Gameplay reveal set for this month. Until then, let’s see what the developers have been cooking up!
New Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies Gameplay Discoveries
Newer discoveries about The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies revolve around random features coming with the pack. Including a new Pack-exclusive fear of being cancelled, “customer appreciation days” and more!
Something called customer appreciation day?
You can make jellybeans out of any harvestable
New fear: Fear of being cancelled.
“Family Recipes” system – pass down family recipes (Including new baked goods)
Tattooing and Pottery Likes & Dislikes
Jazz, Vintage, & Contemporary BB tags
New stalls: Bakery & Crafts
New mystery surrounding “Hoffmans” & “Loudens”
Reward trait: Hidden Spice
Small Business Events & Business Perks
As you progress through running your small business you’ll be greeted with different “Chance Card” opportunities. Either rewarding you with business progress, reputation and simoleons or cursing you with negative buffs.
Business Events (Chance Cards)
Computer virus
Investment Grant
Money Interview
Competition
Celebrity
Tax Audit
Online Review
Fake Payment
Business Perks:
Muscle Memory
Store Pheremone
Sway To Buy
Schemer
Dreamer
Skilful
Sleep
SimoCoin
Final Touch
Get Together Pack Integration
We now know the four group interaction activities that you’ll be able to customize with Clubs from The Sims 4 Get Together Expansion. There are four additional activities that Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies will provide for creating more personalized Clubs, including:
There’s a reason Maxis keeps implying the word “Small Business” throughout the features of The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies expansion. And that’s because there are some constraints to running a Retail Business.
welp i think i found the only sales related thing in the entire ep files, which calls it “light retail”, checking for decoration slots, meaning this is where the actual retail business is being “superior”. you can only sell slottable items (clutter, crafts) nothing else
what does bother me about the retail aspect of small businesses is that the customers will do this amazing, never seen before animation that every simmer at heart loves to witness when purchasing an item and walking away
So if you’ve been looking to sell bigger objects like couches and chairs, you’ll still need The Sims 4 Get To Work Expansion for bigger retail store features.
Skill Classes
Did you know that there’s a great way of earning Simoleons by teaching classes in this Expansion Pack? Check out the full list of Cross-Pack Skill Classes coming!
Residental Rentals Do NOT Work with Small Business Lots
A feature that some simmers speculated about wanting to play with The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies Expansion Pack seems to be put to rest with the latest leak. Player @lunar_britney discovered that there are clear limitations in the code that prevent you from creating a Small Business within a Residental Rental Lot.
To be fair though, a similar scenario was put in place with The Sims 2 Open For Business and Apartment Life. Although I am still hoping for additional feature improvements like we’ve gotten with a Lovestruck update that allowed for Penthouse Rental Lots.
11 Sims 4 Main Menu Mods with new layouts, features, and more!
In January, players were introduced to the new main menu layout in the Behind The Sims livestream. Since this redesign, we have seen it go through a couple of iterations already. Most recently the backdrop has been reworked to fit the 25th anniversary aesthetic.
The current design of the main menu.
Since then many content creators have released mods overhauling the main menu for those wishing for a different aesthetic, with some even introducing new features. So if the current menu isn’t fitting your current vibe, then look no further as I have compiled a list of [NUMBER] of Sims 4 Main Menu Mods to restyle your game with.
Table of Contents
Online Backgrounds Disabled – Lunar Britney
This simple mod is highly recommended if you want to use custom backdrops in the main menu. It is not required for all in this list, however, if you are having trouble with getting your newly installed main menu mod to work then this may be the key to fixing it. You can find this over on Lunar Britney’s page on Mod The Sims.
Another fantastic mod from Lunar Britney! If you’re feeling nostalgic for simpler times then this redesign is perfect. Thanks to Lunar Britney on Mod The Sims we can now travel back to 2019 when the main menu wasn’t filled with adverts, and you could easily see every pack you own.
An added bonus of this mod is the inclusion of the splash screen you used to get when you installed a new pack. This works with all new packs yet retains that classic-style pop-up players would get.
This beautiful redesign from Simsiboy is reminiscent of last years roadmap in the leadup to the release of the Life and Death Expansion Pack. With this new main menu, you can hit ‘H’ to show/hide your most recently played household. This menu is also fully animated with a bright shimmer rippling across the mystic plumbob. If you’re not already in love with Simsiboy’s design, just wait until you see the next entry on our list.
Another fantastic redesign from Simsiboy. If you aren’t a fan of the occult then this might be more your speed. This main menu mod features 12 backgrounds that will randomly rotate each time you load up the game and can be manually switched by hitting the spacebar. The mod includes backdrops from locations across a variety of packs such as Strangerville, San Sequoia, Henford-on-Bagley and many more.
Over on Patreon, user Nenusia has created 10 stunning backgrounds featuring locations from around SimNation. My examples above show just a handful of the stunning views. Similar to Simsiboy’s Mod you can show/hide your current household by pressing ‘T’ on your keyboard. Locations Included:
For those of you who enjoy either the History Challenge or Ultimate Decades Challenge then creator VII has you covered with two new Medieval-themed backgrounds. This backdrop is perfect for players like myself who enjoy historical gameplay. If you want to find out more about the decades challenge we recently covered it in an article all about challenges for The Sims 4! VII’s mod is available from the Curseforge page linked below. Be sure to also check out their other amazing pieces of historical CC.
If you haven’t got your nostalgia fix from the recent re-release of The Sims and The Sims 2, then this main menu Mod by Viddfork is perfect. Featuring the iconic loading screen from The Sims 2 with the icons redesigned to fit The Sims 4’s aesthetic, this mod is sure to bring back memories of the family computer circa 2008. You can find the Mod on Viddfork’s Tumblr below.
