Highlights

• The Sims 4 is full of unexpected details and hidden gems that make the game unique and popular among players.
• Players can do fun activities in the game like bringing a scarecrow to life, starting a book club, and turning into a plant.
• There are many secret features in The Sims 4, such as befriending a smart speaker, crafting musical instruments, and traveling to secret locations like Sylvan Glade and the Forgotten Grotto.

The Sims 4 is absolutely stock full of weird, quirky details and unexpected hidden gems that appear at the most surprising moments to throw the player off their course. It's this randomness and unpredictability and all the strange details that make the game so unique and popular among us Simmers.

Although many have played the game for years and may know everything about it, casual Simmers might be surprised by the extent of detail and depth found in the game and all the fun things a Sim is actually capable of doing. Here are a few things players may not know they can do in The Sims 4 - and should totally try the next time they play!

Updated on January 8, 2024, by Taylor Pittman: The Sims 4 is known for its quirky gameplay and creative freedom for its players. From building grand estates to telling complex and generational stories, there are tons of ways to enjoy the game. As players move around the maps and play with DLC, such as stuff, game, and expansion packs, they will discover lore and gameplay. Some of which is incredibly random, but players can have fun watching their Sims experience the highs and lows of life. Here's a list of activities players might not be aware of in The Sims 4.

21 Bring a Scarecrow to Life

Meet Patchy The Strawman

Gardening is a skill and an activity that Sims can enjoy as a hobby or make a career out of. Sims who need help tending their gardens can hire a gardener or purchase Patchy the Strawman. Patchy is a scarecrow found in Build/buy mode for $450 Simeoleons. However, Patchy isn’t a normal Scarecrow and can come to life.

If players talk to Patchy and increase his friendship level, he will stand up from his stand and tend any plants on the lot. While his appearance remains a scarecrow, Patchy is just like any other Sim. Sims can flirt with him and ask him to be their boyfriend if they want. Players can even check Patchy's pockets for any plant seeds.

20 Start a Book Club

Read Stories With Friends

Sims can have all kinds of favorite activities, and with The Sims 4: Get Together, they can do them with like-minded Sims. For example, they can start a book club with the club feature from the DLC. As a club leader, a Sim can choose the name, icon, and activities everyone will do.

Book clubs are a great way for Sims to make friends, and can be full of Sims with certain traits like Creative or Bookworm. They can set up meetings at public libraries to get the authentic book club vibe.

19 Turn into a Plant

Become an Occult Sim

Sims can turn in several occults through various DLCs, but there is one base game occult available. Plant Sims are a unique phenomenon that occurs by eating a Forbidden Fruit or completing the Plant-A-Sim scenario. It is also a temporary transformation, so players can check it out without having to commit to it.

Plant Sims require lots of water and sunlight to survive. When a Sim transforms into a Plant Sim, their skin turns green, and they get a spiffy new haircut. They will also complete unique idle animations. Eventually, a Plant Sim will wilt and turn back into a human Sim.

18 Earn Royalties Off Songs

Create Original Songs

It’s no secret that Sims can learn to play instruments and even go on to become rock stars, but many players don’t realize that there’s actually a way to earn royalties off of their songs, no fancy mod required. If the Sim gets their Guitar skill to a high enough rank, they can write and record songs. The final step is to use the mailbox to publish the song.

The Sim will then earn royalties off that song every day. Songs don’t stay fresh and cool forever, though, and royalties will decrease over time, so if the player intends to live off the royalties from their music, they’ll need to keep recording and releasing new songs to keep revenue up.

17 Make Jam

Have Fun in the Kitchen

Playing guitar isn’t the only way for characters to jam out in the Sims. If the player has a decent kitchen and a Sim with a knack for cooking, they can take some fruit and bottles to the stove and indulge all of their jam-making fantasies.

