Ultimate Decades Challenge

The Decades Challenge is a historically inspired legacy challenge for The Sims 4, created by ZombieCleo and adapted into the current rules by CuteCoffeeGal. The goal is to live from the 1890s to the 2010s in a somewhat historically accurate way, showing how life, culture, and technology changed over more than a century of time.

Important Notes Before You Start

This challenge has some limitations regarding race, gender, and sexuality, particularly in the earlier decades. Playing this challenge does not condone these limitations – they are simply reflections of historical societal norms.

The rules assume you are not including any Vampires, Mermaids, Spellcasters, StrangerVille, or Werewolves gameplay.

Paranormal investigation was popularized in the 2000s, but seances have been around long before that. You are welcome to use Paranormal Stuff from a historical perspective, but keep in mind that specters and creepy objects may reduce the realistic nature of the challenge.

Kits are typically just CAS and Build Mode items around specific themes, so there aren’t many specific rules for them. Use your own judgment – for example, you probably don’t want to use Grunge Revival clothing on your 1890s Sims, and your teens won’t have cell phone clutter from Everyday Clutter in the 1930s.

Aging & Time Tracking

Aging is an important part of the game as it helps determine when you change decades. Some people play this challenge so that as each new heir becomes a young adult the decade changes – that is the most simple way to play. However, if you want to be more exact, you can track each Sim day to know exactly when to switch decades.

No matter which method you use, you will need to manually age up ALL of your Sims. Previously, the simplest tracking followed a Sim’s Normal Sim Lifespan as a guide. However, aging has changed significantly with the addition of Infants. The Normal Sim Lifespan is no longer accurate (for example, you’d age from Teen to Young Adult at 24 years old, not 18/19). A calculator has been created to make it easier to keep track of when to age up each Sim.

The first step for either method is to change your game options so that you are on the Long Sim Lifespan – that way you won’t accidentally age up too soon. The calendar can be helpful in keeping track of birthdays, and the author demonstrates how to set it up in this YouTube video, starting at 27:44.

Simple Aging

Each Sim day is 6 months; every 2 days the year changes; every 20 days the decade changes.

• Day 1: Early 1890
• Day 2: Late 1890
• Day 3: Early 1891
• Day 4: Late 1891
• And so on...

The average life expectancy for someone born in 1890 was mid-forties. However, life expectancy increased steadily, and by 1950, average life expectancy had increased to closer to 70. To mimic this, there are two different calculations – one for those born before 1950, and one for those born 1950 and later.

All Sims start off the same:

• Baby: 1 day, ages up at 6 months old
• Infant: 3 days, ages up at 2 years old
• Toddler: 8 days, ages up at 6 years old
• Child: 14 days, ages up at 13 years old
• Teen: 12 days, ages up at 19 years old

For Sims born before 1950:

• Young Adult: 26 days, ages up at 32 years old
• Adult: 36 days, ages up at 50 years old
• Elder: 14 days, dies late 50s/early 60s

For Sims born 1950 and later:

• Young Adult: 32 days, ages up at 35 years old
• Adult: 60 days, ages up at 65 years old
• Elder: 56 days, dies late 80s/early 90s

Complex Aging (for those with Discover University)

Each Sim day is 2 months; every 8 days the year changes; every 80 days the decade changes.

• Day 1: Late Winter 1890
• Day 2: Early Spring 1890
• Day 3: Late Spring 1890
• Day 4: Early Summer 1890
• Day 5: Late Summer 1890
• Day 6: Early Fall 1890
• Day 7: Late Fall 1890
• Day 8: Early Winter 1890
• Day 9: Late Winter 1891
• And so on...

If you have Discover University and want your Sims to seek degrees, you’ll need to change how you handle time in your Decades Challenge. Each term is 7 Sim Days long, and if you’re counting each Sim Day as 6 months, the fastest a Sim can complete a degree would be 11 years.

If you want to make this change, it is highly recommended to add MC Command Center to your game – it will be very difficult to track ages otherwise. This will also significantly lengthen your gameplay – your game will take three times as long to complete the challenge.

Please note, if you have Seasons, your time calculations (“late spring”, for example) will have zero correlation to your seasons in-game. The challenge accepts that these do not match up.

All Sims start off the same:

• Baby: 2 days, ages up at 4 months old
• Infant: 10 days, ages up at 2 years old
• Toddler: 24 days, ages up at 6 years old
• Child: 42 days, ages up at 13 years old
• Teen: 36 days, ages up at 19 years old

For Sims born before 1950:

• Young Adult: 78 days, ages up at 32 years old
• Adult: 108 days, ages up at 50 years old
• Elder: 56 days, dies late 50s/early 60s

For Sims born 1950 and later:

• Young Adult: 96 days, ages up at 35 years old
• Adult: 180 days, ages up at 65 years old
• Elder: 130 days, dies late 80s/early 90s

Holidays

Seasons comes with 4 holidays: New Year’s Eve, Love Day, Harvestfest, and Winterfest. To add additional historical accuracy to the Decades Challenge, it is recommended to edit these holidays and add a few additional ones. At the start of the Decades Challenge, edit your calendar to include:

• New Year’s Eve (Winter Saturday): New Year’s Eve Decorations, Day Off, Traditions – Party Spirit, Make Resolutions, Countdown to Midnight
• Valentine’s Day (Spring Tuesday): Love Day Decorations, No Day Off, Traditions – Romantic Spirit, Give Flowers, Go on a Date
• Easter (Spring Saturday): Spring Decorations, Day Off, Traditions – Egg Hunt, Flower Bunny, Give Flowers, Attend Holiday Ceremony
• Memorial Day (Summer Monday): No Decorations, Day Off, Traditions – Remembrance, Tell Stories, Thankful Spirit
• Independence Day (Summer Thursday): No Decorations, Day Off, Traditions – Appreciate an Object (American flag), Bar-B-Que, Fireworks
• Halloween (Fall): Spooky Decorations, No Day Off, Traditions – Wear Costumes, Trick or Treat, Spooky Spirit
• Thanksgiving (Fall Thursday): Harvestfest Decorations, Day Off, Traditions – Grand Meal, Thankful Spirit, Tell Stories, Baking
• Christmas (Winter Wednesday): Winterfest Decorations, Day Off, Traditions – Festive Spirit, Open Presents, Grand Meal, Attend Holiday Ceremony, Father Winter

Getting Started

Starting Sims

• You may start with one Young Adult and find them a spouse, or you may start with a married couple, both Young Adults.
• You may also include the parent(s) for one of your starter Sims as it was common for multiple generations to live in the same home in 1890.
• There are no restrictions within CAS – have fun with decade appropriate clothing!

Pronouns: Consciousness around gender-neutral and non-binary pronouns didn’t enter the mainstream until the 2010s. This is not to say that the practice didn’t exist before that (it absolutely did), but the way you tell these stories might look different in the earlier decades. Customizing pronouns for your Sims is available for all decades.

House and Finances

— You may not have a home in Del Sol Valley until the 1950s. Any other world except StrangerVille is allowed (StrangerVille’s storyline is not consistent with the Decades Challenge as it is not realistic).

Regarding Sulani:

• It will be significantly difficult to live in Sulani until the 1960s as much of the gameplay and many objects are restricted until the mid/late 1900s.
• Regardless of the year, the concept of the Sulani Elementals is unrealistic. This supernatural aspect of gameplay may break realism for your challenge, so only use if you are OK with gameplay that is not realistic. This includes the Child of the Island trait, the Island Spirits lot trait, and the “Summon Island Elementals” actions.

— You should start with only the starter funds for your family (no cheats) and use that to buy any land or house (you may use a home from the Gallery if you can afford it).

— You can start in an apartment if you are single AND have a job, but as soon as you get married you must move to a house. (Apartments were not ideal places for families in the 1890s as they were reserved for the single and working.)

— If you would like to use a money cheat for your starter home, you must treat it as a bank loan – you must repay your loan plus 10% interest before your original Sim couple dies.

Throughout the game, if you need to add or remove funds from your home:

• Ctrl + Shift + C will bring up the cheats entry bar in the top left.
• testingcheats on + Enter will enable cheats
• money 1500 + Enter will change the amount of your household funds to §1,500 – use with any number to set your household funds to that amount

Modern Conveniences

Some game functions require a cell phone or computer, which were not present for the majority of this challenge! Until the appropriate time as indicated in the decade rules, use of these items is firmly restricted with the following exceptions:

• Cell Phones are allowed, but only because they are the only way to get some gameplay options. You may NOT use the cell phone for chat, text, social media, or entertainment until the rules specify otherwise.
• Computers are only allowed for career-specific tasks, Writing (pretend it’s a typewriter), Household, and to Order seeds and books until the rules specify otherwise. You must lock the computer’s security so that only the Sim who is allowed to use the computer can use it (and only when doing career specific-tasks).
• It may be helpful to use the likes/dislikes feature to discourage music and activities that are not yet decades appropriate. For example, if your Sim keeps autonomously playing games on their phone, set them to dislike gaming.

Wars

There are several wars that take place during this century, and your Sims will be sent off to fight – they may or may not return. To simulate this, we’ll use the in-game mechanic of a Cow Plant.

• There are several ways to get a Cow Plant. You’ll want to have yours fully grown by the time you hit 1910.
• We will simulate sending someone off to war by having them eat the Cow Plant cake. This will make your Sim Drained.
• To learn if your Sim survives the war, roll a die after the Sim has eaten the cake once. Odds mean the Sim dies in the war, evens means the Sim comes home!
• If you roll odds, then your Sim must eat the cake from the Cow Plant AGAIN before the Drained moodlet goes away. They will not survive the second slice of cake...

Fame

Famous Sims would certainly have existed as early as the 1890s, but what that fame looked like was very different from what it looks like in Get Famous. Hollywood, CA was a city long before 1890, but it didn’t start looking like Del Sol Valley until much later – for instance, the Walk of Fame was created in 1956. In order to suspend our belief as best we can, there are some “fame” features that we will not allow access to in earlier years simply because the way that they are manifested in The Sims is anachronistic. Use your judgement for this – for instance, while there would have been famous chefs in the 1800s, the idea of a “celebrity chef” didn’t really start until the 1950s. As such, you should not have famous chefs in-game until the 1950s.

Odd Jobs

Various odd jobs are available for you to earn a little extra money. Given the significant variety of these jobs, it’s difficult to place them within the Decades Challenge structure. Use your best judgement when determining if a certain odd job would be available based on your Sim’s age, gender, race, and any other historical restrictions.

Eco Living

There are a lot of aspects around Eco Living and Off-the-Grid that are applicable at various different times, so it is difficult to say that you can or cannot use these elements. Know that environmental awareness as we know it today started in small pockets in the early/mid 1960s and became more mainstream in the 1970s – use your best judgement.

• Reduce & Reuse lot trait would be appropriate at any time (municipal recycling programs didn’t start until the 1970s, but people have been finding creative ways to recycle trash long before 1890).
• Eco Lot trait would not be appropriate at the beginning.
• Fizzy juice drinks would have been around in the 1890s, but you’ll have to suspend disbelief since there is a computer screen on the apparatus.

Story Progression

The author recommends turning on Neighborhood Stories so that the lives of your neighbors progress along with yours, but this is not a requirement.