Last month Jovan covered the Refreshed Main Menu Mod by Simmattically and if you are not already familiar with it then you’re missing out! There are plenty of fantastic screenshots that suit the main menu perfectly and the Mod even includes some functionality. You can press ‘R’ to cycle through the various backgrounds, press ‘S’ to show/hide the News tab, and there is no annoying red notification on the Store button for those who don’t own all packs.
This Mod comes in a variety of flavours including a dynamic edition, a Fall edition, and a dark mode edition for those who don’t want to be blinded in the middle of a midnight sims session! A new update is coming soon for the mod and will be available for public release soon so keep an eye on Simatically’s Patreon for updates.
Another amazing Mod from Simmatically, this one being slightly less functional but just as beautiful as the Refreshed Main Menu Mod. This ‘frames’ your family front and centre and if you’re not a fan of the modern frame there is also a wooden version available. There are three styles of wallpaper; Green, Sky Blue, and Deep Blue. And good news for those who hate ads, the News panel is now hidden by default. You can unhide it by hitting ‘S’ on your keyboard.
Similar to Nenusia’s Mod mentioned earlier, this tranquil background comes from Nekochan on Patreon. This snapshot of a custom build is perfect for anyone whose favourite world is Mt Komorebi. Be sure to check out Nekochan’s other CC before we move on to another one of their Main Menu Mods next!
For those of you who like the current main menu design, but just aren’t vibing with the choice of colour, then Nekochan has come up with a variety of pastel colours to replace the harsh blue with. I am a big fan of the pink background, however, you can also choose a pastel purple tone, and a shade of blue that is less garish than the default.
As a lifelong fan of the colour yellow, I could not pass up the opportunity to try out Amethyst-Lilac’s Pastel Gradient Mod. This is for players who prefer their experience to be simpler without the distraction of animations and flashy graphics. The background comes in a handful of colours such as pink, orange, and blue, and even has a rainbow swatch. Amethyst-Lilac also has several other Main Menu Mods that feature in-game locations including the often forgotten ‘Forgotten Grotto’.
What are your thoughts on these Sims 4 Main Menu Mods? Let us know if you’ve spotted – or created – a similar Mod yourself and stay tuned for all the latest Sims 4 Mods updates!
A loving family with a left out middle child, and a seminal 25th birthday fast approaching…
Editor’s Note: I’m so happy to say that our The Sims 4 Story Starter Kits are back in action! No, we’re not talking about official Sims 4 Kits releases. But rather our own original Save Game Starter Kits for Simmers to use. Each bringing a unique Household with a deep backstory and a fully furnished Lot for Simmers to download from The Gallery.
This amazing idea was originally created by our former author SnarkyWitch; whose brilliant collection of 22 Starter Kits can be found here!
In this base game only Sims 4 story starter kit, the middle child of the family, Maddy Allister often feels like the black sheep of her family, especially since her last birthday was forgotten! Since then, her relationship with her siblings Margo and Adam and her mother Jaqueline has been difficult to say the least. Maddy’s 25th birthday is fast approaching; can her family throw a party so good that family relationships can begin to mend?
Hard working single parent Jaqueline has devoted her life to giving her children more opportunities than she had at their age. However, years spent tirelessly working dawn till dusk to provide a stable home for her children kept her busy 24/7, and whilst her relationship with her youngest and oldest children remains secure, poor middle child Maddy often ended up unintentionally left out.
An avid gamer, Maddy has long dreamt of a career in tech, one that could hopefully end up in her making and publishing a video game entirely of her own design. Unfortunately, her business-minded mother doesn’t see this as a viable career path. Video game programming seems a new and unstable industry to her, and worried about her daughter experiencing the same struggles she did as a young adult, has tried many a time to talk her out of it. However, this only served to inspire stubborn Maddy to retreat to her room, spending every waking hour working towards making her dream a reality so she can prove her mother wrong.
Maddy’s older sister Margo has always had a taste for fashion and aspires to become a world-renowned designer. Following her mother’s business tips, she was able to secure a stable job in the industry with good opportunities for progression. Over the years, Margo and Maddy grew apart, as Maddy interpreted her mother’s lack of worry over her sister’s career as favouritism and began to resent Margo because of it. And as any attempts for the sisters to spend time together often ended in Margo trying to turn it into a photoshoot, Maddy soon gave up on trying to share her own interests, and so their relationship fell into disrepair.
Adam, the playful and outgoing youngest sibling, share’s Margos love for photo opportunities and impressed his mother by showing dedication and a nurturing personality by taking up a part time job in babysitting. An extrovert through and through, Adam tried many a time to encourage Maddy to come out to parties and social gatherings, but as she shared few interests with Adam’s friends, she would often end up sitting on the sidelines whilst the group laughed and chatted without her. Upset, she soon stopped accepting his invitations, and so he eventually stopped inviting her.
And so Maddy and her family slowly grew apart. Although they all cared deeply for her, none of them realised how bad it was, or how left out Maddy must feel, until one year they all forgot her birthday. Due to one reason or another, everyone was busy – Jaqueline had taken overtime at work, Margo had several assignments due for work and was out taking photographs, and Adam had been invited to a friend’s house for the day. Maddy awoke to an empty house. No one was home all day, and she went to bed before anyone came back, and cried herself to sleep. She hadn’t expected much, but she had hoped for something, anything, even just a cake and to be sung ‘happy birthday’. But nothing. She had felt forgotten about before, but on a day that was supposed to be about her, it was so much worse. She was devastated, and she felt like this was the final straw that confirmed the feeling that had been growing inside her for years – that her family didn’t care about her.
