27 best Sims 4 mods in 2025 for realism, CAS & gameplay

If you’re looking to breathe some additional life into The Sims 4 with new CAS and realistic gameplay features to expand your Sims’ lives, the modding community has an overwhelming amount of must-have mods to pick from.

The fourth iteration of The Sims franchise is now over a decade old, featuring more content than ever before — with no signs of slowing down. But if you’re tiring of toying around with cheats for your Fairy Sims or have already reached the top of the chain in Life & Death’s Reaper career, modders are here to save the day.

Below, you’ll find a breakdown of the best Sims 4 mods I’d recommend downloading in 2025 that I have (or have had at some stage) in my own game, whether you’re searching for gameplay mods or ways to give CAS a bit of a facelift.

Best gameplay mods in The Sims 4

Expanded Mermaids

[Download]

With the release of the Island Living Expansion Pack in 2019, many Simmers were excited to be able to become a mermaid with the introduction of the fan-favorite Occult. Despite this, the gameplay included for mermaids is, well, shallow.

SpinningPlumbobs has expanded what the life state can now do, adding the ability to dive for and consume kelp, sleep below the surface of the ocean, or dive down to the deep depths of the ocean at higher fitness skill levels to return with rare fish and “interesting items”.

The mod also introduces Kelpies and Sea Witches, bestowing the Sim with unique interactions and powerful spells.

PlantSim Lives

[Download]

If you want to bring some nostalgia from the likes of The Sims 2 into your game, SrslySims has everything you need right in one mod.

While PlantSims are a thing in The Sims 4 (and are part of the Base Game, in fact) and got a little bit of attention in Enchanted by Nature, your Sims can only temporarily remain in this state and will eventually turn back into a regular ole Sim. With this mod, however, your Sims can live out their green-fingered days for as long as they live. You’re also free to choose whichever hair you like (previously, only one green style could be used with the default version of this occult).

Including new interactions like ‘Complain About Aphids’ and ‘Go on a Nature Walk’ alongside new food, drinks, and tattoos in CAS to show off your planty style with — this mod is essential if you’re a fan of occult life states.

Map Replacements

[Download]

Content creator filipesims has slowly been rolling out beautiful, painterly variants of many of the game’s different world maps, breathing a new lease of life into the game – especially if you’ve been playing as long as I have or aren’t a fan of the default style!

With plenty available to download, from Britechester through to Tartosa, you’re able to pick and choose which ones (and for some, which variants) you want to have in your game. Not all of the maps are completed for TS4’s worlds, but considering how stunning they are — they’re still worth adding to your game as they get released.

Refreshed Main Menu

[Download]

If you’re looking to add the ability to customize your main menu in The Sims 4, SimMatically’s Refreshed Main Menu mod will do just that. It’s got some fantastic functionality to help you tweak its visuals to your preferences, as it comes with a huge variety of beautiful backgrounds of spots around the game’s many worlds that you can keep as is or take out those that you don’t like.

That’s not all, though, because while on the main menu itself, pressing ‘R’ on your keyboard will cycle the image to another one. Pressing ‘S’ will hide the menu’s news tab, too. Both of these features add some lovely functionality to your main menu, making it a place you’re actually happy to linger on a little longer before hopping into a game. It even hides the little red alert over the ‘Store’ icon if you don’t own a particular DLC.

As a bonus, I’d recommend pairing this with SimMatically’s Dynamic Clouds Loading Screen, particularly when using the Golden Memory version of Refreshed Main Menu.

MC Command Center

[Download]

Arguably one of the most well-known mods for The Sims 4 (and for good reason), Deaderpool’s MC Command Center allows in-depth control over many aspects of different functionalities.

From simple things such as removing the need to type in the game’s ever-expanding list of cheats, to giving you an easy way to make money, add skill points, or tweak relationships, you can do it all. Fine-tune populations, limit those horrendous situational outfits NPCs spawn with, or even give NPCs a makeover — this mod is a must-have for any player.

