The Sims 4 has probably had the rockiest history out of the games in the series. The fact that it lacked pools and that it took years to get a variety of stairs into the game has driven many members of the community nuts and has even pushed some Simmers back to earlier games like The Sims 2 and The Sims 3. However, there are some good things to be found in The Sims 4, which is arguably in the best state right now that it has been ever since its release. Let's have a look at some of things the game actually does better than its predecessors.
10 Less Laggy
While many praised The Sims 3 for how much detail and customization it provided, it was also one of the most difficult games to run on a PC. There was just too much of everything, and those with lower-tier computers or laptops definitely suffered a lot. For The Sims 4, the developers swore to remedy this by improving performance. This is why the game can sometimes feel a little restrictive because many features were abandoned in favor of a game that could run on the widest variety of computers as possible.
9 Better Graphics
If there's one thing that has been constantly improving in The Sims franchise, then it's the overall appearance and the graphics of the games. Looking at The Sims, where we weren't even given access to a fully 3D game, it's kind of mind-blowing just far we've come.
Even between The Sims 3 and The Sims 4, there's a huge change in style and aesthetics, the world looking so much more immersive and detailed than ever before. With the Seasons expansion, the worlds look even better as the light and weather shifts.
8 Intuitive CAS
For the longest time in the series, the developers gave us a create-a-sim mode with sliders, which allowed us a set range of spots to edit to a specific degree. While even The Sims 4 has its limits, sliders are finally gone and we can simply click on the parts that we want to change, and drag and pull. This feels so much cleaner and more fluid than in previous games, allowing for more precise edits on our Sims to truly make them look just as we want them to.
7 Play With Genetics
Genetics have always been a very exciting things in The Sims series, because of how random it can sometimes be. The Sims 4 actually brings this to a whole new level, with a better, more accurate system that determines the results of your Sims' pregnancies. Not just that, it lets you play with genetics while in CAS once you've created a minimum of one Sim. There's no need to try and replicate the child version of a parent, you can just let the game calculate it for you and at that, it does a really good job.
6 Open Neighborhoods
Many Simmers were disappointed to find out that The Sims 4 wasn't going to be open world like The Sims 3. While it was fun while it lasted, we definitely prefer the idea of having a sort of open neighborhood as seen in The Sims 4, where everything in the close vicinity of your house comes alive as opposed to the entire world.
It's also nice to have less lag when not everything is loaded in at all times. Despite this, Sims will continue to live and go about their lives as you play with your household, so that tiny aspect of realism thankfully has transferred over from The Sims 3.
5 Better Emotions
One of the main selling points of The Sims 4 were emotions and whims, which would come to dictate your Sim's day to day and even hourly decisions and desires. They're more in the moment and random than the aspirations and fears in The Sims 2 and the moodlets in The Sims 3, which makes gameplay a bit more dynamic and closer to real life. Moodlets in The Sims 4 also give you additional activities you can perform, from performing better in creative tasks when feeling Inspired to taking an angry poop when feeling Angry.
4 Multitask Is Possible
Time management in The Sims games has always been key, especially if you enjoy playing challenges. It always seemed unrealistic that our Sims could only focus on one thing at a time and that we'd need to chain activities. Thankfully in The Sims 4 our Sims can do multiple things at once, like having a conversation while reading or working or even snapping a selfie on the toilet. It just adds that extra layer of realism and dynamic gameplay that makes the game feel a bit more fluid.
3 Simple Build Editing
For any building enthusiasts, The Sims 4 was initially a bit restrictive. However, with the new stairs now in the game and tons of expansions out with brand new objects, we've come a long way. Build mode is much simpler these days thanks to the room edit tool which allows you to drag the walls of a room, and even customize the shape of your roof.
This is especially great if you build a house, start playing with your family, and then realize you lack some space. You can easily just expand the wall with this tool without destroying anything.
2 Traveling Between Worlds
In previous installments of the game, your families and their lives were confined within one world. Sure, they could travel abroad for vacation or even visit distant futuristic lands, but they couldn't go from Sunset Valley to Riverwood. Thankfully, The Sims 4 remedied this and made the world feel like a whole universe. Sims from other worlds can appear in your world and traveling back and forth is nothing at all, with loading screens being minimal in wait compared to The Sims 2.
1 Influencing Sims
The final point is a special mention to one of the best game packs to the base game, which adds an incredibly important game mechanic to the game. In Parenthood, our Sims can finally influence the way their children will grow up to be by impacting their values and behavior. Once your kids grow up into adults, they'll have special traits thanks to the upbringing their parents provided them. It might sound like a small detail, but it just makes households feel like real families rather than simulations.