Sims 4 Update September 22 2026: Massive QoL Improvements and Free Kids Content

Sims 4 Update September 22 2026 brings smarter autonomy, free kids content, crash fixes, and smoother gameplay. See what’s new in this massive patch!

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The September 22, 2026 Sims 4 Update is here, and it brings some of the most practical improvements Simmers have been asking for. From better Sim autonomy and fewer frustrating freezes to adorable new Base Game items for children, this patch has plenty to explore.

EA is also tackling game stability with a collection of crash fixes, relationship balancing adjustments, and improvements to everyday interactions. If you’ve ever watched your Sim ignore the bathroom sink, freeze during an interaction, or autonomously do something completely out of character, this update deserves your attention.

The Sims 4 Update September 22 2026

Update 9/‌22/‌2026

PC: 1.128.90.1030 / Mac: 1.128.90.1230

Console: Version 2.39

Sul Sul, Simmers!

This month, we’re delivering a hefty Quality of Life (QoL) update, influenced directly by your feedback in our Discord Dev Q&As, Reddit, and via top-voted issues on EA Forums.

Our biggest focus for this patch is all about Sim Autonomy. We’ve made dozens of tweaks to help your Sims act more logically and feel more realistic. Whether it’s making eye contact during conversations, or washing their hands in the actual bathroom sink instead of trekking all the way to the kitchen, your Sims are about to make better choices. We’ve also tuned and balanced relationship autonomy for the Lovestruck and Growing Together expansion packs, so that Family Dynamics and Romantic Satisfaction feel more in line with player expectations.

Alongside improved autonomy, we’ve addressed top causes of crashes to improve game stability, so read on for more information on those updates.

Lastly, we’re absolutely thrilled to include a special delivery for the younger members of your households! This update introduces a brand-new collection of Children Items into the Base Game. As part of our ongoing effort to celebrate age diversity and representation, we’ve gathered a fun variety of fresh, adorable additions that give your child Sims even more ways to express their unique personalities.

Let’s dive into what’s new. Happy Simming!

The Sims 4 Team

What’s New?

Free New Base Game Content – Built for Kids, Styled for Stories

Kids are taking center stage in this free content drop with fresh Create a Sim and Build Mode items designed to bring even more personality, playfulness, and storytelling potential to your youngest Sims!

From colorful everyday outfits, new hairstyles, and adorable accessories, to playful décor, creative clutter, and kid-friendly furnishings, these additions make it easier than ever to create spaces and looks that feel uniquely theirs. 

This update also includes a new Styled Room, new kid’s Styled Looks, and a new household uploaded to the Gallery from the Maxis account, so you can jump right into the fun!

Build Mode Items:

• The Crayon Chronicle (Clutter Notebook Object)
• The “Look What I Made!” Frame 
• Family Game Night Favorites (Clutter Object)
• Junior Artist’s Paint Palette 
• Make-Believe Wall Mural 
• Bright Blocks Playroom Chair 
• Bright Blocks Playroom Table 
• The Dino Dive Tank (Aquarium)

CAS Items:

Kids

• Sweatshirt
• Polo Shirt
• Khaki Shorts
• Sequin Top 
• Ruffled Blouse
• Jeans with Lace Detail
• 1 New Hair (Ponytail with Bangs)
• 4 Adult Hair Conversions for Kids (Messy Bangs, Afro Part, Long Braids, and Ombre Long Braids)

Toddlers

• Tshirt
• Colorful Glasses
• Denim Dress

Bug Fixes

Top Upcoming Fixes

Here are the top-requested fixes coming with this release: 

• [EA Forums] Married Couples will no longer be reverted to Partners when entering CAS through Custom Tattoo planning or Plan Outfits.
• [EA Forums] Earlier in August, we addressed an issue with the Gallery server where the Gallery was failing to load content, often showing a “No Results,” “Slow Loading,” or “No Connection” error after frequent searches. Sharing here for visibility on the update since it was addressed on Server and not part of a patch.
• Sims getting stuck or freezing and interactions resetting are major pain points for players that we put a lot of attention on for this update and that we’ve been investigating for a while.
  • [EA Forums] We’ve addressed an issue where Time and Sims would freeze when the environment continued to animate. This was connected to a Sim trying to use an object while another Sim was in their spot. We believe this issue was potentially hardware specific.
  •  [EA Forums] We fixed a major instance of interactions getting stuck in a Sim’s queue relating to interaction priority and the time it takes to complete certain interactions. Our fix specifically relates to the “sleep” and “chat” (specially group chats) interactions, so we’ll continue investigating to see if we can find other instances where this fix can be applied as well.
  • [EA Forums] We made some adjustments to interactions that are ‘tending’ objects, which resulted in Sims waiting on an interaction to complete. Going forward, if new instances of this are found, we’ll need to address them individually with this solution.
  • We fixed an instance where Sims would become idle and frozen after WooHoo if an autonomous interaction was queued during WooHoo.
  • As an update, we are still investigating a series of other bugs that relate to Sims Freezing [EA Forums] or interactions getting canceled [EA Forums]. These issues can present similarly to the one above we fixed, but it’s important that we continue to untangle them from each other so we can address them individually and find solutions – it’s a ‘6 raccoons in a trench coat’ sort of thing. We have some good leads.
• [EA Forums] We addressed a few issues where Infants could be placed on top of each other or pop out of their Playmat or Crib after reloading a lot or save. This fix also resolves a situation where certain interactions on Infants were being canceled or blocked.
• [EA Forums] We’ve improved how roof trim segments work so nearby geometry does not incorrectly clip or invalidate the trim. This addresses a visual issue where platforms or half walls were placed close to a roof with inward-facing eaves.
• We addressed a handful of bugs that were causing ‘Sims Dancing’ to be too frequent:
  • [EA Forums] We’ve addressed an issue where stereos could cause Sims to spam dancing interactions in their queue. This is not-retroactive and only fixed in new saves. However, we believe replacing an affected stereo in old saves will address this.
  • The “Dance Interaction” will no longer be autonomously queued when a Sim is painting.
  • Acting on feedback from our Discord Dev Drop Ins, Sims who Dislike Dancing will no longer Autonomously Dance. They will also stop dancing if a song they dislike comes on during their dance.

