One of the most challenging aspects of the game is getting used to the building interface, and this is especially true if you haven’t yet mastered the art of using Sims 4 build mode cheats.
Building is a tedious process, and every builder begins their career by fashioning an ornate box with strange roofs and no distinct personality.
Your experience with The Sims 4 build mode is going to be entirely different and much easier to navigate if you are familiar with and understand how to use the various cheats that are available in this mode.
Your houses are going to come together a lot quicker, and everything is going to look better with a great deal less effort on your part.
The cheats for The Sims 4’s Build Mode are listed here.
I wanted to have a simple chart with each of the Sims 4 build mode cheats listed in a row before we head in and go into each of the individual cheats for the Sims 4 build mode.
This chart is for players who don’t need (or want) an explanation of how the cheats work.
You’ll find the cheat code, as well as instructions on how to use it.
Before attempting to use any of these, you need to make sure that your cheats are turned on.
Cheat Code | What It Does |
---|---|
bb.enablefreebuild | Lets you build on locked lots (dorms, hospital, etc) |
bb.showhiddenobjects | Unlocks the buy debug catalog of objects for you to build with |
bb.showliveeditobjects | Unlocks objects that are in the world for you to use in builds (trees, fences, etc) |
bb.ignoregameplayunlocksentitlement | Unlocks all objects that are unlocked by careers, aspirations, etc. |
bb.moveobjects | Ignores rules for placement created by the game, allowing you to place objects wherever you’d like, great for clutter |
[ or ] keys | Makes objects bigger or smaller |
hold down alt while placing | Allows for free placement of objects outside the grid, and free rotation of objects |
click shift + c while clicking a roof | Lets you manipulate roof shapes |
FreeRealEstate On | Allows You To Buy ANY Home in The Game, Regardless of Price |
Instructions on How to Use Cheats
You need to make sure that cheats are enabled first in order to ensure that they will function correctly before you can use any of these cheats.
In order to accomplish this, you will first need to open the cheat box by pressing Ctrl + Shift + C on a computer or by holding down all four triggers on a gaming console.
After that, you need to hit enter after typing the testingcheats true command, and this will enable cheats.
You can exit the dialogue box by pressing the same buttons that you used to open it.
Explanations of Each Individual Cheat for The Sims 4’s Build Mode
You can’t just talk about my favorite cheat codes without going into a bit more depth about how they work and how you can make them work for you.
We can’t just talk about my favorite cheat codes.
Because looking at the name and the code alone for each of these cheats can be somewhat bewildering, we are going to discuss their functions and provide guidance on how you should implement them in the game you are playing.
Sims 4 Build Mode Cheats for Unlocking Items
Enable Free Build
You won’t be able to construct anything on certain lots in The Sims 4 even if you go into build mode like you normally would at your house or at a community lot.
These lots are known as locked lots. The following items are included in these lots:
- The Hospital from Get to Work
- The Police Station from Get to Work
- The Science Lab from Get to Work
- Planet Sixam
- Dorms from Discover University
You are going to need to use the free build cheat in order to tell the game to let you enter build mode so that you can construct buildings on these lots.
If you do this, the game will allow you to construct buildings.
In order to use this cheat code, you will first need to enable cheats by opening the cheat box with the keys ctrl + shift + c, typing in testingcheats true, and then pressing enter on your keyboard.
Then, press enter after typing in the command bb.enablefreebuild, and you will be able to access the build mode for the locked lots and add anything you want to them.
Show Hidden Objects
You will notice that the build catalog contains a number of items that you are unable to access, despite the fact that these items are present throughout the game.
This includes a variety of cups, plates, cooking utensils, seeds, and other random items that you might want to obtain access to in the future.
You will be relieved to know that the debug cheat enables you to locate items of this nature, as well as a cowplant berry, within the debug catalog.
To use this cheat, you must first make sure that cheats are enabled.
Once that is done, you can open the cheat dialogue box and type bb.showhiddenobjects before hitting the enter key on your keyboard.
After that, switch to the build mode, and once there, you have the option of either using the search bar to look for the word “debug,” or going to the sorting function in the bottom right corner and selecting debug from the menu there to display only the debug items.
It takes a lot of patience to sort through everything in Debug because it is so disorganized, but a lot of other people have already organized the items in Debug into different rooms in the gallery so that you can find what you’re looking for more quickly.
You can also just search for the item itself if you are looking for something very specific, though this may cause some things to be hidden from your results.
If you want to plant some strawberry plants, for instance, you can search for “strawberry,” and the relevant information should come up.
When you are playing The Sims 4, you might find that there are trees, fences, cars, and a variety of other things scattered around the world and in the environment that you can’t access in the regular build catalog.
This is because these objects are part of the world and the environment.
The in-game versions of the items that you can see scattered around the world can be accessed through the use of the live edit cheat.
Through it, you have access to a large number of strange objects located throughout the environment.
You need to enable cheats before you can use this cheat, which you can do by opening the cheat box by pressing Ctrl + Shift + C on your keyboard, then typing in testingcheats true and hitting enter on your keyboard after each entry.
