10 features we want back in The Sims

Nearly a full decade after its release, The Sims 4 has plenty of content to offer up to its players whenever they make a new save. Whether you’re playing the base game or have every expansion released, there’s plenty to do in this life simulator.

But, unfortunately, the game doesn’t have everything that the series is known for. Right from the launch, series staples have been missing, and fans are still asking EA for them to this day. These are features from previous games that we want back in The Sims 4.

Features fans want to make a comeback to The Sims

1. Create a Style

One of, if not the best aspect of The Sims 3, was the famous Create a Style tool. For the uninitiated, this feature would allow you to change the pattern, texture, and color of nearly everything in the game. This included both clothes and furniture.

Fans were devastated when it was revealed that Create a Style had been cut for the fourth installment due to performance concerns, which is a huge loss, seeing as the customization abilities were limitless. Now, fans must live with a limited number of swatches instead. We would love to see this feature be brought back.

2. Fairies

The Sims 4 has done a great job of expanding the supernatural life states that are available, including vampires, spellcasters, and werewolves. However, there’s a key one missing, and that’s fairies. Introduced in the third game, fairies were refreshingly bright and beautiful compared to the spooky aura of the rest of the Supernatural expansion.

Needless to say, this life state has not been introduced into the fourth game. Fans instead have to rely on custom content and mods if they want to be a magical fairy living in a cute cottage in the forest causing mischief. What a shame.

3. Burglars

Was there anything more terrifying than the burglar music from the original Sims? Not that I can remember. Burglars added a bit of challenge to the game, with these sticky-handed Sims taking some of your most valuable items in the dead of night.

They’ve been a staple of the series since the original game, and have been included in every entry — until The Sims 4. There are no burglars in the fourth installment, and that’s a real shame. It made the gameplay much more exciting and made players appreciate every one of their items a bit more.

4. Cars

What’s a bustling Sim city without endless traffic to get caught in? One that feels a lot less lifelike. Cars were first added to the series in The Sims 2 and stuck around as the best way to travel in the third installment. But, in The Sims 4, cars have been downgraded to nothing more than set dressing. 

Instead, your Sims just disappear into the void when they go to exit a lot. While cars didn’t change up the gameplay that much, as you couldn’t actually drive them, they made the game that much more realistic. Plus, what’s a dream mansion without a stunning sports car in the front?

5. Singer Career

The Get Famous expansion pack for the fourth game lets you dive deep into fame, but unlike previous installments, it doesn’t let you do this as a singer. Sure, acting and content creation are fun to play with, but they are just not the same.

There not only is no ability to be a famous singer but there’s no way to form a band, either. For anyone who was convinced they were going to be a rock star someday, this is very limiting. It might not be the most vital thing missing from The Sims 4, but I want it back all the same.

6. Open World

This one is likely nothing more than a pipe dream, seeing as how the entire core gameplay model of Sims 4 would need to be reworked to include this. But the open world was so popular in The Sims 3, that it’s a wonder why it was removed in the first place.

Instead of having an entire world to explore without limits, players are forced to endure endless loading screens just to get to a different lot. This is playtime wasted, and many fans are still salty that Sims 4 chose to get rid of the open world. Perhaps we can get our hopes up for the fifth game.

7. Dying from removing the pool ladder

Is this one practical or realistic? Not in the slightest. But it’s such a beloved feature from the franchise that I want it back anyway. It was a right of passage to kill at least a handful of Sims by letting them go for a swim only to delete their exit.

Death as a whole is a bit sanitized in the fourth game, with ghosts given pretty much all the abilities of living Sims and multiple ways to bring them back to life. So to take away one of the most legendary deaths in the series feels like an extra kick to fans. It might not happen in real life, but I’d love for it to happen to my Sims once more.

8. Create your own world

The Sims 2 featured something quite special, which was the ability to pick from a huge template of cityscapes and build your own world to play around in. Want to make your hometown? Maybe New York City? It’s easy to do with the Create a World feature.

Sadly, this hasn’t shown up in any other Sims entries, although you were free to place more empty lots in the third game. This has also been removed, and now players are stuck with premade worlds that offer no customization besides the lots already placed. It’s very limiting, and we would love to see this feature come back.

9. Aspiration Failure

Sims have a set of needs they have to take care of in order to be happy and healthy, just like real people. In past games, they’ve also had to complete wants and goals in order to remain happy, also like in real life. In Sims 4? Nothing. 

Aspiration failure added a level of challenge to the game, as it was necessary not only to keep them physically healthy, but mentally as well. Sims felt more dynamic, and we’d love to see that put back into the franchise.

10. Zodiac Signs

Even the original Sims had these. Astrology is nowhere to be found in Sims 4, and nowadays the only way to get your fill of zodiac in the game is to download mods or custom content. This is a real shame because it’s never a bad thing for Sims to have more personality. 

It’s understandable that they didn’t want personalities entirely dependent on a Sim’s sign, as it was in the first two titles, but not even being able to choose it at all seems like a big step back. It just seems strange to remove zodiac signs altogether. EA should just put them back into the game.