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For decades, video games like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty have held reputations for violent content and heavy concepts. But what about The Sims, a game that looks far more kooj (sweet) at first glance? (Bet you didn't know about the wide range of Sims Deaths that can happen)...
If you’re a Sims player, you’re lying if you claim you’ve never caused a Sims death in cold blood. At the very least, you’ve definitely been morbidly fascinated when one of your poor, innocent Sims that relied on you to survive suffered a particularly gruesome death.
That’s right, we know you have a sick god complex. Own it.
We all know about the standard Sims deaths—old age, drowning, fire, starvation, or electrocution (did you try to repair the TV without sufficient Mechanical skill, or did you forgo an umbrella in a thunderstorm?). Fear not, there are plenty more wacky demises that are sure to make your Sims scream plum, dwam or brich up at the sky, cursing you for their fate.
Some packs have hailed in new and creative ways to kill your poor Sims. Vampires can’t stay in the sunlight for too long without bursting into flame. If your Sims want to explore cursed temples in Jungle Adventure, Indiana-Jones style, you’d better be prepared for the risk of being poisoned by triggering an ancient trap—if you don’t cure them within a few days, your Sim won’t live to tell the tale. Reliving older deaths, like blocking the exit to the Skydiving Simulator and watching your Sim being launched into the stratosphere in The Sims 1, or being swarmed by flies in The Sims 2, is just as fun as experimenting with innocent lives in the newer games.
The only limit is your imagination…and your sadism.
Here are my top 10 Sims deaths and how to make them happen, so you can play the spiteful god in your everyday virtual lives.
#10: Elders Woo-Hooing
Well, we’re already talking about death. Let’s dive right under the sheets of our vibrating Heart-Shaped Bed and talk about woo-hooing.
Old people need plenty of rest to make it through the day. Grandma Jo can no longer run on the treadmill or swim laps all day like her younger self could—even if the step ladder has been deleted. So, it only makes sense that there’s a chance to un-alive your elderly Sims by making them Woo-Hoo one time too many.
Perhaps one day, when we’re all playing The Sims 38 with the Woo-Hoo Stuff Pack embedded in our VR brain chips in our retirement homes, we’ll remember this mortal warning ourselves.
#9: Night Wraith Curse
Do you play video games to distract yourself from the nightmare that is your life? Now you can be freaked out in your second life too!
In the Realm of Magic Game Pack, spellcasters can trigger the Night Wraith curse, which is an almost certain death. A night wraith will stalk your Sim, terrifying them so much that they won’t be able to sleep or even function properly. And for good reason—it’s super creepy, with a blue aura, pupilless eyes, and its own eerie music. Your cursed Sim’s needs will plummet rapidly, meaning it’s very easy to kill them in any other number of ways.
It’s a rare “death-that-isn’t-really-a-death”, but the concept stuck with me closer than your Sim’s toddler to a dirty puddle in the bathroom. You’re welcome.
#8: Too Emotional To Live
Emotions too strong to keep living? Super relatable.
There are plenty of emotions in the Sims 4 that can affect how your Sims react to certain events. Some, including Embarrassment, Anger and Playfulness, can cause one of those premature Sims deaths if they are wound up to the extreme.
Are you torturing your Sims by allowing them to soil themselves in public? That may bring about a death by Mortification—the highest level of Embarrassment. You’ll know a Sim is dying by Hysteria as they will be wildly laughing following a long string of bubble baths, watching comedy, and telling jokes. Getting angry about affairs, betrayal, or fighting with your annoying neighbour may result in a death by cardiac explosion.
Whilst emotional deaths are some of the most difficult to bring about, sometimes they will trigger unexpectedly. Werewolves, for example, are prone to states of fury, resulting in rampages that can be deadly if not managed. Get around this by unlocking the Immortal Wolf perk, only accessible for the most powerful of canines.
What’s even more cool is that your Sim’s ghost colour is determined by their death. So if you did die from anger, your ghost will be forever red. Neat.
#7: Crushed To Death
Don’t we all play to put our Sims through some sitcom shenanigans? No? Just me?
What’s the most slapstick, Larry David-esque physical comedy aid there is? The Murphy bed from the Tiny Living Stuff pack. Trying to save space with a bed that springs up into the wall when not in use seems like a great idea if you’re in an apartment, but watch your back. If the bed is broken, the chance of any Sims deaths is virtually guaranteed. But don’t try to fix your springy death trap yourself. Make sure to call the mechanic. If your Sim has a low Mechanical skill, they might not make it out alive.
Even if the bed actually works, it’s still likely that Sims will get thrown about with a 1 in 4 chance of demise. It’s like playing Russian Roulette with your Sim’s life every time they need to sleep.
Okay, maybe it’s quite morbid for a sitcom. But the animations are amusing nonetheless. And it brings a whole new meaning to the term ‘deathbed’.
#6: Rabid Rodent Fever
We all suspected that cats and dogs are the MVPs of pets. Now we have legitimate proof.
Neglect your pet rodent and its cage (wait to see the tell-tale green stench fumes waft your way) and, if it hates you enough, it’ll bite you when you try to interact with it. Then, you have about 4 days before the Grim Reaper comes a-calling, with various stages throughout the illness, including feeling dizzy, foaming at the mouth, and losing control of your bladder.