Crash Fixes

In this patch, we also focused heavily on improving game stability by targeting crashes for fixes.

During our investigation, we discovered that our top automated crash report was actually stemming from a conflict with outdated mod files. Since custom content and mods are such a huge, vibrant part of The Sims 4 experience, we want to help you keep your game running as smoothly as possible. If you use mods, we highly recommend checking out our comprehensive Mods & Game Updates Guide on the EA Forums for the best ways to update your files and safely get back to playing.

Mac

• Fixed a rare rendering issue that could cause an unexpected crash on Mac during extended play sessions.

Console

• We added a change for gamepad directionality for console players that was affecting a large amount of players with a crash.

Basegame

• We’ve addressed an issue for a mod players had installed that was corrupting memory, which was affecting a moderate number of players.
• Fixed an issue that could cause a crash while rendering Sim models in CAS or Live Mode.
• We addressed a crash in SimService that was affecting a smaller number of players. 
• We added a defensive crash fix in the path-planning/navmesh flow that was affecting a smaller number of players.
• We’ve addressed a crash that could occur from transitioning from Build Mode to the Manage Worlds screen.
• We addressed an assert that could occur when a Swimming Pool was built inside of a contour wall.
• We’ve addressed an assert relating to particle VFX.
• We fixed an assert that could occur when entering Create a Sim from the Simology Panel.
• We fixed an assert that could occur when there were a lot of VFX on screen at once. This regularly occurred when there were a lot of occults on screen at once (as an example).

High School Years

• We fixed an assert which sometimes resulted in a crash that could trigger in the Social Bunny app after navigating between tabs and then closing the app.

Enchanted by Nature

• We addressed a crash affecting a small number of players relating to Luck. 
• We addressed an assert that could occur when Zhaleh Amani was attempting to WooHoo in a bush in certain save files.

Sims Autonomy Improvements & Fixes

For this release we wanted our major focus and theme to be around improved autonomy. We addressed top voted autonomy-related issues from EA Forums as well as feedback we received on Reddit, Discord, and in our recent Discord Dev Q&As.  We hope these improvements, changes, and fixes make your game feel more realistic and fun!

Base Game

• [EA Forums] Sims now face each other during conversations… eye contact unlocked!

• [EA Forums] Sims will now use a sink in the same bathroom as the toilet. Your kitchen sink can finally rest.
• [EA Forums] Sims with low energy will no longer randomly wake up and fill their Hygiene, Fun, or Social Needs.
• [EA Forums] Sims will no longer play a “Browse Phone” idle when they have the Dislike Phones preference.
• [EA Forums] Sims will now choose from multiple Everyday Outfit options in the Everyday Outfit Category, not just the first Everyday outfit.
• [EA Forums] Rocks, Dig Sites, Frog Logs, and Wild Plants will now respawn if the Sim is not on the active lot.
• [EA Forums] We’ve added a cooldown to how frequently Sims will perform the serenade interaction.
• [EA Forums] Infant Sims will no longer be attached to a returning Sim who is traveling home after being on another lot.
• Sims mourn for less time when a Sim they don’t know dies via an update to the “Around Death” Buff.
• When their Bladder Needs are low, Sims will walk a little faster during the “needs to pee” animation.
• Sims who Dislike Gardening will no longer autonomously garden.
• Children Sims should no longer use Swings repeatedly back-to-back.
• We’ve added a cute little failure for when Sims are doing Push Ups. This failure is more likely to occur when a Sims Fitness level is too low or if a Sim’s Hunger or Energy is too low.