Scoring

The primary object of the game is to successfully get your Sims to the current day, but if you are interested in keeping score you can use the scoring template to keep track of the score for each Sim as well as your total game score.

1890s – The Eve of the 20th Century

Heir:

Only male heirs are allowed. If there are no sons, then a daughter’s husband may become heir.

Traits:

Daughters must have Creative as their first trait.

Relationships / WooHooing

• Sims may only have a relationship with and marry the opposite gender.
• Sims may only marry within their own ethnicity/race.
• Sims must only “Try for Baby” and never “Woohoo.”
• Teenage Sims cannot “Mess Around.”
• Sims cannot get a divorce unless one of them commits adultery (in this case, flirting with another Sim in front of the spouse).
• Female children move out once they are married.
• Adoption is not allowed.

Home / Building

• Add the Off-the-Grid lot challenge.
• No electricity. Use candles or lanterns to light up the house.
• Outhouses required – no toilets in the home.
• Only bathtubs, no showers or shower/tub combos.
• Only wooden furniture is allowed in the house.
• Wooden floors and walls. No drywall or wallpaper. Rugs are allowed.
• Buy the cheapest/oldest stoves, fridges, counters, etc. No other kitchen appliances are allowed besides a stove, a grill, and a fridge.
• Paintings styles allowed are Landscape, Classic, Impressionism, and Realism. Kids’ drawings can only be hung in the kids’ rooms.
• Not allowed: coffee and tea brewers, DJ equipment, earbuds, kids’ tablets, thermostats, and anything else that obviously wasn’t around in 1890!
• No holiday decorations (with the exception of indoor decorations around winter holidays).
• A small, personal greenhouse for your home is allowed, but large commercial farm greenhouses are not.

Education

• Elementary school is mandatory, but high school is optional.
• If you have High School Years, you cannot go with your Sim to school, they aren’t allowed to join the Computer Team, and they can’t participate in Prom.
• High school has a fee. It costs §1,000 for every Teen going to school (money cheat).
• University: Men and women may attend university.
• All majors are allowed except Culinary Arts, Computer Science, and Psychology.
• Student loans are not allowed, but scholarships are.
• No kegs, no juice pong, no robotics.

Career

• Men can only have the Criminal (Boss), Doctor, Education (either branch), Engineer (Mechanical), Entertainer (Musician), Freelancer (Writer), Gardener (either branch), Law (either branch), Military (Officer), Politics (Politician), Scientist, Writing (either branch) career. Men can choose to stay home and make money through woodworking, painting, or gardening.
• You can open a retail store or a restaurant, only if you have enough money.
• Women take care of the children, tidy the house, and cook. They can help tidy the garden, and go jogging for fun.
• If a woman becomes widowed, then she may earn money through freelancing (writing), gardening, painting, or woodworking. If she becomes divorced, then she can also join the Entertainer (Musician) career.
• Part-time work: Men can be a fisherman or a manual laborer. Women can be a babysitter or a manual laborer. Teens and Elderly cannot have part-time work.

Miscellaneous

• Your Sims cannot go to festivals or city events with the exception of Cottage Living events.
• If your Sims get sick, you can’t give them medicine. You have to cure them through natural remedies.
• Your Sims may not throw any events besides weddings and family reunions.
• Births must occur at home. Babies can only be fed through breastfeeding and not by bottle.
• If your family can afford it, then you may hire a butler or maid. However, you cannot hire a Nanny.
• No fitness or wellness equipment allowed. Sims may work on these skills without equipment. No soccer – it was not popular in the USA at this time.
• Vacations are not allowed, but camping is.
• Archeology became more prevalent in the mid 20th century, but did exist in the 1800s, so you can travel to Selvadorada from the beginning (but keep in mind this would be incredibly rare, and definitely not a family vacation opportunity).
• Veterinarians for house pets were not common – you may have a pet dog or cat, but you cannot take them to the vet if they are sick, and you cannot spay/neuter them. Small pets were not yet kept in the 1890s. Also, no pet clothing is allowed.
• All laundry must be done with a wash basin and a clothesline.
• Playground equipment, play dates, and ball pits were not yet invented, and are therefore not allowed.
• Sims may become famous for reasonable reasons given the decade.
• Only men can vote on Neighborhood Action Plans.
• Skiing is allowed, but snowboarding and rock climbing are not.
• While Sims may enjoy naturally occurring hot springs, in-home hot springs are not allowed.
• You may want to start working on a Cow Plant in this decade.

1900s – Edwardian Era

All rules from the 1890s still stand with the following changes:

Home / Building

• You can remove the Off-the-Grid lot challenge (but you don’t have to).
• Electricity is allowed, but only in the form of lamps.
• Indoor plumbing is allowed. However, still only bathtubs, no showers.
• Upholstery is allowed.
• Wallpaper is allowed.
• You may use a phonograph for music (does not require electricity). Allowed music styles are Lullabies, Classical, and Baroque.

Career

• Male Sims are permitted the following careers: Business (Management), Criminal (Boss), Doctor, Education (either branch), Engineer (Mechanical), Entertainer (Musician), Freelancer (Writer), Gardener (either branch), Law (either branch), Military (Officer), Politics (Politician), Scientist, Writing (either branch).
• Married female Sims are not permitted to work.
• Widowed or divorced female Sims are permitted to make money through freelancing (writing), gardening, painting, or woodworking. The only careers they may join are Education (either branch) or Entertainer (Musician).
• Part-time work: Men can be a fisherman or a manual laborer. Women can be a babysitter or a manual laborer. Teens and Elderly cannot have part-time work.

