The Sims 4: New Game Patch (January 13th, 2026)

To ensure your game is up to date, check the game version found in Documents > EA > The Sims 4 > GameVersion.txt. Your game should now read: PC: 1.120.140.1020 / Mac: 1.120.140.1220 / Console: Version 2.26.

Sul Sul, Simmers!

We hope you had a cheery holiday! While Father Winter might be settling in back home, we’re back from break to bring you a big ol’ bag of presents, overflowing with some free Coach assets and a bunch of bug fixes. The following fixes are part of our continued commitment to regularly fix top voted community issues.

Today we’re shipping improvements to 5 of the top voted Community Concerns, including: the notorious Gallery Upload Error, finalizing fixes for Sims no longer wearing clothes under their privacy mosaic, an update for Sims standing around with Infants, a fix for the Miss Work/School pop up, and a swath of fixes for Photos and Paintings losing data!

Thanks for all of your continued reports; your feedback is instrumental to our work.

Happy Simming!

– The Sims 4 Team

What’s New?

Coach Collection

The Coach Collection, featuring nine new items, drops for free in The Sims 4. Give your Sims the style upgrade you didn’t see coming.

Expect bold statement pieces, wearable staples, and iconic decor with that signature Coach polish, bringing everyday luxury to Create a Sim and Build Mode. Learn more in The Sims newsroom.

Bug Fixes

Top 5 Most Voted Fixes:

• [EA Forums] We addressed the top reported issue: Server Error while Uploading to Gallery/Library. This was primarily a Console issue but could occur with PC. (Base Game)
  • This error is a valid error that should occur under certain circumstances, but we fixed the flow so that it is more forgiving to player systems and far less likely to occur. The Upload button will not be available until all thumbnail issues have been generated.
  • When this error does occur, we have updated the generic “Server Error” message, and players will now receive a dialogue that provides more information and says “Time out during upload. Please check internet connection or try again in a minute.”
• [EA Forums] In our 12/2/25 Update, we fixed an issue where Child, Teen, Young Adult, Adult, and Elder Sims no longer had clothing visible under their privacy mosaic. We are now addressing this issue for the remaining age groups, fully resolving the issue. (Base Game)
• [EA Forums] We fixed a notable instance of Sims standing around and not caring for their infants. While holding Infants, Sims were playing an idle animation that delayed responsiveness to queued interactions. This idle was removed. We hope to further address additional Infant issues in future updates. (Base Game)
• [EA Forums] We fixed an issue where Memorial Portraits and Graduation Photos would no longer display a Sim’s image and appear blank. This fix does not address Portraits and Photos that were already broken, but will work on old saves for future gameplay with these objects. (University, Life & Death)
• [EA Forums] Household, Small Business-employed Sims will no longer receive a ‘Miss Work/School’ UI pop up when opening a Small Business while the Sim is at the Work/School Rabbit Hole. (Multiple Packs)

Save Corruption

As part of our ongoing efforts to address Save Corruption, we have two Save Corruption bugs that we’re addressing in this patch.

• [EA Forums] We fixed an issue where open street objects were being ‘shelved’ and never removed when traveling to an apartment building. (Multiple Packs)
• We fixed a case of Save Corruption where the player could become stuck in an endless load or be returned to Manage World after setting a custom venue’s schedule to include a Romantic Orientation Role criteria. (Adventure Awaits)

Photos/Paintings Losing Data

For this patch, we knew that “Memorial Portraits and Graduation Photos no longer displaying a Sim’s image” was a top community concern. We wanted to address as many bugs in this category as we could. Here are all related issues we fixed:

• [EA Forums] Paint by Reference Paintings will no longer turn white after they’ve been put in a Sim’s inventory and the game has been relaunched. This fix is retroactive and should be fixed in previous saves where it occurred. (Base Game)
• [EA Forums] Photos captured with Phone/Camera will no longer turn black once they’ve been mounted on a wall and the game is relaunched. This fix is not retroactive and will not address instances where photos were already missing data, but the fix will prevent this from happening in the future (even in old saves). (Base Game)
• [EA Forums] Photos captured with Phone/Camera will no longer turn black once they’ve been put in Sim’s Inventory or placed in storage chests and the game is relaunched. This fix is not retroactive and will not address instances where photos were already missing data, but the fix will prevent this from happening in the future (even in old saves).  (Base Game)
• [EA Forums] The “Create Copy” interaction on a painting no longer will result in a blank, white painting canvas when placed on the wall.  This fix is retroactive and should be fixed in previous saves where it occurred. (Base Game)
• [EA Forums] Celebrity Autographs will no longer appear blank after they’ve been hung on a wall and the game is relaunched. This fix is not retroactive and will not address instances where photos were already missing data, but the fix will prevent this from happening in the future (even in old saves). (Get Famous)
• [EA Forums] As noted above in the Top 5 Fixes, we fixed an issue where Memorial Portraits and Graduation Photos would no longer display a Sim’s image and appear blank. This fix is not retroactive and will not address instances where photos were already missing data, but the fix will prevent this from happening in the future (even in old saves). (University, Life & Death)

Now Available CAS Items!

We fixed four instances where CAS items were being hidden from players, so you’ll now have them available for your enjoyment.

Please note that in today’s update hairs in the Afro Textured CAS category were renamed to Curly. This is a temporary change; our next update in early Feb will have both Curly and Afro Textured hair style tags to make finding the right look easier than ever.

• [EA Forums] (yfHair_EP20DoubleDutchBraid_LightBrown) now properly appears brown, rather than being an exact copy of the Light Blonde variant. (Adventure Awaits)

• [EA Forums] The (cuBody_EP20RashGuard_LogoNavy) variant is no longer missing. (Adventure Awaits)

• The (EP14BangsMedium) hair (and all variants) are now also available for Child Sims. (Horse Ranch)

• While investigating an issue with the Toddler Makeup category, we discovered the (puMakeupFacepaint_EP19Floral) asset was hidden, and we have unlocked it for your use. (Enchanted by Nature)

General Bug Fixes

We addressed a handful of other important issues that were quickly rising, particularly problematic, or easy fixes to get in.

Base Game

• [EA Forums] We addressed a rather significant issue where Away Actions at work were causing Sims to never receive Need gains while at work or school due to a change that was made during Adventure Awaits to how Away Actions at work function.
  • We fixed an additional bug pertaining to this where Toddler and Infant Needs will now increase while at Daycare properly. Bladder, Hunger, Energy, and Attention should receive large increases, Fun a small but tapering increase, and Hygiene no increase.
• [EA Forums] We addressed an issue where the “Fight” interaction was available on all Sims, even if they had a positive relationship. Now, it should only appear if the Sims have a negative relationship.

Seasons

• [EA Forums] Sims will no longer sometimes die of overheating while wearing the correct clothing. Blame the ghosts: this bug was due to the Overheating Ghost type and the aura they emanate.
• [EA Forums] In a previous patch we addressed an issue where sand sculptures were auto-generating on beaches when it rained a lot. We’re submitting the remaining portions of this fix to ensure it’s now fully fixed in all cases.

Growing Together

• [EA Forums] We’ve addressed an issue where it was difficult to unlock the Pull to Stand Milestone. The problem is that Infants need to be near certain specific objects to pull themselves up for the first time, but this is never indicated to the player and sometimes infants aren’t located near these objects. They can still unlock this Milestone as they could previously, but to address the concerns with this not being obvious in many cases, we’ve added a greyed out interaction and hovertip that directs the player to place the Infant in the Crib. While in the crib, the Infant can pull themselves to a stand, and (as an additional option) we’ve added a new interaction to Infant Sims in the crib to pull themselves up once they are ready to unlock the Milestone. This interaction is available on the Infant Sim when the Infant is the Active Sim.

Business & Hobbies

• [EA Forums] We fixed an issue where Small Business Employees were leaving early (only 2-3 hours after opening) if a business was 5-Star and selected customer criteria was supervised customer only. Now, all hired employees should stay on a small business lot while it is open.