It even brings in a form of story progression, allowing non-played Sims to get married or even have children without needing to play them yourself, and also can move homeless Sims into empty lots.

With extra optional modules that you can download to add precisely what it is you want to your game without all of the fluff, there’s something for everyone.

Playable Pets

[Download]

Want to take control of any pets within your household? This gameplay mod for The Sims 4 lets you do just that! With Playable Pets, you can tell your Sim pets where to go and what to do!

While pet Sims don’t have as many interactions as their Human and occult counterparts, there are still enough options here to make this mod essential for anyone who has pets in their household.

UI Cheats Extension

[Download]

Tired of having to manually enter cheats each and every time you open up the game? Modder Weerbesu has got you covered with UI Cheats Extension.

Adding lots of clickable elements within the game’s UI, you can quickly change your Sims’ needs, add money, remove traits, and more, to get right back into play without needing to spend time typing things into the cheat bar.

Better Simology Panel

EA / Dexerto

[Download]

If you’re like me and are tired of having your Sim’s Simology Panel feeling overwhelming in the way that it’s presented (especially when making the window taller), SimMatically’s Better Simology Panel mod is for you.

It’s pretty simple in nature, adding buttons to the bottom of the panel that lets you cycle through different tabs that relate to different features from certain DLCs – like the Inner Harmony tab relating to Enchanted by Nature.

With this mod installed, the panel will also automatically change in size to show you all the information that you need to see.

Clean House & Ask to Clean House

[Download]

This mod is for anyone looking for a more streamlined way for Sims to spend time cleaning up a lot. Adding ‘Clean House’ and ‘Ask to Clean House’ interactions when clicking on the floor, the Sim you choose to do said cleaning (with the exception of Slob Sims) will get a moodlet that’ll cause them to focus on tidying up without you needing to intervene (though this is dependent on how much around them actually needs cleaning).

It’s a fairly simple mod, but one that’s useful in a pinch, as the mod page mentions it even disables things like Sims doing push ups as they’re busying away.

Better World Select

[Download]

Customization mods for TS4’s world select screen are pretty few and far between, but this one, while not essential, is a great mod to add some additional functionality to the screen.

The nicest thing is that it arranges the screen with the worlds that are played right up front – meaning you can easily get to the world that whatever Sims you regularly like to play as are in. You’re also able to resize the icons themselves, which is a big plus for me (I really like everything being able to fit neatly into a couple of rows).

When hovering over the world maps, you’ll now get the vacation description for that particular world, too, along with the actual name of said world being hidden until it’s moused over.

Mods for realistic gameplay in The Sims 4

SimSim Online Store

EA / Dexerto

[Download]

Modern day convenience has put a whole world of shopping opportunities at our fingertips in the real world, so why shouldn’t Sims get that, too? With SimSim Online Store, after creating an account in-game, they can shop ’til they drop right from a PC, phone, or even by mail order if they’re living Off the Grid.

Broken up into categories like Wellness and Beauty, Kids World, and Home Appliances, you’ll find loads of options on offer here, with purchased objects going straight into your inventory.

You can also subscribe to a more premium version or a family version of the service to receive increased points on orders, and you can even repurchase things you’ve bought before easily, too. If your Sim is a shopaholic or you just want them to have ease of access, this is one realistic mod to not miss out on.

Meaningful Stories

[Download]

This gameplay mod by roBurky completely revamps the mood and emotion system that’s present at default in The Sims 4, and is one I consider essential for any Simmer. Aiming to help your Sims “feel more human”, the mod brings in more subtle changes to the emotions, making it so that Sims aren’t able to flip-flop between emotions without experiencing what’s in between those emotions, too.

Meaningful Stories is perfect for players who appreciate a slightly more challenging system to work with. Now, Sims are also no longer ‘happy’ by default – making it so that events such as gaining a new partner contribute more fully towards this emotional state.

