The Sims 4 has been out for over a decade, but the developers are still consistently working on it to turn it into the ultimate Sims game. Gameplay has to be fun in order to keep players entertained, but that’s not all that matters; focusing on details and adding a sense of realism is just as important, and that is why patches are constantly pushed out. On top of this, it is important to keep improving fans’ quality of life while playing The Sims 4.
On August 19, The Sims 4 received yet another free base game update, and this one added quite a few details to make Sims’ bodies and faces as realistic as possible, especially as they age. This guide tells players what they need to know about the features introduced to the game with this patch.
All Features Added in the Base Game Update (08/19)
Here are all of the features that were introduced to The Sims 4 in the base game update on August 19, 2025:
New Create-A-Sim Content
All Create-A-Sim Content Introduced in the Base Game Upgrade
A series of features have been added to The Sims 4 base game, making it possible for players to give even more realistic characteristics to their Sims.
The features that were added for the body, such as body freckles, rosacea, and stretch markers, can be found in the Skin Details section of the Body menu in Create-a-Sim. However, the remaining features that are exclusive to the face, such as face freckles and eye bags, can only be accessed if the player is creating a Sim for the first time or has enabled the fulleditmode cheat before entering CAS, as the Face menu is not available without cheats.
To gain access to all Create-a-Sim options, players must enable cheats in The Sims 4 and then type “CAS.fulleditmode” into the cheat console.
Once players have gained access to the advanced Face menu, they will find the new detail options in the Skin Details and the Eye Details tabs.
Pack Selection
How to Enable and Disable Packs in The Sims 4
With the Pack Selection option in The Sims 4, players no longer have to uninstall packs in order to play without them. Now, they can simply enter the Pause menu from the title screen, press Pack Selection, and then enable or disable packs according to their preferences. Then, they can play without them.
However, there may be some complications when entering a save file after disabling a pack that was previously active when players last loaded it up. When players do this, a warning message will appear on their screen, and it gives them three options: they can either continue, create a safety copy of the save file (PC only), or reenable the missing packs.
For new save files, this won’t be a problem, but if they re-enable the packs and forget about it before entering the save file with disabled packs, the packs will instantly be part of the file.
Unless players stumble across a bug, disabling a pack will not ruin a save file unless players enter it while it is disabled. Therefore, gamers can disable packs and re-enable them freely; they just need to make sure that they make the same selections in the Pack Selection menu before entering the save file.
New Ailment Options
How to Toggle Ailments On/Off
Ailments aren’t part of the base game – they’re only available for players who own the Enchanted by Nature expansion pack – but they received a major change that was high on players’ demand following the release of the EP. Gamers can now toggle ailments on and off freely to prevent Sims from catching them in their save files.
To disable ailments in The Sims 4, players have to open the Pause menu, select Game Options, enter the Pack Settings tab, and then uncheck the Enable Ailment Spread box in the Enchanted by Nature section. If Ailment Spread is disabled, Sims will no longer catch ailments in the wild or by being near Sims with an ailment. The only way to get an Ailment is to receive a curse from a fairy Sim or have a Very Imbalanced lifestyle.
The Sims 4
7/10
- Released
-
September 2, 2014
- ESRB
-
T for Teen: Crude Humor, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Publisher(s)
-
Electronic Arts
- Engine
-
Proprietary Engine
