Sims 4 Decades Challenge

The Sims 4 Decades Challenge is basically a trip back in time. It’s great for anyone who wants to play the game in a different way.

Its rules are also very easy to understand! You just have to look at each decade from the 1890s to 2010. In the end, the decade will decide how your sims will live.

Every time your first child turns into a young adult, you move into a new decade.

Table of Contents
  1. Rules Of The Decades Challenge
  2. Aging & Time
  3. The 1890’S
  4. The 1900’S
  5. The 1910’S
  6. The 1920’S
  7. The 1930’S
  8. The 1940’S
  9. 1950s – Red Scare and Korean War
  10. Where Can I Find The Rest Of The Sims 4 Decades Challenge Rules?

Rules Of The Decades Challenge

As you probably already knew, each decade in The Sims 4 Decades Challenge has its own set of rules. Your sims will have to follow these rules for the whole decade.

Once their child is old enough, they can follow the rules of the new century. It’s the same with grandchildren.

The goal of this challenge is to show how things changed from the 1890s to the 2010s by living in a way that is mostly true to history during that time.

Because of the way the challenge is set up, there will be some limits on race, gender, and sexuality, especially in the early years. Please keep in mind that playing this challenge does NOT mean you agree with these limits.

Rules change every decade because of changes in society and the world. I have all the Sims 4 packs that are out right now, and I’ll try to keep this page up to date as new packs come out. These rules assume that you won’t be using vampires, mermaids, spellcasters, or anything from StrangerVille.

Popularity for paranormal investigation grew in the 2000s, but it has been around since before the Decades Challenge began.

Even longer, seances have been around. From a historical point of view, you can use Paranormal Stuff in your games. Just keep in mind that ghosts and creepy objects may make this challenge less realistic.

So let’s look at how the Decades Challenge works:

Aging & Time

Sims 4 Decades Challenge

Aging is a big part of the game because it determines when you move to a new decade. Some people play this challenge so that the decade changes every time a new heir becomes a young adult. This is the easiest way to play.

But if you want to be more precise, you can keep track of each Sim day to know exactly when to change decades.

Using the Normal Sim Lifespan as a guide, we will assume that each Sim day is 6 months. This means that every 2 days the year changes, and every 20 days the decade changes.

So, based on a Normal Sim Lifespan, Sims will automatically age according to the approximate schedule:

  • Baby: 3 days, ages up at 1.5 years old
  • Toddler: 7 days, ages up at 5 years old
  • Child: 13 days, ages up at 11.5 years old
  • Teen: 13 days, ages up at 18 years old
  • Young Adult: 24 days, ages up at 30 years old
  • Adult: 24 days, ages up at 42 years old
  • Elder: 10 days, dies at 47 years old

Added accuracy (and difficulty): The Normal Sim Lifespan works well for the first few generations, since the average life expectancy for someone born in 1890 was mid-forties. But life expectancy kept going up, and by 1950, the average age at which people died was closer to 70. If you want to make your game look like this, you can do so by following these steps:

When the year 1950 comes up in your game, change the settings so that you’re on the Long Sim Lifespan. This means that from now on, you will have to AGE UP ALL OF YOUR SIMS BY HAND.

Any Sims who were born before 1950 should be AGED UP BY HAND using the days listed above for the Normal Sim Lifespan. This will give them a normal lifespan.

Any Sims born after 1950 should be AGED UP BY HAND according to this rough schedule:

  • Baby: 3 days, ages up at 1.5 years old
  • Toddler: 7 days, ages up at 5 years old
  • Child: 13 days, ages up at 11.5 years old
  • Teen: 13 days, ages up at 18 years old
  • Young Adult: 24 days, ages up at 30 years old
  • Adult: 50 days, ages up at 55 years old
  • Elder: 40 days, dies at 75 years old
Read Also:  Sims 4 Rags to Riches Challenge Guide

Please note that this can get complicated because you may also need to manually age up the Sims you moved out of your main home so that the siblings who are not the heir are still in the right generation.

Considerations for University: If you have Discover University and want your Sims to go to college, you’ll need to change how you handle time in your Decades Challenge. Each term lasts 7 Sim Days, so if you count each Sim Day as 6 months, it would take a Sim 11 years to get a degree, LOL!

  • If you want to make this change, you should add MC Command Center to your game. Without it, it will be hard to keep track of ages.
  • This will also make your game much longer, so be aware that it will take you three times as long to finish the challenge.