In reality, they did care, they cared a lot, but they hadn’t realised how little they had done in recent years to show that. They felt awful and tried to apologise and make it up to her, but Maddy wouldn’t hear it. She locked herself away in her room and become determined to move out as soon as possible. She would make new friends, she told herself, choose a new family, find people who would remember her birthday.
Almost a year has passed now since then, and Maddy’s 25th birthday is approaching. Her mother and siblings have had it on their calendar all year, determined not to make the same mistake as last year. With Maddy so resolved to move out, they are all painfully aware of how little time they have left to make amends, and how important it is that they throw the most amazing, perfect party for her this year. But do they even know Maddy well enough anymore to make her birthday how she wants it? Will their grand gesture be enough to make her reconsider cutting them out of her life, or will it be too little too late? There’s only one way to find out…
The Allisters Household
From left to right: Adam Allister, Jaqueline Allister, Margo Allister and Maddy Allister
The Sims 4 Story Starter Kit: Birthday Blues Household Info
Adam Allister
A playful, outgoing character, Adam loves to socialise and spends much of his time meeting up with friends and partying! He lives a hectic life, struggling to balance his social life, school, and babysitting at the weekends, and can rarely make time for anything else.
Age: Teen
Pronouns: He/Him
Traits: Outgoing, Goofball
Aspiration: Friend of the world
Likes: Fishing, Handiness, Black, Blue, Purple, Alternative Music
Dislikes: Programming, Yellow, Classical Music
Skills: Charisma (3), Fishing (2)
Career: High School B Student, Babysitter
Relationships:
Jacqueline Allister: Mother
Margo Allister: Older Sister
Maddy Allister: Older Sister
Packs used: Base game only
Jacqueline Allister
Jacqueline Allister is the definition of hard-working, willing to go through hell if necessary to ensure her three children have good lives, and opportunities she didn’t. She is eager for them to succeed in life, though perhaps due to her own struggles, her definition of ‘success’ is a little narrower than it should be?
Age: Elder
Pronouns: She/Her
Traits: Bookworm, Neat, Family-Oriented
Aspiration: Successful Lineage
Likes: Cooking, Gardening, Purple, Pink, Classical Music
Dislikes: Programming, Video Gaming, Orange, Pop Music
An aspiring fashion designer, Margo spends most of her time trying on outfits and taking photographs of her meticulously styled clothing combinations. Unfortunately, she can’t spend all her time doing this, as she has assignments for work to complete too. If only she could stop getting distracted by her own fabulous fashion ideas!
Age: Adult
Pronouns: She/Her
Traits: Romantic, Hot-Headed, Ambitious
Aspiration: Serial Romantic
Likes: Guitar, Piano, Pink, White, Black, Romance Music
Dislikes: Fishing, Brown, Blue, Blues Music
Skills: Guitar (2), Photography (3), Piano (4)
Career: Style Influencer (4)
Relationships:
Jacqueline Allister: Mother
Maddy Allister: Younger sister
Adam Allister: Younger brother
Packs used: Base game only
Maddy Allister
Though she often feels unsupported by her family, Maddy is hard-working, and determined to make her dreams of designing and publishing a video game a reality! The hours she spends in her room programming inch her ever closer to achieving this, but could she have become her own saboteur, when this doesn’t leave her any time to work on family relationships?
Age: Young Adult
Pronouns: She/Her
Traits: Gloomy, Genius, Self-Assured
Aspiration: Party Animal
Likes: Mischief, Programming, Video Gaming, Green, Black, Pop Music
Dislikes: Gardening, Cooking, Red, Romance Music
Skills: Fitness (3), Mischief (3), Programming (5), Video Gaming (6)
With its gentle shades of cream and green, this dwelling is perfect for finding inspiration relaxation. Small enough to be cosy, but big enough to host a parties, it is the perfect space for young adult sims to relax and have fun in.
Lot type: Residential
Price: §88,711
Size: 30×20
Beds: 4
Bathrooms: 2
Lot Traits: None
Lot Challenges: None
Packs used: Base game only
Download our latest The Sims 4 Story Starter Kit!
Your The Sims 4 Story Starter Kit is waiting for you! Get The Household and The Lot by downloading them from the official Gallery Website linked on the buttons below. The official Gallery ID is Chromaclectic. You can also find all our The Sims 4 Story Starter Kits by searching the hashtag #StoryStarterKit in the Gallery or by searching #birthdayblues!
The Cross-Pack compatibility features extend to Skill Classes in the latest Sims 4 Pack!
The latest Pack called The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies takes pride in its two main features within the Pack title. Opening small Business shops and participating in only two new Hobby activities. However, one aspect of this Pack that doesn’t get talked enough is the ability to Teach and attend Skill Classes.
With the new pack, you’ll literally be able to turn your knowledge into profit directly by teaching other Sims Skills that you’ve mastered. This doesn’t just include the new Hobby Skills – but all Skills we’ve gotten so far from The Sims 4 Base Game, Expansions, Game and Stuff Packs. And now, we have a full list of all the Skills you can learn, or teach others!
Skill Classes in The Sims 4 Business & Hobbies (All DLC)
The latest list of new Skill Classes comes from Sims creator @Simmattically, who posted a list of the new Skill classes found in the leaked files of The Sims 4 EP18. That’s a whole different story for coverage later today…
Considering that the list is from The Sims 4 Business & Hobbies Beta files from August 2024, the list might not be entirely complete considering the pack was still in development at the time. Either way, you’ll definitely get a better sense of how well Skill Classes integrate with all the previous DLC releases.