The best (or worst) thing is that, once one Sim has the disease, any teen Sim or older can catch it very quickly and spread it throughout the household. So, if you don’t want your Sims to fall prey to a rodent’s revenge, seek out a cure on the computer, buy the medicine, and drink it quick.
I like this death as it’s hard to come by, and it acts as justified karma for mistreating an animal that relies on you. It’s also, in typical Sims fashion, just bizarre.
#5: Sticking Fruit In A Spaceship
Why would you stick fruit in a spaceship? I refuse to justify that question with an answer.
Step 1: get a job in the astronaut career path and build a spaceship in your backyard. Alternatively, find a spaceship in the wild.
Step 2: direct another Sim to stick fruit in the ship’s exhaust before take-off—or make the target Sim do it, if they are feeling particularly suicidal.
Step 3: death.
Mission accomplished. Just not the one your Sim expected.
There are many other ways to die from space-related activities, from racing spaceships to being hit by a meteor. This one’s just the silliest.
#4: Urban Myth
We all remember telling spooky stories at school to freak out our classmates. In the middle of the night, especially at sleepovers or after watching a particularly scary movie, these stories seemed entirely plausible.
At level 7 Mischief skill, Sims can attempt to summon an urban myth using a hand mirror. If Sims could speak any language other than Simlish, I’m sure they’d be saying “Bloody Mary” 3 times until the spiteful spirit appears.
The first few times, it’s unlikely anything will happen. Keep going, and you’ll get a Scared moodlet, where your Sim will wonder if the urban mytg is real. Keep going if you want them to be killed—you may even see a shadowy hand protrude from the mirror. It’s a creepy and juvenile death that sees mischief makers get their comeuppance.
#3: Cow Plant
If you’re a veteran Sims player, you’ll likely have a traumatic tale of the infamous Cow Plant.
Just like it sounds, it’s a big old plant with the head of a cow. Silly, right? But be careful: if you don’t feed it frequently, it holds out cake to tempt Sims and then eats them whole. Your reckless Sims are very likely to accept this cake when Free Will is turned on, so be extra vigilant!
The first time a Sim is eaten in The Sims 4, they will be swallowed and spat out with a debuff. If they are eaten again with the debuff active, then they will be killed.
Creepily, if a Sim survives the Cow Plant attack, they can milk it and drink their own essence, adding days onto their life span. Or, if you want a particular Sim to extend their life, feed the Cow Plant other Sims and milk away! If you’re really lucky, you’ll see the Grim Reaper milking the plant once he has helped an unfortunate Sim into the next life.
The Cow Plant is a staple of The Sims, truly showcasing the creators’ active and bizarre imaginations. And we wouldn’t want the franchise any other way.
#2: Time Paradox Sickness
The Into the Future Expansion Pack in The Sims 3 is one of my favourite expansions in the whole of the series. Thanks to the Wellsian Time Portal, you can travel to the futuristic metropolis Oasis Landing. Here you can carry out a series of tasks for the Time Traveller, join new and exciting careers, meet robots called Plumbots, and raise incredible skills like Advanced Technology and Bot Building. You can even meet your descendants and influence the future to create a Dystopian or Utopian world.
With all these cool new features, what could go wrong? Well, travelling back and forth between timelines too much can cause Time Paradox Sickness, which requires hospital admission to cure.
If your time-sick Sim isn’t admitted, they will get the “Blinking In And Out Of Existence” moodlet. A day later, their mood will change to “Do I Even Exist?”, causing them to actually fade in and out of existence. If they remain untreated, they will die of a time anomaly.
This death is such a cool, well thought out treat for sci-fi fans. Even their gravestone will be partially faded, alluding to how even the most extraordinary experiences must be treated with caution.
#1: Premeditated Pool Punishment
It’s a Friday night. Your homework can be put off for a day or two. Your best friend is over for a sleepover, and you’re hyped up on midnight snacks and the excitement of staying up past your bedtime. It’s time to boot up The Sims 2, create 8 people from your life, and take bets on who will die in the swimming pool first.
No? Just me?
Killing Sims by removing the pool ladders is so iconic that it must be the top of the list. Those who are (somehow) bored of standard drowning can grab the Get Famous Expansion Pack, where you can purchase the Luminary’s Exotic Water Garden. If you make your Sim jump in, they can be eaten by the sharks or piranha you stocked it with.
All Sims fans collectively mourned the latest pool update that meant Sims can get out without a ladder. Gone, alas, like our youth, too soon! But, never fear. Erecting a wall or a fence around the pool solves this problem.
Happy betting, folks.
Wrap Up
As a life simulation game, Sims deaths will always be an integral part of The Sims franchise. We have only touched on the vast array of creative and devastating ways your Sims can die, so boot up your PC and play God.
And remember, if you ever regret the passing of a beloved Sim, another can plead with the Grim Reaper to spare their life. Just don’t expect him to be compassionate towards your Sim’s pathetic mortal desires.
We hope you enjoyed this blog on the top Sims Deaths. If you think we missed out any Sims Deaths, let us know on socials what your favourites are @zatugames.