As the fourth installment in the beloved Sims series, The Sims 4 has reigned as the king of simulation games since its release in 2014.

In the eight years since its release, the game's developers have kept it fresh with new downloadable content (DLC) and expansions for veteran players. And, with the game now available on more platforms than ever, EA made The Sims 4 free to download on October 18, 2022, ushering in a new crop of players.

The Sims 4

This article aims to provide a detailed guide for installing mods in The Sims 4 for new players, thus maximizing the fun of the game. Keep reading to also find the best way to back up your The Sims 4 files.

Why do players add mods and CC to The Sims 4? In The Sims 4, players have the freedom to create and customize their unique Sims. However, the game's built-in options may be limited. This is where mods (modifications) and CC (custom content) come into play. Here are several key reasons why players choose to add mods and CC: 1. **Extending gameplay features**: Mods introduce new game mechanics, careers, activities, or alter existing rules, enriching the gaming experience and providing more variety. 2. **More customization options**: CC offers a vast array of additional clothing, furniture, hairstyles, and more, allowing for greater precision in personalizing Sims and their environment. 3. **Artistic themes and styles**: CC creators often release packs that align with specific themes or artistic styles, such as retro furniture or anime-inspired outfits, catering to different players' preferences. 4. **Fixes and enhancements**: Some mods focus on addressing bugs or inconsistencies within the game, improving performance, and optimizing the user experience. 5. **Community engagement**: The use of mods and CC fosters interaction and sharing among players, fostering an active community. 6. **Free resources**: Most mods and CC are provided by passionate players for free, meaning players can enhance their gaming enjoyment without additional costs. 7. **Continuous updates**: As the game evolves, mods and CC also adapt, ensuring compatibility with the latest game versions. In conclusion, adding mods and CC to The Sims 4 significantly expands the game's possibilities, making the experience more personalized and engaging. However, it's essential to note that not all mods and CC are compatible with every game version and may impact stability. Therefore, careful selection and ensuring reliable sources are crucial before installation.

"The Sims 4" is highly playable, allowing users to create their own simulated citizens. Players determine their Sim's name, appearance, wardrobe, and career path, buy them a house, and control their social interactions.

Create Your Own Sim

Yet, owing to constraints on game data, The Sims 4 offers a limited variety of personality items, and players can quickly grow tired of them.

Limited items

Against this backdrop, the game introduces a custom game engine and supports players in creating and adding CC (Custom Content) and Mods to The Sims 4. CC and Mods can greatly expand your options, offering your Sims new outfits, hairstyles, behaviors, and more, allowing you to personalize and diversify your built world even further.

Mods and CC

Where to Find the Best The Sims 4 Mods

Many talented The Sims 4 players create and share their own MODs on various websites, so feel free to browse some of the best The Sims 4 MOD and CC sites out there and download whatever catches your fancy. Then, follow the steps below to install it.

Here are some of our favorite sites.

Once you download your favorite mods from these sites, you'll usually get a ZIP file. Note that you only need the .package and .ts4script files, as these are the correct mod files that you should be installing into The Sims 4.

MOD file extension

How to Install Mods for The Sims 4 on Steam/Origin

While The Sims 4 is available for PC, macOS, Xbox, and PlayStation, you can't add mods or custom content to the game on any console. As such, these methods only apply to PC and Mac users who have installed The Sims 4 via Steam or Origin.

Here is a step-by-step guide, along with some caveats.

Install Mods/Custom Content for The Sims 4 on a Windows PC

Step 1: Open the Windows File Explorer and click on "Documents"

Step 2: Click on Electronic Arts > The Sims 4

Step 3: You should now be looking at your Mods folder.

Step 4. Place the MOD file you downloaded earlier in this folder.

Install mods and custom content for The Sims 4 on PC

Add Mods and Custom Content to The Sims 4 on Mac

Step 1: Open Finder, then click on "Documents."

Step 2: Go to Electronic Arts > The Sims 4

Step 3: You should now be looking at the Mods folder

Step 4. Drop the mod files you downloaded earlier into this folder.

Add Mods and Custom Content to The Sims 4 on Mac

Tip
If you download lot/house/room mods from a site other than The Sims 4 Gallery, you should place them in the Tray folder, not the Mods folder.

Adjust game options

After copying the mods and custom content into the respective folders, you must enable the "Allow Custom Content and Mods" option in the game's settings for the mod files to work properly.

There are three simple steps that you should follow.

Step 1: Launch The Sims 4 and click the “Options” button on the right panel.

Step 2: Select Game Options > Others

Choose Game Options

Step 3: Now check the “Enable Custom Content and Mods” option and apply the changes.

Check the option

Matters Needing Attention

If you've already added mods and custom content to The Sims 4 and have been successfully playing with them enabled, then proceed with caution whenever the game gets an update or patch. Your mods could easily be the source of coding errors.

Not only can this affect the stability of The Sims 4, but it can also damage your save files. Because of this, you need to create a scheduled backup for both your mods and saves to maintain the integrity of your mod files and keep your game data safe.

How to Back Up Your "The Sims 4" Mods and Save Files Your mods and save files are crucial to your experience while playing "The Sims 4." It's essential to back them up regularly to prevent accidental loss or damage. Here's a detailed guide on how to do it: 1. **Locate the Game Folder:** - On Windows, open the "My Documents" folder and navigate to Electronic Arts > The Sims 4. - On Mac, go to the User folder > Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4. 2. **Back Up the Mods Folder:** - Within the game folder, find the "Mods" folder, which contains all your installed custom mods and CC. - Create a copy of this folder by right-clicking and selecting "Copy," then paste it to a secure location like your desktop or an external storage device. 3. **Back Up the Saves Folder:** - Inside the same game folder, you'll see a "Saves" folder that stores all your game saves. - Copy this folder to a safe place as well. 4. **Add a Date Label:** - To manage your backups efficiently, include the current date in the backup folder names, e.g., "ModsBackup_2022-10-01" and "SavesBackup_2022-10-01." - This will help you track and differentiate between different backup versions. 5. **Update Backups Regularly:** - Remember to update your backups whenever you install new mods or make significant progress in the game. 6. **Restore Backups:** - If you need to restore a backup, simply overwrite the original Mods and Saves folders with your backed-up versions. By following these steps, you can ensure your "The Sims 4" mods and save files are safely protected and easily recoverable in case of any issues.

While you can manually copy The Sims 4 mods and save files to another location, we highly recommend using the best backup software – Todo Backup Home.

Todo Backup Home, a professional tool, can meet all backup needs for gamers with its superior performance. It can back up PC game saves and help you set up a dedicated backup schedule. Moreover, it supports incremental and differential backup modes, which can automatically back up new content immediately when you add more files to the Mods folder. More importantly, Todo Backup Home offers users 250 GB of free cloud storage space. You can save backup files there to free up hard drive space.

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Conclusions

Mods and custom content are a big part of the fun with The Sims 4. This article will detail how to install mods in The Sims 4, but remember that you should back up your files regularly to prevent corruption – Todo Backup Home will be on hand if you need it.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are mods and CC?

A MOD, short for modification, is a program that alters or enhances a game, allowing changes to various aspects of its settings. In The Sims 4, mods can modify the behavior and traits of your Sims or introduce new features, significantly enhancing the gameplay experience.

Custom Content (CC) is much simpler than Mods. In The Sims 4, CC usually refers to items like clothing, hairstyles, facial features, furniture, and more that creators want to add to the game, giving players more options for customization.

How do I manually install mods on Steam?

You should copy the MOD files that you unzipped from the downloaded ZIP file. Open File Explorer, go to Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > Mods, and drop your MOD into the folder.