The Sims 4: Best Mods for More Realistic Gameplay

TS4: Best Mods for Realistic Gameplay — Electronic Arts

A reason why The Sims series is so successful is its quality in imitating life to its smallest, most mundane details. The Sims 4 offers a variety of expansion packs and game packs that immerse you deeper into the life sim and are a must-have in your game, but it's undeniable that the modders community takes it to a whole next level.

We've gathered a list of some of the best TS4 mods that will make your game feel even more realistic.

The Sims 4: Best Mods for Realistic Gameplay

The Sims 4: Best Mods for Realistic Gameplay

We need to give credit where it's due—the mod creators fill in the gaps that expansion packs tend to leave. It's impossible for a game pack to cover it all, and that's where mods come in clutch. No matter how far you want to take it, we assure you there's a mod that meets your needs. They're straightforward to download, and once you have your first mod, chances are you won't play vanilla TS4 ever again.

Note: Please always check for potential clashes between your downloaded mods. Not every mod is compatible with another, and running them together might crash your game and corrupt your save files. You can always consult with a mod detector or spreadsheets that the beloved Sims community updates regularly.

With that in mind, here are some mods that add another layer of realism to your game and refresh the feel of your whole gameplay.

Oni's Recipe Pack

With this mod, you can add over 100 custom recipes to your game! The included dishes come from different parts of the world, so you get to explore the cuisine of other countries, along with making your Sims your favorite real-life comfort food. If you miss the cooking details The Sims 2 used to have, this mod is the second best that adds this detail back.

Created by ONI
Download the latest version on Patreon

Grannies Cookbook

Grannies Cookbook, just like ONI's Recipe Pack, adds new custom meals to your game. Learn how to make bubble tea, bear-shaped hamburgers, and roasts, and decorate your kitchen with a functional, customizable cookbook to store your recipes. You can combine the two food packs for an even greater variety of dishes.

Created by Littlbowbub
Download the latest version on Patreon

100 Base Game Traits Pack

The more traits you can choose from for your Sims, the more they'll feel and act differently from one another. If your Sims have been feeling shallow and two-dimensional, you can add these 100 base game traits by Vicky Sims for more variety in Sims behaviors. This pack is compatible with plenty of mods, so it's an all-time favorite among simmers.

Created by Vicky Sims (chingyu1023)
Download the latest version on Patreon

Have Some Personality Please!

This mod adds a total overhaul to your Sims' behavior based on their age, relationships with others, and personalities. Your Sims will behave more realistically, adding an extra level of challenge to your game. However, some players report that this mod can cause a few hiccups if played with other similar script mods, such as Slice of Life or Wicked Whims. Caution is advised!

Created by PolarBearSims
Download on Mod The Sims

Slice of Life

Slice of Life might be one of the most immersive realistic mods for TS4. It adds brand-new interactions with your Sims to enhance and deepen your real-life simulator in endearing and not-so-endearing ways. From a health system introduction to a phone features overhaul, this mod is not to miss out on! It even goes as far as to add a menstrual cycle to your Sims and a few other features exploring their sexuality.

Created by KawaiiStacie
Download the latest version on Patreon

Wonderful Whims

Wonderful Whims sums up all of the previously mentioned mods in a giant overhaul of intimacy, personality, impressions, and even your Sims biology! This mod will make you feel like you're playing an entirely different game with all the features TURBODRIVER has packed in there. The attention to detail is impressive and adds a whole new level of depth to your Sims. You can read about all its features and compatibility with other mods on the official website.

Created by TURBODRIVER
Download the latest version on the website

Wicked Whims

This mod is the NSFW version of Wonderful Whims, adding a shockingly realistic level of R-rated content to your game. If you're not one to shy away, you get to experience TS4 in a totally different light. It has all the features of Wonderful Whims and a few not-so-family-friendly extra features. It's important to note that Wonderful Whims and Wicked Whims can't be played simultaneously, and attempting to do so will crash your game.

Created by TURBODRIVER
Download the latest version on the website

Life Tragedies

If you're the kind of Sims player who likes to spice things up with torment and violence, Life Tragedies is for you. This mod adds freak accidents, murders, and plenty of new misfortunes for your Sims to experience. Serial killers will live among your townies and try to blend in, so be careful not to bark up the wrong tree! Life Tragedies works surprisingly well with Mortem.

Created by Sacrificial Mods
Download the latest version on the website

Mortem

To truly talk about realism, we need to talk about the most natural part of life—death. Mortem adds a full overhaul of death, making you go through a completely different path of events once a Sim dies. The game will prompt you to hold funerals for your deceased Sim or donate their body to science. The Grim can retire until the new expansion pack Life and Death comes out because, with this mod on, we won't need his services.

Created by SimRealist
Download the latest version on the website

And that concludes our top selection of realistic mods to add to your game. Of course, the modding community has so many more for you to explore, depending on which aspects of the game you want to enhance. Plus, mods are a great way to refresh your gameplay and help you get back into the mood for playing just in time before the new content drops.

The new expansion pack of TS4: Life and Death is set to come out on October 31, 2024, so stay tuned for the upcoming weeks! Maybe some of these mods will come in handy in your new save. Dag Dag!