Miscellaneous

• Your Sims can go on vacation.
• By the end of this decade you will need a fully grown Cow Plant.

1910s – World War I and Women’s Suffrage

All rules from the 1900s still stand with the following changes:

War

• All male Sims who are a Teen, Young Adult, or Adult at the start of this decade, and all male Sims who become a Teen during this decade, must be drafted for World War I. This includes the husbands of the daughters in your family and their male children (even if they are no longer your primary household).
• Make all the male Sims eat the Cow Plant cake once.
• For each individual Sim, roll a die – odds will eat the cake a second time, evens are sent home!

Note: Men who are about to go to war do have the opportunity to Try for a Baby before they are called to service (so do this action before they eat the first piece of cake). This is for both the active household and for all the non-played households with your daughters.

Heir

• If ALL the male Sims in your family die in the war (whether they are in the active household or have moved out), then (and only then) your oldest daughter’s husband can become the heir.
• If he dies in the war, then move to the next oldest daughter’s husband. You must look at all the daughters who have moved out – the oldest daughter with a surviving husband must move with her entire family back into the active household and the husband will become the heir.
• If you do not have a single male Sim left in all of your entire family, then you must have the oldest daughter remarry, and her new husband will become the heir (though he’s still got to go to war too). Keep going along this line of logic until you achieve a surviving male heir.

Traits

Any male Sim returning from war must suffer trauma and take one of the following traits the next time they age up: Gloomy, Hot-Headed, Clumsy, Erratic, Lazy, Mean, Paranoid, or Noncommittal.

Home / Building

• Drywall/Painted Walls are allowed.
• Murphy beds are allowed.

Education

• Teens who do not earn a C or higher in high school must be sent away to another household.
• World War I lasted Early Summer 1914 to Late Fall 1918, but the USA did not enter the war until Early Spring 1917. If your Sim wants to attend university, they may do so after they have served active duty for a minimum 8 Sim Days.

Career

• Young Adult male Sims are not allowed to have a career until they return from war – if you have StrangerVille, then they are required to take the Military (Officer) career during active duty.
• Adult/Elder male Sims are permitted the following careers: Business (Management), Criminal (Boss), Critic (either branch), Culinary (Chef), Doctor, Education (either branch), Engineer (Mechanical), Entertainer (Musician), Freelancer (Writer), Gardener (either branch), Interior Decorator, Law (either branch), Military (Officer), Painter (either branch), Politics (Politician), Scientist, Writing (either branch).
• Women may not have a Political career, but they are encouraged to participate in activism and protests.
• Part-time work: Men can be a fisherman, lifeguard, or manual laborer. Women can be a babysitter, lifeguard, or a manual laborer. Teens and Elderly cannot have part-time work.
• Children and Teens are allowed to join the Scouting career.

Miscellaneous

• Soccer is beginning to gain popularity in the USA and is allowed.
• Portable generators are allowed.

1920s – Roaring Twenties and Prohibition

All rules from the 1910s still stand with the following changes:

Heir

Women are allowed to be heirs (they are no longer forced to move out when they marry).

Traits

Daughters no longer have to take Creative as their first trait.

Home / Building

• All forms of lighting are allowed.
• Radios are allowed, but only Talk Radio.
• Movies are allowed (but not TV shows). It is recommended to use this sparingly as movie theaters would have existed in this decade, but televisions would not be in the home for many more years.
• Surrealism paintings are allowed.
• Wind turbines are allowed.
• Upright vacuum cleaners are available.
• Photo booths are allowed.

Education

If you have High School Years, you can go with your Sim to school and Prom is allowed.

Career

Male Sims are permitted the following careers: Business (Management), Criminal (Boss), Critic (either branch), Culinary (either branch), Doctor, Education (either branch), Engineer (Mechanical), Entertainer (Musician), Freelancer (Writer), Gardener (either branch), Interior Decorator, Law (either branch), Military (Officer), Painter (either branch), Politics (Politician), Writing (either branch). Sims may NOT join the Scientist career anymore.

Female Sims are allowed to work if they are widowed, divorced, single, or if their husband does not bring in enough money. They are permitted the following careers: Criminal (Boss), Culinary (Chef), Entertainer (Musician), Freelancer (Writer), Gardener (either branch), Interior Decorator, Painter (either branch), Writing (either branch).

Young Adults are encouraged to work in the Criminal (Boss) career.

Part-time work: Men can be a fisherman, lifeguard, or manual laborer. Women can be a babysitter, lifeguard, manual laborer, or retail employee. Teens and Elderly cannot have part-time work.

Holidays

Add a new holiday: Armistice Day (Fall Monday): No Decorations, Day Off, Traditions – Remembrance, Tell Stories, Thankful Spirit.

Miscellaneous

• No alcohol of any kind is allowed! You cannot drink beer, nectar, etc.
• Events other than weddings and family reunions are allowed (except baby showers, play dates, and slumber parties).
• Women can vote on Neighborhood Action Plans.
• Rock climbing is allowed.
• Manicures, pedicures, and face masks are allowed.
• Women shaving their legs is now appropriate.

1930s – The Great Depression

All rules from the 1920s still stand with the following changes:

Traits

Any Sim who becomes a Young Adult in this era must take one of the following traits when they become a Young Adult: Gloomy, Mean, or Noncommittal.

Education

• High school no longer has a fee.
• University: Kegs are allowed.

Career

• Anyone who has a career at the start of the 1930s must lose their job. After 1 Sim week they may have their job again.
• Teens who do not go to school, Young Adults, and Adult Sims MUST scavenge, fish, or garden during the week of unemployment.
• Sims may NOT join the Business career anymore.
• The silent film era has ended. Your Sims may have the Acting career.
• Part-time work: Men can be a fisherman, lifeguard, or manual laborer. Women can be a babysitter, lifeguard, manual laborer, or retail employee. Teens and Elderly cannot have part-time work.

