The real-life simulation game The Sims 4 just received a new update that adds more realism and fixes several critical bugs that had been frustrating users over the past few weeks. On August 19, 2025, the developers released update 1.117.227.1020 for PC, 1.117.227.1220 for Mac, and 2.18 for consoles. This version introduces the Enchanted by Nature Aliments option to the game, along with improvements to DirectX. Details about each are provided in the section below.
New Skins Details
In real life, a lack of proper rest can cause eye bags to appear, sometimes making us look quite tired. Similarly, dark spots or rosacea may develop due to various skin-related issues. Now, these realistic features are being introduced in The Sims 4. Teen and older Sims can now have rosacea, dark spots, age spots, and eye bags on their faces, as well as stretch marks and freckles on their bodies. For adult Sims, the base game now includes mouth wrinkles and body wrinkles. These additions bring a new level of realism to the game, making it feel like you’re interacting with real people who experience real-life changes.New Pack Selection Feature
The game has introduced a new "Pack Selection" feature that lets you choose which Content or Expansion Packs to use in your gameplay based on your storyline. This feature helps save system resources by preventing unnecessary packs from loading, resulting in smoother performance. It also removes the need to rely on external programs like Mod Manager. Keep in mind that removing packs from an existing save file may cause issues such as missing content or bugs, as those saves might rely on features from the removed packs. Therefore, this feature works best when starting a new game rather than loading an existing one.
DirectX 11 Improvements
After this update, if you are using an Intel GPU, the game will automatically use DX11 by default. If you are not using an Intel, NVIDIA, or AMD GPU, the game will continue to use DirectX 9. This automatic switch will improve the performance and rendering of buildings, parks, and hotels.New Ailments Option in Enchanted by Nature
The new expansion pack Enchanted by Nature, released on July 10, 2025, now includes a new option in the base game. This latest expansion introduces an “Ailment Spread” setting in the game’s Pack Settings, which gives players greater control over how illnesses affect their Sims. When you uncheck “Enable Ailment Spread,” Ailments will remain contained to the Sims who already have them, it will prevent the sickness from spreading to others. This allows players to choose whether Ailments behave like contagious diseases or remain isolated conditions. Fairies can still deliberately pass Ailments to other Sims, and Naturopaths will continue to treat those affected, preserving important gameplay interactions.Additionally, the update addresses the Balance & Imbalance mechanic, where Sims who become Very Imbalanced risk developing Ailments. Players who want to avoid this can disable the feature by unchecking “Enable Balance & Imbalance,” preventing Sims from reaching that state and getting sick as a result. This gives players even more flexibility to customize their gameplay experience, whether they prefer a more challenging environment or a more controlled one.
Bug Fixes
Here is the list of bugs that are fixed in this update.- The Serenity Stone Tub, Throne of Stone toilet, and Sleek Stone Sink now show their dirty states properly; no more invisible grime! Their colors now change as intended when it's time for a good scrubbing.
- Sims cursed with Bad Luck finally caught a break—kitchen fires are now less likely to spark when they’re cooking.
- Importing Sims with custom tattoos from the Gallery or My Library into a new household no longer causes their skin to turn unnaturally pitch black. Your stylish Sims can now look exactly as they should.
- Managing a big teen household? If four or more teens head to high school, they’ll all now receive their High School Day tasks correctly—no one’s slacking off this semester.
- [Console] A sneaky issue that blocked players from going online due to missing prompts for the User Agreement and Privacy & Cookie Policy has been fixed. You’ll now be asked to accept any updated terms before the Main Menu, restoring access to the Gallery and Events without a hitch.