City Living

• [EA Forums] NPC Sims will no longer reset when using the Karaoke Machine during festivals.

Get Famous

• [EA Forums] Sims will no longer obsessively admire Autographs.

Seasons

• [EA Forums] Sims have CHILLED OUT on how frequently they make Snow Angels , Snowmen, and Shovel Snow autonomously.
• [EA Forums] Sims must now be the owners of a lot to want to shovel snow on that lot. This is more realistic, and it’ll prevent a reported issue where Ranch Hands were shoveling snow instead of performing their assigned duties on a Ranch.
• [EA Forums] Sims will no longer autonomously Lounge in Lounge Chairs during Rain or Storms or cold weather.
• Sims with the Brave Trait will no longer be afraid of THUNDERSNOW. (I said it in a booming voice.)
• The Storm Chaser Sims will now get excited for Thunder Snow like they would any other storm. Sweet! A Storm!

Discover University

• [EA Forums] Sims from inactive Households will now attend University classes and are less likely to fail term exams. This fix was intended for rotational play. It is not retroactively fixed in old saves.
  • Note: There is a different bug we are still actively investigating relating to the active household receiving a failing grade while attending University.

High School Years

• Teen Sims who dislike Fitness will no longer Autonomously use the Cheer Mats.

Lovestruck

• [EA Forums] Couple Sims Walkbys introduced in Lovestruck will no longer engage in obsessive couple activities like Sky Gazing or kissing in the Library or other Non-Residential Venues. Get a room.

Adventure Awaits

• [EA Forums] Children can use playground equipment and will no longer nap or meditate while playing.

Royalty & Legacy

• [EA Forums] Sims in a Dynasty with the “Artistic” Ideal will no longer autonomously perform Acting scene interactions while executing normal tasks like cooking and painting.
• Sims with the Mysterious Dynasty Ideal will no longer watch TV over and over and over and… you get it.

Relationship Balancing Passes

Based on feedback, we also did some balancing passes for two of our ‘relationship’ themed features: Relationship Satisfaction (Lovestruck) and Family Dynamics (Growing Together).

Growing Together

• [EA Forums] Some family beef is best served from a distance. Sims now agree. Sims with awful compatibility and Difficult or Distant Family Dynamics will now rarely initiate socials, avoid each other, and keep conversations short.
• Per player feedback, we reviewed analytics data on the Family Dynamics feature and found some imbalances in how often certain Family Dynamics were awarded. We’ve made the following changes to improve the balance of this feature:
  • The “Strict” Family Dynamic will now occur less frequently.
  • The “Jokesters” Family Dynamic will now occur less frequently.
  • The “Distant” Family Dynamic was rarely seen. We’ve updated this Dynamic so that when Sims run malicious interactions or fight there is a chance that they will receive the option for this Dynamic.

Lovestruck

• [EA Forums] Relationship Satisfaction will no longer change for inactive households. Their feelings can wait.
• [EA Forums] Romantic Satisfaction should now decay slowly over time. Relationships take work, but maybe not that much work.

Enchanted by Nature

• [EA Forums] Sims with bad luck will see fewer negative relationship impacts while socializing. Unlucky not unlikeable.

General Fixes

Steam

• We’ve streamlined the game startup flow on Steam, clearing out some of those extra loading steps and pop-up windows so you can get to your Sims even faster.

Base Game

• We fixed a Black Photo issue that could occur for the MixPix Portrait Digital Photo Frame or MixPix Landscape Digital Photo Frame when photos were dragged from the Sim’s inventory into the frame’s inventory or via Manage Photo Inventory.
• [EA Forums] Sims are once again able to “Negotiate a Bonus” using their Phone while in a career.
• [EA Forums] Sims can once again do sit-ups, push-ups, and stretching exercises when directed to do so.
  • The “Do Push Ups” Interaction can once again be run manually on Sims outside of Gym Venues. 
  • We’ve added the Fitness icon to the “Go Jogging,” “Do Push Ups,” “Do Sit Ups,” and “Stretching” interactions.
• [EA Forums] We don’t like auditory jump scares either! The vocalization on the new Energized/Confident animation has been turned down.
• [EA Forums] The Eyedropper tool will now display Half Wall Trims in the Build Mode catalog when used on Half Wall Trims.
• We addressed an issue where Sims were not correctly routing and positioning themselves when performing the Toddler Book “Read to Children” interaction.
  • Note: There are still other reading related bugs under investigation.
• Expanded Buff View will no longer automatically close when the game is played at 2x speed or above.
• We’ve addressed an issue where a Sim could be revived and brought back to life by entering Create a Sim via the Simology Panel when the Grim Reaper was actively reaping a Sim.
• We fixed a llamacorn icon that could appear on the “Neighborhood Reconnaissance” interaction on the Telescope object when For Rent (because of the Nosy trait) wasn’t installed. This interaction should now say “Spy on Neighborhood” with the Mischief Skill icon instead.