You’ll be able to teach (and learn) from the following Skill Classes:
Acting (Get Famous)
Archaeology (Jungle Adventure)
Baking
Bartending
Bowling (Bowling Night Stuff)
Charisma
Comedy
Cross Stitch (Cottage Living)
Dancing (Get Famous)
DJ Mixing (Get Famous)
Dog Training (Cats & Dogs)
Entrepreneur (High School Years)
Equestrian (Horse Ranch)
Fabrication (Eco Lifestyle)
Fishing
Fitness
Flower Arranging (seasons)
Gardening
Gemology (Crystal Creations Stuff)
Gourmet Cooking
Guitar
Handiness
Herbalism (Outdoor Retreat)
Homestyle Cooking (Home Chef Hustle Stuff)
Juice Fizzing (Eco Lifestyle)
Knitting (Nifty Knitting Stuff)
Local Culture Skills
Logic
Medium (Paranormal Stuff)
Mischief
Painting
Parenting (Parenthood)
Photography
Piano
Pipe Organ (Vampires)
Pottery (Businesses & Hobbies)
Programming
Nectar Making (Horse Ranch)
Research & Debate (Discover University)
Robotics (Discover University)
Rock Climbing (Snowy Escape)
Rocket Science
Romance (Lovestruck)
Singing (City Living)
Skiing (Snowy Escape)
Snowboarding (Snowy Escape)
Tattooing (Businesses & Hobbies)
Thanatology (Life & Death)
Vampire Lore (Vampires)
Veterinarian (Cats & Dogs)
Video Gaming
Violing
Wellness (Spa Day)
Writing
Features of Skill Classes In The New Pack
EA additionally described the new Skill Classes Feature from The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies Expansion. Sharing that you’ll be able to teach classes as a part of your business. You’ll be able to give Skill Lectures by just placing down the Whiteboard on your Lot.
If you’ve mastered a skill, why not break out the Whiteboard and teach a class on it? Classes are events with goals attached which are run as part of Small Businesses. They allow students to improve their skills, and you can choose to charge. Often, you’ll need a skill-related object (i.e. an instrument) to teach a class. Lectures can be given from the Whiteboard without a Small Business. Another way to pass on knowledge is by becoming a Mentor, which you can do for free or as a paid service.
Private school experiences, music schools and so much more are about to become possible with the next Expansion Pack.
Which Skill Class do you plan to start in The Sims 4? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned for all things Businesses & Hobbies!
The full preview of New CAS and Build Items is here!
Yesterday EA and Maxis revealed their 18th Expansion Pack titled The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies. The new Pack is all about letting you create your own Custom Small Business within your home, as well as introducing two new Hobbies to the game. Pottery and Tattooing!
The new Expansion Pack is releasing on March 6th, 2025. And thanks to Steam, we already have a full look into its Build and CAS items catalogue!
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The Sims 4 Businesses and Hobbies CAS Items
The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies Expansion introduces 161 Create A Sim items for Sims of all ages. There are new Hairstyles, a plethora of new Tattoo designs, accessories, clothing and more. Younger Sims haven’t been left out from the calculation with new outfits, accessories and hairstyles for Infants and Toddlers.
Take a full look at the entire CAS catalogue down below:
The Sims 4 Businesses and Hobbies: Build Mode Objects
If you’re looking forward to the new Build Mode items, you’ll be happy to know that The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies carries 196 new objects in its catalogue. From sale podiums, decor and ticketing machines to help you start your own business to new general living objects. There’s also a variety of items for Builders, with new Windows, Wallpapers, Flooring and more. Take a look!
What do you think about the new items coming with The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies? Let us know in the comments!
Did you know that Motherlode Season is in full swing? However, have you seen the brand new and exciting The Sims 4 reveal trailer?
In case you haven’t, we have you covered right here! If you have seen the trailer for the upcoming The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies expansion pack, then here are ten things you might have noticed when the reveal trailer dropped.
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The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies: A Quick Recap
As a quick recap, today’s The Sims 4 reveal introduced players to the upcoming Businesses & Hobbies expansion pack. An expansion pack that opens up many more opportunities to our Sims. Start a small business, make waves with clay, get creative with ink and explore the beautiful new world of Nordhaven. Discover two exciting new skills, earn Simoleons, learn the Japanese art of Kintsugi, open your dream business and become a tattoo extraordinaire in the new tattoo paint mode!
Things You May Have Missed in The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies Trailer
There’s no denying that the Businesses and Hobbies reveal trailer was jam packed with so many cool looking new features. This was only the reveal trailer, we still have the game player trailer to come yet.
New Food & Merch Stalls
In the opening moments of the reveal trailer, we can see several stalls. While it’s unclear at the moment, these stalls are likely to be places for Sims to tuck into some of Nordhaven’s delicacies and pick up some local merchandise.
While at the front of the screenshot, we can see Sims selling their creations using the same market table we’ve seen in game before.
Self Service Ticket Kiosks
Self-service till points? Taking the stress out of transactions, these new Ticket Kiosks will give your Sims more freedom when it comes to running their business. It looks like you can have customers make a one of purchase or by the hour!
Supercharge Your Sim
Need an energy boost?
Well, make sure your Sims have plenty of Freezer Bunny Energy Drinks on hand for when they need a boost most!
Sketch To Your Hearts Content
Before making them permanent, why not sketch out those ideas and client requests on the drawing tablet first.
This could also open up conversation options with potential clients when it comes to discussing their tattoos.
Get Creative with Tattoo Mode
At first glance, there seems to be a lot going on when you look at Tattoo Mode. However, did you notice just how much detail you can put into tattoos using not only the pre-designed tattoos but also in Tattoo Paint Mode? It will certainly lead to some interesting tattoo designs for our Sims!
