The Sims 4 is the only mainline Sims game to not feature spiral staircases, much to the disappointment of players who love to build. We’ve got curved platforms and recently got curved walls, so hopefully EA will give us curved stairs next. Until then, modders once again have saved the day with several clever pieces of spiral staircase CC.
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Whether you are desperate for functional spiral stairs or just want them in your builds to look pretty, we have options for you. Download a few files and get playing right away, or keep reading and learn how to DIY your own. There is something for every type of player!
Functional Spiral Stairs
The easiest option to get you started are ready-made, functional stairs. There aren’t a whole lot of options out there, but we’ve found a few that should work for you!
1. Spiral Set by Syboulette
Syboubou used the tuning from Ravasheen’s Uplifting Elevators Mod (required for these stairs to function) and combined it with her own talents to make 4 different versions of these 2-part stairs your sims will actually use! The stairs are not animated and instead they act like a portal, transporting your sim up and down as needed. All you have to do is place the upper and lower pieces and viola! Functional stairs!
There’s more information about these spiral stairs found on Syboubou’s Tumblr including how to build them, although the download link for the stairs file is currently broken. A direct link to the file download can be found here.
2. CYFI Spiral Stairs By Syboulette
Another pair of spiral stairs by Syboulette in funky, modern styles. Like all her stairs, you will need Ravasheen’s Uplifting Elevators Mod to get these working correctly. Get the details and download here.
3. Curiosities Cabinet Spiral Stairs by Syboulette
One last set of functional spiral stairs by Syboulette, this time part of the Oh My Goth! Collab set. See the rest of the set and get more information here. Don’t forget to download Ravasheen’s Uplifting Elevators Mod also!
Decorative Spiral Stairs
A majority of the spiral stairs CC you find will be strictly decorative. But, if you’re more interested in having them for the look than for the functionality, here are a few pieces that should scratch that itch. Just make sure to put a regular set of stairs somewhere in your build so your sims can actually traverse between floors! Or, keep reading for a how-to on making decor spiral stairs into functioning ones!
1. Victoria Kidsroom Stair Shelf by Severinka
Part of a children’s bedroom set, Severinka made 2 sets of spiral staircases that work as shelving, each going in a different direction. They come in white and a single wood tone and can be downloaded with the rest of the spiral staircase CC set here.
2. Decorative Spiral Staircase by Pocci
An ornate metal staircase in 5 colors with slotting for deco items as well. It’s actually based on a staircase from The Sims 3, with some modifications. Download them here.
Read on SnootySims: Wallpaper CC packs for your Sims’ house!
3. Deco Spiralstair by ShinoKCR
A low-profile, precarious set of spiral stairs in 3 colors. This is part of a set that also includes shelving for under regular in-game stairs. See the other shelving and download the stairs here.
Using Mods To Make Deco Spiral Stairs Functional
Follow this tutorial to learn how to use CC elevator mods to make your decorative spiral stairs into functional stairs. As a bonus, you can still use the deco slots on your staircases without affecting the functionality!
Get Working spiral stairs in 9 simple steps:
1. Download and familiarize yourself with the Functional Elevator Door and Portals mod by TheSimmer40. This mod essentially takes the tuning from the portals of Realm of Magic (required to use this mod) and makes them useable anywhere you can build.
2. Build your lot as you wish, and place your spiral stairs wherever you want them to go. You may need to activate the MoveObjects cheat to get it how you want it to look.
3. If you haven’t yet, activate the MoveObjects cheat. Locate the Entrance & Exit Portals from the elevator mod in Build Mode -> Wall Sculptures. Choose a color and place an “IN” mat 1 tile in front of the staircase bottom.
4. Choose the “OUT” mat in the same color and place it 2 tiles behind the landing at the top of the stairs.
5. If done correctly, you should have completed a portal path for your sim to go up. Go into Live mode and test by clicking a spot on the top floor and directing your sim to go there, or just choose an object for them to interact with. Your sim should approach the stairs and then teleport up where you directed them to go.
6. Go back into Build Mode and reactivate MoveObjects. Find the mats again and choose an “IN” mat in a different color. Place the mat directly in front of the stairs on the upper floor.
7. Place an “OUT” mat in the same color directly in front of the lowest step on the staircase.
8. Go back into Live mode and direct your sim to do something back on the lower floor. If done correctly they should teleport back down.
9. Once you’ve verified that everything is working correctly, go back into Build/Buy and use the Recolor Tool to change the mat swatches to their invisible recolor. Congrats, you’ve made your own functioning spiral stairs!
Some tips if you’re having trouble:
- Because these portals are based on elevator animations, your sim may take wide loops and/or walk through objects when approaching the stairs. It shouldn’t affect the functionality and will just look weird for a moment.
- The spiral staircase you choose to use may have a different footprint so you might need to play around with the mat locations to get them working properly.
- Holding down the ALT key allows you to place items outside of the grid lines. You can use this to get more precise with where you’re placing items.
- If you have trouble locating the staircases or mats in the catalog you can use Sims4Studio to change your catalog tags or add keywords for easier searching. Here’s how.
CC Free Options
If you like the idea of spiral staircases in your game but don’t use CC for whatever reason, you can recreate the look (to a degree) with some clever building tricks. Check out this tutorial from Kate Emerald on how to build your own without mods!
Final Thoughts
The Sims 4 does not yet have spiral staircases in game, but players are stubborn and have figured out several ways to make it happen. If you’re missing spiral stairs in your own game hopefully you found one or more ways to fill that void with our list. Good luck in your builds and happy simming!