The Sims 4 October 27th Update is Here …. And I’m Actually Feeling Optimistic???

Hi Friends!

If you’re reading this in real time (October 27th, 2026), IT’S UPDATE DAY!!!

If you’ve been playing The Sims 4 for any length of time then you already know that those words can bring about a host of different emotions. New features? Exciting! Free content? Love that for us. Bug fixes? YES, PLEASE!

But also… what broke?

Which mods are no longer working, do I need to plan a funeral for my save file, and most importantly, are we about to discover that something we never knew was broken is now somehow even more broken?

This time though, I am slightly less afraid/anxious. And, dare I say this, but I’m even a little excited. Now this is probably because I deleted my entire mods folder yesterday and abandoned all my save files so I really have nothing to lose, but ay, a win is a win.

I think I really just needed a fresh start. There is something kinda nice about going into an updated game with a clean slate and I’m genuinely curious to see how the game feels and plays.

Now full disclaimer, while I’ve explored all the new build/buy and CAS items, I haven’t actually played with the update yet, so keep that in mind. This is simply my initial reaction, not a full review.

So What’s New?

Let’s talk about the new content. The Sims team have given us new, FREE, base game Create-A-Sim items including 2 new hairstyles and 10 new clothing items (5 new and 5 recolors), 4 new styled looks. We also have 9 new build/buy items designed to give our elder sims a little more personality. They also included a styled room for the new assets so you can quickly find all the items.

The floral furniture, ruffled curtains, and vintage inspired decor may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m absolutely here for it. This furniture looks like it belongs to someone’s grandma who bakes the absolute best cookies! Looking at you Grandma SquarePants.

There’s something about these items that feel lived in. They’re not trying to be sleek or trendy and damn sure not searching for your approval. But what they lack in Instagram Aesthetic, they more than make up for with that old fashion charm that makes a house feel like home.

And weirdly enough, I find that incredibly comforting.

As someone who spends an insane amount of time creating sim stories and developing the world lore, I appreciate having more options that help tell a story. Not every house needs to look like it came straight out of a design magazine. Sometimes I want a living room that looks like it’s been in the family for multiple generations with zero renovations and this update understands that.

The 2 new hairs are okay. Nothing to rave about but I’m always appreciative of new CAS assets. Especially for elders who have historically been neglected and could always be shown a little more love.

We got the Quiff Side Part (male hair) and Half Down Waves (female hair). These items work for adult sims too so yaaay for flexibility.

Can’t say I see any of the CAS items becoming staples in my game, but I’m happy for more options especially for life stages other than YA.

While the free elder content is getting most of my attention, there’s more to this patch than furniture and hairstyles.

This update also includes several quality-of-life improvements that could make a difference in everyday gameplay. Some of the notable additions include:

Body customization toggles: Options to control muscle and weight changes globally or for individual sims.
Television locking: More control over which sims can use tvs.
A consolidated sim options menu: A more organized way to access certain sim interactions.
Food and dining improvements: Changes to food pricing, calories, leftover autonomy, and family recipes.
Save and stability fixes: More than 150 bug fixes overall, alongside additional crash and stability improvements.

The body customization options sound interesting. Depending on how they work in practice, having more control over whether your sims gain muscle or change weight could be useful for storytelling.

I imagine many players will also find the tv locking option to be useful. Any update that helps stop sims doing things we didn’t ask them to do is never a bad investment in my book.

Moving the open option on fridges is a tiny QOL update that I think will probably be the most impactful overall for me actually now that I’ve revisited the full list.

You can read the full list of updates here Order Up! The Next Quality of Life Update is here!

Dine Out & Food Updates

Now this is where I get nervous. I’m one of those rare simmers who hasn’t really had any issues with Dine Out. My restaurants run just fine, my sims get their food timely, and they actually eat. All without mods. Riveting I know.

Errant Thought: I have this conspiracy theory that all “new simmers” (those who started playing The Sims 4 after the base game became free) got a different version of Dine Out with some optimized optimizations or updated updates or something. I don’t speak programmer… sorry.