That colour wheel though!
Are you ready for more things you may have missed during the Businesses & Hobbies Sims 4 reveal?
Family Night: Clay Making
When not working on your own clay projects, why not get the whole family involved in making clay creations? It looks like Child Sims can create a range of decorative objects now too!
Share Your Crafting Knowledge
Sims can help other Sims build their skills and master their craft!
Become the perfect mentor for Sims to learn from. Hold lectures and classes to help develop talent Sims’ passion for the craft. Sims may even earn Mastery Perks as they level up their knowledge.
Mix and Match
Each area of the lot can be assigned a different purpose. Mix public spaces, employee only areas and residential areas all under one roof. However, you are free to assign the rooms in any order that you want. This way, you can create the ultimate working and living spaces for your Sims!
Customize Your Small Business
As well as choosing a name and a logo, you’ll be able to pick from a selection of business activities, choose your entrance fee, decide on a price modifier as well as what your target customer base is!
A Multi-Generational Business
When the time comes, it appears that Sims within the same household will be able to entrust other family members to continue on their business.
What do you think of today’s The Sims 4 reveal? Was it what you were hoping it to be, or did it take you by surprise? Leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts on the upcoming Businesses and Hobbies expansion pack!
Don’t forget to stay tuned to Sims Community for everything you need to know about The Sims 4 Businesses and Hobbies pack, as well as all the latest news and information from the franchise.
EA and Maxis are probably awaiting to pull a few extra jokers out of their sleeves according to the secret February 25th Date. But until then we have a lot to judge based on the book’s cover – or in this case – the official EA App description page.
Extended Description of The Sims 4 Businesses & Features
The new descriptions for The Sims 4’s 18th Expansion Pack can be found in the EA App program, right below the pack listing. Detailing each Pack feature and what to expect from it.
The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies Extended Features
Choose how to charge
You have the freedom to create the business you want! You can run a variety of businesses by charging customers an entrance fee or a time based fee with the new Ticket Kiosk. This opens up all kinds of creative business possibilities: bars, pools, gyms, painting studios, and music venues are just a few ideas. You can even sell pottery or other crafts.
Create a space for your business
Small businesses belong to an individual Sim, and you can start your business right on your home lot! A new small business tool lets you select rooms in your Sim’s home and designate if they’re open to the public (anyone can enter), employee-only spaces, or residential spaces just for your Sim’s household members. Create a studio for your Sim to host clients in, a family-run retail shop on the ground floor, and a whole lot more. You could also run your business on a Small Business Venue Lot.
Hire Sims that share your passion
Hiring is done through the interaction pie menu or while managing your business. Your Sim will need to hire Sims they’ve met and not total strangers. As the business owner, you’ll set up to 5 behaviors per employee for your staff to follow while they’re on the job. Household members can be hired as employees.
Design custom tattoos
You can freely create your own tattoos, and even share them to the Gallery for other Simmers to use. As your Sim levels up their Tattooing skill, they’ll unlock more stencils, brushes, and other tools for you to use in Tattoo Paint Mode. Create designs that are meaningful to you or designs that reflect part of your Sim’s story. Give Sims tattoos with intricately designed patterns or even a tattoo dedicated to a loved one.
Layer on more tattoos
You’re no longer limited to 1 tattoo per body region; you can add up to 5. That means that instead of having just 1 tattoo on a Sim’s back, they could have different tattoos on both shoulders (and more!).
Become a body art pro
Build your Tattooing skill by reading books, using the Sketch Pad to create de-signs, attending classes, or by using the Tattooing Table to give Sims tattoos. Sims with higher levels in this skill will unlock more tools to use in custom designs, and their odds of getting excellent results will be higher. If a Sim is being paid to do a tattoo, then better results could mean more Simoleons.
Be an Idealist, or be kinda Shady
Idealist Sims have high standards. They want to create a better world by doing what they feel is right. They want to inspire others with their actions – unlike Shady Sims. Sims with the Shady trait are all about seizing opportunities and finding ways to turn situations in their favor, even when that means bending the rules or cutting corners.
Choose how to run your business
As you grow your business, you’ll earn the ability to choose Business Perks, which include new interactions, passive effects, and more! These perks exist along Dreamer, Schemer, and Neutral paths, with Dreamer perks aligned with running your business by-the-books and Schemer perks being a bit more opportunistic. Your Business Alignment may be affected by what kinds of perks you choose as well as in-game events and interactions.
Chase new dreams
The Esteemed Entrepreneur aspiration will have you working hard to build your business while building relationships with customers and employees. Completing this aspiration will earn you the Beloved Brand Reward Trait, boosting satisfaction and relationship growth with customers. The Master Mentor aspiration is all about passing on your expertise; completing it will grant the Motivating Reward Trait. Master Mentor Sims can give a Motivating Speech to increase skill gain and mood for listeners.
Create beautiful pieces
Grow your Pottery Skill by reading books, taking classes, molding a lump of clay, or using the new Pottery Wheel or Pottery Kiln. Besides molding new pieces you can also add a glaze if you’d like; you’ll have a variety to choose from. There are even functional objects like planters, oil burners, and more that you can create. At level 7, Sims will be able to use the Japanese art of Kintsugi to repair pottery, taking pieces from broken to beautiful and gold-infused.
Pass on your knowledge
If you’ve mastered a skill, why not break out the Whiteboard and teach a class on it? Classes are events with goals attached which are run as part of Small Businesses. They allow students to improve their skills, and you can choose to charge. Often, you’ll need a skill-related object (i.e. an instrument) to teach a class. Lectures can be given from the Whiteboard without a Small Business. Another way to pass on knowledge is by becoming a Mentor, which you can do for free or as a paid service.
