Why are my Sims cheats not working? A troubleshooter‘s guide
As an avid Sims player for over a decade, I completely understand the urge to spice up our gameplay with creative cheats. But what do you do when those beloved money, relationship, and skill-maxing codes just aren‘t working? Before you delete your entire Sims folder in frustration, take a deep breath and follow this troubleshooter‘s guide.
Start with the basics: Enable testingcheats
The majority of Sims 4 cheats require activating "testingcheats" mode in order to function. To enable this:
- Open the cheat console by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + C during gameplay
- Type "testingcheats true" without quotes
- Press enter
You should see a confirmation that testingcheats is enabled. Now try entering your desired money or career cheats.
According to long-time Sims modder PolarBearSims, forgetting this crucial first step is the number one reason players have issues with cheats not working correctly. So start here before anything else!
Double-check cheat code accuracy
We all make typos! With so many different Sims 4 cheats codes floating around forums and gaming sites, it‘s easy to grab one with a misspelled word or incorrect capitalization.
Carefully verify you are entering the exact cheat codes. For example, the famous rosebud money cheat must be lower-case with no spaces. Refer to reliable sources like Carl‘s Sims 4 Cheats Guide or SimsVIP for the most accurate formats.
Exit build mode before entering buy/build cheats
Here‘s a quirk some players overlook – many popular Sims 4 build cheats such as bb.moveobjects will NOT work if you try to enable them while actively in Build Mode.
Be sure to fully exit back to Live Mode before opening the console and typing those buy/build cheat codes. Once enabled, you can freely enter Build Mode again.
Update your game and troubleshoot mods
Sometimes newly patched gameplay features inadvertently cause cheat codes to malfunction for certain players. Or custom script mods conflict with entering native cheats.
Take these steps to rule out potential mod or game file issues:
- Save and fully exit the Sims 4
- Update to the latest game patch through Origin or Steam
- Remove any outdated mods from your mods folder
- Repair your game through Origin‘s advanced settings
- Restart the Sims 4 and attempt cheats again
This should refresh your files and oversight any lingering script problems.
Seek help from the experts
Even veteran Simmers run into seemingly inexplicable issues with cheats from time to time. If the above steps still leave your rosebud and motherlode codes lacking, don‘t hesitate to ask the experts!
The community over at r/Sims4 and Carl‘s Game Guides Forum are filled with knowledgeable players who enjoy helping troubleshoot problems like cheats not working. Explain what codes you‘ve tried, any error messages received, and what troubleshooting has been done already. They can typically spot if something was missed or offer alternative cheat options.
When all else fails, restart!
After following all other troubleshooting tips, the fail-safe solution is returning your game to factory settings. Backup any treasured save files, tray files or mods you don‘t want to lose. Then fully uninstall and reinstall fresh Sims 4 files through Origin or Steam. Tedious, but this will override any lingering glitches and provide a clean slate for cheating needs.
Cheats unsuccessfully enabled? Share your own fixes!
Even with the above troubleshooting, you may discover your own unique solution for getting Sims 4 cheats back up and running again in your game. When that exciting moment comes, please come back and share what fixed the issue for you!
As a community of gamers, we get much further helping each other out than struggling alone in silence my friends. Together we can explore all that this glorious cheating world has to offer. Happy Simming!
Share your own troubleshooting tips
What unexpected solution did you find for getting cheats working again? Or what key step did we miss in this guide? Help a fellow Simmer out!