Their moods are also now much less predictable, but these moods are, in turn, more consistent. Moodlets received can also vary in strength, adding the need to react more closely to what’s going on instead of being able to fix a negative moodlet in a flash.

Slice of Life

[Download]

If you’re looking to add some more realism and functionality into gameplay, Slice of Life is where it’s at. Adding options around health (including medication and alcohol) and beauty, you’re able to fine tune settings like a Sim’s menstrual cycle, apply makeup to their face (which will, in turn, increase their Painting skill), wear sheet masks, and make them drunk.

That’s not all, though, and this mod adds many different functionalities that make this mod perfect for those who like realistic gameplay in The Sims 4.

Weather Realism Overhaul

EA / Dexerto

[Download]

Ever planned a trip with friends, family, or a loved one that you were expecting a particular kind of weather for, only to find out on the day (or during) that you’ll be getting something else entirely? Relatable — and now your Sims can experience that, too.

This mod tweaks weather names that are displayed on your in-game calendar, adding temperature to it. But there’s a chance that forecast won’t be accurate. It also modifies things like cloud coverage and puddle formation, and each world’s weather has been tweaked to relate to similar areas in the real world (Innisgreen is modelled after Mullingar in Ireland, for example).

As a bonus, the mod creator has also made some tweaks to how seasons work with the ‘Better Seasonal Changes‘ mod that complements this one.

Complete Cooking Overhaul

[Download]

Srsly Sims has seriously shaken up the gameplay loop of cooking within The Sims 4 with Complete Cooking Overhaul, to make it more immersive. You’ll have to shop for groceries (and can set up a food subscription, too), including all of the items already in-game and new ones, from tasty ramen to Poptarts. You can even display your items in retail stores!

Recipes have been overhauled to require a more realistic amount of a particular ingredient, and foods that were previously unable to be cooked at home, such as Pizza or experimental recipes, are now fair game for your Sims to whip up. The gorgeous array of custom recipes will have your stomach grumbling away in no time, too.

Put your groceries away, use functional breads bins as storage, and even limit inventory sharing between different storage items. This mod truly breathes new life into the gameplay and is a perfect addition to any Simmer’s world.

Dreams & Nightmares

EA / Dexerto

[Download]

With so much DLC available in The Sims 4, there’s loads for Sims to do during their daily, waking lives. But what about when they’re asleep?

The Dreams & Nightmares mod adds over 200 different dreams and nightmare moodlets to the game that pop up after a Sim has got a bit of shut-eye (for 30 minutes or more)– there’s even a moodlet for the experience of forgetting a dream too (relatable!)

Different dreams and nightmares will give you different moodlets, and with the latter, Sims can talk to a therapist to discuss it at a PC through the DreamCatcher website (where they can also purchase items to aid in better sleep) or even chat about it with others.

That’s not all, though, as it also adds new reward traits and Aspirations for even more gameplay opportunities, making Dreams & Nightmares a fantastic way to add more depth to the day to day life of your Sims.

Best CAS mods for The Sims 4

Photo Studio CAS background

EA / Dexerto

[Download]

If you’re anything like me and have been playing The Sims 4 right since launch in 2014, you’ll be very familiar with the blue-green gradient that surrounds a Sim in CAS. There’s nothing wrong with it, either — it’s perfectly palatable — but sometimes you want to change things up, you know?

Well, here I was one night, endlessly scrolling through reams and reams of CC to add to my already huge amount of mods, and what did I come across but Vyxated’s photo studio CAS background?

Completely overhauling the CAS visuals and popping in a mirror that fans of TS2 and TS3 will likely be all too happy to see, it even comes with a nice teal key light if you so choose (though I’m using Luumia’s Immersive Lighting in the screenshot above).

I like it because it’s pretty free of any characterization, meaning it won’t look out of place to have lots of different Sims that you’re creating hanging around in this metaphorical photo studio.