Explore an inspiring town
This world has 12 new lots across 2 new neighborhoods: Gammelvik and Iverstad. Gammelvik is the old town where you’ll find cobbled streets, classic architecture, and picturesque canals. Iverstad is the new town and a natural settling spot for ambitious and stylish Sims. It is flourishing in what was once a more industrial area, complete with repurposed buildings. Sims who are passionate about their hobbies will find Meetups daily in both of Nordhaven’s neighborhoods.
What do you think about the extended description and features of The Sims 4 Businesses and Hobbies Expansion – does it justify the 40USD price tag? Let us know in the comments!
New Patch for The Sims 1 and Sims 2 Rereleases is Out Now!
The surprises of new releases don’t stop coming. This week on tuesday EA and Maxis dropped a new update for The Sims 1 and Sims 2 Rereleases, starting a new beginning of updates for retro rereleases. Today, the team announced yet another patch for Windows PC!
Downloading the new Sims 1 and Sims 2 Rerelease Updates on EA App
If you’re playing on Epic Games, Steam or EA App, you should have the new Sims 1 and Sims 2 Updates ready to download.
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Second Rerelease Patch
Find out what’s new and improved in the official patch notes:
Sul Sul, Simmers!
We hope you’ve been having a great time celebrating all of the Birthday festivities! We’re plugging away at reports of technical issues that some players have encountered in The Sims and The Sims 2. Thank you for your support and continued reporting efforts via the official EA Forums, it really helps us identify and resolve issues.
-The Sims Team
February 6, 2025 Patch Notes:
The Sims 1 Update Notes
Fixed Issues:
A memory issue could lead to various unexpected behaviors after playing for a period of time (random crashes, sluggish performance, missing objects, etc)
The mood level arrows and mood bars had visual artifacts in some cases
The mouse scroll wheel could take a lot of clicks to zoom
Some players were encountering a “Vulkan device” error at launch
The Sims General Notes:
There are some hardware configurations that we are seeing a disproportionate number of errors on and are actively investigating. Systems based on Intel ARC GPUs, Snapdragon laptops with Qualcomm Adreno X1-85 GPU, NVIDIA T600 GPU laptops are being investigated
Users that have experienced problems with getting an error indicating a lack of Vulkan compatible devices have reported that in some cases removing “OpenCL™, OpenGL®, and Vulkan® Compatibility Pack” can resolve the issue.
When you want to import Sims or Houses, the game could look in the wrong directory to find them. You can now work around this by placing them in “Program Files/Maxis/The Sims/UserData/Import”
We are investigating an issue where traveling between worlds can result in crashes in some situations
The Sims 2 Update Notes
Fixed Issues:
Addressed some situations related to the error “Some needed files were corrupted during the installation”
Addressed some situations where the game could terminate with a pop-up message when creating a family or when entering a pre-made lot
The game could get stuck on the color swap tool
The Sims’ voices could be of low quality
The Sims’ voices could be very quiet
The custom skin window couldn’t be closed in some cases
The “Graphics Rules.sgr” file was missing a rule that could cause “D3D” error messages
During the Alien Abduction cutscene, sometimes audio could drop out and a Sim could reset
Sims could be unable to eat cooked food
The game could sometimes present a loading screen that could not progress
Sims could sometimes disappear
The Sims 2 General notes:
In some cases, issues that have been addressed might have corrupted game saves before they were addressed (e.g. when Sims could disappear). In these cases you should try starting with a fresh save as the game won’t be able to correct the corruption, and working with corrupted saves can lead to unexpected behavior.
While the Alien Abduction scene now works, the scene is still missing the alien baby. We’re working on that. In the meanwhile you will have the alien baby in the game once the scene is done.
Some players have tried using Windows shortcut keys to move the full-screen game to another monitor. When in full screen mode the game should not be moved to another monitor or this may cause issues.
While some issues may not be listed here, they may still be in the process of being addressed. Some topics can require an extended investigation on our end, so even though these fixes may be in active review, it’s not a guarantee that we’ll have an immediate fix for it in the upcoming patch.
Dag dag!
The Sims Team
Have you downloaded the new Sims 1 and Sims 2 Updates for PC? Let us know if there are any improvements in your game in the comments below!
The new Expansion Pack is revamping the Tattoos system as you know it!
The Sims 4 Business & Hobbies Expansion Pack announcement brought a surprising twist to the depth on one of the existing feature improvements.
Tattoo features and the way you can apply them to your Sims are getting completely revamped with the upcoming EP release for The Sims 4. Including options to layer different tattoos, place them anywhere on your Sim’s body and paint anything on your Sim!
All of the new Create A Tattoo Features will be tied exclusively to the paid 40USD release through the new Tattoo Skill. Considering that the Pack will allow you to download Custom Tattoos Online from The Gallery, it’s reasonable to think why additional server cost maintenance for creativity will take place.
Find out the new features in a first look shared today from The Sims Team:
Table of Contents
The Sims 4 Tattoo Features in Businesses & Hobbies
There are several key feature improvements coming to creating Tattoos with The Sims 4 Business & Hobbies, including these Key Features:
Ability to Layer Multiple Tattoos (Even from Previous packs)
New Tattoo Skill Tied With New Tattoo Stencils and Designs in CAS
Ability to create Custom Tattoos in Tattoo Paint Mode
The Gallery Feature To Share and Download Custom Tattoos
Layering Multiple Tattoos
Your Sims’ skin now have layers. Allowing you to add multiple tattoo designs and place them on any part of the body. You can mix and match multiple tattoos on the same body area, allowing for more unique patterns on your Sims’ body:
There are also new Body Part categories for Tattoos, including a category that allows you to put a Face Tattoo on your Sim:
New Tattoo Skill and Tattoo Feature Unlocks
As Sims level up their Tattooing skill in The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies Expansion, they can also unlock new tattoo stencils and stamps to use in Create A Sim. As well as increase their odds of doing a successful Tattoo.