Adventure Awaits

• [EA Forums] (yfTop_EP20VNeckTee) no longer has a visible seam on the shoulder when worn by Sims downloaded from the Gallery.
• [EA Forums] Imaginary Friends will no longer reset and disappear from the Relationship Panel after returning from another lot.
• [EA Forums] Custom Venues will now save Roles and Schedules with a custom role containing a Romantic Orientation criteria. This issue was resulting in a case of Save Corruption as well that was addressed and is noted above in that section.

Werewolves

• [EA Forums] We fixed an issue where Werewolf offspring of Werewolves had black textures and no pelts upon aging to Teen. Our fix should apply a texture to any Werewolf Sim who is lacking one upon entering CAS and should address old instances of this occurring.

Multiple

• [EA Forums] We fixed all reports of the camera being obstructed by trees in Gallery preview views of lots.
• [EA Forums] Maids and Butlers will now once again try to mop puddles instead of vacuuming them fruitlessly for hours. We assure you they were trying their best, and we appreciate your patience with them.

 

CAS & Build Mode Tagging Updates

We had the opportunity to address a large swath of simpler tagging bugs, making CAS and Build Mode sorting more accurate overall. The Lump of Clay (Base Game) and Stack ‘o Books (Cats & Dogs) objects also acquired some new gameplay functionality. Here are related issues we fixed:

Base Game

• Lump of Clay now sorts as a Kids Activity and also sorts in the Creative Skills Section. It has also been updated to provide Creativity Skill gain for Children Sims.

• The In Full Bloom Centerpiece is now sorted as an Indoor Plant.
• Wedding Pillar with Floral Basket is now sorted as an Indoor Plant.
• (sitDining_EF07IRN02), (sitDiningIRN_01), and (SitDiningGENChess) now sort under Outdoor Seating and will filter for Park venues.
• The Men’s Shoe Rack and Women’s Show Rack objects now sort under the Storage Misc Category.
• The Bonsai Tree now sorts as an Indoor Plant.
• PenguinVision Children’s Television Set now sorts as a Kids Activity.
• (yfHair_EP08BraidedPonyTail)  now sorts as Afro-Textured.
• (cfHair_SP10ShortPinCurlLoose) now sorts as Wavy.
• (yfHair_EF90WaveMedium) now sorts as Wavy.
• (yfHair_EF90FiveFivePerm) now sorts as Straight for all ages.
• (yfHair_EF03TragicClown) now sorts as Straight.
• The (pmHair_SP12TightCurls) hairstyle now also appears as a Feminine Fashion Choice.
• (cuTop_Shirt) now properly sorts as a Button up instead of a T-Shirt.

Get to Work

• (cfHair_EP01BraidsBunSide) now sorts as Afro-Textured.

Cats & Dogs

• The Stack ‘o Books object now sorts as a bookshelf, and it is also now functional as a bookshelf.

• Outdoor Patio Piece now counts as a Picnic Table.
• (ymHair_EP04Pompadour) now sorts as Wavy.
• (yfHair_EP04CurlyLongMiddlePart) now sorts as Wavy.
• (yfHair_EP04LowLoopWavy) now sorts as Straight.
• (cmHair_EP04WavyHawkDetail) now sorts as Afro-Textured.

Seasons

• The Bow-tiful Candlelight is now properly sorted in the Off the Grid Lighting Category.

Island Living

• (yfHair_EP07FlowerCrown) now sorts as Straight.

Cottage Living

• (pfBottom_EP11ShortsDrawstring) was moved from the Cropped category and into the Shorts sub-category.
• (cfBody_EP11Jumpsuit) was moved from the Short Dresses to Jumpsuits sub-category for sorting.
• All (EP11CurlyBun) hairstyles now sort as Wavy for all age groups.

Horse Ranch

• All three Horse Ranch facial hairs have been sorted into their respective Beards and Moustache sub-categories.

Eco Lifestyle

• (yfHair_EP09CurlyBun) now sorts as Wavy.
• (yfHair_EP09BunFade) now sorts as Straight.

