How can I play The Sims 4 live mode in multiplayer?

Last Updated on: 1st May 2022, 07:36 pm

The Sims 4 doesn’t actually have a multiplayer mode in the base game, but when has that ever stopped the sims community from doing what they want to do before?

This article covers an option that can enable you to play The Sims 4 in multiplayer, even if the base game and various expansion packs don’t support multiple player interactions beyond just the Gallery, with no plans to change that in the near future.

Is there a multiplayer mode in The Sims 4?

In the base game of Sims 4, the only real “multiplayer” interaction you have is the Gallery, where you can download and add rooms, Sims and even whole lots designed by other players to your game world, which makes for a great feature for the Sims franchise, supporting player creativity.

That still isn’t actual multiplayer though, with different people controlling characters in the same world in Sims 4. I actually wrote about this already here, including a bit of history about the possibility of Sims 4 having been intended to be multiplayer during development, rather than just having these online elements in a primarily single-player title.

Of course, for the dedicated or determined Sims players, other options outside of base game support do exist.

With the power of the internet and access to various mod files, you can do whatever you like, really. Even delivering what is effectively a Sims online experience.

How to make The Sims 4 have multiplayer beyond the Gallery

The community of the game does certainly have some determined individuals at that, given that there is an ongoing project to build their own multiplayer support known as The Sims 4 Multiplayer Mod.

It’s not the most imaginative name, but it doesn’t really need to be, given it finally delivers a chance at sims-multiplayer in Sims 4. The Sims 4 Multiplayer Mod has an official website here, which also features links to the projects Discord server, Youtube account, subreddit and Patreon.

If you really enjoy the mod, consider checking out that last link to leave a Patreon donation, it’d definitely be appreciated. This isn’t an official Maxis creation, so they’re likely to be dependent on donations for funding.

The project itself like just about any large scale mod is a work in progress. However, as the video below (featured on their website) shows, it seems it was in a very playable state and is likely to only have improved with the latest updates since the time this video was made back in 2020.

READ MORE: How to Free Place objects in The Sims 4

How do I install the mod?

All instructions regarding the mod should be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section of the main website, to make sure you are being directed to the most up to date and correct advice possible. I’ll refrain from writing installation instructions here myself for a similar reason; if the mod updates in the future, the instructions could become incorrect and thus detrimental to the correct installation of any mod.

As always, source your mods from the creator or creator-approved content sites, don’t just google the mod name and grab it from any website that offers it. Particularly if the website name is some random gibberish dot com.

Can I still use other mods while using this mod?

Again, please follow any guidance provided by the creators of the mod before taking secondary information (such as from myself) to heart, however – as long as all players’ computers use the same mod version when attempting to play multiplayer, unless those mods specifically interfere with running the main multiplayer mod itself and are thus not multiplayer mod safe, it should be fine.

Make sure to use the same set of mods as well though, to avoid introducing other issues – or you’ll just create additional steps of work to get it going for yourselves.

If one of the players in your multiplayer session is missing a mod, it’s a pretty surefire way to make sure it doesn’t work properly for everyone at the absolute least. At worst, it might cause crashes.

READ MORE: How to Show Hidden Objects in The Sims 4?

Is there anything else to be aware of?

Bear in mind that mods can be a risk to use, as they are third party content, meaning that the creators of the Sims are not responsible for them – so you should determine for yourself if you trust the mods.

Additionally, it is good practice to create backups of game files you intend to edit, like when modding a game. In particular, if you’re new to modding games, you should definitely do so. If you don’t make a backup and the installation of a mod goes wrong, you might well need to reinstall the game if it edited game files, so backups here can save you a lot of time later.

And as always with big projects like this, remember to thank the modder behind it. Or leave a valuable donation if you can afford it, that also makes for a great way to repay them for bringing what should been one of the biggest opportunities for fun in the franchise to life on players’ computers.

With that said, if you’d like some more Sims 4 content, check out our category for the series here on The Click, and if you’d like to see more pieces that I’ve written personally, you can find those here.