The Sims 4has been out for many a year at this point and has expanded beyond players' wildest dreams. There are enough mods to change the game, and enough stuff and game packs to break even the best of computers.
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Where the fourth iteration of the original life simulation game has brought in numerous new features, some builders have yet to discover the true ins and outs of Build (and Buy) Mode. There is so much lying just beyond the surface that could only be discovered purely by accident - here we will point out some of these lesser-known features hiding within the creative mode ofThe Sims 4.
Updated on May 20, 2025, by Nahda Nabiilah:Building in The Sims 4 is arguably one of the best features in the game as players unleash their imagination to make anything possible. There are many tips and tricks available in Build or Buy Mode that Simmers can use to make the house more unique and add an element of realism to the build. Some tricks require certain cheats while the rest can be activated immediately. Additionally, some cheats will unlock hidden items in Build Mode and Buy Mode that can be used to further enhance the decoration of the house.
16Place Items Into Hillsides And Mountains
There are a lot of decorations that players can use to accent the outside of their home, including some great landscaping options with trees, rocks, and other organic nature-based things. Unfortunately, some of these things look less than “natural” when players try to place them thanks to the various grid and collision systems found in build mode. Thankfully, there is a way to place these items so that they seem to be jutting out of hillsides and mountainsif players are looking for something truly customconcerning the areas surrounding their home.
To utilize this trick, players can set down a foundation first within the hillside or mountain that they wish to use, and then place a variety of items on top of it.After getting the items in the right spot, and at the right height, they can use the Break Tool to destroy the foundation, which will then cause the items to be “absorbed” by the surrounding ground.
15Double Basements
Basements have been buildable inSimssinceThe Sims 2- a revolutionary sequel to Maxis' smash hit game. The basement level has always been buildable under any house and has few restrictions - allowing pools, multiple rooms, and more.
But, some players won’t know that inThe Sims 4,two basement levels can actually be built! This includes the split-level ability - which really adds a new architectural perspective to any below-ground installations. The second level can be created the same as the first: using the basement tool or by moving below the floor and building a regular room.
14Grid Snap Options
Maxis added something very convenient to the game,hidden though it is.When placing furniture inThe Sims 4, it can often be a pain to have them only snap to the full square size on the grid - but notice that there are smaller lines in between.
By hitting the F5 key, players can cycle between fitting furniture items into the full grid, half of it, or quarter size. All of these size options can be seen mapped on the floor. This adds a natural feel to rooms. Who leaves such a gap between a bed and a nightstand anyway?
13Vertical Trim Sections
This may sound very complicated but here we go: the vertical trims onwallpapers that have multiple, separate swatch parts will only work on outside corners of a walled room.
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Specifically, those wallpaper designs that have a few different pieces - one is plain brick, one has a pillar to the left or the right? They’re for corners. However, they can be a bit funky to place. Thankfully inThe Sims 4,they will only apply the pillar design to outer corners, not the inner of any room.
12Floor Tile Sizing
Much like most other items inThe Sims,floor coverings (carpets, tiles, lino etcetera) are available in square units and conform to the full squares on the grid. This, like with furniture, can be bypassed with some quick know-how.
By pressingCtrl+F, after selecting the desired floor covering, will allow players to use the 1/4 tile shape. This means that diagonal edges can be accessed - or some outrageous geometric designs, if the house calls for it. It is assumed that the F key is used because it stands for “flooring.”
11Secret Basement Entrances
There are a lot of handy tricks that players can use to “break the game” by adding special access to floors and other areas without using cheats or mods. One of the coolest things that players can do is create a hidden basement by utilizing a Murphy Bed item and having their Sim open the bed so that it lies atop a staircase. To do this,players will need to first place a downward staircaseinto whatever room they’d like and then place the Murphy Bed so that it will cover the hole made by the staircase.
This may take a little bit of trial and error, and players will need to create a wall (likely from the debug menu) of brick or another material to help hide the inevitable cavity created behind the bed itself.
10Resize Items
Does the pot plant on the kitchen table look a little…small? How about that gazebo - too big? Well, there is another hidden helper that can assist with fixing this aesthetic mess.
Select the object of choice, then hold downShift. Next, press the right or leftsquarebracket keys -this willgrow or shrink the size of the item. Right is sizing up, left is sizing down. There isn’t a limit on how many different size options each object has, either, so the results can become a little strange!
9Free Item Placement
Similar to the ability to snap objects to smaller grid lines, there is also a tool that lets players move furniture items around freely within the squared grid.
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Players can move items around at their whim by holding ALT,while the item is selected. The grid will be ignored, and the item can be plonked at any point. Using this does still have constraints when placing next to other items, walls, or lot boundaries. Despite this, it does mean that those cluttered counters look a lot more realistic.
8Rotate Items
Another hidden item placement ability thatThe Simsdoesn’t tell you about isbeing able to easily rotate items. It requires using theSims 3camera - an option in the settings menu that changes the angles and the way the camera moves (to be better, in our opinion). This can be accessed by holdingCTRL + Shift + Tab, too.
While using this camera mode, players candrag an item to turn it aroundinstead ofhavingto use the “greater” and “less than” symbol keys. This can be used with the ALT key to ignore the rigid 45-degree rotation lock.
7Moving Objects On The Wall
This is yet another movement hack! Let’s be honest, Maxis doesn’t make any of this obvious,even in the build mode tutorials. This particular hidden feature involves wall items - windows, paintings, lights, and more.
Like with the ALT and rotation tricks,wall-placed items can be moved around, instead of only having their given place on the wall. By hitting9, these objects can be moved up and down on the wall. If using theSims 3camera, players will need to holdCTRL + 9for this to work.
