The Sims 4: 16 Best Storylines To Liven Up The Game

In The Sims 4, players have the opportunity to craft stories with unique and diverse Sims. The game’s magic lies not just in meticulously designing dream homes or fashioning eccentric personalities, but in sculpting narratives that transcend the mundane. Many begin to fall into the habit of creating a Sim, flirting with the nearest hottie in town, proposing, and starting the perfect family. No wonder people are growing bored with the game.

Thankfully, there are many ways to reignite excitement and passion in The Sims 4 with storylines. Explore the unexplored aspects of the game that stray from traditional family gameplay and instead add unique challenges. Change from fast-paced stories to slower, more creative, and fulfilling gameplay. Feel free to use these ideas to inspire new and distinctive storylines.

Updated on May 16, 2024, by Jenna Amore: Crafting captivating storylines not only makes The Sims 4 more enjoyable but also serves as a platform for raising awareness about important real-world experiences. With the wealth of features from DLC packs and mods at players’ fingertips, they have the power to create immersive narratives that explore themes ranging from love and adventure to health crises and sustainability. Many have turned to sharing their storylines on apps like YouTube and TikTok to gain more of a following. Discover the possibilities and potential of these storylines and adapt them to help liven up the game as well as entertain, educate, and inspire viewers online.

Reduce, Reuse, And Recycle

• Utilizes features from The Sims 4: Eco-Lifestyle
• Raises awareness about environmental issues and sustainable living in the real world
• Lasting effects on the world and Sims’ quality of life in the future

In a world where environmental consciousness is more crucial than ever, The Sims 4 Eco-Lifestyle expansion pack offers the opportunity to immerse players in the joys and challenges of building an eco-friendly community. Using the pack’s features and mechanics, players can tell an uplifting storyline about a neighborhood focused on sustainability and environmental conservation.

Harness renewable energy sources like solar panels, wind turbines, and dew collectors to reduce a Sim’s eco-footprint and take control of their impact on the environment. Builders can also become a crucial part of the storyline, creating a neighborhood of eco-friendly homes and community gardens.

15 Haunted Mansion

A Captivating Storyline Filled With Secrets And Paranormal Phenomena

• Create a dilapidated mansion and have Sims renovate it from the ground up
• Interact with ghosts, spirits, and other supernatural entities to add an element of unpredictability and excitement
• Sense of mystery and adventure that keeps players engaged and curious to uncover the mansion’s secrets

Imagine the main character moves into a seemingly ordinary house, unaware of the dark history that shrouds its walls. As they settle in, strange occurrences begin to unfold — unexplained noises in the dead of night, objects moving on their own accord, and eerie apparitions haunting the corridors. It soon becomes clear that this house holds secrets, and your Sim is determined to uncover the truth.

Master the medium skill from The Sims 4: Paranormal Stuff Pack and become a paranormal investigator to uncover the mystery of the haunted mansion. Similar to the Enchanted Cottage Challenge, Sims can slowly renovate the haunted mansion and transform it into a place of harmony where Sims and spirits can coexist.

14 Reality TV Contestants

Recreating Favorite Reality Show Formats In The Sims 4

• Design various tasks and competitions for Sims to participate in
• Drama-filled relationships and interpersonal conflicts
• Form strategic alliances and use manipulation tactics to ensure Sims’ success in the competition

Players can immerse themselves in the Reality TV Contestant storyline, where they’ll navigate the highs and lows of competing in a variety of reality show formats, each offering unique challenges and opportunities for drama, strategy, and success. From romance and adventure to culinary creativity and social strategy, there’s a reality show for every Sim’s interests and aspirations.

Whether a Sim dreams of finding love on a tropical island, showcasing their culinary prowess in a high-pressure kitchen, or outwitting their competitors in a battle of social strategy, this storyline offers endless possibilities for thrilling gameplay and storytelling. Players can guide their Sims through the cutthroat world of reality TV by forming alliances, strategizing behind the scenes, and navigating obstacles and challenges along the way.

13 Health Crisis

An Emotional Yet Educational Route

• Brings communities together to rally and support
• Creates opportunities for rich storytelling and character development
• Gain a deeper understanding of illnesses and disorders, fostering empathy and awareness

Confront the challenges and complexities of physical, mental, and emotional well-being by downloading popular mods that introduce comprehensive health features. Players can delve into a rich and realistic portrayal of health-related issues, empowering them to explore the impact of illnesses, diseases, and disorders on their Sims’ lives while raising awareness and understanding of these important topics.

From seeking medical care and pursuing treatment to attending therapy sessions and practicing self-care techniques, players can empower their Sims to take control of their health and well-being in the face of adversity. Build a powerful support system to support ill Sims as they cope with the complexities of their ailments.