But now EA has come along with over 25 bug fixes related to Dine Out and food and drink mechanics and I can’t help but ask, now what’s that going to break for me? Not to be cynical, but if my ish wasn’t broke before it seems like I have a high probability that something will surely be broke now.

This is based solely off my own previous experiences.

I mean it was only AFTER they claimed to fix the black photo bug that I was victimized. Not only was the issue not fixed, but continued long after they made several more claims of finally having it figured out. And before anyone says anything, Yes even in my new and unmodded saves. I still don’t trust that it’s fixed.

But I digress. I think I’ve earned the right to be skeptical as many of their updates usually sound great on paper, but hardly deliver on their promises.

This update claims to address isses involving sims staying seated while eating, restaurant behavior, and other dining-related problems. There are also broader changes to food pricing, calories, leftover autonomy, and family recipes.

The leftover autonomy is the only thing in that list I’m half way looking forward to, but I’m also low key expecting it to backfire. I can already see it now; my sims going to the fridge to get leftovers every 30 sim minutes because the autonomy was poorly tuned. Then I’ll need another LittleMsSam or Tyjokr mod to fix what was never a problem to begin with. *heavy sigh*

Don’t get me wrong, I do want the fixes. I support the fixes! I want everybody to be able to take their sims out for a nice meal without the entire outing turning into a five hour hostage situation. I just don’t want to discover that my restaurants and gameplay have developed a brand new personality disorder in the process.

Errant Thought: I’ve seen a lot of yalls gameplay videos and …. don’t be mad at me but some issues many of you face with Dine Out are entirely self-inflicted. Not playtesting your lots, downloading lots that prioritize aesthetics over functionality, and not updating your food mods are not things EA can fix 🫣. Love you, mean it.

Again let me say that I have yet to play with the update so I have no idea whether any of my concerns are justified. I’ve also made a conscious effort to avoid negative media around updates. Being pessimistic is just my way of self-soothing and managing my own expectations … I guess.

Considering Updating Now?

Just because I’m a bit excited doesn’t mean I think everybody should rush to update their games; particularly if you play with mods.

When EA releases a major update, that can mean a lot of waiting, checking, testing, and troubleshooting. Don’t let curiosity cause you to jump the gun if you have any attachments to your saves.

Let your favorite mod creators work their magic. Check compatibility reports. Back up your saves. Make sure the mods you depend on are compatible before putting your game at risk.

And PLEASE, for the love of everything simlish, DO NOT harass modders about updates! They are humans too with lives outside of this game. It will take as long as it takes. If a creator doesn’t adhere to whatever you deem to be an acceptable turnaround time, why don’t you try living without that mod friend.

As for me, I’ll be over here experimenting in my newly vanilla game, so if you have questions about that and that only, let me know. I’m curious to see how much I can do without my usual collection of mods and cc. I’m hoping I’ll discover new features or uncover that mods I’ve been using are actually no longer necessary…Or maybe I’ll have regrets and immediately start rebuilding my mods folder this weekend.

We’ll see 🙃.

Final Thoughts

I am excited about this update so far, which makes me slightly uncomfortable to say.

Between the cozy elder themed build/buy items, the new CAS additions, the QOL improvements, and the sheer number of alleged bug fixes, there’s quite a bit here that I’m interested in exploring.

Is it cringe to say I love the grandma-core direction of the new furniture? And I’m legitimately impressed by the quality of the new bed. It looks sooo good. I’m also glad elder sims are getting more attention, and I’m hopeful that the dining improvements will make restaurants more enjoyable for everybody.

But…. I’m also realistic.

A list of fixes doesn’t ~~ever~~ always translate into a flawless gameplay experience. I still need to load up my game and test the new features for myself; visit a restaurant or two and see whether everything behaves as expected.

So for now I’m choosing optimism.

Cautious optimism, of course. Let’s not forget which game we’re talking about it.

If you’ve already updated, I want to hear from you! How is your game running? Have you noticed any issues? Are your mods still working? And most importantly, have you taken your sims out to eat yet?

PLEASE tell me how Dine Out is looking because I need to know whether I should be excited or preparing an emotional support folder.