Patch 1.121.342/2.28

Your mods will be automatically disabled.
Please do make sure they are redeemed safe by the creator before enabling mods again and backup your save games.
Please also read this post carefully: In Preparation for patching

Today’s patch is preparing the game for the upcoming expansion pack Royalty & Legacy and three upcoming kits. There are several new things coming, including changes to the family tree. We can also ‘look forward’ to a new event: Lost Legacies (kinda wished they’d stay lost).

Bug fixing-wise there’s another try at fixing black photos. The main issue is that they are merely a symptom and have many causes and can re-occur any time. I strongly recommend to keep backups of your saves.

Complete changes below.

Changes

Source: EA

Sul Sul Simmers, and Bok, Ciao, Cześć, Dia Dhaoibh, Guten Tag, Hallo, Hola, Hej Hej, Helô, Moikka, Привіт, Salut, Salutare, Salve, Sveiki, Merhaba, Tungjatjeta, здравей, 你好, こんにちは, and Hello from around the world! Are you ready to elevate your game experience with a wave of new features and gameplay additions? Then let’s take a look at what this latest The Sims 4 free base game update has in store for you!

-The Sims 4 Team

What’s New ?

The Family Tree has been updated to expand how you experience and tell Sims’ family stories. Your Sims now have relationship labels for in-laws, half siblings, great grandparents, and more! Extended family members will also be shown in the family tree. Players can also choose whether adopted Sims are labeled as such in the Family Tree.

New relationship labels include: Mother-in-Law, Father-in-Law, Sister-in-Law, Brother-in-Law, Daughter-in-Law, Son-in-Law, Distant Relative, Distant Relative-In-Law, Half-sister, Half-brother, Stepmother, Stepfather, Stepdaughter, Stepson, Great-grandmother, Great-grandfather, Great-grandson, Great-granddaughter, Parent’s Cousin, Cousin’s Child, Grandniece, Grandnephew, Grand-aunt, Grand-uncle, Ancestor, Descendant, and Relative-In-law. Divorced has a new name: Ex-Spouse, and Deceased Spouse has a new name: Late Spouse.

Close relatives are prohibited from being romantically involved. This prevents autonomous flirting between In-Laws or Step-relatives.

Get ready to create grand looking staircases! Now, you can widen the top or bottom of a staircase (symmetrically or asymmetrically) to give your builds a touch of elegance. Additionally, stair rails can now be applied to only one side of a staircase and we’ve added a slider to change the length of the rail.

Here’s a YouTube link to more in-depth descriptions of the updated Family Tree and Flared Staircases: https://youtu.be/8S1x6qMhGT0

Afro-Textured and Curly Hair Filters: Hairstyles can now be filtered by Afro-textured and Curly textured hair, making it easier than ever to find your Sims perfect look.
Africana Style Filter: A new style filter, Africana, has been added to the game. This style filter makes it easier to sort and find African-inspired items in Create a Sim and Build Mode.
New Jewel-toned Nails: 12 new luxurious jewel-toned and metallic almond-shaped Nails have been added to Create a Sim.

Embark on a whirlwind adventure in the Lost Legacies Event as your Sim is swept into a royal treasure hunt, sparked by the arrival of a mysterious royal emissary. Play now through March 16th!

Uncover Lore: From exploring the artistic legacy of the Dambele family to unraveling the romantic secrets of the Bellacorde family and decoding the legendary tales of Princess Cordelia, explore the lost legacy of the three prestigious families from The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy Expansion Pack.
Free Limited Time Rewards: Unlock a trove of treasures each week, from collectable skeleton keys that complete quests, a cursed ring with dangerous consequences, a vengeful aspiration, new lot trait, and more. Each reward is special and brings you closer to the noble families, has a unique aesthetic, or adds a new way to play.
Active Quests: Your Sim will dive into lively debates, master new skills and chase clues across museums, nightclubs, libraries and hidden grottos.

Step into a world of imagination, elegance, and drama! Whether you’re dreaming of picture-perfect tea parties or silver screen inspired style, these Kits are ready to inspire new stories, Sims, and builds!

The Sims™ 4 Silver Screen Style Kit and The Sims™ 4 Tea Time Solarium Kit will be available for purchase individually February 12, 2026 and are included for free in the Royalty & Legacy Grand Bundle through March 15, 2026.

Step into a whimsical playroom with The Sims™ 4 Wonderland Playroom Kit and build a charming yard with our latest Creator Kit: The Sims™ 4 Yard Charm Kit, created by Ravasheen. Available February 26, 2026.

Bug Fixes

[EA Forums] Resolved an issue that caused photos to turn black, discovered after the January 13th Base Game update.
[EA Forums] Fixed additional instances of an issue where entering and exiting Build Mode during Scenarios with goals would cause the UI to disappear or the game to become unresponsive.
[EA Forums] Book covers for Baking, Wellness, Snowboarding, Rock Climbing, Herbalism and Photography books should no longer change when placed on retail displays. Fabrication and Mixology skill books no longer have the same book cover.
[Bug Archive] Resolved an issue where Sims’ Great Grandparents incorrectly had romantic interactions available to them with extended family members.
[Bug Archive] Resolved an issue where Sims didn’t complete the “Dance With Someone” goal at Prom, preventing a Gold Event rating.
[Bug Archive] Upgraded vacuums now work in the “Off the Grid” Lot type.

[EA Forums] Resolved an issue that could prevent room type assignments in Build Mode.
[EA Forums] Simple Slattered and MasterCraft staircases no longer have an extra board when placing L-shaped stairs.

[EA Forums] Fixed a UI issue in Create a Sim that was preventing elements from displaying in Turn-Ons and Turn-Offs, as well as the Like and Dislike buttons.
[EA Forums] Editing Merfolks or Aliens in Create a Sim should no longer cause a game crash.
[EA Forums] Resolved an issue causing nail asset (yfAcc_ManiNaturalShort_SolidDirt) to cause a metallic effect to the entire body.
[Bug Archive] Resolved an issue causing nail assets (yfAcc_ManiGP12Forest and ymAcc_ManiGP12Forest) to show lines around the upper arm on Sims.

Mod creators, in an effort to assist you in updating mods that touch genealogy as mentioned above, we’ve provided a list of Python changes to you for this Base Game update over on the EA Forums here: https://forums.ea.com/blog/the-sims-game-info-hub-en/the-sims-4-code-changes-for-modders—feb-3rd-base-game-update/13120743