If you've played The Sims 4 extensively and are patiently waiting for the launch of The Sims 5, there are a number of challenges you can embark on.

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Ranging from keeping the notorious Cowplants alive to organising your very own dating show, there's a huge selection of challenges to make the life simulation game even more tricky.

Here, we've hand-picked 15 of our favourites that are definitely worth trying.

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A challenge isn't an official thing or even a mod, but instead tasks you with playing the game under strict rules, which leads to humorous and difficult scenarios. Players often come up with different challenges to keep The Sims entertaining on new saves.

The Sims 4 expansion packs that have been released can add extra longevity, too, but challenges are what we're looking at today – of which there are many to choose from.

Keep reading to find out what we think the best Sims 4 challenges are. Hopefully they provide ample inspiration for you to create your own challenge, too.

Best Sims 4 challenges

Key art for The Sims 4.
EA

Off the Grid Challenge

The aim of the game with this Sims 4 challenge is to, as the name would suggest, live off-grid. So that means no water, no electricity - and quite a few problems that will arise as a result of having neither. This is a tricky one truth be told, but attempting this will give you a very different feel to the game than you would typically have.

Rags to Riches Challenge

Like every GTA story without the rampant murdering, Rags to Riches is a case of starting with nothing, and eventually having it all. You start with no home, just some land, and you have nothing to your name - items or money-wise. From there you have to build yourself up however you can. While this will take an awfully long time, we feel it's worth it.

The Alien Adoption Challenge

Ever wanted to raise your own little alien? Well, now you can thanks to this challenge. As the name suggests, you take in an alien baby following its ship crashing, and you then raise it as if it were your own - which it is now anyway, so just be a good parent. A really fun one this, and we love how quirky it is.

The Zodiac Challenge

12 generations of Sims need to be played through here to have one in each of the star signs, and you need to start with the first which is Aquarius through to Capricorn. The fun here comes from seeing all the different personality traits that the characters have with each sign.

Dumpster Challenge

The stinkiest challenge in the game, the Dumpster Challenge requires you to live in a dumpster with a wealth of 0. What you own and eat all comes from other residents and the things that they chuck away. To make it even smellier, showers are not allowed.

Big Brother Challenge

A timely one given that Big Brother has returned to our screens in 2023 - this challenge is indeed based on the show. Here you will have a number of Sims placed in a house and, just like in the show, they get evicted as time goes on based on what friendship levels they have. It's great fun, this one.

If you want to try out an alternative reality show challenge, we've also seen the Love Island villa created in The Sims 4.

The Decades Challenge

You have 10 generations to get through here, but you'll need to go quite far back in time to start it, and the chances are that you will have no electricity to begin with. Keep working through them all, changing their attire to match the era and eventually, you'll be caught up with the modern day.

Globetrotter Challenge

Word of warning here, as this is not an easy challenge by any stretch of the imagination. Every time the season changes, so do your living arrangements. You will need to move to a new area each time, which means ticking off their main aspirations in a far quicker time than you would normally have to.

Black Widow Challenge

No, this has nothing to do with the MCU character of the same name, but everything to do with marriage, murder and wealth! Your character here will need to marry into wealth, and then kill off the poor, unsuspecting husband, steal his money, and then move on to the next victim. Kaching!

Runaway Teen Challenge

No adults are needed in a patch that came for the game allowing teenagers to live grown-up free - and this challenge means that you can't even talk to them! You also can't get a regular job, which means your options are limited to fishing, gardening, and digging - can you still make it big with a start like that?

The Cowplant Challenge

Synonymous for the milk it produces, the Cowplant challenge is one of the tricker ones you can embark on in The Sims 4. Farming them poses a huge risk to your Sim, as the plants can resort to eating them if they're not fed regularly. You're required to commit your entire life to maintaining the creatures to avoid the potentially deadly consequences.

The History Challenge

This particular challenge in The Sims 4 involves players taking a journey through several generations of a family, starting with the prehistoric era and working through to the modern day. The challenge places a number of restrictions ranging from building materials to the type of activities your Sims can enjoy. Initially, it's a tricky task, but it gets easier as each generation progresses.

The Batchelor/Bachelorette Challenge

Based on the hit reality TV show, this challenge focuses on the art of romance in The Sims 4. Create a male or female Sim, provide them with five different love interests and move them all into the same house. At the end of a week, evict the Sim possessing the lowest romance score.

The 100 Baby Challenge

A hugely popular challenge to undertake in The Sims 4 is the 100 baby challenge. The aim of the game is for a single Sim to have 100 children. You can make this more difficult by combining it with the Black Widow challenge or by having one child per father.

The Runaway Teen Challenge

As the title suggests, this challenge involves your teen Sim either living in a house alone or full of fellow teenagers after running away from their family. You can choose to move from house to house or opt to settle in your new-found living arrangements. Skipping school and getting a part-time job are requirements of the challenge with the goal of managing to create something from nothing.

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Authors

Jon NicholsonFreelance Writer

Jon Nicholson is a Freelance Gaming Writer, specialising in the Call of Duty franchise. He previously worked for Gfinity, GGRecon and Red Bull writing a variety of gaming news and guides. Alongside his previous work, he's a Freelance News Writer for Esports Insider.

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