The Sims 4 is about to get significantly better. Maxis is rolling out a sprawling base game update on May 12 that includes 150 bug fixes and new features, addressing some of the most persistent frustrations players have reported since the game's launch in 2014.
The update centers on three major pillars: stabilizing infant and toddler gameplay, fixing autonomy quirks that have annoyed players for years, and smoothing out sleep mechanics. The development team compiled this "Laundry List" partly by letting the community vote on which issues mattered most, making this one of the more player-driven patches in recent memory.
Infant care has been a particular pain point. The update tackles the constant cycle of Sims picking up and putting down babies, caregiver conflicts, and characters freezing mid-interaction. Diaper changes will take about a third of the time they used to, and feeding an infant will drop from thirty minutes to fifteen. Players who want full control over caregiving can toggle off caregiver autonomy entirely, letting them handle every bottle and diaper change manually.
A new Infant Playmat arrives alongside these tweaks, and milestones tied to tummy time will now unlock twice as fast, so infants can hit key developmental moments by around day three with reasonable attention. Toddlers get fixes for reading interactions and hunger states that left them idle next to food.
One of the strangest recurring bugs gets addressed here too: the infamous "black photos" issue where textures would vanish from paintings and photographs. Maxis says all six documented causes have been fixed and further testing has caught previously unreported cases.
Sleep behavior should feel more natural now. Sims woken by TVs or radios will actually turn them off and go back to bed instead of staying awake. Exhausted Sims will no longer collapse on the floor after getting into bed. Couples will have a new "Sleep and Cuddle" interaction so they can actually stay together under the covers without one partner bolting awake.
General autonomy gets toned down across the board. Sims will dance about once a day instead of constantly, and they no longer drink water on their own, making their behavior more predictable and less chaotic. The fix for NPCs entering homes uninvited to grab water is not retroactive for existing saves where this was already happening.
A fresh Base Layers feature lands in Create a Sim with eight options for adults, four for children, and two for toddlers. These 380-plus layer variants in different colors can stack on any top or full body clothing asset, exponentially multiplying outfit combinations and expanding gender expression options.
Several sentiment and trait issues get cleaned up too. Married or engaged Sims will no longer trigger the "Secret Witness" sentiment when caught with their partner. Jealous trait holders stop getting upset when partners interact with their own children. The scandal bug that left Sims stuck with lingering visual effects is fixed.
Maxis will host a developer Q and A on the Sims Discord on May 5 at 2pm PT and a Twitch livestream on May 6 at 10am PT to discuss the update in greater detail and answer community questions.
Author Emily Chen: "This patch reads like the team actually listened to ten years of player complaints and decided to fix the stuff that matters instead of burying the real issues under feature creep."
Comments