Financial

• Bills are only allowed to be paid once the electricity is cut off.
• Added Difficulty: Wait until the water has also been cut off to pay the bills.
• War veterans can receive a pension of §100 per veteran (money cheat).
• Added Difficulty: To simulate the stock market crash, reduce your total household funds by 40% at the start of the decade (money cheat).

Holidays

Add “Mischief Spirit” to the Halloween traditions.

Miscellaneous

• Prohibition ends, you can drink alcohol again.
• Sims may only have one hot-cooked meal per day. Otherwise they must eat food found from scavenging, fishing, and gardening.
• Sims cannot create medium or large paintings, only small paintings.
• Sims may purchase a camera and tripod.
• Small pets began to gain popularity, you can own a pet hamster or rat (but not a hedgehog or bubalus).
• Sims can shop at the Thrift Store.

1940s – World War II

All rules from the 1930s still stand with the following changes:

War

• All male Sims who are already a Young Adult when the 1940s begin are drafted for World War II. They can Try for a Baby before they are called to service. Make them eat the Cow Plant cake once, roll a die, odds must eat a second piece of cake, evens are sent home. These Sims are not allowed to have a career until they return from war – if you have StrangerVille, then they are required to take the Military (Officer) career during active duty.
• All male Sims who become a Young Adult during this decade will not be drafted but MUST get a career.

Traits

Any male Sim returning from war must suffer trauma and take one of the following traits the next time they age up: Gloomy, Hot-Headed, Clumsy, Erratic, Lazy, Mean, Paranoid, or Noncommittal.

Relationships / WooHooing

Sims may have relationships with other ethnicities/races, but they cannot marry.

Home / Building

• Every house must have a Victory Garden with at least 4 plants.
• Every house must have a radio, and someone must listen to it for at least an hour each day.
• Coffee makers are allowed (but not fancy espresso machines or one-cup brewers).
• Fitness equipment (including the training bot) is allowed for Athletes and Military only.
• Soundtastic jukebox is now allowed.
• Winter Holiday music is allowed.
• Large commercial farm greenhouses are allowed.
• Thermostats are allowed.

Education

• Teens are no longer sent away for bad grades.
• World War II lasted Early Fall 1939 to Early Fall 1945, but the US did not enter the war until Early Winter 1941. If your Sim wants to attend university, they may do so after they have served active duty for a minimum 8 Sim Days.
• The GI Bill was introduced in 1944. From this point forward, any veterans can receive half of their tuition for free (use the money cheat to give the household the funds).
• Sims can now major in Culinary Arts or Psychology at university.

Career

Male Sims are permitted the following careers: Actor, Athlete (Bodybuilder), Civil Designer (Civic Planner), Criminal (Boss), Critic (either branch), Culinary (either branch), Detective, Doctor, Education (either branch), Engineer (Mechanical), Entertainer (either branch), Freelancer (Fashion Photographer, Writer), Gardener (either branch), Interior Decorator, Law (either branch), Military (either branch), Painter (either branch), Politics (Politician), Scientist, Secret Agent (either branch), Veterinarian, Writing (either branch).

• Young Adult veterans cannot have a career until they have served active duty for a minimum 8 Sim Days.
• Young Adult male Sims who are NOT veterans MUST have a career.

Female Sims MUST have a career. Once they are married, they may keep their career or leave to become a housewife, their choice. They are permitted the following careers: Actor, Athlete (Bodybuilder), Civil Designer (Civic Planner), Criminal (Boss), Culinary (either branch), Engineer (Mechanical), Entertainer (either branch), Freelancer (Fashion Photographer, Writer), Gardener (either branch), Interior Decorator, Law (either branch), Military (Officer), Painter (either branch), Secret Agent (either branch), Writing (either branch).

Teens are allowed (and encouraged) to have part-time work.

Permitted part-time work for any Sims:

• Babysitter
• Fast Food Employee
• Fisherman – males only
• Lifeguard
• Manual Laborer
• Retail Employee

Holidays

Holiday decorations are allowed – you may want to add “Decorate” to the traditions on your various holidays.

Miscellaneous

• Sims may only have one hot-cooked meal per day. Otherwise they must eat food found from scavenging, fishing, and gardening.
• Sims can take medicine when they are sick.
• Babies can be born at home or at the hospital.
• The veterinary profession became more common – you may take your pet to the vet if they are sick. Also, spaying/neutering is an option!
• You may use washing machines and dryers.
• You may use the photo studio items (with the exception of the electronic backdrop).

1950s – Red Scare and Korean War

All rules from the 1940s still stand with the following changes:

War

The oldest son is drafted for the Korean War when he becomes a Young Adult, and the oldest daughter becomes a volunteer nurse in the war when she becomes a Young Adult. The son can Try for a Baby before he is called to service. Both must eat the Cow Plant cake once, roll a die, odds must eat a second piece of cake, evens are sent home. These Sims are not allowed to have a career until they return from war – if you have StrangerVille, then they are required to take the Military (Officer) career during active duty.

Traits

Any Sim returning from war must suffer trauma and take one of the following traits the next time they age up: Gloomy, Hot-Headed, Clumsy, Erratic, Lazy, Mean, Paranoid, or Noncommittal.

Relationships / WooHooing

• Sims may divorce for any reason.
• Adoption is allowed.