12 Teenage Runaway

Hormones Run Rampant, But Teenage Sims Run Faster

• Subverts the perfect teenage Sim stereotype
• A compelling tale about an escape from troubling family dynamics
• Add younger siblings for more of a challenge

It can be easy to fall into the pattern of creating perfect teenage Sims with good grades and great relationships with their family and friends. The reality is that teens are hormonal and emotional beings, even in games like The Sims 4. They can do almost everything that adults can do, including moving out on their own.

Perhaps a storyline with a teenage runaway would allow players to experience a side of the game they never had before. Begin a Big Brother or Big Sister challenge, which involves a teenager raising their younger siblings alone. Maybe a troubling backstory about their escape from an abusive household could enrich their personality as a virtual character. Follow this character as they navigate low funds and avoid being caught in public by their family.

11 The Evil Scientist

Experimenting With Mischief & Mayhem

• Requires The Sims 4: Get To Work for the Scientist Career
• Play hilarious pranks on coworkers with new inventions
• Download mods for more malicious mayhem

The scientist career is one of the best active careers in the game, allowing players to follow their Sims to work as they perform actions like inventing new technology, analyzing crystals and flora, and chatting with co-workers. What many players don’t know is that this career provides plentiful opportunities to cause mischief and mayhem.

Terrorize other Sims with the SimRay, which can freeze Sims, force them to change clothes, put them to sleep, or cause them to panic. Create the satellite dish at level four of the scientist career to put everyone to sleep, cause a bladder epidemic, or start a massive dance party. Don’t forget to build an evil Sim’s laboratory for experimentation on other Sims.

10 Enemies To Lovers

An Epic Saga From Rivalry To Romance

• Opportunity for dynamic character development
• Navigate the challenges of shifting relationships
• Captures a range of emotions, offering an immersive storytelling experience

The “enemies to lovers” trope may be cliché in the world of literature and television, but it is an avenue wildly unexplored by Sims players. It’s easy to make two Sims hate each other. Spamming mean interactions and getting into fights will cause the friendly relationship bar to quickly go in the red. Flirting, on the other hand, takes a bit more time, especially when two Sims are considered enemies.

Maybe the two Sims are workplace rivals or their families have long-standing feuds that make this love forbidden. Players will have to spend a long time trying to mend fences, but the challenge could be just the thing needed to spice up the game.

9 A Full House

Whatever Happened To Predictability?

• Creates a lively and dynamic household filled with varied personalities and stories
• Tackle the challenges of parenting and raising multiple children at once
• Orchestrate family reunions and capture memorable moments with well-rounded Sims

Raising a handful of Sims in different life stages with different wants and needs can be chaotic. With The Sims 4: Parenthood, a whole house of kids and teens can also lead to hilarious circumstances like sibling rivalries and childhood phases.

Make the household even more messy by having the parents get into a divorce. The high school sweetheart’s storyline is overrated, anyway. Convert the save file into more of a Brady Bunch-type family. Alternate between households and control interactions with stepparents and stepchildren.

8 Baby Daddy

From One-Night Stands To Embracing Fatherhood

• An unpredictable and engaging parenting journey
• Explore evolving relationships between a busy father and his children
• A compelling narrative about love and perseverance, or about abandonment and resentment

Many players are familiar with the 100 Baby Challenge in The Sims 4. A female Sim tries to have 100 babies throughout her life before passing the legacy onto her next-born daughter. Switch it up by creating a male Sim who impregnates multiple women around town and attempts to contribute to their upbringing.

Playing as a bachelor with a habit of one-night stands, players must juggle the challenges of co-parenting, the whirlwind of emotions, and the responsibilities of raising children. This storyline could resolve itself towards the end of the baby daddy’s life, as he goes through personal growth and realizes that good family dynamics are the most important aspect of life.

7 Twins

Duality Defined: Exploring Unique Dynamics Between Siblings

• Create a strong bond between identical twins who do everything together
• Navigate sibling rivalries between twins who are complete opposites of each other
• Double the trouble, double the fun

Sometimes having one baby can be a challenge, but having two can seem almost impossible. Raising needy infants and toddlers can prove to be especially difficult. Players can either rely on chance, use traits, or cheat for their Sims to have twin babies. The story could begin with two parents who struggle to raise their twin children and players slowly divert their attention to the twins’ perspective.

Create twins who are best friends who enjoy dressing similarly and pulling pranks together or two Sims that are the direct opposites of the other. This allows players to explore two different avenues of the game. For example, one twin may have the “good” trait and enjoy cleaning up Sulani beaches, while the other twin has the “evil” trait and is part of the criminal career path.

