Everyone who's played a Sims game has probably cheated at some point, whether it was the wide range of money cheats available across the series or freezing a Sim's mood to keep them from losing a high-paying job. It's just no fun to play a Sims game and realize you're going to lose everything because of things out of your control.
There are tons of fun cheats to mess around within the game, giving Simmers a new way to play with life. EA, the publishers of the Sims series, even officially encourage players to use cheats and give tips on how to use them. Here are ten of the best cheat codes from across the Sims series.
testingcheatsEnabled (Sims 2 - Sims 4)
The testingcheatsEnabled cheat was first added in the Sims 2 and has become a staple of the series ever since. Its functionality is generally the same from game to game, allowing players to use debug commands and some more powerful cheats. TestingcheatsEnabled is even sometimes a requirement before any other cheat code can be entered.
The debug menus that testhingcheatsEnabled lets players use a huge range of cheats and gameplay modifiers. Cheats like teleporting Sims, resetting moods, bringing random Sims to a location and even spawning special NPCs are available through these menus. TestingcheatsEnabled also unlocks some special debug items in build and buy mode and outfits in Create-a-Sim.
help (Sims 2 - Sims 4)
The help command is another utility cheat code, much like testingcheatsEnabled. This code will list almost every single cheat for whichever game it's entered into. The help code isn't the most exciting cheat in the world, but it's certainly a helpful one for players who'd prefer not to have to flip between their Sims game and a guide each time they want to enter a cheat.
motherlode (Sims 2 - Sims 4)
Motherlode is a money cheat, giving a household 50,000 simoleans in every Sims game except for the original. Money cheats have always been a staple in the Sims games, with motherlode being the one with the most appearances. 50,000 simoleans are a solid amount for a household to coast on for those who want a more relaxed playthrough.
Motherlode's also a helpful cheat for players who want to test out new specialty items from expansions or mods. These can sometimes be incredibly expensive, such as the Hidden Springs expansion for the Sims 3, which added the most expensive item in any Sims game. In short, motherlode is almost a requirement for players who just want to mess around with a Sims game.
StretchSkeleton (Sims 2)
This cheat's name is far odder than its actual function. StretchSkeleton lets players adjust their Sims' height, a feature that has never actually been officially added in a Sims game. Given its status as a cheat, it should be noted that this feature may be glitchy, but it's still cool to see that a height slider may have been considered for the Sims 2.
There's plenty of mods that add height sliders, though much like the StretchSkeleton cheat, they can sometimes cause clipping issues. An official height slider would be a great feature for a future Sims game to have. As is, StretchSkeleton is a great code for those looking to give their Sims 2 Sims a more varied and realistic appearance.
edit in cas (Sims 3)
There's always been a way to bring a Sim back into the character creator in Sims games, but most of the time, it's been tied to the testingcheatsEnabled debug code. However, in the Sims 3, players had to enter both the "edit in cas" code and testingcheatsEnabled to take a sim back into Create-A-Sim. Making changes or adjusting both the current household and default Sims after starting a game is a great code, even for normal gameplay.
Editing Sims in Create-A-Sim after starting a game can help players adjust their Sims' clothing and physical appearances, especially after they age up. In many Sims games, Sims get randomly generated hair and clothing after aging up. Some players may not enjoy these changes, which can make edit in cas an incredibly useful code to know.
Death.toggle (Sims 4)
The Sims 4 seems to be the only Sims game where players have the option to turn off death. Other games let players disable aging, which in turn stops Sims from dying of old-age, but electrical mishaps, drowning and starvation, amongst other things, could still kill a player's Sims. For players who want a much more timeless Sims 4 experience, Death.toggle is a great code to utilize.
Death.toggle is also a great code to use to make the game more of a sandbox than a life simulator, which could be useful for players who want to have a slightly less risky Sims experience. This is also a handy code for those who aren't big fans of the game's multiple items that have a random chance to kill a Sim.
water_tool (Sims 1)
The water_tool cheat lets lot builders decorate their homes with little water features. All later games in the series include this as a feature rather than a cheat, usually located under the terrain editing tools or build mode. This is less of a gameplay changing cheat and more-so something that gives players more options when building their homes in the original Sims game.
rosebud (Sims 1, Sims 3 and Sims 4)
Rosebud may be one of the most recognizable cheat codes in gaming history. It's another money cheat, much like motherlode, that gives a household 1,000 simoleons. This code has been in every single main-series Sims game except for Sims 2.
Much like other money cheats. rosebud is a great way to give a household the number of funds that'd make sense for their story. Players who recreate their favorite celebrities in the Sims, for example, could give them a massive amount of money to reflect that fame. Of course, rosebud only gives 1,000 simoleons, so it's better suited for smaller adjustments.
make happy (Sims 3)
In the Sims 3, players can enter "make happy" into the command console to instantly raise their Sims' mood. There doesn't appear to be a way to raise a Sims' mood through cheats in the Sims 2 or Sims 1, though players can use the debug menu that's unlocked via the testingcheatsEnabled code. Any code that lets a player raise their Sims' mood can always be used during a playthrough where players don't really want to worry about micromanaging their happiness or when players are worried that a low mood might get their Sim fired from a promising career path.
freerealestate (Sims 3 and Sims 4)
Freerealestate lets players move new Sims into households for free, even if they aren't the currently played household. One of the biggest draws behind this code is that it allows players to spend as much time and money as they want to design a dream home without worrying about their household not being able to afford it. Players can also use this code to replace default households in a town with custom Sims.