Home / Building

• Sims can live in apartments at any time.
• Showers are allowed!
• Carpet, patterned, and brick flooring is allowed.
• Private pools are allowed.
• Televisions are allowed! Only the first three cheapest TVs are available, and they can only be used from 6am to 9pm. News and TV Classics channels are allowed.
• All painting styles are allowed. Kids’ drawings can be hung anywhere.
• Radio listening requirement is lifted.
• Pop music is allowed.
• Listening device is allowed.
• Sunscreen, snorkeling, and float loungers are allowed.

Education

• Both elementary school and high school are mandatory.
• The Korean War lasted Early Summer 1950 to Late Summer 1953. If your Sim wants to attend university, they may do so after they have served active duty for a minimum 8 Sim Days.

Career

Permitted careers for any Sims:

• Actor
• Athlete (either branch)
• Business (either branch) – males only
• Civil Designer (Civic Planner)
• Criminal (Boss)
• Critic (either branch)
• Culinary (either branch)
• Detective – males only
• Doctor – males only
• Education (either branch)
• Engineer (Mechanical)
• Entertainer (either branch)
• Freelancer (Fashion Photographer, Writer)
• Gardener (either branch)
• Interior Decorator
• Law (either branch)
• Military (Officer)
• Military (Covert Operator) – males only
• Painter (either branch)
• Politics (Politician) – males only
• Scientist – males only
• Secret Agent (either branch)
• Veterinarian
• Writing (either branch)

Permitted part-time work for any Sims:

• Babysitter
• Diver
• Fast Food Employee
• Fisherman
• Lifeguard
• Manual Laborer
• Retail Employee

Women should quit their job while they have Babies, Toddlers, or Children. They may work again when they have Teens.

Financial

World War II veterans can receive a pension of §250 per veteran (money cheat).

Holidays

Change the name of Armistice Day to Veterans Day.

Miscellaneous

• Baby showers and slumber parties are allowed.
• Cell phones can be used for chatting (pretend they are wall phones).
• Sims can have unlimited hot meals.
• You are allowed to hire a nanny.
• With the commercial availability of formula, bottle feeding is allowed.
• Sims can paint any size painting.
• Smoke alarms are allowed.
• Playground equipment is allowed (but not ball pits).
• In CAS, wearable hearing aids and C-section scars are allowed.

1960s – Civil Rights, Sexual Revolution, and Counterculture

All rules from the 1950s still stand with the following changes:

War

The first two children are drafted for the Vietnam War when they become a Young Adult, regardless of gender. Males can Try for a Baby before they are called to service. Both must eat the Cow Plant cake once, roll a die, odds must eat a second piece of cake, evens are sent home. These Sims are not allowed to have a career until they return from war – if you have StrangerVille, then they are required to take the Military (Officer) career during active duty.

Traits

Any Sim returning from war must suffer trauma and take one of the following traits the next time they age up: Gloomy, Hot-Headed, Clumsy, Erratic, Lazy, Mean, Paranoid, or Noncommittal.

Relationships / WooHooing

• Sims may marry other ethnicities/races.
• Sims may have same-sex relationships, but they cannot marry.
• Sims no longer have to Try for a Baby every time! Birth control means they can simply WooHoo.
• Teens can Mess Around.

Home / Building

• You may have fancier sofas, beds, chairs, tables, and stairs.
• Tea Brewers are allowed.
• Yoga/meditation items and incense are allowed.
• Lava lamps became popular in the late 1960s.
• Spooky music and Japanese folk music are allowed.
• Action and Comedy TV channels are allowed.
• Space heaters, kotatsu tables, and in-home hot springs are allowed.

Education

• The Vietnam War lasted Late Fall 1955 to Early Spring 1975. Significant USA involvement was Late Winter 1960 to Late Winter 1973. College students could be deferred from getting drafted as long as they didn’t drop out or graduate.
• If your Sim is drafted and wants to attend university, they may do so after they have served active duty for a minimum 8 Sim Days.
• Sims can major in any subject at university.
• Student loans are available to students.

Career

Permitted careers for any Sims:

• Actor
• Astronaut (Space Ranger) – males only
• Athlete (either branch)
• Business (Management)
• Business (Investor) – males only
• Civil Designer (Civic Planner)
• Conservationist (either branch)
• Criminal (Boss)
• Critic (either branch)
• Culinary (either branch)
• Detective – males only
• Doctor
• Education (either branch)
• Engineer (Mechanical)
• Entertainer (either branch)
• Freelancer (Fashion Photographer, Programmer, Writer)
• Gardener (either branch)
• Interior Decorator
• Law (either branch)
• Military (Officer)
• Military (Covert Operator) – males only
• Painter (either branch)
• Politics (Charity Organizer)
• Politics (Politician) – males only
• Scientist – males only
• Secret Agent (either branch)
• Veterinarian
• Writing (either branch)

Permitted part-time work for any Sims:

• Babysitter
• Diver
• Fast Food Employee
• Fisherman
• Lifeguard
• Manual Laborer
• Retail Employee

Women can take maternity leave in the third trimester and after the baby is born.

Financial

Korean War veterans can receive a pension of §250 per veteran (money cheat).

Miscellaneous

With significant advances in science, you can now interact with dolphins and study robotics.

1970s – Feminism and Environmentalism

All rules from 1960s still stand with the following changes:

War

In the 1960s, the first two children (regardless of gender) to become Young Adult were drafted for the Vietnam War. If no children became Young Adults or only the first child became a Young Adult, then the requirement for the first two children of that generation being drafted must be completed in the 1970s. Males can Try for a Baby before they are called to service. Drafted Sims must eat the Cow Plant cake once, roll a die, odds must eat a second piece of cake, events are sent home. These Sims are not allowed to have a career until they return from war – if you have StrangerVille, then they are required to take the Military (Officer) career during active duty.

