Game-breaking console commands have been part of Maxis’ venerable series since the original The Sims, and that has continued throughout all the mainline PC entries (sorry, The Urbz). The Sims 4 is no exception, and by using them you can get access to additional items.
These items are typically referred to as “debug items” or “hidden items” since they are not available through normal gameplay and are only available by using debug commands. These items range from rocks to cars, some of which are used to populate areas outside your Sims’ current lot.
Note that these weren’t meant to be accessed and conjuring them into existence could result in some unwanted bugs. Use any of these arcane items at your own risk.
How to access the hidden Sims 4 items
To access the hidden items in The Sims 4 you first need to bring up the console. This is done using a quick button combination which is different depending on your platform of choice:
- PC: Ctrl+Shift+C
- Mac: Command+Shift+C
- Console: All shoulder buttons together
You’ll know it worked if a text box appears at the top-left of the screen. The next step is to type into this box:
- testingcheats true
This will enable cheat commands. Then, you need to enter these two commands in order:
- bb.showhiddenobjects
- bb.showliveeditobjects
You won’t get any confirmation that it worked. No message will appear in the console. You’ll just have to check to see if the objects appear.
To do so, the simplest way is to open build mode, then use the search bar. Start typing debug into the window and it will pop up a couple autocomplete suggestions that look like **DEBUG**. This will filter everything down to the objects we just revealed.
Once again I must reiterate: this is some weird stuff that is hidden away for a reason. While some are just benign props, some of them could have unexpected repercussions that will affect your game. These objects can be useful for anyone who wants to control the minute details of the world their Sims inhabit, but they do come with risks.