The Sims 4 has been one of the most successful video games of all time, reaching over 70 million players worldwide, according to its parent company, Electronic Arts.
In its nearly 12 years of existence, the game has grown exponentially. There are over 20 major expansion packs, with countless smaller add-ons that provide new experiences, furniture, clothing, and personality traits for players.
Aside from long-term playability, many folks have also started using the game to show off their architectural and home design skills, as well as their modding capabilities. Popular YouTube channels like SpringSims, Plumbella, James Turner, and Lil Simsie have made names for themselves by participating in challenges, for storytelling elements, or by playing the game in the most chaotic way possible.
Longevity exists in more ways than one. As you progress through the game, you’re able to play as multiple family members. This means that once your first sims have had that fateful visit with the grim reaper, you can continue controlling their children, their children’s children, their children’s children’s children’s…you get the idea.
So, we have to wonder if there are any long-term players of The Sims 4 who have continued their generations for an insanely long time.
The Longest Sims Game Ever
There are several types of challenges that exist for Sims players that have to do with generational playthroughs, hitting in-game achievements for 10, 26, and 100 generations. Many players will also have “long plays,” a save file that is kept for an indefinite period of time.
For research such as this, we must turn to the beloved forum website, as there is sadly no definitive answer for the “Longest Sims game ever.” A few folks have obviously made it to the 100-generation challenge, with another player saying they’re even at 103.
A YouTube search will also pull up generational challenges, with many YouTubers playing with different time periods to add a storytelling element. Most YouTubers seem to stop after 10 or so generations, with others showing off their incredibly dense family trees of over 100 sims.
As we said before, verification on an actual winner of this title can be tricky, but there are plenty of players out there who have shared their personal stories of their legacy plays if you do a little digging.
Problems With Generational Files
The question of why more people tend to avoid legacy plays, or quit halfway through, is possibly more interesting. What tends to happen with these legacy plays, especially if folks are using mods, is that the game tends to crash.
Sadly, our computers tend to struggle with the amount of data that's accumulated in a long-term save file, often requiring some heavy-duty computers to make things work.
Furthermore, boredom and attachment seem to be the next common problems. You work hard to make your perfect sim, and it can be difficult to let go of the first life you spent so much time creating. Others tend to get fed up with the monotony of the game, leaving for long periods of time and simply restarting when they get the itch to play it again.
All this to say, we’re sorry that we can’t tell you what the actual longest-running Sims file is. What we can tell you, however, is that you could hold that title if you really want to. The choice is up to you.
