The Sims 4 is about to fix one of its most useful exploits

The next The Sims 4 update is set to fix one of the most handy glitches in the life game. As developer EA Maxis reveals its latest Laundry List of issues that it’s planning to resolve in the next Sims 4 patch notes, one of the featured fixes is likely to leave some players disappointed. The popular photo exploit is a great way to quickly make friends in The Sims 4, but it’s about to vanish from the game forever.

The Sims 4 Laundry List is a regular feature where EA Maxis shares the community concerns, bugs, and other issues that are at the top of its priority list, and typically represents most if not all of the fixes set to appear in the next set of patch notes. Many of the issues listed for this month are fairly straightforward, such as scrolling being blocked in Build mode, an inability to resize items, teens randomly being expelled from school, and missing energy tags from some of the cribs introduced with the Sims 4 infant update.

One “fix” however, while technically for a bug that shouldn’t happen, is leaving fans sad to see it implemented. Simply put, when you take a photo of your Sim with another, you’ll get a dramatic relationship gain – much greater than you might expect from one simple action, certainly. It’s made pictures a quick and easy way to rapidly level up your friendships, which can be very handy in the hustle-and-bustle world of The Sims.

“Why do they do this?” one disappointed player asks on the Sims 4 Reddit, “It wasn’t hurting gameplay in any way because you don’t have to do it, and removing it benefits no-one.” Others agree, questioning why this has been implemented yet more severe bugs such as plants dying when you leave your gardening lot remain present (the answer, of course, is likely “because this is a much simpler fix,” but the sentiment is certainly understandable).

Personally, I’m a little sad to see it go. Until people pointed out quite how big the jump in relationship stat was, I hadn’t really clocked it as an issue. After all, if people I’m hanging out with go out of their way to take a photo with me, I do genuinely feel closer to them as a result – it’s a nice gesture that says, “I want to save a memory of the time we’re spending together.” Or perhaps I look ridiculous and they want to torment me with it later.

The Sims 4 Laundry List – May 2023

Here’s the official The Sims 4 Laundry List of issues developer EA Maxis is aiming to fix with its next update this month. Note that not all listed problems are guaranteed to be fixed in the first patch notes, but they’re still under active review.

• Milestones resetting/disappearing.
• Washer/Dryer: Can’t wash/dry clothes.
• Randomly expelled/teen gets expelled from daily.
• Family Tree: Connections missing.
• Taking Photo from causes dramatic relationship/reputation gain.
• Unable to queue Babble interaction for toddlers on giant stuffed animals.
• Build mode not allowing scrolling.
• Moodlets/Quirk notifications for infants after infant has aged up.
• Cursor disappeared.
• Can’t resize items.
• Cursor locking to catalog menu in Build/Buy mode.
• Bench isn’t considered a Bench and Benches not in Outdoor category.
• Infant Cribs: Missing Energy tags.

At least we’ll always have all The Sims 4 cheats if you want to save yourself a little time. You’ll also want to browse the best Sims 4 mods and the best Sims 4 CC packs to fill your game with all manner of delightful add-ons, furniture, fashion, and fun.