Bee's Essential Mods for the Sims 4

a brown sim with golden nose piercings and dark pigtails looks happily toward the viewer. heart effects hover around her

The Sims 4 is one of my all-time favorite games; however, I do recognize how different the experiences I have can be when compared to that of countless others—simply because I use a ton of mods and CC (custom content), and not everyone does. Today, I’m going to give you guys a quick look into the mods I find “essential,” a.k.a. I simply cannot play the game without them.

Some of these mods are for story-telling purposes, others are for Build/Buy or CAS, and others just make the game better overall. Let’s get right into it! Here are Bee’s Essential Sims 4 Mods:

UI Cheats by weerbesu


UI Cheats is a huge lifesaver for me and it’s exactly what it sounds like—cheats are built right into the game’s UI, so various time-saving functions are available at the click of a mouse. This mod has many features hidden all around the game’s UI and we’d be here for ages if I listed them all, so I’ll just list what type of cheats you get. (You can read weerbesu’s features list on the Patreon post once you’re ready to download because, believe me, you WILL want to download.)

UI Cheats lets you click around to make changes with the following: Basically, everything is one click away from being easier; especially whenever dreaded simulation lag makes doing simple things like having satisfactory holidays nearly impossible. The current version is built with game version 1.96.365, so it won’t work for older versions, but there is a Legacy version!

More Columns in CAS by weerbesu


Another one by weerbesu, More Columns is a UI mod that only affects the number of columns you see in CAS. This mod is everything to me because I have way too much CC and it can be a hassle trying to scroll through a super long catalog with just two columns.

More Columns gives you the option to have 3, 4, or 5 columns in CAS. Pay attention to your device’s resolution, though, because 5 columns might not show up right if your screen can’t handle it.

And, if you have Cats & Dogs, an even higher resolution is required for a proper appearance with Create-A-Pet. This mod also has a Legacy version.

MCCC by Deaderpool


MC Command Center, very often referred to as MCCC, is a major game-changing mod that even simmers who prefer a vanilla game have. It adds a ton of functionality and story progression help to your gameplay. There are so many modules that I get overwhelmed just thinking about them. Luckily, the default settings for most are pretty good and you only have to worry about your specific needs. Here are my favorite/most-used modules:

There are several more modules, including an autosave setting, so be sure to read up on all the things found in the “Documentation” drop-down menu.

Control Any Sim by TitanNano


This mod does exactly what it says, allowing us control freaks the ability to control every sim (NPCs included). With a few clicks. they can stop being insane and ruining our storytelling. You’re essentially making the sim a temporary member of your household (without actually removing them from theirs) and you can make them do whatever. Done with unlimited power? Just stop controlling them the same way you started, by clicking the option in the “Actions” menu.

This mod also gives you the ability to turn actual household members into “Household NPCs,” so they’re still a part of the family, but behave like NPCs. You don’t have to take care of them at all until you turn them back into regular household members. The best part is that this change remains even when you close and reopen the game. It only reverts when you make it. This mod is perfect for people like me who get overwhelmed with large families and end up killing a parent off to lighten the load a little. 😇

Playable Pets by AOM


Playable Pets is another mod with the same idea as Control Any Sim, only this time you get to make your cats and dogs (and hopefully horses) take care of their own needs as the Sims 3 gods intended. The buffs can be a bit strange (often textless and using the missing asset llama), but that’s because we’re practicing forbidden arts. Not everything is gonna be perfect because the Sims team didn’t expect us to be doing this at all 🤷🏽‍♀️

Realistic Childbirth by PandaSama


PandaSama is a legend for making various excellent mods, functional cc objects, and realism-boosting animations, like the adorable toddler stuff pack. But, she is probably most known these days for the show-stopping Realistic Childbirth mod. This mod offers a completely overhauled pregnancy and childbirth system that includes actual reactions to pregnancy, the ability to choose birthing options, and much much more—including adorable interactions between the expecting parents. The mod has seen a lot of updates since its release, with new functions being introduced, and it’s always exciting to see what PandaSama comes up with next. I’m looking forward to either future updates or whatever else she comes up with next.

ISO Love Photos by Ravasheen


I have a LOT of functional objects and useful mods by Ravasheen, but I use nothing quite as frequently as I use her full control camera mod. It gives you full control over in-game camera functions without disturbing your sims! So, if you want to capture an organic moment or if you are using Andrew’s pose player, your active sim will stay right where they are. As a bonus, you get max photo quality with every pic and you can slot the camera onto the Moschino tripod. If you don't have Moschino, simply put it on a table, a shelf, or the ground—or move up and down using 0 or 9 if bb.moveobjects is enabled and it will still work.

Everything by TwistedMexi


TwistedMexi is another stellar mod creator that’s helped turn my game on its head—in a VERY good way! Oftentimes, Mexi’s mods help make sense of the chaos that is the Sims 4. These are my favorite Mexi mods:

Everything by LittleMsSam


Just like with TwistedMexi’s mods, LMS mods bring a completely different feeling to the game by giving us speedy fixes for silly issues or adding things we didn’t even know we needed. I’ve used LMS mods for so long that writing this blog made me realize a lot of features I have in my game are from her and not the actual game. 😅 LittleMsSam is just that integral to my enjoyment.

Plus, while many modders are quick with fixes, LittleMsSam just seems to be supernaturally fast. I never have to worry about missing out on her mods because they come very soon after a world-shattering patch or a major release.

Some of my favorites include:



And that’s it: my list of essential mods for the Sims 4. These mods, and many more, make my game so much more enjoyable and I don’t think I can ever go back to playing vanilla. When big updates break all of them, I simply don’t update my game or go play another game until things blow over.

Speaking of breaking, make sure you know what you’re doing when installing mods and ALWAYS follow the mod creator’s instructions.
🐝💛🍞