Custom Tattoos Paint Mode
The Tattoo Feature improvements extend completely to the point where you are literally able to draw on your Sim now. You can go into paint mode and select from various preset brushes, change size and color and paint on your Sim!
There are various poses that you’ll be able to change throughout your Sim’s creation process to truly tattoo over any part you can imagine.
Sharing and Downloading Custom Tattoos
Now, any Tattoo that you create with The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies can be shared on The Gallery. You’ll be able to think of any unique Tattoo design, layer different tattoo stencils and prepare your design for the world to download. Or, if you want to see how the Sims community is Tattooing you can simply download the Custom Tattoos. It’ll be available as a custom Tattoo design ready for you to place onto your Sim.
Maxis confirms big Cross-Pack Features with The Sims 4 Businesses and Hobbies Expansion.
In today’s official blog post reveal for The Sims 4 Businesses and Hobbies Expansion Pack, The Sims Team went into little more details on how the new gameplay mechanics will work. Including new Skills, the improved Retail management and more. Including how the new Expansion Pack will have affects on previous Pack releases, and how the game will allow you to customize your Retail shops depending on certain Packs released before.
Wake up and smell the coffee! It’s time to seize the clay and make a bold inked statement in the expressive city of Nordhaven!
In The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies Expansion Pack, we invite you to discover what artistic passions add a spring to your step. Start a small business to show off your crafty creations and rake in the Simoleons as you master two new skills that will shape your future and add color to your life every day.
Your dreams have been waiting! It’s time to become the savvy artisan you always knew you could be!
Make Your Mark
Showcase who you truly are with the new Tattooing skill! With the Tattooing skill you can have your Sim give other Sims pre-made, custom or dedicated tattoos. Body art is all about freedom of expression and celebrating your body in your own way. To make this experience unique and entirely your own, Sims can create an infinite amount of custom tattoos in Tattoo Paint Mode. Like real artists, you’ll be able to share your custom designs with other Simmers using the Gallery, or browse for other Tattoos to use in your experience.
As Sims level up their Tattooing skill, they can also unlock more stamps and stencils, and increase the odds of excellent results. Tattoos (even ones from previous packs) can now be layered, allowing for multiple tattoos to be placed on the same body part.
Mold and Mend Your Future
Pottery allows Sims to express their crafty side in new ways. Elevate your Pottery skill with the Pottery Wheel to make decorative and functional pieces, including tea sets, planters of all sizes for our Simmers with a green thumb, incense burners to set an ambiance and so much more.
Once the pieces have been created on the Pottery Wheel, players have the option to glaze (there are plenty of colors to choose from) their finished pottery and put it in the Pottery Kiln or leave their pottery unglazed. At higher levels of the Pottery skill, Sims can use the Japanese art of Kintsugi to create beautiful pieces from broken ceramics.
The final objects can be gifted or sold at a small business using the new retail surfaces or used to decorate your lot.
New Life in Nordhaven
Welcome to Nordhaven, a town steeped in history, and full of possibilities for your Sims to pursue their creative hobbies.
Hobbies are best when shared, and Nordhaven’s picturesque and inspirational neighborhoods of Gammelvik and Iverstad offer countless opportunities to connect with like-minded Sims who share similar interests and enthusiasm for the things your Sims care about most. Hobby Meetups are the must-attend events to socialize, form new friendships, and even find a mentor to help your Sims master their craft.
As Sims advance in their skills, they too can become mentors and pass on their knowledge. Sims can also build their legacy by teaching others in Classes and Lectures. Listening to a Lecture is one of the ways a Sim may earn Mastery Perks – this experience rewards Sims who become highly talented in their selected skills.
Your Small Business, Your Way
Follow your dreams wherever they take you and create a small business that will leave your Sim feeling fulfilled. Whether it’s creating pottery or other handmade items, or providing a service like tattoos or classes, turn your Sim’s skills into a profitable business. For Sims who are just starting up their business or feel most inspired at home, you can build a Small Business on a Residential Lot and designate a dedicated space in their home to set up shop. Looking to set up your dream business outside of the home? You can also build on the new Small Business Venue Lot. You can also run their business on the new Small Business Venue Lot.
The new Ticket Kiosk offers Sims the freedom to run their business on their terms, with options to charge customers either one time or hourly. You get to make the challenging, but exciting, choice of either running a family business (imagine the drama!) and hiring your entire Sim’s household, or meeting the perfect candidates and offering them a job. The options are endless with the new Small Business system.
As you grow your Sim’s business, you’ll earn the ability to choose Business Perks, which include new interactions, effects, and more! Your Sim can run their business by the books or cut a few corners, as they build their Business Renown and decide on their Alignment along the Dreamer, Schemer, and Neutral paths. Using a Schemer perk will progress your Alignments towards the Schemer path, or if you consider yourself to be more of a dreamer, choosing perks that will progress your Alignment towards the Dreamer path. Just here to live life and make those Simoleons? No problem, your business can remain Neutral.
These choices don’t only impact your Sim’s business, they can impact your Sim’s life outside of the workplace, so choose wisely as you chase those dreams!
So Many Businesses, So Many New Opportunities!