Stand Still in CAS

EA / Dexerto

[Download]

If you’re like me and are often tired of your Sims moving all over the place while you’re trying to tweak their appearance, two mods that were previously out of date from Shimrod101 and Shooksims have been updated by MizoreYukii on ModTheSims to make them stand still.

There are a total of three versions to choose from, with the first two featuring different CAS poses (I prefer the Shooksims version) so pick the one you like best. The third mod only tweaks and removes the annoying Occult life state animations that are present, whereas the fourth and fifth version disabling mirroring of certain poses.

More Columns in CAS

EA / Dexerto

[Download]

If you have more CC than what you know to do with, have all of the packs, or both, you’ve probably spent way too long scrolling down an infinite list of clothing and hair to find what you’re looking for.

Weerbesu’s ‘More Columns in CAS’ mod expands the default columns into either three, four, or five, depending upon your preference, meaning you can CC shop ’til you drop and find everything much faster in-game.

Old School CAS Room

[Download]

Fans of older Sims titles will remember the room that featured in games like The Sims Bustin’ Out or The Sims 2 and 3. While the fourth and first iterations of the game feature a plain, colored background, the other titles had a physical room where you’d create your Sims.

This mod aims to bring back that nostalgic feature to the game. With different options to choose from regarding the room’s wall and door colors, you can minimally customize this backdrop to your liking.

Luumia CAS Overhaul

[Download]

Any long-term Sims fan will know that Luumia has been an essential modder in The Sims 4 community, providing skin overrides, lighting overhauls, and currently missing features like body hair.

This mod aims to improve CAS from a visual perspective. It adds a soft backlight around your Sims and a lighting overhaul that aims to give “Sims and Pets a sense of depth”.

There’s also a whole range of different backgrounds for CAS itself, from pastel and gradient pinks through to a chroma blue or green that’s useful for editing photos.

CAS Lighting – City Light

[Download]

Create a Sim can be a fantastic place to capture a stunning headshot of your favorite Sim, but there are a few lighting mods that can help take them to the next level without the need for much post-processing. SimplyAnjuta has a couple of lighting mods available on the download page, but their ‘City Light’ variant has to be one of my favorites.

Casting a soft glow of red and purple around your Sim, this mod will allow you to create dazzling shots that your Sim would be proud to have placed on display around their home.

The Sims 4 best mods for Build/Buy

Better BuildBuy

[Download]

Ever wanted to search for items by color? Or be able to have the game’s hidden debug items enabled to appear in the catalog? Better BuildBuy has got you covered. The most obvious addition is expanding the number of items you can see in the catalog at any one time, but there’s lots more too.

You can show or hide both Maxis and custom content, tweak lighting colors as you can in Live Mode, and use filters that break down each individual Kit or display Live Edit items (items that are seen throughout the game’s worlds).

OMSP Shelf

[Download]

Perfect for those that are looking to clutter up their builds for a more lived in look, this mod by Picture Amobae lets you place a ‘shelf’ that can be moved around to help you clutter up anything that’s against a wall – from kitchen counters to shelves, or even fridges!

The shelf also sticks out from any item that you place it on while in Build/Buy, making it a lot easier to move around. You can then make the ‘shelf’ invisible by switching the swatch so that it looks just as if you’ve placed all these items directly on whatever surface you’ve chosen.

Photographic Memory Photo Spawner

EA / Dexerto

[Download]

If you’re looking to add a more personal touch to your Sims’ homes, this is the mod for you. While photos taken by your Sims can be hung around your home with frames already – Ravasheen’s mod spawns frameless versions of already existing photos (either from your inventory or those that are in-world).

Once you place them in Live mode or Build/Buy, you can then decide on what particular moodlet that picture will evoke, add a description to it, or change the person that took it. As an added bonus, there’s also a mod for the corkboard which would look great in a dorm or a teen’s bedroom.

Shiftable Mirrors

EA / Dexerto

[Download]

Despite being an incredibly simple idea, mirrors aren’t able to be moved up and down walls like paintings are. Picture Amobae’s mod rectifies this, allowing you to freely place the mirrors where you see fit.

