Sims 4 Decades Challenge: Time-Capsule Content for Enhanced Search Relevance

Embark on a nostalgic journey through time with The Sims 4 Decades Challenge! This engaging community-created challenge lets your Sims experience life across different eras, adding a unique layer of complexity to the game. This guide outlines the rules and provides a comprehensive overview.

Recommended Videos: Rules and Overview of The Sims 4 Decades Challenge

The challenge spans from 1890 to 2010 (or 2020, depending on your preference), with each two in-game days representing a year. Remember to disable automatic aging and utilize the provided life expectancy guidelines. Life expectancy is divided into pre-1950 and post-1950 categories to reflect historical changes.

Age Progression:

Early Life Stages (consistent for all Sims):

• Baby: Ages after 1 day (6 months)
• Toddler: Ages after 3 days (2 years)
• Child: Ages after 8 days (6 years)
• Teen: Ages after 14 days (13 years)

Adult Age Progression:

• Pre-1950 Births:
  • Young Adult: Ages after 12 days (19 years)
  • Adult: Ages after 26 days (32 years)
  • Elder: Dies after approximately 14 days (around 60 years)
• Post-1950 Births:
  • Young Adult: Ages after 32 days (35 years)
  • Adult: Ages after 60 days (65 years)
  • Elder: Dies after approximately 56 days (around 90 years)

Challenge Setup:

Begin with a single young adult Sim or a married young adult couple. Including parents is permissible to reflect multi-generational households common in earlier eras. Strive for historically accurate attire for each decade.

Housing & Technology Restrictions:

• Strangerville is unavailable throughout the challenge.
• Del Sol Valley is unlocked from the 1950s onward.
• Sulani is unavailable for a truly immersive historical experience.
• Apartments are allowed for single Sims, but marriage necessitates a house move.
• Phones are permitted for essential gameplay functions but not for entertainment or communication until the appropriate decade. The same applies to computers.
• Job choices should reflect the available professions of each era.

Decade-Specific Rules & Difficulties:

For detailed rules, consult Cute Coffee Gal’s comprehensive guide. Here's a summary of the unique challenges each decade presents:

• 1890s: Male heirs only; daughters with the Creative trait move out upon marriage; no WooHoo, only "try for baby"; home births; period-appropriate male jobs (e.g., woodworking); women manage the household, with limited job options if widowed; no electricity; elementary school mandatory, high school optional; university allowed with relevant majors; start growing a Cow Plant.

• 1900s: Lamps allowed; indoor plumbing (no showers); other 1890s rules remain; phonographs permitted for music.

• 1910s: Male teens, young adults, and adults drafted for WWI; Cow Plant cake consumption (dice roll determines further consumption or return home); oldest female and her husband become heirs if all males perish; high school mandatory (C average or relocation); women can take manual labor jobs; university for men post-war.

• 1920s: Female heirs allowed; daughters don't need the Creative trait; talk radio, movies, and all lighting options allowed; women can work under broader circumstances; no alcohol (Prohibition).

• 1930s: Kegs allowed at university; Great Depression (no business careers, initial job loss, one cooked meal daily); Prohibition ends.

• 1940s: WWI draft rules repeated for WWII; victory garden (four or more plants); thermostats, washers, and dryers allowed; radio required (one hour daily listening); no high school punishment for bad grades; teens can work part-time.

• 1950s: Korean War draft (oldest son); showers and cheap TVs allowed; radio listening not mandatory; high school mandatory; phones allowed for calls.

• 1960s: Vietnam War draft (oldest two children); any college major; maternity leave; WooHoo allowed.

• 1970s: Vietnam War draft (oldest two children); marriage encouraged, not mandatory; microwaves and dishwashers allowed; lottery tickets and food delivery available.

• 1980s: Gaming allowed; at least one Sim in a business career; science babies; hospital births.

• 1990s: Laptops allowed; unrestricted TV; texting; Y2K shelter construction (three-day stay).

• 2000s: Computer and phone restrictions lifted (except Trendi); home or hospital births; all music and TV allowed.

• 2010s: No journalism (print media decline); same-sex marriage; all part-time work allowed; meat wall, Trendi, and weather generator available.

The Sims 4 Decades Challenge offers a unique and rewarding gameplay experience. While the Eco Lifestyle pack enhances the experience, it can be adapted to suit your existing game content. Enjoy your historical Simming adventure!

The Sims 4 is available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.