A plethora of previous Expansion, Game and Stuff Packs have small business opportunities available for every type of crafty Simmer. See below for a few you can try:
Cats and DogsExpansion Pack: Sims who love and adore their four legged friends can open pet cafés.
Get TogetherExpansion Pack: Sims who are down to dance until the sun rises can create dance clubs and Sims who game until the wee hours of the morning can open arcades for like minded gamers.
City LivingExpansion Pack – Sing your heart out in your favorite city at your very own karaoke bar fitted out with your favorite Simlish tunes.
Get FamousExpansion Pack – Did someone say paparazzi? Open an acting school where you teach celebrities how to play the part!
Spa DayGame Pack – Fancy a massage, facial or meditative yoga retreat? Say namaste to all the Sims who choose to relax with you at your spa!
Laundry DayStuff Pack – Scrub a dub dub in your very own tub! Collect Simoleons as Sims wash their clothes at your laundromat!
Bowling NightStuff Pack – Sims who are competitive can open their very own bowling alleys. Get a strike or a spare on a fun night out with friends.
These are only some of the small business opportunities available with other packs. If your Sim can dream it, then you can live it and achieve it!
If you purchase the Businesses & Hobbies Expansion Pack before April 18, you can elevate your business with several inspiring pieces. Witness the beauty of sculpture and body art with the Practice Makes Perfect Priscilla Statue, keep perishable products fresh with the Sweetest Treat Display Case and illuminate your space with the Beautiful Flaws Lamp.
What are your thoughts on the new Cross Pack compatibility coming with The Sims 4 Businesses and Hobbies Expansion Pack? Join the convo below and stay tuned for all things EP18 News!
See the official Features and Screens from the upcoming Sims 4 Expansion Pack!
EA is just now rolling out a huge wave of news for The Sims 4 Businesses and Hobbies Expansion Pack. Hitting the retail shelves worldwide on March 6th, 2025.
In the latest Expansion Pack, you’ll be able to moderate your own Retail spaces, open up a Tattoo shop and customize your own retail and living space through new Hobby activities like Pottery.
To learn more about the initial official features, check out the official listing down below:
Table of Contents
About The Sims 4 Businesses and Hobbies
Pursue new skills and live a life of accomplishment in The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies Expansion Pack*. Create wearable art with the new Tattooing skill or craft functional pieces with the new Pottery skill. Savvy Sims can turn their wildest dreams into profitable businesses. Run your business from your home or purchase a Small Business Venue lot, hire employees, decide how to charge, and make the rules. Set Up Shop Digital Content — Elevate your business with these inspiring pieces: witness the beauty of sculpture and body art with the Practice Makes Perfect Priscilla Statue, keep perishable products fresh with the Sweetest Treat Display Case, and illuminate your space with the Beautiful Flaws Lamp, available when you order through April 18, 2025**.
Dream big and create a small business that will leave your Sim feeling fulfilled. Make and sell pottery or other crafts, provide a service like tattoos or classes, or come up with something unique. Use the selection tool to designate space in your home for doing what you love and making a living at it. With the new Ticket Kiosk you can run the business you want, charging customers for entry or for time spent. Run a family business and hire your Sim’s household, or meet the perfect candidate and offer them a job. Explore the possibilities with the new Small Business system.
Make Your Mark
With the new Tattooing skill you can give Sims pre-made, custom, or dedication tattoos. As you level up your skill you’ll unlock more stamps and stencils, and increase the odds of excellent results. Body art is about freedom of expression and to celebrate that you can now freely create your own designs in Tattoo Paint Mode. Tattoos can even be layered. Share your custom Tattoo designs with other Simmers using the Gallery, or browse for Tattoos to use in your game.
Mold Your Future
As you hone your Pottery skill using the Pottery Wheel, more designs – like functional tea sets, planters, incense burners, and more – will become available to you. Finish your pieces in the Pottery Kiln; there are plenty of options for glazes. At higher levels of the Pottery skill, Sims can use the Japanese art of Kintsugi to create beautiful pieces from broken ceramics.
A World of Possibility
Build your future in a town steeped in history. Nordhaven is the perfect place to pursue the things you care most about, like creative and inspiring hobbies. Sims can attend Meetups to mix and mingle with those who are passionate about the same hobbies – they may even find someone to mentor them in their favorite skill. Sims can become mentors at high skill levels, or they can build their legacy by hosting Classes and Lectures. Listening to a Lecture is one of the ways a Sim may earn Mastery Perks. Hobbies are best when shared, so explore the new neighborhoods of Gammelvik and Iverstad to meet like-minded Sims!
Set Up Shop Digital Content
Elevate your business with these inspiring pieces.
What are your thoughts on The Sims 4 Businesses and Hobbies Expansion Pack features? Join the comments below!
Nordhaven World In The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies
As confirmed in the latest Official Blog post, the New World coming with The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies Expansion is titled Nordhaven. And features two Neighborhood areas: Gammelvik and Iverstad. Thanks to the EA App features we know that there will be 12 new Lots in total!
Looking at the architecture of this pack and the World Map itself, it seems the new World is inspired heavily by the Scandinavian cities and towns in Europe. Which shouldn’t come as a surprise – considering that this is the first Sims 4 Expansion Pack to be developed by the Maxis Europe team!
Lot Sizes
The official Lot Sizes from the new Nordhaven World have leaked thanks to a discovery by @CBXSims!
Gammelvik:
15×20
20×20
20×20
20×20
30×20
50×40
Iverstad:
15×20
20×20
20×20
30×20
50×40
50×40
At the moment we’re still collecting critical information about the next Expansion Pack release. Stay tuned on Sims Community for more updates very soon!
