With the upcoming release of the Life and Death Expansion Pack coming late next week, the Sims Team has graced us with a heavily ghost-focused Base Game Update! Some highlights include;

  • Sims will now react uniquely to the death of others based on traits and relationship
  • Ghosts can now be created in Create A Sim for Child though Elder aged Sims
  • Ghost Sims now have a new set of ghastly needs
  • At the moment of death, Sims are now given the option to “Become a Playable Ghost” or “Become a Free Roaming Ghost”
  • A new option on gravestones/urns to manually switch between them, rather than automatically switching when put indoors or outdoors
  • Sims can WooHoo with the Grim Reaper again (finally!)

There has also been some new Base Game content that is Cross-Pack Compatible such as the ability to change the look of a Sim’s headstone/urn. When this feature is used with a pack containing an occult installed, you will now have the ability to use the special occult themed monument for any Sim!

To view the full Patch Notes and Bug Fixes, read below.


Don't Miss: Halloween Bundle Sale

Time is running out to take advantage of The Sims 4 Halloween Bundle that is currently on discount until November 6 for 40% off.

The bundle contains the Spook Stuff, Vampires, and Werewolves Game Pack, for a larger than usual discount when bought together. If you're only interested in an individual pack, those are also on discount right now for 30% off.


Update 10-22-2024 Patch Notes

Quote From EA

Sul Sul, spoopy Simmers and specters! This Halloween season, we're summoning delightful surprises alongside the release of The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack. A hauntingly huge thank you to those special ghouls who took time to report issues via Answers HQ.

Prepare for a ghostly array of fixes and updates. No tricks, just spectral treats!

What’s New in The Sims 4 ?

Base Game Updates

  • Sims will react uniquely to others' deaths based on traits and relationships. Experience everything from sobbing for a loved one passing to retching at a stranger’s death.

  • Ghosts can now be created in Create a Sim for Child through Elder ages.
  • After passing on, Ghost Sims gain a new set of needs in place of the classic, living Sims ones: including Goo Waste, Ethereal Sustenance, Otherworldly Slumber, Spooky Diversions, Ethereal Bonding, and Apparition Cleansing.
  • At the moment of death, Sims are now given the option to “Become a Playable Ghost“ or “Become a Freeroaming Ghost.“

  • Upon the death of a marriage partner, two married Sims will no longer be married, they'll be widowed. However, there is a new interaction that will allow them to “Ask to Stay Married“ so they can reinstate their marriage status.
  • Sims can WooHoo with the Grim Reaper again.
  • Improved autonomous ghosts behavior such as reducing the frequency of ghosts breaking things and creating annoying ghost 'byproducts', i.e. puddles.
  • Added a new Outdoor picture category in Build Mode called “Life Event Activity“ to help players find content for Funerals, Weddings, and more. 

  • Infant, Toddler, Child Sims taken by Social Workers go to Household Menu in Manage Worlds, rather than being deleted.
  • Added a new bonfire object called the Fieldstone Bonfire Pit to Base Game.

  • There is an option on Gravestones/Urns to manually swap to the other one whether you are indoors or outdoors. Before it would always auto-change when brought in or taken out.
  • We added 10 new “true black“ color variants to 10 different BG Shoes:

    • (ymShoes_AnkleOxford)
    • (yfShoes_AnkleBoots)
    • (yfShoes_PumpsLow)
    • (ymShoes_SneakersSlipOn)
    • (yfShoes_PumpsHighPointed)
    • (ymShoes_OxfordFringe)
    • (ymShoes_AnkleCombat)
    • (yfShoes_AnkleBootsCuffed)
    • (yfShoes_PumpsHighOpenAsym)
    • (yfShoes_PumpsMediumOpenJewel)

New Base Game Content That’s Cross-Pack Compatible

  • If you have Get to Work (Aliens), Vampires, Werewolves, Realm of Magic (Spellcasters), Island Living (Merfolks) or the upcoming Life & Death Expansion Pack, you can click on a Sim’s urn or gravestone to choose from a selection of which gravestones to use. That Sim who wasn’t a Vampire but was a little too obsessed with Vampires? Yeah, they can rest eternally with a bat-themed gravestone now.

  • There is now a Merfolk Urn and Tombstone for players with Island Living.

  • Players can swap occults while in Create a Sim if they have the necessary occult packs. This doesn’t remove progress on a Sim that’s currently being created (within reason).

  • Players can create Elder Dog, Cat, & Horse Ghosts in Create a Sim with the Cats & Dogs or Horse Ranch Expansions.

DirectX 11 - Improved GPU Detection on Hybrid Systems

  • We’ve addressed an issue affecting players with hybrid GPU laptops, where the game was defaulting to DirectX 9 on devices with NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards instead of the expected DirectX 11.

Bug Fixes

Console

  • [AHQ] Cottage Living - Images for crafted Cross-Stitch objects on PlayStation are no longer in grayscale.
  • [AHQ] Growing Together - Puzzles are no longer in black and white on PlayStation.