Horse Ranch

• Sims who Like Horse Riding will no longer get a negative buff when attending a Horse Riding Lecture.

Royalty & Legacy

• [EA Forums] We’ve addressed a bug that was occurring where Children would be the possible recipients of a Royalty and Legacy invitation.
• We addressed an issue where Child Sims who were related to the head of a Dynasty would trigger the “Joined Dynasty” notification. We’d previously fixed this for new saves, but had an additional fix that would repair this also in old saves as well where it was already happening.

My Wedding Stories

• [EA Forums] Wedding Venues will no longer be placed as Residential Lots when placed from the Gallery. They’ll now be placed as Wedding Venues.

Autosave & Save Reminder

Console

• The Save Reminder notification will now appear for Console Players when it is set to 30 minutes.

General

• Using “Save and Exit” or “Save” then “Exit to Main Menu” will no longer create a new save file in the EA Documents folder instead of a versioned save file attached to the original save.
• Fixed an issue where restoring an Autosave and then manually saving could create an unnamed save or overwrite the wrong save slot.
• The countdown timers for Real Time Autosave Options and Save Reminder Notifications will no longer reset when you change options relating to the other. They now reset independently.

Marketplace & Gallery

• [EA Forums] The “Showcase Item in your Profile” button on Gallery is now accessible while playing with Controller or Keyboard and Mouse.
• We fixed an error that could occur when purchasing the Comfy Gamer Kit from the Marketplace then interacting with a computer.

Tagging, Tuning,  & Text

Multiple

• We’ve added comfort values to the following sofas: Bougie Burlap Sofa, Mega Sofa, White Lily Lavish Sofa, Tree Napper Sofa, Unliving Sofa, Woodland Lodge Sofa, Big Boss Sofa, The Diving Sit Oblonger, Not Your Average Firewood Loveseat, “I’m Lycan You” Loveseat, Must be Loveseat, Split-Beam/Split-Personality Bench, Seat of Cultivation, Wanderwood Loveseat, Fresh Beginnings Loveseat, Movie Madness Advertising Bench, Mahogany Loveseat, Resistance Supply Couch, Cantina Booth, The Schmooze and Snooze, The Unyielding Bench, and The Wide (Outdoor) Love.
• [EA Forums] We’ve moved the following wall patterns from the “Paint” category to the “Paneling” category: Ornate Regency Paneling, Louis the Fourth, Fair & Square, Pleasing Profiles, and All Square.

Base Game

• [EA Forums] The following Build Mode objects will now sort as Africana Style: (lightTableMedium_SDX040GENwicker_set1), (paintWall2X1x2_SDX040GEN_set1), (plantPotFloor_SDX040GENaloe_set1), (rug3x2_SDX040GEN_set1), (sculptTableLarge_SDX040GENbasket_set1), (sculptTableMedium_SDX040Pillow_set1), and (sculptTableSmall_SDX040_GENspices_set1).
• [EA Forums] (cuBottom_EP01JeansSkinny) and (cuBottom_EP01JeansSkinnyRolled) have been sorted into the Formal category in Create a Sim.
• [EA Forums] The “March of the Penguins” wall pattern is now correctly tagged as Wallpaper rather than Paint in Build Mode.
• [EA Forums] The wall patterns Marble Marvel, Seashells on the Seashore and Bathhouse Blues are now tagged correctly under the Tile category in Build Mode.
• [EA Forums] The wall patterns Garden Glory and Above-Deck have been moved from the “Paint” category to the “Paneling” category.

Get to Work

• The cfHair_EP01BraidsBunSide hair in Create a Sim now sorts under straight texture.

Growing Together

• The ‘EP13LongBraids’ hairstyle is now consistently tagged across genders.

Royalty & Legacy

• [EA Forums] The “Swords of Ondarion” collection plaque now has a title and description. You can find it called, “Ondarion Swordmaster.”

Technical Notes for Modders:

Patch Note	Note for Modders
When their bladder needs are low, Sims will walk a little faster during the “needs to pee” animation.	Reduced Time Scale of walkstyle to 0.7 to make the walk faster
Sims now face each other during conversations…eye contact unlocked!	Modified 4 interactions to have Must Run Target SI enabled, which has the effect of properly navigating Sims to the right location for socials.
Sims will now use a sink in the same bathroom as the toilet. Your kitchen sink can finally rest.	Decreasing the acceptable range for considering washing hands on the post run autonomy commodity request on Toilet-Flush
Sims are once again able to “Negotiate a Bonus” using their Phone while in a career.	The phone picker correctly offered Negotiate a Bonus to non-Noble careers, but the follow-up interaction had its career_Noble test reversed. This made the option appear and then silently fail when selected. The test in phone_NegotiatePromotion is now negated to match the picker. Career mods overriding this interaction should check that test.
Expanded Buff View will no longer automatically close when the game is played at 2x speed or above.	The expanded Buff panel treated clicks on the speed controls as clicks outside the panel, so selecting 2x or 3x speed closed it. The panel now ignores focus changes into the time controls and preserves its expanded state when the buff list refreshes. UI mods that replace the Buff panel or time controls may need to account for this behavior.
Sims who Dislike Gardening will no longer autonomously garden.	Adding additional autonomous tests to interactions such as Gardening_Spray_All and Gardening_Water
Sims who Dislike Dancing will no longer Autonomously Dance. They will also stop dancing if a song they dislike comes on during their dance.	Adding a new conditional action to Stereo_Dance, exting the dance interaction if they recieve a hidden buff “buff_SimPreference_ListendToDislikedMusic”
Teen Sims who dislike Fitness will no longer Autonomously use the Cheerleader Mat.	Adding an autonomous test to si_CheerMat_Solo_Start
Sims will no longer autonomously Lounge in Lounge Chairs during Rain or Storms.	Adding a weather test to the autonomous tests on Chair_LoungeChair
Romantic Satisfaction should no longer drop rapidly and should instead decay slowly over time.	Reducing the decay rate of URT_RelStat_Main
NPC Sims will no longer reset when using the Karaoke Machine during festivals.	The Karaoke contest was still looking for situation_type, although current situation-join tuning uses situation. That lookup could fail when an NPC autonomously joined the contest, causing the Sim to reset. The game now checks situation first, with situation_type retained as a fallback for older custom tuning.
Sims mourn for less time when a Sim they don’t know dies via an update to the “Around Death” Buff.	Reduced the time on Buff_DeathOfSim_AroundDeath_Fine
Sims have CHILLED OUT on how frequently they make Snow Angels , Snowmen, and Shovel Snow autonomously.	Adding cooldowns to instances such as autonomous_ObjectPicker_SnowDrift_Shovel_Adult, autonomous_ObjectPicker_SnowDrift_SnowAngel, and autonomous_ObjectPicker_SnowDrift_Snowpal
Sims from inactive Households will now attend University classes and are less likely to fail term exams. This fix was intended for rotational play. It is not retroactively fixed in old saves.	University course restoration skipped Sims from played households while those households were inactive. When the household became active again during a scheduled class, the Sim could remain at home and miss it. The game now restores the active course session during zone load and sends the Sim to class. This only covers scheduled classes; it does not complete exams, term papers, or presentations.
Children can use playground equipment and will no longer nap or meditate while playing.	Added E15 – buff_Hopscotch_InGame and E20 – buff_ModularPlayground_PlayWithPlayground to the blacklist.
The “Do Push Ups” Interaction can once again be run manually on Sims outside of Gym Venues.	Creating a new instance sim_doPushUps_UserDirected, so the poorly named sim_doPishUpsAutonomously can in fact only used for autonomous purposes going forward. With these interactions split properly, their tests can be adjusted to ensure correct autonomous and user-directed behavior. Doing the same treatment for sim_doSitUps_UserDirected and sim_doStretching_UserDirected.
Sims will now choose from multiple Everyday Outfit options in the Everyday Outfit Category, not just the first Everyday outfit.	Substituted daily everyday outfit selection for random everyday outfit selection. To keep current outfit, use CURRENT_OUTFIT outfit category on outfit change.
Relationship Satisfaction will no longer change for couple Sims when those Sims are not part of the Active Household.	In case of player changes to another household during the gameplay, the relationship satisfaction of the previous household remains at same level as when it was left. Upon returning to the previous household, the Relationship Satisfaction will remain unchanged.
We’ve added a cute little failure for when Sims are doing Push Ups. This failure is more likely to occur when a Sims Fitness level is too low or if a Sim’s Hunger or Energy is too low.	Adding a new outcome to sim_doPushUps
Rocks, Dig Sites, Frog Logs, and Wild Plants will now respawn if the Sim is not on the active lot.	The problem: spawners can be setup as commodity based or time based. The time based starts a weekly scheduler that resets everytime the object loads, so it doesn’t account for time elapsed while the sim was in another lot. The commodity based ones are not setup to catch up with time elapsed either.The fix:For time based, we check if the time elapsed since last zone save is enough for a respawn to happen, and we immediately respawn the object.For commodity based, we run a fixup code on on_finalize_load of the gardening plant component to calculate how many fruits should spawn on the elapsed time since last zone save.