Jam-making might not be as exciting as traveling to a magical forest or another planet, but above all the Sims is about the pleasures of living a second life, regardless of how mundane that life may be. Some players even find vacuuming, taking out the trash, and doing other Sim chores to be enjoyable, so there’s nothing wrong with flexing one’s cooking skills with some preservatives instead.

16 Build A Robot Friend

Androids can have Emotions

As the 100 Baby Challenge demonstrates, Sims players love to challenge themselves in new ways. Most Sim skills are things that anyone could learn with enough hard work and patience, and while that’s technically true of robotics, it’s definitely a more involved hobby than some. Maybe the Sim likes seeing how things work. Maybe they like trying to challenge themselves with something new. Or maybe no one wants to be their friend, so they’ve decided to engineer a metallic friendship for themselves.

Added as part of Discover University, the Robotics skill lets Sims create everything from Cleaner-Bots to RoboNannies. If things in the Sim household seem a bit dull, having a robot wandering around may be just the way to spice things up. Just be careful will all that electrical wiring.

15 Befriend A Smart Speaker Or A Talking Toilet

Technology Comes to Life

Lin-Z and Potty Mouth 2.0 are two of the most unique objects in The Sims 4. Lin-Z imitates a classic Alexa-style smart speaker, while Potty Mouth is sort of a toilet from the future. Most players have no idea that both of these AI entities can actually be befriended.

In return for their friendship, both objects provide extra features. Lin-Z will start ordering food and hiring a maid automatically with high enough friendship, while Potty Mouth allows Sims to watch TV while on the toilet, get a massage, or increase their hygiene.

14 Get Moody From Objects And Clothing

Influence Your Sims' Moods

In order for this feature to work, make sure that objects are allowed to affect Sims' moods by ticking the box in the main menu's gameplay settings section. Following this, Sims can become affected by emotional décor around them, such as emotional paintings.

Some outfits like the glittering party dress will make a Sim playful, and animal hats will have various other moodlet buffs that are active the duration the Sim wears the outfit. It's a good idea to take advantage of these extra buffs, especially when they're positive.

13 Kill Or Age A Sim With A Bouquet

Use Flowers to Age Up

For those looking for a truly vicious way to kill a Sim, the art of flower arranging is one way. At around level 9, Sims can scent their Excellent-level bouquets with Death Flowers. The results are not as deadly as one would expect. Anyone below the Elder age group will age up when receiving the bouquet.

However, Elders, upon receiving this bouquet, will instantly die. It's a particularly devious way to get rid of a rich older person, especially when doing a black widow type of challenge.

12 Craft Musical Instruments

Enjoy Homemade Furniture

There's a lot that Sims can craft, but what many players are not aware of is being able to craft musical instruments with the woodworking table. This is most likely due to the fact that Sims will need a high skill level in both handiness and musical skills. To do this, make sure the Sim in question has level 8 in handiness and level 8 in their instrument of choice.

11 Watch Alien TV Shows

Expand Your TV Horizons

Speaking of Handiness, it's one of the most underrated skills in the game. A Sim's life can be completely upgraded with a high Handiness skill. One of the best upgrades relates to TVs, which unlocks brand new channels from a faraway planet.

Alien Sims, when watching these channels, will tend to feel homesick as well, which is a nice little touch from the developers. A Sim will need to have at least level 9 in Handiness to be able to perform the upgrade.

10 Death By Embarrassment

A Dangerous Emotion

There are a few ways to die in The Sims 4, and none of them are particularly easy to die from. If anything, The Sims 4 has made it much harder for players to kill their Sims, especially through some of the more obscure routes. One such way is death by embarrassment.

When a Sim has done too many embarrassing things in a short time span, such as have their privacy invaded, say something inappropriate, and peed themselves, they're really putting themselves at risk of dying from being absolutely mortified.

9 Visit An Alien World

Science Allows for Space Travel

Aliens and other supernatural creatures have always been a staple of The Sims franchise, and each game has sought to bring us a bit closer to these mysterious, strange creatures. In The Sims 4, players actually get the opportunity to go and meet aliens for themselves on the alien planet of Sixam.

