Why I Created a Family Tree for My Sims Family

When starting your legacy family, did you also think the in-game family tree was enough? I mean, really, why would you need anything else if the game already has its own system? But as the family grew, keeping track of everyone became more and more difficult.

Then one day, you open it and see that your sim no longer remembers her own grandmother because she… moved to another house. Some characters disappeared, connections were lost, and the tree itself became so messy that I just got lost in it. Sometimes, I’d open it up, and instead of a beautiful story, I’d see pure chaos where it was impossible to tell who was related to whom.

At some point, I had to either start keeping a notebook with records or accept that my dynasty’s founder had turned into some mythical figure whose origins no one could explain.

That’s when I got inspired by top bloggers solita sims, Rosannatxt and ginovasims who manage their families outside the game.

Look at their family trees:

They look so well-organized and beautiful that I wanted to try it too!

I went to TheSimsTree, started adding my characters… and realized this was exactly what I had been missing. Now I have a real family tree with biographies, a stunning layout, and all the connections that matter to me.

This is what a standard in-game family tree looks like:

And this is my new tree in TheSimsTree:

The difference is huge, isn’t it?

Let me tell you how I did it

1. Signed up in a minute – just created an account using Google authorization.

2. Quickly added character cards – uploaded photos, entered names, and wrote biographies.

3. Customized the tree and background – picked colors, chose a background, and made everything look beautiful.

At first, I took everything way too seriously: spent ages choosing the perfect pictures, tried to find the most incredible background, worried about making everything look flawless… And then I realized – there’s no point! The tree can be changed at any time. If I come up with a new idea, I just open the service on my phone and make all the edits in five minutes.

Now, my hobby isn’t just playing the game itself but also filling out my family tree. It’s like creating a beautiful photo album, except I can add a full life story, link a playlist that reminds me of a character, or even attach a YouTube video. And the best part? I can change everything whenever I want, without being afraid of messing it up.

Why Isn’t the In-Game Family Tree Enough?

At the start of the game, it seems fine, but the further you go, the more problems appear.

Sims can disappear from the family tree

Moved to another house? That’s it, goodbye – you’re no longer part of the family.

Bugged status of deceased Sims

I’ve had cases where a Sim died, but in the family tree, they were still alive, or worse, they just vanished completely. Or the opposite: a living Sim suddenly became a "ghost" with no way to fix it.

No way to save complex relationships

Ex-partners, illegitimate children, unusual family lines – all of that just disappears.

If your Sim has a dramatic love life, the game won’t even remember it. And if your entire legacy is built on complicated family ties, keeping track of them becomes impossible.

Almost no character information

Name, age, death icon – and that’s it? What about their stories, personalities, and lives? You can play out an intense, dramatic plot with betrayals, secret children, and scandals, but in the family tree… only a name remains.

If your save file breaks, the family tree is gone with it

That’s years of gameplay and memories, wiped out in an instant.

I wanted my family to be more than just a list of Sims – I wanted it to be a real story.

How Does TheSimsTree Help Preserve Family History?

TheSimsTree makes your family tree truly come to life:

Customization to match your style – choose the layout, background, and color scheme to make everything look beautiful and unique.

Character biographies – keep track of traits, careers, and major life events. One of the biggest advantages of the service is the ability to add a fully detailed character biography, including all the important details. The in-game family tree only shows a name, age, and a couple of icons. But in TheSimsTree, I can document traits, life goals, and defining moments. You can even mark if a Sim is a vampire or a spellcaster – finally, no more confusion with occults!

Adding complex relationships – even if a sim has multiple partners or a complicated family history, you can keep track of everything. Each partner, friend, ex, colleague, etc., can have their own beautifully detailed sub-tree, complete with their own relatives and connections.

Keeping a family journal – recording important moments worth remembering.

Now, if my sim accidentally dies from laughter, at least I can preserve their story.

And if I don’t have enough time to fully play out someone’s life in the family, I can still keep their memory alive by uploading more photos. For example, thanks to the avatar's history, I can look back and remember what a tiny baby my main character’s sister once was.

I no longer get lost in my own dynasty. I open the tree, and everything is right there: who was who, what they did, what happened in their lives. It’s always nice to revisit the profiles of sims I played with generations ago and remember all the moments we went through together. To reminisce about the family founders, the first crushes, the first betrayals, the beautiful weddings… We spend hundreds of hours with each of them. It would be heartbreaking to lose all that.