We’ve made it so having Bad Luck isn’t as likely to cause Social outcome failures when interacting with other Sims. There is still a high likelihood of failure, but ideally there is still a chance things can go well.	Reducing the negative impact of Luck on Scores_SocialOutcomes
Couple Sims will no longer engage in obsessive couples activities like Sky Gazing or kissing in the Library.	Removing the situation_EP16NPC_VenueDate from various venues, such as the Library
Sims with low energy will no longer randomly wake up and perform unrelated actions.	Adding a test of interactions such as sim_FunDistress to prevent it from running if the Sim is asleep
Sims will no longer play a “Browse Phone” idle when they have the Dislike Phones preference.	Fixing autonomous tests on phone_BrowseWebsites_AutonomousOnly
Children Sims should no longer use Swings repeatedly back-to-back.	Adding an autonomy cooldown to autonomous_ObjectPicker_SwingSet_SoloSwing and SwingSet_SoloSwing
Sims will no longer obsessively admire Autographs.	Added 5 hours cooldown to make this interaction autonomously
The “March of the Penguins” wall pattern is now correctly tagged as Wallpaper rather than Paint in Build Mode.	Added WallPatterns_Paint to Deleted Tags section so the wall pattern would only show up in the Wallpaper section and not in the Paint section any longer.
Sims must now be the owners of a lot to want to shove snow on that lot. This is more realistic, and it’ll prevent a reported issue where Ranch Hands were shoveling snow instead of performing their assigned duties on a Ranch.	Making it so only lot owners will consider interactions such as autonomous_ObjectPicker_SnowDrift_Shovel_Adult
Per player feedback, we reviewed analytics data on the Family Dynamics feature and found some imbalances in how often certain Family Dynamics were awarded. We’ve made the following changes to improve the balance of this feature: – The “Compliant” Family Dynamic will now occur less frequently. – The “Jokesters” Family Dynamic will now occur less frequently. – The “Distant” Family Dynamic was rarely seen. We’ve updated this Dynamic so that when Sims run malicious interactions or fight there is a chance that they will receive the option for this Dynamic.	Reducing the chances of recieving adventureMoment_FamilyTrope_jokesters and adventureMoment_FamilyTrope_compliant, as well as changing the conditions for Distant to be from fighting with family members.
We addressed an issue where SIms were not correctly routing and positioning themselves when performing the Toddler Book “Read to Children” interaction.	Problem: Sim could freeze when handed an infant while reading a book.Fix: pass on interaction priority to ‘cancel aop interaction’ so ‘putdown’ gets run after ‘putdown chooser’ and before ‘give infant’ (as ‘give infant’ depends on the book to be ‘putdown’ to run)
Sims with awful Compatibility and Difficult or Distant Family Dynamics will now rarely initiate socials, will avoid each other, and any autonomous conversations end quickly.	Follow-up socials used a separate autonomy path that did not account for negative relationship utility. As a result, Sims with combinations such as Distant and Awful Compatibility could keep choosing autonomous socials with each other. Relationship-scored follow-up socials are now skipped when the direct relationship utility between the two Sims is zero or negative. Player-directed socials are unchanged.
We addressed an assert that could occur when a Swimming Pool was built inside of a contour wall.	Fixed an issue where loading certain lots with a pool built inside contour walls could trigger an assertion.
We’ve addressed a crash that could occur from transitioning from Build Mode to the Manage Worlds screen.	Prevented a rare crash during Luck updates by safely cleaning up update handling when it is no longer needed.
We addressed an assert that could occur when Zhaleh Amani was attempting to WooHoo in a bush in certain save files.	Increased the amount of vertex count pending to be drawn by particles vfx system. Removed the assert from release builds.
We’ve addressed an issue where a Sim could be revived and brought back to life by entering Create a Sim via the Simology Panel when the Grim Reaper was actively reaping a Sim.	Disable “Enter CAS” button in simology panel when save is locked.
We’ve addressed an assert relating particles VFX.	Increased the amount of vertex count pending to be drawn by particles vfx system. Removed the assert from release builds.
The countdown timers for Real Time Autosave Options and Save Reminder Notifications will no longer reset when you change options relating to the other. They now reset independently.	Fixed an issue in which the same method was used to reset auto save and save reminders.
The Eye Dropper tool will now display Half Wall Trims in the Build Mode catalog when used on Half Wall Trims.	Fixed missing half wall trim info from the items catalog by recovering it using its category tag.
We’ve addressed an issue where stereos could cause Sims to spam dancing interactions in their queue.	Full autonomy could push another copy of a non-immediate interaction that was already running or queued. The game now recognizes those duplicates and skips the extra push without treating it as a failed autonomy attempt. This is a general autonomy change rather than a change to Dance tuning.
The wall patterns Marble Marvel, Seashells on the Seashore and Bathhouse Blues are now tagged correctly under the Tile category in Build Mode.	Removing WallPattern_Paint tag from (Marble01MIS_Blue_Tiles), (Tile01DGDiag_HalfWall), and (Tile02DG_Wainscot).
We’ve added a cooldown to how frequently Sims will perform the serenade interaction.	Modify autonomy scheduling, alarms, retries, or interaction-push behavior.