Then you need to use the cheat bb.showliveeditobjects, followed by hitting the enter key on your keyboard. After that, you can use the debug sort function to locate these objects.
Unlock Objects Within the Gameplay
There are quite a few items in the game that are locked away and out of our reach unless we first earn the right to access them.
These include things that are made available to sims once they have reached certain milestones in their careers or in other areas of the game.
These items are incredible and have the potential to be of great use in various aspects of the game, such as activating emotional auras.
There is a cheat that, thankfully, allows you to unlock all of these objects so that you can use them in your builds.
To enable all cheats, first press Ctrl + Shift + C on your keyboard, and then type in testingcheats true after that.
This will get you started.
After that, hit the enter key after you have typed in bb.ignoregameplayunlocksentitlement.
This is probably one of the most unusual and time-consuming cheats in the game, but it’s a good one!
Cheats for the Manipulation of Items
Move Objects
This cheat is the one I use the most in The Sims 4, as it is an absolute necessity for any Sim who aspires to become a skilled builder in the game.
The Move Objects cheat, which has been a part of the game for years, enables players to position in-game items in locations that the game would not normally permit.
Always enable moving objects before attempting anything else.
In most situations, you will need to activate this cheat before you can use the alt key to place an object, and in some cases, you may even need to do so if you are just trying to resize an object.
Before you can use this cheat, you need to make sure that cheats are enabled.
Enter bb.moveobjects on into the dialogue box for your cheat, and then hit enter.
After that, you should be able to combine multiple pieces of furniture to create sectional couches, mega tables, or interesting wardrobes by holding down the Alt key while doing so.
You can also move objects around by using this method.
It is important to keep in mind that the majority of the time, using move objects can result in some serious routing issues and gameplay problems, so when you are creating your builds, you should make sure to play-test them.
Bringing Up and Bringing Down Objects
If you have bb.moveobjects on enabled in the game, you will also have the ability to lift objects up and down.
This allows you to play things on top of beds, couches, tables, and other furniture, which is very helpful when decorating.
To accomplish this, press the 9 key on the keyboard to increase the value of an item, and press the 0 key to decrease the value of the item.
Although you are unable to lower anything below the floor, you are able to raise things to a considerable height. This can also be utilized for the purpose of mirrors!
Resizing Items
When you are constructing something in The Sims 4, you may find that an object that you are using is simply not the appropriate size.
You just can’t get it right because some are excessively large while others are inadequately small.
You will be relieved to know that the [and] keys on your keyboard allow you to increase or decrease the size of something almost indefinitely.
Having said that, this does have some restrictions attached to it.
Because it may cause some people to have trouble with their vision, you shouldn’t use it on things like windows, doors, or other functional items.
If you use it on objects that your Sims will interact with, there is a possibility of animation problems occurring.
It functions very well on things that are only used for aesthetic purposes, such as paintings, plants, and landscaping.
Objects in Alt Positioning
You should be familiar with the alt place objects command in case you have an object in build mode that you want to move or rotate in a very slight manner.
The first thing you need to do is pick up the object, then, while moving the object, hold down the alt key.
This will give you the ability to change the direction the object is moving in or move it into the middle of the grid.
Manipulation of the Roof
You need to be able to manipulate roofs in order to give a roof a more interesting shape than just a simple angle, but first, you need to know how to manipulate roofs.
In order to accomplish this, you need to press shift and C at the same time while the roof is selected.
This will cause two small balls to appear on the side of the roof.
You can click these to make the roof a different shape from this point on, which will make the game much more interesting.
Free Trick Regarding Real Estate
When you begin a new family in The Sims 4, you are given 20,000 simoleons for the first sim in the family and an additional 2,000 simoleons for each subsequent sim in the family.
Sometimes this isn’t enough to get a house that’s nice enough for your sim, so you may want to enable free real estate so that you don’t have to pay for your new home. This will allow you to get a house that meets your sim’s needs without breaking the bank.
To use this cheat, you must first enable cheats by setting testingcheats to true.
Then, when you are moving a family that you have already played in or moving a sim who is moving in for the first time, you can open the cheat box, type in freerealestate on, and hit enter to use the cheat. You will be informed via the dialogue box as to whether or not the cheat was successful.
After that, the status of each house that is currently available will be changed to “green,” and you will be able to move into any of them without having to pay for them.
This will enable you to keep your money and use it however you see fit.
Final Thoughts
When compared to the ways in which the systems operated in earlier games, the building aspect of The Sims 4 is one of the things that makes the game so much more enjoyable.
It was extremely challenging to construct in The Sims 3, and it was next to impossible in The Sims 2.
We have a much wider variety of options available to us in the Sims 4 build mode cheats, and there is much more that we can do to truly personalize each of these homes.
The fact that we are able to use cheats such as enabling free build and free placing of items, unlocking live edit environmental objects, and having free real estate is incredible, and we honestly can’t live without these cheats any longer.
Happy Playing!