Snowy Escape

• The Komorebi Shrubbery no longer sorts as an Indoor Plant.
• The Lantern in a Paper Cylinder and Stone Tōrō Lantern lights are now properly sorted into the Off the Grid Lighting Category.
• The (EP10ShortBuzzed) hairstyle is now consistently tagged between all age groups.
• (yfHair_EP10LongBraidedWavy) now sorts as Afro-Textured.
• (EP10LongBraidedWavyHighlight) now sorts as Afro-Textured.
• (yfHair_EP10LongBraidPony) now sorts as Straight.
• (EP10BunBangs) now sorts as Straight.

Growing Together

• The (EP13LongBraids) hair now sorts consistently across all age groups.
• (EP13WavyMed) now sorts as Straight for all age groups.

Lovestruck

• Makeup from Lovestruck will now appear for Cold and Hot Weather Outfits as an option.
• The Elongated Zebra Pothos Plant now sorts as an Indoor Plant.

Business & Hobbies

• (ymHat_EP18Beanie) now sorts as a Brimless Hat.
• (yfHair_EP18_SlickBun) now sorts under Updo and Medium Length Hair.
• (yfHair_EP18Hattie) now sorts as a Long Length Hair.
• (yfHair_EP18FingerCurls) now sorts as an Updo.

Spa Day

• The Foot Illumination System and Foot Illumination Corner Edition lights have been added to sort in the Lighting Category in Build Mode.

Parenthood

• The Hanging Lights – long length and Hanging Lights – short length lights have been added to sort in the Lighting Category in Build Mode.

Jungle Adventures

• (yfHair_GP06ShortPony2Tone) will now appear for Male and Female Sims for both fashion choice options.

Realm of Magic

• The following lights will now be properly sorted in the Off the Grid Lighting Category:
  • Light of the Marasenna
  • Sconce For Little Light
  • Totally Lit Bug Light

Dream Home Decorator

• (cuBottom_GP10Shorts) were removed from the Skirts sub-category, added to the Shorts sub-category, and also added as a Hot Weather option.

Holiday Celebration Pack

• The String of Snowflakes lights have been added to sort in the Lighting Category in Build Mode.

Movie Hangout

• (SP05LongBraidCurled_DirtyBlonde) is now sorted as Wavy for all age groups.

Moschino

• The Photo Drape, Fashion Studio Backdrop Curved, and Fashion Studio Backdrop Straight objects have been added to the Creative sub-category in Build Mode’s Activity and Skills category.

Paranormal

• (SP18AngleBootsToeOpen) now sort as Wedges.

Little Campers

• We fixed a text error where the Light My Way to the Moon Lamp object had a “Functional Off-the-Grid 10” typo error.
• The Light My Way to the Moon Lamp has been sorted into the Off the Grid Lighting Category.

Goth Galore

• All makeup from Goth Galore  will now appear for Cold and Hot Weather Outfits as an option.

Autumn Apparel

• [EA Forums] The (ymBottom_SP69PantsLong) now sort as a Masculine Fashion Choice.

Changelogs for Modders

As part of this update, we’ve tested adding a dedicated change log for mod authors directly within the patch notes. This section below highlights technical changes that may affect mods, including updates to tuning, scripting, data structures, and supported workflows. The goal is to help mod authors quickly understand what’s changed, evaluate potential impacts, and update their work with confidence. We’d really value feedback from the modding community – what’s clear, what’s missing, and what would make this more useful.

Changelog for Modders:

Fixed Issue	Change log
Updated sorting tags for 47 CAS and Build Buy assets.	Updated sorting tags for 47 CAS and Build Buy assets.
We fixed an issue where Memorial Portraits and Graduation Photos would no longer display a Sim’s image and appear blank. This fix does not address Portraits and Photos that were already broken, but will work on old saves for future gameplay with these objects.	Updated texture compositing method to match DX11 performance optimization.
In our 12/2/25 Update, we fixed an issue where Child, Teen, Young Adult, Adult, and Elder Sims no longer had clothing visible under their privacy mosaic. We are now addressing this issue for the remaining age groups, fully resolving the issue.	Added OutfitCategory_Bathing tag to iuBottom_Nude and puBottom_Nude and removed the tag from iuBottom_Diaper and puBottom_Diaper
Photos captured with Phone/Camera will no longer turn black once they’ve been mounted on a wall and the game is relaunched. This fix is not retroactive and will not address instances where photos were already missing data, but the fix will prevent this from happening in the future (even in old saves).	Saved photo texture with camera filters upon saving the game.
Photos captured with Phone/Camera will no longer turn black once they’ve been put in Sim’s Inventory or placed in storage chests and the game is relaunched. This fix is not retroactive and will not address instances where photos were already missing data, but the fix will prevent this from happening in the future (even in old saves).	Saved photo texture inside of storage chest upon saving the game.
Paint by Reference Paintings will no longer turn white after they’ve been put in a Sim’s inventory and the game has been relaunched. This fix is retroactive and should be fixed in previous saves where it occurred.	Force update painting textures when the painting object is moved from inventory to the lot.
Celebrity Autographs will no longer appear blank after they’ve been hung on a wall and the game is relaunched. This fix is not retroactive and will not address instances where photos were already missing data, but the fix will prevent this from happening in the future (even in old saves).	Updated texture compositing method to match DX11 performance optimization.
The “Create Copy” interaction on a painting no longer will result in a blank, white painting canvas when placed on the wall.  This fix is retroactive and should be fixed in previous saves where it occurred.	Updated texture compositing method to match DX11 performance optimization.
We fixed an issue where Werewolf offspring of Werewolves had black textures and no pelts upon aging to Teen. Our fix should apply a texture to any Werewolf Sim who is lacking one upon entering CAS and should address old instances of this occurring.	Generate werewolf pelt preset for a teen or older werewolf when entering CAS if they don’t have one initially.
Progress towards a fix to address Eyelids not closing completely	Rebuilt base game animation assets.
We addressed the top reported issue: Server Error while Uploading to Gallery/Library. This was primarily a Console issue but could occur with PC.	Updated ActionScript code to require all thumbnails to be loaded before unlocking the Gallery Panel
We fixed a notable instance of Sims standing around and not caring for their infants. While holding Infants, Sims were playing an idle animation that delayed responsiveness to queued interactions. This idle was removed. We hope to further address additional Infant issues in future updates.	Removing an idle mixer from playing while holding an Infant.
We addressed a rather significant issue where Away Actions at work were causing Sims to never receive Need gains while at work or school due to a change that was made during Adventure Awaits to how Away Actions at work function.	Adding new periodic motive loots while at school. This is part of a CareerTone folder refactor.
We addressed an issue where the “Fight” interaction was available on all Sims, even if they had a positive relationship. Now, it should only appear if the Sims have a negative relationship.	Fixing a test on the general fight availability test set reference.
We’ve addressed an issue where it was difficult to unlock the Pull to Stand Milestone. The problem is that Infants need to be near certain specific objects to pull themselves up for the first time, but this is never indicated to the player and sometimes infants aren’t located near these objects. They can still unlock this Milestone as they could previously, but to address the concerns with this not being obvious in many cases, we’ve added a greyed out interaction and hovertip that directs the player to place the Infant in the Crib. While in the crib, the Infant can pull themselves to a stand, and (as an additional option) we’ve added a new interaction to Infant Sims in the crib to pull themselves up once they are ready to unlock the Milestone. This interaction is available on the Infant Sim when the Infant is the Active Sim.	Adding a fallback interaction for Pull to Stand incase it didn’t happen autonomously. This interaction is available on cribs for Infants to manually Pull to Stand. Also preventing the ability to endlessly Practice Pull to Stand by adding a tooltip.