Now that each Sim Day is worth 2 months in real time, you should use the following time frames:

  • Baby: 9 days, ages up at 1.5 years old
  • Toddler: 21 days, ages up at 5 years old
  • Child: 42 days, ages up at 12 years old
  • Teen: 36 days, ages up at 18 years old
  • Young Adult: 72 days, ages up at 30 years old
  • Adult
    • Before 1950: 90 days, ages up at 45 years old
    • After 1950: 150 days, ages up at 55 years old
  • Elder
    • Before 1950: 60 days, dies at 55 years old
    • After 1950: 120 days, dies at 75 years old

If you have Seasons: Since each Sim Day is only two months long instead of six, it makes sense to set times based on the seasons.

When you do this, your calculations of time will have absolutely nothing to do with the seasons in the game. I’ve decided it’s fine that these don’t go together, but if you come up with something better, please let me know!

  • Before, each day was numbered like this: Early 1950, Late 1950, Early 1951, Late 1951, etc.
  • Now it makes more sense to figure out each day like this: Early Spring 1950, Late Spring 1950, Early Summer 1950, Late Summer 1950.

It’s best to set your game options so that Sims who haven’t been played in a while automatically age. You might need to stop by those houses from time to time to Try for a Baby so that there are still cousins.

You can use cheats for relationships and/or pregnancy in houses that aren’t your main home, but don’t stay there too long or your main home will keep going without you!

Holidays: Seasons has four holidays: New Year’s Eve, Love Day, Harvestfest, and Winterfest. I think that the Decades Challenge would be more historically accurate if these holidays were changed and a few more were added.

At the start of the Decades Challenge, change the following on your calendar:

  • New Year’s Eve (Winter Saturday): Decorations, Day Off, Traditions—Party Spirit, Make Resolutions, Time until midnight
  • Valentine’s Day is on the Tuesday after the first full moon in spring. Date Someone
  • Easter (Spring Saturday): Spring Decorations, Day Off, Traditions (Egg Hunt, Flower Bunny, etc.), Send Flowers, Go to a holiday event
  • Memorial Day (Summer Monday): No Decorations, Day Off, Traditions: Remember, Tell Stories, Thankful Spirit
  • Independence Day (Summer Thursday): No Decorations, Day Off, Traditions: Appreciate an Object (the American flag), Bar-B-Q, Fireworks
  • Halloween (Fall): Scary Decorations, No Day Off, Traditions: Wear Costumes, Trick or Treat, Spooky Spirit
  • Thanksgiving (Fall Thursday): Decorations for a harvest festival, a day off, and traditions like a big meal, being thankful, and telling stories. Baking Christmas (Winter Wednesday): Winterfest Decorations, Day Off, Traditions – Festive Spirit, Open Presents, Big Meal, Father Winter, please come to the holiday ceremony.

The 1890’S

The rules are a straight copy of how things were back then:

  • Your sim can only date another sim who is the same race as him or her. And they must be of different genders.
  • Outside toilets.
  • Electricity can’t be used by Sims. They can only cook over fires and light their homes with candles.
  • “Try for baby” is the only thing your sims can do. That means there will be no Woohoo chats!
  • Only girls can have the bonus trait of creativity.
  • Women take care of their kids at home. They can, however, make money by gardening.
  • Your daughter can’t move out until she gets married.
  • You must have a male heir. But if you only have girls, you can make one of their husbands the heir.
  • You can only have furniture made of wood.
  • You won’t be able to take a shower. But bath tubs can be used.
  • Your sims cannot get a job. So, they should only be able to make money by painting, gardening, or making things out of wood.
  • You can only have wooden walls and floors.
  • Only impressionist or classical paintings can be used as wall art.
Read Also:  Sims 4 History Challenge Guide

The 1900’S

Changes come with a new century:

  • You can now light up with electricity. So now you can buy some lamps!
  • Wallpapers can now be used in the house of your Sims.
  • There are also phonographs you can use.
  • Your male Sims can now get a job.
    • Up to level 6: business, level 5: cooking.
    • The musician job is now completely open.

The 1910’S

We are now in the war years. So, you might have to leave your sims behind.

  • Teenage boys must now go to war before they turn 18. So, you have to pick a number at random. If it’s an odd number, they’ll die. But if it’s a tie, they’ll be okay! You can use random.org to pick a number. You get to decide how they die.
  • Male sims can’t get jobs until they are adults. A good idea is to move your young adult sims into another house and invite them over once a week. This will be like taking leave during a war.
  • You can now buy rugs and have your walls painted.
  • The men who marry the women you choose must also go to war. But they must be young adults.
  • Your male sims are still the only ones who can have jobs. They can now join groups for business, cooking, art, and entertainment.
  • When your male sims come back from war, they must have one of the following qualities:
    • Gloomy
    • Hot headed
    • Lazy
    • Clumsy
    • Insane
    • Squeamish
    • Noncommital
    • Mean

The 1920’S

In the 1920s, women’s rights began to show up for the first time. So, it’s time to give your female sims more freedom!