However, this secret option is only available to the most brilliant scientists who reach the peak of their career. They'll then receive an invitation to a fancy celebration on a rather strange but beautiful exoplanet somewhere far away from home.

8 Resurrect Sims With A Book

Learn to Write the Book of Life

Death is one of the most interesting aspects of The Sims franchise because of all the peculiar details the developers have added to its mechanics. Players can beg the Grim Reaper for mercy and spare a loved one's life and even cheat life itself by drinking an elixir to stop themselves from aging.

However, did players know that the sheer power of a well-written book can bring a Sim back from death? Once a Sim reaches the highest level in both writing and the Bestselling Author career path, they can capture a living Sim's Epic Saga in it. When they die, the book can then be used to resurrect them.

7 Meet A Mysterious Hermit

A Unique NPC Sim

Deep in the woods of Granite Falls, a lone Hermit lives among his plants in a wooden house. Only the most determined campers and herbalists will find their way through a shrub from Granite Falls and stumble upon his quaint abode. Meeting the Hermit is important, especially for Sims who aspire to become professionals in the art of gardening and herbs.

In order to learn the "Fungal Infusion Fertilizer Remedy," the Hermit has to be befriended until he trusts the Sim enough to share his secrets. His house is surrounded by tons of rare insects and species, making it a dream location for any aspiring herbalist.

6 Become A Grilled Cheese Addict

Discovering a Hidden Aspiration

Who doesn't love grilled cheese? Well, while enjoying this dish every once in a while in moderation is fine, others have a bit of an obsession with this cheesy treat. If a Sim happens to eat grilled cheese three times in a row, they will soon gain a secret aspiration that isn't otherwise available in the game.

From there onward, the Sim will want to eat as much grilled cheese as possible and discuss it with Sims until the final stage of the obsession where they wish to paint this delicacy to decorate their walls.

5 Travel Through A Tree

A Magical Entrance to a Beautiful Place

Good old Willow Creek looks normal on the surface, but if players travel to Crick Cabana and spot a large, old tree that seems out of place, they've discovered a portal to a secret location. If a Sim interacts with the tree appropriately, they will be brought to beautiful Sylvan Glade.

This is a perfect location for any gardening or fishing enthusiasts looking to find rare fish, bugs, and plants. If players have Spa Day installed, their Sim can also teleport here through meditation if they are skilled enough and have already been in Sylvan Glade before.

4 Turn Trash To Treasure

Grow a New Plant

It might sound kind of unbelievable, but trash does have its utility, even in The Sims 4. If, for some reason, a Sim is too lazy to pick up a pile of trash they've left outside lying on the ground, it will begin to rot and Sims around it uncomfortable.

However, if players wait long enough and interact with it, they'll find they can actually turn this pile of garbage into a flourishing plant known as the Trash Plant. Once this plant bears fruit, it can be safely eaten by a Sim, so long as the plant is maintained just like any other in-game.

3 Live As Your Sim

A Unique Perspective

The Sims 4 lets players live their dream life just the way they want, which is no doubt one of the reasons why the game is so popular. For those wanting to get even more up close and personal with the lives of their Sims, a recent feature comes in handy despite how buggy it still is.

Earlier this year, developers introduced a function that lets players play the game from a first-person perspective and switch freely among the members of the household. Pair this with any VR headset, and players are set for their dream life!

2 Have Grim Reaper As Roommate

Death Can Be an Unlikely Friend

There are a few unlikely housemates that players can befriend in The Sims 4, from a vampire to an alien to even a mermaid with the Island Living expansion. However, the weirdest person available through cheats has to be, without a doubt, Grim Reaper himself.

In previous installations of the game, it would break the game to have a supernatural being like him in the household, but that's no longer the case in The Sims 4. Press "CTRL + Shift + C" to open a white bar at the top of the game and type "testingcheats on." Now, Shift + Click on the Grim Reaper to add him to the household.