A Story That Comes to Life: Biographies and Character Cards

This is probably my favorite part.

I used to just remember my Sims – what they did, what their stories were. But over time, things fade, especially when there are dozens of sims in the legacy.

Now, each of them has a detailed profile!

Here, for example, are my founders.They've been together practically their entire lives. I always make sure to add all their traits and aspirations from the game using dropdown menus, and for everything else I use custom fields with images. Just look at how different they are – yet it never stops them from loving each other endlessly.

I haven’t played their household as my main family for a long time, but it’s incredibly heartwarming to open their profiles, look through old photos, and read about all the moments we shared.

And this is how they spent their honeymoon.

Family Diaries – A Place for Memories

You know what’s the saddest part? When incredible moments happen in the game, but over time, they just fade away.

I’ve always wanted to document these events, but running a Sims blog is a serious commitment. You have to write regularly, edit screenshots, publish posts – it takes a lot of time and can even feel overwhelming. But keeping journals on TheSimsTree is completely different. You can write whenever inspiration strikes, add an entry at any moment, or simply revisit past events. For me, it’s the perfect solution.

For example, back in The Sims 3, I had a character named Leon, who unexpectedly met his future wife. They worked at the same restaurant, but at first, they couldn’t stand each other! Over time, things changed, and one day, he proposed to her – right there on the rooftop of the restaurant where they had their very first argument.

It was such a powerful story, but it only exists in my memory now. After switching computers, I was never able to restore that family.

Now, I record everything important in my diaries:

— The birth of heirs – birth dates, the traits they inherited, who they resemble.

— Weddings & relationships – how they met, how their story unfolded, and tons of beautiful photos from every date.

— Dramas & tragedies – unexpected twists, tough decisions, losses.

— Small, personal moments – those little things that matter the most to me.

Now this story lives beyond my memory – I’ve recorded it, preserved it, and I can revisit it whenever I want.

Community & Inspiration

One of the best things about TheSimsTree is the community. It’s not just a tool, it’s an entire space for players who are passionate about their legacies. Here, you can:

1. Follow other players' family trees and watch their stories unfold.

2. Leave likes and comments, interact with other players.

3. Find like-minded friends, discuss sims, and get inspired by new ideas.

4. Discover amazing Sims creators, their characters, builds, CC content, and mods.

I often browse other trees, and it helps me come up with new storylines, find inspiration for my own tree’s design, and sometimes even explore personality traits or career paths I had never used in the game before.

I truly appreciate the ability to share my tree with this amazing community. For some, it might even bring in new viewers, readers, or friends.

Just take a look at these stunning family tree covers in the user gallery! How can you resist leaving a like or a comment?

If a legacy really touches my heart, I save it to my favorites and keep following it.

Sharing Your Family Tree & Diaries

You can showcase not just your entire family but also individual characters!

I absolutely love discussing my sims life with friends, and TheSimsTree offers super convenient ways to share my work. I can:

Send a link to my entire genealogy tree – friends can see my family in all its glory.

Share a link to a specific character – perfect for highlighting someone special.

Share diary entries so others can read my sims’ stories.

Publish my tree in the service’s gallery, where the whole world can see it!

It’s incredibly easy to copy links to your tree, a specific sim, or even a particular diary entry. Perfect for sharing with friends while chatting about all the juicy Sims drama.

By the way, diary entries can be liked and commented on! You can even ask things like, "What preset did you use for this gorgeous screenshot?"

Engaging with the community & discussing your favorite sims

The people here are just as passionate as I am – it’s always easy to find like-minded players!

For example, I was inspired by a tree where a family had been winemakers for generations. Now, I’m trying to develop a similar storyline in my own game! 

After seeing stunning Sims screenshots in other players’ diaries and galleries, I decided to make my heir a photographer and learn the craft alongside him.

Here’s his latest diary entry. It’s so nice to look back on these moments from the game!

We keep improving our photography skills together.

Memories That Won’t Disappear

The main reason I love TheSimsTree is its reliability.

I’ve lost entire families due to corrupted saves. It’s a terrible feeling, realizing everything is gone and there’s no way to get it back.

Now, I don’t have to worry. Even if my save breaks, my characters, their stories, and their family tree will remain.

Now, my legacy exists not just in the game but beyond it as a true family archive.