Lump of Clay now sorts as a Kids Activity and also sorts in the Creative Skills Section. It has also been updated to provide Creativity Skill gain for Children Sims. PenguinVision Children’s Television Set now sorts as a Kids Activity. The Stack ‘o Books object now sorts as a bookshelf, and it is also now functional as a bookshelf.	Child Creativity is now provided by playing with Lump of Clay, plus additional BB Sorting tagging is done on Lump of Clay and PenguinVision Children’s Television Set.
Maids and Butlers will now once again try to mop puddles instead of vacuuming them fruitlessly for hours. We assure you they were trying their best, and we appreciate your patience with them.	Adding a test to prevent Sims from vacuuming puddles to New_VacuumCleaner_Start_Object
In a previous patch we addressed an issue where sand sculptures were auto-generating on beaches when it rained a lot. We’re submitting the remaining portions of this fix to ensure it’s now fully fixed in all cases.	Fixing an issue where rain caused unfinished sand castles to change into a deteriorated state, instead of simply destroying itself. Changing loot_SandActivities_SandSculpture_Rain
We addressed a rather significant issue where Away Actions at work were causing Sims to never receive Need gains while at work or school due to a change that was made during Adventure Awaits to how Away Actions at work function.	Adding new periodic motive loots while at daycare. This is part of a CareerTone folder refactor. Any instance with the name CareerTone has these changes.
(yfHair_EP20DoubleDutchBraid_LightBrown) now properly appears brown, rather than being an exact copy of the Light Blonde variant.	Hair color texture Blond was incorrectly saved over as LightBrown, fixed with the correct color.
(yfTop_EP20VNeckTee) no longer has a visible seam on the shoulder when worn by Sims downloaded from the Gallery.	Moved the yfTop_EP20VNeckTee asset’s shoulder textures so there is no conflict with some fingernail accessory texture space
We fixed all reports of the camera being obstructed by trees in Gallery preview views of lots.	Hindquarter Hideaway: Scaled down the the trees that were blocking the lot camera. Dachshund Creek: Scaled down the the trees that were blocking the lot camera. Tails End lot: Deleted the 3 talls trees & the light ( sitting on top of the wall) that were blocking the lot camera. Bedlington Boathouse lot : Scaled down the the trees that were blocking the lot camera.
We fixed an issue where open street objects were being ‘shelved’ and never removed when traveling to an apartment building.	Objects on the open street should no longer be “shelved” (and subsequently un-shelved) by the plex system.
Save File Integrity work.	For some users, the scratch folder will move from the Documents folder to AppData. This change will be rolled out in the months following the patch release.
The (cuBody_EP20RashGuard_LogoNavy) variant is no longer missing.	Changed applicable body type for cuBody_EP20RashGuard_LogoNavy outfit from Teen, Young Adult, Adult, Elder Sims to Child Sims like it was for the other variants.
The (EP14BangsMedium) hair (and all variants) are now also available for Child Sims.	Updated tagging for EP14BangsMedium so that it properly appears for players in CAS Catalog.
The Stack ‘o Books object now sorts as a bookshelf, and it is also now functional as a bookshelf.	Updated sorting tags for “Stack ‘o Books” and added tags to provide bookshelf functionality to asset.
While investigating an issue with the Toddler Makeup category, we discovered the (puMakeupFacepaint_EP19Floral) asset was hidden, and we have unlocked it for your use.	Tagged puMakeupFacepaint_EP19Floral to appear in game as visible and had thumbnails regenerated.
The (cuBody_EP20RashGuard_LogoNavy) variant is no longer missing.	Marked cuBody_EP20RashGuard_LogoNavy Asset to have thumbnails regenerated with build.
Imaginary Friends will no longer reset and disappear from the Relationship Panel after returning from another lot.	Whenever a child Sim travels back home alone, the Imaginary Friend is not destructed if it is inside child’s inventory.
We fixed an issue where Small Business Employees were leaving early (only 2-3 hours after opening) if a business was 5-Star and selected customer criteria was supervised customer only. Now, all hired employees should stay on a small business lot while it is open.	Decreased the “importance level” of small business customers to be lower than employees, so that in cases where the number of sims on a lot gets too large, customers will leave first (and employees will now always stay at the business for the entire duration it is open)
Custom Venues will now save Roles and Schedules with a custom role containing a Romantic Orientation criteria. This issue was resulting in a case of Save Corruption as well that was addressed and is noted above in that section.	Fixed a typo in the python code for saving the Romantic Orientation role in custom venue schedules
We fixed a case of Save Corruption where the player could become stuck in an endless load or be returned to Manage World after setting a custom venue’s schedule to include a Romantic Orientation Role criteria.	Fixed a typo in the python code for saving the Romantic Orientation role in custom venue schedules