  • Now, your generation’s heirs can be female sims. So you don’t have to give them away to a stranger to keep playing.
  • You can now give your female sims jobs as painters or musicians. But once they have kids, they will have to quit their jobs.
  • Now you can get the mixologist brunch and the criminal boss brunch. That is, only for men.

The 1930’S

It is 1930, and the Great Depression has hit the whole world. Get ready to face a lot of problems!

  • All of your Sims’ jobs have been lost. So, scavenging is the only way they can make money for the next two weeks. After these two weeks, they can look for a new job.
  • You can’t pay your bills until the power has been turned off. But if you want to make it harder, you can pay them after they turn off your water.
  • All sims who grow up in this era must have at least one of the following traits:
    • Gloomy
    • Noncommital
    • Mean

The 1940’S

The 1940s and World War 2 are here. Let’s hope that you and your sims are both ready for this.

  • Your male sims who are teenagers have to go to war. And you know what will happen next. Roll a number, and if it’s an odd number, they’ll die. And if the score is even, they will live!
  • Since they’re at war, your male sims can’t work until they’re adults.
  • When they come back from war, they must have one of the following:
    • Gloomy
    • Hot headed
    • Clumsy
    • Insane
    • Lazy
    • Squeamish
    • Mean
    • Noncommital

The following rules apply to women and the home:

  • Now, every house has to have a radio, and someone has to listen to it every day for an hour.
  • Now, every home must have a garden.
  • Every day, your sims can only eat one meal. But they can eat anything that grows in their garden.
  • Women must now work. They have to work in one of these jobs:
    • Athlete – Body builder career.
    • Painter – Master of the real.
    • Culinary – Mixologist.
    • Entertainer – Either.
Read Also:  Sims 4 Rags to Riches Challenge Guide

1950s – Red Scare and Korean War

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

  • War
    • When the oldest son turns 18, he is sent to fight in the Korean War. When the oldest daughter turns 18, she becomes a volunteer nurse in the war. Before he is called to service, the son can try for a baby. Both of them have to eat one piece of Cow Plant cake, then they roll a die. Whoever gets an odd number has to eat another piece of cake, and whoever gets an even number has to go home. You can’t give these Sims a job until they come back from war. If you have StrangerVille, they have to take the Military (Officer) job while they are on active duty.
  • Traits: Any Sim who comes back from war must be traumatized and get one of the following traits the next time they age up: Gloomy, Hot-Headed, Clumsy, Insane, Lazy, Mean, Paranoid, or Noncommittal.
  • Relationships/WooHooing
    • Sims may divorce for any reason.
    • Adoption is allowed.
  • Home/Building
    • Sims can always live in apartments.
    • You can take a shower!
    • You can have carpet, patterned, or brick flooring.
    • People can have private pools.
    • It’s okay to have a TV! Only the first three cheapest TVs are available, and you can only use them from 6am to 9pm. There can be news and TV Classics channels.
    • Any style of painting is fine. Anyone can hang up a child’s drawing.
    • Radio listening is no longer required.
    • You can play pop music.
    • It’s okay to use a listening device.
    • Now you can use sunscreen, snorkel, and float loungers.
  • Education
    • Middle school and high school are both required.
    • From early summer 1950 to late summer 1953, there was a war in Korea. If your Sim wants to go to college, they can do so after at least 8 Sim Days of active duty.
  • 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
    • 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 now allowed.
    • Sims can paint any size painting.
    • Smoke alarms are allowed.
    • Playground equipment is allowed (but not ball pits).

Where Can I Find The Rest Of The Sims 4 Decades Challenge Rules?

Here are the rest of the rules for this challenge, if you’re interested. We hope you enjoy this Sims 4 challenge about the past.

It’s fun to go back in time and see how people lived in different eras.

Remaining Challanges

  • 1960s – Civil Rights, Sexual Revolution, and Counterculture *Updated for Dream Home Decorator
  • 1970s – Feminism and Environmentalism *Updated for Dream Home Decorator *Cottage Living
  • 1980s – The Yuppies *Updated for Dream Home Decorator * Kits
  • 1990s – Globalization *Updated for Dream Home Decorator
  • 2000s – The New Millennium *Updated for Dream Home Decorator
  • 2010s – Where do we go from here?
  • 2020s – BONUS ROUND