We addressed an issue where Child Sims who were related to the head of a Dynasty would trigger the “Joined Dynasty” notification. We’d previously fixed this for new saves, but had an additional fix that would repair this also in old saves as well where it was already happening.	The repair used when loading older dynasty saves did not remember which child memberships it had already restored. This could add an excluded child back into the dynasty and show Joined Dynasty again after each reload. Dynasty membership now records how the Sim joined, and the repair is saved after it runs so it is not repeated.
We fixed an assert which sometimes resulted in a crash that could trigger in the Social Bunny app after navigating between tabs and then closing the app.	The Social Bunny Friends tab could process a relationship update while its layout was changing or after the app had closed, leaving it with stale UI state and triggering an assert. The tab now refreshes its layout when the add-contact state changes so those updates use the current panel state.
Using Save & Exit or Save and Exit to Main Menu will no longer create a new save file in the EA Documents folder instead of a versioned save file attached to the original save.	Fixed an issue where Save and Exit in a new game could create a new save slot instead of updating the active save. UIGetDefaultSaveSlotId now allocates a new manual slot when the current slot is invalid (<= 1) or is AUTO_SAVE_SLOT. Valid manual save slots continue to be reused as before. Modders affecting save-slot selection should account for this updated validation.
Fixed an issue where restoring an Auto-Save and then manually saving could create an unnamed save or overwrite the wrong save slot.	Fixed an issue where loading an Auto-Save after deleting its original manual save could cause the next manual save to overwrite an unrelated save. When no valid manual-save lineage is available, the next manual save now uses a new free slot with a default name. Desktop save flows now use GetDefaultSaveSlotId separately from GetCurrentSlotId. Modders overriding save-slot selection should account for this new default-target flow.
The following Build Mode objects will now sort as Africana Style: (lightTableMedium_SDX040GENwicker_set1), (paintWall2X1x2_SDX040GEN_set1), (plantPotFloor_SDX040GENaloe_set1), (rug3x2_SDX040GEN_set1), (sculptTableLarge_SDX040GENbasket_set1), (sculptTableMedium_SDX040Pillow_set1), and (sculptTableSmall_SDX040_GENspices_set1).	Removed Africana Build Style tag from and added Africana Style to (lightTableMedium_SDX040GENwicker_set1), (paintWall2X1x2_SDX040GEN_set1), (plantPotFloor_SDX040GENaloe_set1), (rug3x2_SDX040GEN_set1), (sculptTableLarge_SDX040GENbasket_set1), (sculptTableMedium_SDX040Pillow_set1), and (sculptTableSmall_SDX040_GENspices_set1).
The ‘EP13LongBraids’ hairstyle is now consistently tagged across genders.	Added HairTexture_Curly tag to (cmHair_EP13LongBraids) and HairTexture_Afro tag to (pmHair_EP13LongBraids), (yfHair_EP13LongBraids), and (mfHair_EP13LongBraids) so all these hairstyles should appear consistently now when selecting the Afro-Textured or Curly filter for hair across the different age groups.
[EA Forums] We’ve improved how roof trim segments work so nearby geometry does not incorrectly clip or invalidate the trim. This addresses a visual issue where platforms or half walls were placed close to a roof with inward-facing eaves.	Roof trim clipping was being decided from the middle of an eave, which missed platforms or half walls intersecting one end of an inward-facing eave. Clipping now accounts for both ends and their local elevations. This was an engine change; no roof-trim tuning or catalog assets changed. Outward-facing eaves could cross a platform or half wall between the points used to decide whether their trim should be clipped. The clipping check now samples additional points along the eave and uses the nearby floor elevation when placing the cut. This was an engine change; no roof-trim tuning or catalog assets changed.
[EA Forums] We’ve addressed an issue where Time and Sims would freeze when the environment continued to animate. This was connected to a Sim trying to use an object while another Sim was in their spot. We believe this issue was potentially hardware specific.	The fix releases the stand-slot (the place where the Sim should be to perform the action), reservation owned by the blocked interaction so the slot can be re-evaluated on the next attempt.
[EA Forums] We’ve found a holistic fix for interactions getting stuck in Sim queues and applied it to various instances where interactions were getting stuck. Going forward, if new instances of this are found, we’ll need to address them individually but can probably use this solution to do so.	The fix releases the stand-slot (the place where the Sim should be to perform the action), reservation owned by the blocked interaction so the slot can be re-evaluated on the next attempt.
We fixed a major instance of interactions getting stuck in a Sim’s queue relating to interaction priority and the time it takes to complete certain interactions. Our fix specifically relates to the ‘sleep’ and ‘chat’ (specially group chats)interactions, so we’ll continue investigating to see if we can find other instances where this fix can be applied as well.	Sleep and chat are now “cancelables” when enqueuing another interaction. We added in other task a new field for tunings called cancel_on_user_directed_action. We checked that field for “Sleep” and “Chat” interactions so can be cancelalables.