You can choose from a merged package that enables the function of every mirror across all packs, or download them separately if you don’t own them all. This means you can have fun with creating mirror galleries, perfect for a bit of interest or to tie into some lore if you’re playing a particularly vain Sim.

TOOL

[Download]

Want complete control over things outside of your lot in The Sims 4? TOOL can do just that. Standing for ‘Takes Object Off Lot’, this mod by TwistedMexi gives builders complete freedom to take their vision for a lot even further.

With the option to rotate, size up, size down, elevate, and move objects around on and off of your current lot, this mod is an absolute dream for builders who are looking for that extra bit of control to truly bring their vision or a story to life. You can even replace apartment windows with completely new ones!

What’s more, if you’re using Better BuildBuy above, you can also use this in build mode, instead of being restricted to using it in Live Mode without it.

More helpful guides

• Best Expansion Packs
• Best mods for realism, CAS & gameplay
• Businesses & Hobbies cheats
• Crystal Creations cheats
• How to become a ghost
• How to make money fast
• List of all cheats
• Life & Death cheats
• Lovestruck cheats
• Werewolves cheats

How to download Sims 4 mods & install them

After shopping for your shiny new mods, you’ll then need to know how to add them to your game. Luckily, downloading and installing mods is a much easier process than in previous iterations:

Downloading mods

For the most part — and in the case of the mods on this list — all you’ll need to do to download your Sims 4 mods is to select the ‘download’ or ‘install’ button, file name, or equivalent on each particular download page. Some will be through sites like Patreon, while others will be through Sim File Share or a creator’s own site.

Players can also download mods from the official hub for The Sims 4 over on CurseForge via the app. Many well-known content creators’ mods can be found there too, including MC Command Center.

It’s a great place if you’re hunting for furniture and CAS items, and all you have to do is hover over the mod and press ‘Install’ to get it in your game. If you’re new to modding, I’d highly recommend you use it.

Locating your Sims 4 mods folder (PC & Mac)

If you’re downloading your mods without the likes of Curseforge and prefer to do it yourself, after downloading something, you’ll need to locate your Mods folder.

This can typically be found under ‘Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4/Mods‘, as shown in the screenshot below:

Dexerto

After locating that, you’ll just need to move the files across to the correct folder:

• Locate the folder that you’ve saved the mods you’ve downloaded to.
• If the file ends in ‘.package‘, or ‘.ts4script‘, simply move it into the ‘Mods‘ folder.
  • Some files you download will be in a Zip or Rar file.
  • Extract this by right-clicking, and place the extracted contents into the ‘Mods‘ folder.
• Some zips may contain images and text documents that provide further details on the mod. These do not need to be placed in the folder.
• That’s it! Your mods are installed.

Following installation, you’ll then need to enable mods in-game.

Enabling mods

Mods won’t work straight off of the bat in The Sims 4 unless you’ve signified to the game that you want them to appear.

• Once you’ve launched the game, select the ‘…’ icon from either the main menu or the top right of the screen when in-game.
• Click ‘Game Options‘.
• You’ll see an ‘Other’ tab on the left side of the window that pops up. Click that.
• Make sure that both ‘Enable Custom Content and Mods‘ and ‘Script Mods Allowed‘ are checked.
• Press ‘Apply Changes‘ and then restart your game.

Any mods that you’ve now downloaded should be working. If you want to check what mods the game recognizes that you’ve installed, select ‘View Custom Content‘ once you’ve restarted to see what appears.

Are mods available on console?

Unfortunately no, mods aren’t available on console platforms. Though unlikely at this stage of the game’s lifecycle, if this ever changes, we’ll be sure to update you here with the necessary steps.

Now you know which mods are the cream of the crop, for more guides on all things The Sims 4, check out how to become a ghost, how to make money fast, the best Expansion Packs as of 2025, and the proper way to unlock all items.