Traits

• Any Sim returning from war must suffer trauma and take one of the following traits the next time they age up: Gloomy, Hot-Headed, Clumsy, Erratic, Lazy, Mean, Paranoid, or Noncommittal.
• Any Sims born during this decade must take one of the following traits: Active, Loves Outdoors, or Vegetarian. (environmentalist movement)

Relationships/WooHooing

Sims are no longer required to get married to continue the lineage (though it is still heavily encouraged).

Home/Building

• The Eco Lot trait would be appropriate now.
• Solar panels are now used in homes.
• Microwaves and dishwashers are allowed.
• Plastic furniture is allowed.
• You may upgrade appliances like stoves, fridges, sinks, and showers.
• DJ equipment is allowed.
• NuDisco music is allowed.
• Civic Public Access and Romance TV channels are allowed.

Education

• The Vietnam War Late Fall 1955 to Early Spring 1975. Significant USA involvement was Late Winter 1960 to Late Winter 1973. College students could be deferred from getting drafted as long as they didn’t drop out or graduate.
• If your Sim is drafted and wants to attend university, they may do so after they have served active duty for a minimum 8 Sim Days.
• Juice pong is available.

Career

Permitted careers for any Sims:

• Actor
• Astronaut (Space Ranger) – males only
• Athlete (either branch)
• Business (Management)
• Business (Investor) – males only
• Civil Designer (Civic Planner)
• Criminal (Boss)
• Critic (either branch)
• Culinary (either branch)
• Detective
• Doctor
• Education (either branch)
• Engineer (either branch)
• Entertainer (either branch)
• Freelancer (all branches)
• Gardener (either branch)
• Interior Decorator
• Law (either branch)
• Military (Officer)
• Military (Covert Operator) – males only
• Painter (either branch)
• Politics (Charity Organizer)
• Politics (Politician) – males only
• Salaryperson (either branch)
• Scientist
• Secret Agent (either branch)
• Veterinarian
• Writing (either branch)

Permitted part-time work for any Sims:

• Babysitter
• Diver
• Fast Food Employee
• Fisherman
• Lifeguard
• Manual Laborer
• Retail Employee

Holidays

Add a new holiday: Earth Day (Spring Wednesday): No Decorations, No Day Off, Traditions – Appreciate an Object, Festival Lighting, Gardening, Thankful Spirit, Water Fun

Miscellaneous

• Festivals and city events are allowed.
• Lottery tickets are allowed.
• Aqua Zips are allowed.
• You may now use Pride items from CAS and Build/Buy.
• Snowboarding is allowed.
• Zoomers Food Delivery Service is allowed.
• The Back Carrier for Infants is allowed.

1980s – The Yuppies

All rules from 1970s still stand with the following changes:

Traits

Any Sims born during this decade must take one of the following traits: Ambitious, Self-Assured, Materialistic, Snob, or Perfectionist.

Home/Building

• Computers are allowed for gaming, you may use gaming consoles with televisions.
• Television time restriction is changed, 6am to 2am.
• Marble flooring is allowed.
• Fitness equipment (including the training bot) and using the TV for fitness are allowed.
• Easy Listening and Backyard music are allowed.
• Politisim and Sports TV channels are allowed.
• Bed upgrades are allowed.
• Hot pots are allowed.
• Handheld vacuum cleaners are available.

Education

High School students can join the Computer Team.

Career

Permitted careers for any Sims:

• Actor
• Astronaut (Space Ranger)
• Athlete (either branch)
• Business (either branch)
• Civil Designer (Civic Planner)
• Criminal (either branch)
• Critic (either branch)
• Culinary (either branch)
• Detective
• Doctor
• Education (either branch)
• Engineer (either branch)
• Entertainer (either branch)
• Freelancer (all branches)
• Gardener (either branch)
• Interior Decorator
• Law (either branch)
• Military (Officer)
• Military (Covert Operator) – males only
• Painter (either branch)
• Politics (either branch)
• Salaryperson (either branch)
• Scientist
• Secret Agent (either branch)
• Tech Guru (Start-Up Entrepreneur)
• Veterinarian
• Writing (either branch)

Permitted part-time work for any Sims:

• Babysitter
• Diver
• Fast Food Employee
• Fisherman
• Lifeguard
• Manual Laborer
• Retail Employee

One Sim in this generation MUST be in the Business career.

Financial

Vietnam War veterans can receive a pension of §250 per veteran (money cheat).

Holidays

Add a new holiday: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Winter Monday): No Decorations, Day Off, Traditions – Remembrance, Tell Stories, Art & Music Spirit

Miscellaneous

• Babies MUST be born at the hospital.
• Ball pits are allowed.
• Domesticated hedgehogs are a thing – you can own a hedgehog (but still not a bubalus).
• The music production table is allowed.
• Science Babies are allowed.
• In CAS, top surgery scars are allowed.

1990s – Globalization

All rules from 1980s still stand with the following changes:

Home/Building

• Computers are allowed for socializing, and laptops are now allowed. Plopsy is also now available.
• Television time restrictions are lifted.
• All restrictions on showers, appliances, furniture, are lifted.
• Conspiracy theorist paraphernalia and decor is now allowed.
• Kids Radio, Alternative, World Music, and S-Pop music are allowed.
• Kids Network, Cooking Channel, and World Culture Network TV channels are allowed.