6 Lonely Rich Celebrity

Learning The Price Of Fame And Fortune

• Experience the complexities of fame and fortune with the Get Famous expansion
• Spotlight Sims who pursue genuine connections in a world focused on surface-level interactions
• An emotional exploration of the loneliness that can persist even amid public adoration

With The Sims 4: Get Famous installed, Sims can earn fame for being musicians, comedians, actors, and social media influencers, and become famous for many other professions. For this storyline, create a Sim who lives their life in the limelight with a luxurious mansion and more money than they know what to do with. They have everything they want in life, besides friends.

Sure, some Sims randomly show up on the lot occasionally to act buddy-buddy with a celebrity, but they don’t consider anyone their friend. Take this lonely rich celebrity through their life trying to find loyal friends and perhaps even a romantic partner.

5 Single Parent

Love, Laughter, and Little Hands: Navigating Parenthood Alone

• Experience the challenges and triumphs of raising a Sim child alone
• Balance complications of work schedules, social lives, and childcare
• Pairs nicely with the Growing Together expansion pack and Parenthood game pack

There’s no secret that parenting is a tough job, even in The Sims 4. In unfortunate circumstances like death, divorce, or alien invasion scenarios, a Sim is left to raise their children as a single parent. Create a sad, dramatic backstory for the parent Sim, and their children and take them through their unpredictable lives together.

A common single-parent storyline is a teen pregnancy. With different mods that enhance teen gameplay, teenage Sims can get pregnant. On the off chance that their parents don’t support their pregnant teen, they might have to start a life of their own with their new little family member.

4 Low To No Income Family

Beginning With The Bare Necessities

• Encourages resourceful creativity and strategizing to make the most out of limited funds
• Players can relish in the sense of accomplishment as their Sims overcome financial hurdles
• Explore unorthodox ways of making money in The Sims 4

Living the life of a rich Sim is great, but a reversal can bring a much-needed challenge back to gameplay. Many Simmers know this storyline as the Rags-to-Riches challenge. Follow a family as they struggle with being completely broke or having low funds. They may have to settle for inexpensive, used, or broken furniture until they can find a steady job with a good income.

Players may choose to start with a Sim who has nothing and works their way up from living in a small, run-down shack to owning a luxurious mansion. Along the way, they could have various odd jobs, pursue education, and build relationships that help or hinder their progress. Pursue unusual ways of making money, taking inspiration from challenges like the Odd Money Legacy Challenge.

3 Occult Children

A Supernatural Symphony Of Cosmic Connections

• Experiment with powers and abilities that come with different occult Sims
• Navigate complex relationships between feuding occults like vampires vs werewolves
• Attempt to turn all human Sims in town or create an occult army to unleash chaos

This unique storyline requires a few different packs that allow for several species of occult Sims. Occult Sims, such as vampires, aliens, and werewolves, have different needs and desires than regular Sims, and taking care of them can be thrilling. One possibility for the legacy of this bloodline is to start with a human Sim who wants one child from each occult type.

They might explore a romantic relationship with the infamous vampire in town, Vladislaus Strand, or find themselves swooning over the non-binary spellcaster, Morgan Ember. A baby alien could grow up to develop a hidden agenda to conquer the planet or simply blend in and study human behavior.

2 Family Farm

A Fruitful Story Rooted In Happiness

• Foster a connection with nature and embrace the challenges and rewards of rural life
• Manage crops, livestock, and family dynamics simultaneously
• Emphasizes teamwork, shared goals, and the joys of reaping the fruits of their labor

Many players forget that The Sims 4 is a great gardening and farming simulation game as well. With the Cottage Living and Horse Ranch expansions, players can care for farm animals like cows, horses, llamas, chickens, and goats. Play out a storyline with an animal-loving family who runs a horse rescue or feeds their family with animal products from the barn.

Growing and tending to a garden is just the relaxing thing players and Sims both need after a challenging day of drama and chaos. It’s the reason why people have begun the Garden Legacy challenge in their gameplay. Whether it’s to win contests at the Finchwick Fair or to sell them in the produce shop, gardening could be the perfect family activity.

1 Leaving A Legacy

Passing The Torch: A Tale of Heritage, Trials, And Triumphs

• Pass on physical objects as heirlooms like trophies, toys, and photographs
• Borrow storylines and themes from already-established challenges
• Unfold a generational epic, allowing players to shape the destiny of their Sims over multiple lifetimes

Still feeling uninspired? There are plenty of legacy challenges created by content creators to borrow ideas from. Recreate storylines with the Disney princesses or Barbie Sims or visit classics like the 100 Baby Challenge and the Not So Berry Challenge.

Many players continue playing the same Sim and their family over and over again because they’re too attached to see them die. This problem can be solved by embarking on a legacy challenge. Pass down wealth and heirlooms to future generations. Keep beloved Sims alive with memorabilia like photographs, trophies, toys, and other meaningful items. Pass these items along with keepsake boxes from the Growing Together expansion.