The Best Trait Mods for The Sims 4

Key Takeaways

• Traits in
  The Sims 4
  define a Sim’s personality needs and wants, offering deep gameplay customization and variety for players.
• Expansion packs unlock exclusive traits, but high prices may steer players towards free mods that enhance gameplay without added costs.
• New trait mods like emotional traits, hobby traits, and child-exclusive traits offer exciting opportunities to personalize and deepen Sim interactions.

Traits in The Sims 4 are core personality traits that make up a Sim’s wants, needs, and desires. While there’s a good amount of variety regarding base game traits, many are only accessible to players who purchase specific expansion packs. Now that the game is free-to-play, potential players might be wary of spending money to get a few more personality traits.

With the cost of expansion packs so high, many will turn to the avid modding community to enhance their game for the low, low price of absolutely nothing. For these mods, in particular, Simmers will want to ensure they enable script mods in the game settings. Once that’s been taken care of, players can use the best The Sims 4 trait mods to fine-tune a Sim’s personality.

Updated on November 18, 2024, by Jenna Amore: Creating unique Sims is the heart of any memorable Sims 4 gameplay experience, and traits are essential to bringing characters to life. Sticking with the same limited set of traits can quickly make gameplay feel repetitive. Fortunately, a world of trait mods awaits to refresh Sims’ personalities and behaviors, introducing variety across all ages — even pets! Whether it’s new traits or adding tweaks to the trait system, these mods help players craft Sims with depth, distinctiveness, and immersive stories.

1 Infant Traits

Four Additional Ways to Build Personality Development

Artemissy’s Infant Traits mod introduces four new personality traits specifically designed for infants in The Sims 4, providing players with a more nuanced approach to shaping their Sims from the earliest stages of life. These customizable traits enable players to delve deeper into character development and growth, influencing autonomous behavior, needs, and skill development.

The four traits — Observing, Snuggly, Dreamy, and Messy — can be assigned in Create-A-Sim, adding layers to infants’ temperaments and behavior. Whether players are looking to create a curious observer or a cuddly, affectionate baby, these traits offer a refreshing way to tailor infants’ personalities from the start, setting the stage for their future growth.

2 Unhidden Traits

Reveals Hidden Traits From the Game

The Unhidden Traits mod, from the ever-popular trait modder Vicky Sims, unlocks hidden traits that are typically gained through gameplay. Instead, they are available for purchase in the reward store using satisfaction points. Players can now easily assign traits that often remain out of reach, such as those related to birth origins, political leanings, or even movie genre preferences.

With this mod, these once-elusive traits can be added to a Sim’s personality arsenal, offering even greater customization and depth. Fine-tune Sims’ backgrounds or expand their tastes using the Unhidden Traits mod to ensure that all traits are accessible and ready to shape stories from the start.

3 Illness Traits Bundle

Traits That Reflect Illnesses And Ailments

The Illness Traits Bundle mod introduces two new traits — Chronically Ill and Immunocompromised — bringing added depth to health and wellness gameplay. Sims with the Chronically Ill trait will experience long-term health challenges, causing headaches and drowsiness. Sims with the Immunocompromised trait are more vulnerable to sickness due to their weakened immune system.

To manage their conditions, Sims with these traits can visit the clinic by using their phones to consult with a doctor. The doctor will provide medicine that offers temporary relief to sickly Sims. This mod adds a much-needed layer of realism to the game, focusing on the challenges of managing chronic illness and compromised immunity by using traits.

4 Cottagecore Traits

Adds Traits, Interactions, and Moodlets

The Cottagecore Traits mod by Bloomberry introduces eight charming traits that capture the cozy spirit of cottage life while offering unique personalities for Sims. Traits like Fizz the Town for nectar and juice enthusiasts and Sugarcakes for gentle village bakers bring specialized interests to Sims. Kindhearted social butterflies would fit the Dreamboat and Ranch My Heart traits.

These traits can also enhance skill-building, especially those with The Knitting Sim and Fisherman traits. Add the Chatterbox trait to Sims who live for gossip or the Deluded City Sim trait to urban dwellers with a love for technology and reading. These traits breathe life into the game, perfect for creating Sims who thrive in pastoral settings, enhancing the gameplay for those who adore storytelling with a rustic twist.