Career

Permitted careers for any Sims:

• Actor
• Astronaut (Space Ranger)
• Athlete (either branch)
• Business (either branch)
• Civil Designer (either branch)
• Criminal (either branch)
• Critic (either branch)
• Culinary (either branch)
• Detective
• Doctor
• Education (either branch)
• Engineer (either branch)
• Entertainer (either branch)
• Freelancer (all branches)
• Gardener (either branch)
• Interior Decorator
• Law (either branch)
• Military (Officer)
• Military (Covert Operator) – males only
• Painter (either branch)
• Politics (either branch)
• Salaryperson (either branch)
• Scientist
• Secret Agent (either branch)
• Tech Guru (Start-Up Entrepreneur)
• Veterinarian
• Writing (either branch)

Permitted part-time work for any Sims:

• Babysitter
• Barista
• Diver
• Fast Food Employee
• Fisherman
• Lifeguard
• Manual Laborer
• Retail Employee

Men are allowed to take paternity leave after children are born.

Miscellaneous

• Y2K: When your oldest Teen is about to become a Young Adult (or when you hit the second half of 1998), the family must prepare for the Y2K Disaster.
• Build a temporary shelter using the cheapest furniture: no computers allowed.
• The entire family must not leave the shelter for the three days leading up to 2000. No school, no work.
• Babies may only be born at home if they are born during the 3 days in the shelter – otherwise they must still be born at the hospital.
• Cell phones can be used for texting.
• Kids tablets are allowed.
• With the rise of the Internet, pet clothing is a thing. You can dress your pets in more than a collar.
• Play dates are allowed.
• You may use the electronic backdrop in photo studios.
• Bubble tea is allowed.
• Diaper pails are allowed.

2000s – The New Millennium

All rules from 1990s still stand with the following changes:

Home/Building

• Computer usage restrictions are lifted.
• All restrictions for build/buy more are lifted.
• All music types are allowed.
• All TV channels are allowed.

Career

Permitted careers for any Sims:

• Actor
• Astronaut (Space Ranger)
• Athlete (either branch)
• Business (either branch)
• Civil Designer (either branch)
• Criminal (either branch)
• Critic (either branch)
• Culinary (either branch)
• Detective
• Doctor
• Education (either branch)
• Engineer (either branch)
• Entertainer (either branch)
• Freelancer (all branches)
• Gardener (either branch)
• Interior Decorator
• Law (either branch)
• Military (Officer)
• Military (Covert Operator) – males only
• Painter (either branch)
• Politics (either branch)
• Salaryperson (either branch)
• Scientist
• Secret Agent (either branch)
• Tech Guru (Start-Up Entrepreneur)
• Veterinarian
• Writing (Author) – Journalism is removed because print media is dying!

Permitted part-time work for any Sims:

• Babysitter
• Diver
• Fast Food Employee
• Fisherman
• Lifeguard
• Manual Laborer
• Retail Employee

Miscellaneous

• Babies can be born at home or at the hospital.
• All cell phone restrictions are lifted except Trendi.
• Earbuds are allowed.
• The robot vacuum is allowed.
• The video production table is allowed.
• The fabricator is allowed.
• Social Bunny is allowed.
• In CAS, wearable glucose monitors are allowed.

2010s – Where do we go from here?

All rules from 2000s still stand with the following changes:

Relationships/WooHooing

Sims may have same-sex marriages.

Career

• Any career except Writing (Journalism) is allowed!
• Females still can’t be in the Military (Covert Operator) career.
• Any part-time work is allowed!

Miscellaneous

• Drones are allowed.
• Atmospheric water generator is allowed.
• Meat wall is allowed.
• Trendi is allowed.

2020s – BONUS ROUND

All rules from 2010s still stand with the following changes:

Career

Women are allowed to be in the Military (Covert Operator) career.

Global Pandemic

• The global pandemic must last for at least one full year in your Sims game (you decide if it should be longer).
• Face coverings are required anytime you leave the house (including exercising). You can use a CC facemask or something in-game (a helmet, for example).
• During lockdown, you cannot go on vacations, dates, or any rabbit hole events! For the most part, Sims are not allowed to leave their lot. Exceptions:
• If you are in the medical career, you must go to work with your Sim.
• Once a day you are allowed to go jogging in the neighborhood or you can walk your dog – you must cover your face.
• All Sims who have a job are required to work from home. If your job does not allow you to work from home, you must quit your job (you can get a new one that allows you to work from home).
• Absolutely no in-person interaction with Sims outside of your household (unless you are in the medical career – you can interact at work only, but social distance as much as possible). However, chatting online and on the phone are highly encouraged.

School

• If you are in University, you may keep up with all of your courses, but you are not allowed to go to class/lectures. This means you will need to work EXTRA hard to keep your grades up.
• If you are in grade school or high school, you must attend school online (this does require a mod).
• If there are children in the household (toddlers, grade school, or high school), then an adult must tutor each child.
• Toddlers: Each day you must read them a story, and you must actively work on a skill (saying sorry, please and thank you, potty training) every day.
• Grade School & High School: Each day you must help them with homework.
• If your Sim gets sick, you are not allowed to get them medicine. If they live with other people, you must lock them in their room until they are no longer sick (you can give them food by transferring it between inventories). If you do not have an en suite bathroom for them to use, you must designate one bathroom for the sick person and no one else can use that bathroom.
• Encouraged lockdown activities include baking, reading, and starting new hobbies. You should select one skill to max out during lockdown.
• You must own a computer, laptop, or tablet for each member of your household. That way everyone can work or do school at the same time.

Miscellaneous

• Galaxy’s Edge opens at Disney amusement parts – you can now Journey to Batuu!

That’s everything you need to know to start your own Decades Challenge! From the gaslight‑lit homes of the 1890s to the lockdown era of the 2020s, this challenge is a unique way to experience over a century of history in The Sims 4. Remember to age your Sims manually, track your decades carefully, and most importantly, have fun bringing the past to life.

For the full original rules, including all decades and helpful tools, check out the official Decades Challenge page on CuteCoffeeGal. Happy simming!

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