We made some adjustments to interactions that are ‘tending’ objects, which was resulting in Sims waiting on an interaction to complete. We’ve addressed instances that were reported, but if there are others please report so we can make sure to apply to any interactions we missed.	Added an opt-in SuperInteraction tuning option, cancel_on_user_directed_action, for persistent or supporting interactions that should be abandoned when the player directs the Sim to perform another action.Updated InteractionQueue._on_user_driven_action() to cancel opted-in SIs through the normal interaction cancellation lifecycle. Existing interactions are unaffected by default.Enabled the option on:espressoBar_TendespressoBar_WaitForWorkmarketStalls_Tend_CoffeeCounterThis resolves cases where Tend interactions remain staged or stuck in the queue after another user-directed action is queued, while avoiding affordance-specific checks in Python.
We addressed a few issues where Infants could be placed on top of each other or pop out of their Playmat or Crib after reloading a lot or save. This fix also resolves a situation where certain interactions on Infants were being canceled or blocked.	When canceling an SI with an infant on a crib, we maintain that posture, instead of resetting the infant back to the floor.
The Save Reminder notification will now appear for Console Players when it is set to 30 minutes.	Fixed an issue in which the same method was used to reset auto save and save reminders.
[EA Forums] Wedding Venues will no longer be placed as Residential Lots when placed from the Gallery. They’ll now be placed as Wedding Venues.	Placing a Wedding Venue from the Gallery could update the lot itself without replacing its saved Residential venue data. Manage Worlds and the wedding planner would then continue reading the old venue type. Gallery placement now saves the selected venue type and refreshes the cached lot information, so the venue appears correctly without requiring a visit or manual venue change.
The cfHair_EP01BraidsBunSide hair in Create a Sim now sorts under straight texture.	Added the HairTexture_Straight tag to (cfHair_EP01BraidsBunSide).
We fixed a Black Photo issue that could occur for the MixPix Portrait Digital Photo Frame or MixPix Landscape Digital Photo Frame when photos were dragged from the Sim’s inventory into the frame’s inventory or via Manage Photo Inventory.	Tuning for Object_DigitalPhotoFrame updated
We don’t like auditory jump scares either! The vocalization on the new Energized/Confident animation has been turned down.	Modify Gallery or Library lot placement.
The “Showcase Item in your Profile” button on Gallery is now accessible while playing with Controller or Keyboard and Mouse.	Override lot persistence, venue caches, or zone-load reconciliation.
We fixed an instance where Sims would become idle and frozen after WooHoo if an autonomous interaction was queued during WooHoo.	If target sim is done routing and positioning themselves in a transition sequence, we skip generating new transitions for them.
[EA Forums] We addressed a few issues where Infants could be placed on top of each other or pop out of their Playmat or Crib after reloading a lot or save. This fix also resolves a situation where certain interactions on Infants were being canceled or blocked.	Infants persist their state on save/load more cleanly now, so they correctly are placed on a crib/playmat, and maintain that state on load.
Infant Sims will no longer be attached to a returning Sim who is traveling home after being on another lot.	Modified the zone spin up flows to correctly pair infants with the correct carrier, this also keeps them in the back carrier.
[EA Forums] Married Couples will no longer be revered to Partners when entering CAS though Custom Tattoo planning or Plan Outfits.	CAS relationship data relied on cached spouse and fiancé IDs, which could be stale or unavailable when the other Sim was not loaded. The relationship could then be saved back as Partner after using Plan Outfits or Custom Tattoos. CAS now reads the marriage and engagement records directly, gives marriage priority, and excludes spouses and fiancés from the steady-partner list.
We fixed an assert that could occur when entering Create a Sim from the Simology Panel.	Fixed an assert when entering Create a Sim from the Simology Preferences or Relationship Preferences panels. These panels now block the CAS transition while GameplayStateData.SaveLocked is true. Their ShowStateChangeLoad calls now set attemptAutoSave: false; the confirmed CAS travel response handles autosaving. ShowStateChangeLoad still supports numeric callers and now also accepts { transitionType, attemptAutoSave }.
We fixed an assert that could occur when there were a lot of VFX on screen at once. This regularly occurred when there were a lot of occults on screen at once (as an example).	Same as above: Increased the amount of vertex count pending to be drawn by particles vfx system. Removed the assert from release builds.
Fixed an issue where Caregivers would get stuck holding their infants, relating to our fix this patch around Infants popping out of cribs.	The autonomous crib put-down interaction was incompatible with infant_Cry and infant_Fuss. If either was running, the caregiver’s put-down sequence could stop while they were still holding the Infant. Both interactions are now allowed during Autonomous_ObjectPicker_Infant_PutDown_IfClose, so the sequence can continue to the crib.

Final Thoughts

The Sims 4 Update September 22 2026 is a pretty substantial quality of life patch, especially for players who have been asking for smarter Sim behavior and fewer frustrating gameplay interruptions.

The improved autonomy alone should make everyday storytelling feel more natural, while the free children’s content gives family-focused Simmers some lovely new ways to decorate and style their households.

Stay tuned on SnootySims for the latest new gameplay mods and exciting Sims 4 updates. Be sure to follow us on on Patreon and all our social media channels, including Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and Tumblr. Happy simming, Simmers!