Base Game:

  • [AHQ] Sims will not eat spoiled food autonomously.
  • [AHQ] Plants that have enough water will stop dying.
  • [AHQ] Interactions will no longer jam and prevent progression through the interaction queue when caused by stuck chickens on the lot.
  • [AHQ] Sims will fully close their eyes when they are supposed to (like when sleeping).
  • [AHQ] Parent Sims will no longer get stuck standing idly in front of the crib when trying to interact with their sleeping baby.
  • [AHQ] NPC Sims no longer enter the lot without knocking on the door.
  • [AHQ] Skill books are now available at all libraries; not just the Willow Creek Library.
  • [AHQ] Most recently interacted with Sim will appear at the beginning of the Relationship panel.
  • [AHQ] Pizza delivery Sim can now be tipped and interacted with after delivering pizza.
  • [AHQ] Invisible Nannies have had their superpower removed and will now remain visible.
  • [AHQ] Sims will no longer incorrectly age up when adjusting game age options.
  • [AHQ] Stopped issues where a held baby tries to perform an interaction that requires an adult to put them down, but the adult can't so it just spins in a loop.
  • [AHQ] Textures will now apply on one-Tile gable roofs.
  • [AHQ] Curved Fences will now cast shadows.
  • [AHQ] Small black shadows on lots in Manage Worlds map can be removed by loading into the affected lot and exit to regenerate the thumbnail.
  • [AHQ] Blue squares no longer observed in lieu of empty Lot Traits when saving the lot in Build Mode.
  • [AHQ] Modify career outfit cheat now works for part-time careers.
  • [AHQ] Male tank tops are no longer observed after selecting Feminine fashion choices for previous SDX assets.
  • [AHQ] Mourning moodlet will not appear when a stranger Sim dies in front of the active Sim. The moodlet is only displayed if they are at least acquaintances.
  • [AHQ] Previous SDX Ponytail's texture will no longer distort around pulled out ear shapes.
  • Non-binary Sims are now properly referred to as “Birthday Sim“ during the birthday party event.
  • [AHQ] Guerdon Goods Nano Can 2.0 is now tagged as off-the-grid.
  • [AHQ] Fixed an issue that could occur during the “Adopt a child“ flow while off lot.

Affecting Multiple Packs

  • [AHQ] Cleared situations where Build Mode objects and houses placed with ‘moveobjects on’ would appear in the sky.

City Living

  • [AHQ] “Game failed to load“ error no longer triggers when to visit apartments with placed pools (Error Code 132:dad724e4:16f19fc6).
  • [AHQ] City Living Festivals and other festivals now always appear properly in the calendar.
  • [AHQ] NPC Sims in San Myshuno will no longer experience sudden unexpected weight gain. NPC Sims’ bodies should only be susceptible to change if they are inside an active residential lot.

Seasons

  • [AHQ] Flower arrangements will look the same when placed from the Library or the Gallery.

Island Living

  • [AHQ] Merfolks now have their own tombstone and urn.
  • [AHQ] My Wedding Stories: Island Living canoe no longer gets water inside of it when navigating in Tartosa world.

Eco Lifestyle

  • [AHQ] Vertical gardens now count towards the Freelance Botanist Aspiration.

High School Years

  • [AHQ] Packed lunch boxes from inventory are eaten by teen Sims during lunch hours.
  • [AHQ] Rocks will respawn a few hours after digging in 'Water Tower Way' in Copperdale world.

Growing Together

  • [AHQ] Reduced clipping issues when Child Sims Practice Riding Bike near a building.

Horse Ranch

  • [AHQ‘Bad Ranch Product' moodlet no longer observed upon Harvesting Excellent/Magnificent/Perfect Quality Plants.

For Rent

  • [AHQ] Property Owner will not be charged along with Eviction settlement after Tenant breaks lease.
  • [AHQ] Event Failed TNS no longer triggers after completing the Tenant Revolt event by performing “Promise Better Conditions“.
  • [AHQ] Lot Challenges and Lot Traits of a lot downloaded from gallery reflect correctly in-game. 
  • [AHQ] When a tenant Sim bulldozes a unit in a Residential Rental, the rent for other hidden units won't reset to zero.
  • [AHQ] The asset (yfBody_EPLongTunicPants_darkpink) pairs properly with all the Nail Assets.

Lovestruck

  • [AHQ] The asset (yfAcc_PediContrast_ContrastOrange) now has orange swatches.

Vampires

  • [AHQ] Infants will no longer teleport to outside of the Crib when Resuming Game right as the baby transitions to sleep.

Realm of Magic

  • Spellcaster animation will run less frequently in Create a Sim.

Werewolves

  • [AHQ] Werewolf Sims howl less frequently in Create a Sim.
  • [AHQ] Turned Werewolves will no longer occasionally lack color on their nose.

Vintage Glamour

  • [AHQ] Globe bar drink platter now fits on accent/end/coffee tables.

Paranormal

  • [AHQ] Lights no longer revert to auto mode in Haunted Houses.

Crystal Creations

  • [AHQ] The Crystal Tree will not become invisible or transparent and the crystals will be collectable.

Bust the Dust

  • [AHQ] Inspired moodlets from Cleaning House now have a proper timer to prevent overriding other moodlets and blocking related Interactions.