The 6 best Sims 4 challenges, from marathoning parenthood to serial killer spouses

GamesLife SimThe SimsThe Sims 4The 6 best Sims 4 challenges, from marathoning parenthood to serial killer spousesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Maxis, Electronic Arts)

The Sims 4

If you’ve ever approached a new save file in The Sims 4 with a goal in mind—whether that’s becoming a world famous chef or a Sim serial killer—chances are you made it happen without too much trouble. Your Sim’s entire life of building up a career or raising a family can play out in just a few hours. I wish real life was that easy, but I often find myself looking at my family of accomplished Sims and asking: “What now?”

More Sims series(Image credit: Maxis, Electronic Arts)Sims 4 cheats: Life hacksSims 3 cheats: Classic hacksSims 4 mods: Play your waySims 4 CC: Custom contentSims 5: What we knowSims 4 building tips: Renovate

More Sims series

(Image credit: Maxis, Electronic Arts)Sims 4 cheats: Life hacksSims 3 cheats: Classic hacksSims 4 mods: Play your waySims 4 CC: Custom contentSims 5: What we knowSims 4 building tips: Renovate

(Image credit: Maxis, Electronic Arts)

The Sims 4 - Bella Goth looks smug while money flies from her hands

Sims 4 cheats: Life hacksSims 3 cheats: Classic hacksSims 4 mods: Play your waySims 4 CC: Custom contentSims 5: What we knowSims 4 building tips: Renovate

That’s where Sims challenges come in. These player-made rulesets can add a bit of purpose and motivation to your playthrough, giving you a few clearly defined goals and restrictions for when the default Sims experience leaves you at a loose end.

Although The Sims 4 now has official challenge-style modes called Scenarios, Sims players have been making up their own rules for years. Throughout the nearly 25 year history of the Sims, players have created and iterated upon countless challenges ranging from the mundane to the charming to the flat out disturbing. Here are six of the best across the board (with no mods or expansions required!).

Rags to Riches Challenge

(Image credit: Maxis, Electronic Arts)

The Sims 4 - a pink haired sim grills a meal on a park grill outside

Rags to Riches is perhaps the most popular challenge in The Sims 4, and for a good reason—it fulfills nearly every player’s goal of raising rich Sims. To challenge yourself to Rags to Riches, start a new game, ship your Sim off to an empty lot, and useSims 4 cheatsto wipe every last Simoleon from their bank account. (Ctrl+Shift+C to open the cheat console and the code “Money 0” is the quick and easy way.)

From there you’ll couch surf, gym shower, and forage your way to financial freedom. Or, if you’re feeling particularly devious, you can also steal, lie, and cheat your way there. No judgment.

Technically that’s the entire challenge: find a way to get rich. If you want more structure,SnootySims’ rulesentail meeting a set of goals like becoming a homeowner, starting a family, and growing a career. Looking for added difficulty? Try only earning money through the non-career path of your choice, like painting, gardening, or stealing. SimishGamer, who SnootySims credits for the original challenge, also has a harder version called theRags to Riches Mega Challenge.

(Image credit: Maxis, Electronic Arts)

The Sims 4 - a parent sim holds a baby while several other baby bassinets sit nearby

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Legacy Challenge (and its many variations)

(Image credit: Maxis, Electronic Arts)

The Sims 4 - A parent and child sim chat together on the couch

The Legacy Challenge has spawned the greatest number of variations out of any Sims 4 challenge. You’ll start this challenge similarly to Rags to Riches—alone and on an empty lot. The difference here is that your goal is to build a family and grow it for a set number of generations, making it more of a test of familial bonds than financial growth.

Theoriginal Legacy Challengeis a great pick on its own, but most players opt for a different variation, and there are alotto choose from.

Black Widow Challenge

(Image credit: Maxis, Electronic Arts)

The Sims 4 - a pink haired sim stands in front of lots of grave markers in their yard

Continue the cycle until you reach a milestone of your choice—some goals players have added over the years have beencollecting 10 spouse gravesormaxing out your Charisma and Cooking skills before death, the latter presumably being to lure new victims in with ease.

Runaway Teen Challenge

(Image credit: Maxis, Electronic Arts)

The Sims 4 - a pink-haired teen Sim fishes outside in a pond

Similar to Rags to Riches, in the Runaway Teen Challenge you’ll find yourself starting out broke and scrounging around for resources. This time acting as a teenager on the lam, which comes with more restrictions. Since you’re afraid of getting caught, you can’t work, attend school, use your phone, or talk to adults.

Instead, you’ll have to fend for yourself using the same techniques as in Rags to Riches, just with a lot more difficulty and waiting around to grow up. As detailed inStormy Dayz Gamez’ rules, your best bet here is foraging and gardening until your Sim’s birthday comes up. Then these restrictions will drop and your playthrough essentially becomes a slightly different version of Rags to Riches, just with a slightly sadder backstory (but a much greater sense of accomplishment).

Apocalypse Challenge

(Image credit: Maxis, Electronic Arts)

The Sims 4 - a pink haired sim sits at an old computer in an undecorated room

The Apocalypse Challenge has one of the most detailed rulesets in the Sims 4. In the wake of an apocalypse, your Sim’s career will determine the role they play in rebuilding society. When you start out though, things are going to be pretty rough for a while. According tothe original rules, you’ll have to work your way to the top of each career before removing each career’s associated restrictions, whether that’s being unable to sell build mode items until becoming a top investor or being forced to have babies and being banned from showering (yikes) until growing into an ace reporter.

It’s a tough challenge to take on, but if you’re up for the task of rebuilding Sim society, there’s a detailedscore sheetthat’ll help you track which of the challenge’s many restrictions are left to clear.

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The Sims designer Will Wright says a ‘Britney Spears-level’ pop star loved her ‘mundane’ life in The Sims: ‘It is so boring, it’s wonderful’I just found out you can become a car thief in The Sims 3 and somehow it led to love at first sight with the man who burgled my home

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I just found out you can become a car thief in The Sims 3 and somehow it led to love at first sight with the man who burgled my home

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Rags to Riches Challenge#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

Legacy Challenge (and its many variations)#

Black Widow Challenge#

Runaway Teen Challenge#

Apocalypse Challenge#

Rags to Riches Challenge

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

Legacy Challenge (and its many variations)

Black Widow Challenge

Runaway Teen Challenge

Apocalypse Challenge