5 Five New Traits

Five Traits, Five Ways to Reflect Personality

Players can get five traits in jessienebulous’s trait pack mod. The traits include Charming, Dramatic, Gearheart, Space Cadet, and Insightful. Players can use all of these traits with the base game except for Dramatic, which requires the Get To Work expansion pack.

Many of these traits will affect a Sim’s interests and hobbies. Gearheart is a fun one, as it gives depth to Sims who want to be mechanics or builders. All the traits give Sims a boost in certain skills and have unique buffs and whims associated with them.

6 Seasons Traits

Traits That Reflect Preferred Seasons and Weather

The Sims 4 Seasons expansion pack added weather, holidays, and more to the base game. However, Simmers did not get any new traits with the pack, so Vicky Sims created the Seasons Traits mod. Sims can thrive during certain seasons with the mod – just like people do in real life. The mod includes six traits, all themed toward weather or time of day.

All traits in the mod (excluding Child of The Moon) require Seasons to work properly. For example, Sims can have the Child of Winter trait and receive positive moodlets skill gain boosts during the cold season.

7 Mega 16 Personality Traits Pack

A Trait Pack Based on Psychological Personality Typing

InsightBond created the Mega 16 Personality Traits based on the Myers & Briggs personality typing. The Myers & Briggs personality types are concluded based on someone’s way of thinking and daily habits, so The Sims 4 is a perfect medium for players to experiment with them and give their Sims more depth.

The personality traits include things like ENFP The Champion and ENTJ The Commander, which reflect the typical behaviors associated with people with the personality type. The traits get special buffs, positive and negative moodlets, and social interactions. Players can also take the quiz for free if they are curious about their personal Myers & Briggs personality type.

8 Inborn Personality Mod V2

Genetic Traits That Reflect Inherent Personality

The Inborn Personality Mod by Vicky Sims works well with the new infant update and the Growing Together pack, as it emphasizes family dynamics and parenting. With this mod, children have the chance to inherit traits from their parents, making for more engaging family gameplay.

The mod works by setting a percentage chance for children to inherit traits from their parents. Child Sims with one parent with a trait will have a 20 percent chance of gaining a reward version of that trait, and child Sims with two parents with a trait will have a 40 percent chance of achieving that trait.

9 More Traits

A Boatload of Traits That EA Missed

More Traits by maplebell does exactly as it says in its title by adding more traits to the base game. Twenty-one traits blend with the base game seamlessly: Serious, Stoic, Peaceful, Daredevil, Logical, Whimsical, Shy, Grumpy, Sexist, Generous, Sincere, Endurant, Unforgiving, Cowardly, Cunning, Hedonistic, Spoiled, Judgmental, Warm-Hearted, Heartless, and Pompous.

Each trait has unique moodlets and interactions that add significant depth to a Sims personality. The mod is so comprehensive that it might not even seem like it is there at all and is an absolute must for those looking for the best Sims 4 traits mods.

10 More CAS Traits (For Sims, Horses, & Pets!)

Add Up to 30 Traits to Sims & Animals at Once

The More CAS Traits mod offers a game-changing way to diversify Sims by allowing players to add up to six traits to pets and up to 30 traits to humanoid Sims, all in Live mode. Gone are the days of limited trait choices — this mod lets players fully customize each character’s personality without the need for scripts or UI changes.

Simply click on a Sim or pet, select “Actions,” and use the “Add” or “Remove” options to adjust traits. Plus, two new traits, Survivor and Lasting, allow for longer lifespans, creating even more opportunities for story development and deeper gameplay with both Sims and pets.

11 Baby/Toddler Trait Bundle

Because Young Sims Deserve Some Love

For those feeling as though babies and toddlers lack some key personality traits, The Baby/Toddler Trait Bundle by Snowii95 should come in handy. It adds seven new traits exclusive to the baby/toddler age range: Always Happy, Bookworm, Fast Learner, Bossy, Naive, Stranger Danger, and Creative.

This simple mod goes a long way in making the gameplay for babies and toddlers feel that much more realistic. Paired with the infant update and the Growing Together expansion, this is a family Simmers dream.

12 Rainbow Baby Trait

Honor Sims’ Journey With the Healing Power of a Rainbow Baby

In combination with some of the best pregnancy mods for The Sims 4, players can assign the Rainbow Baby trait to add depth to Sims’ emotional storylines and the heartache of pregnancy loss. This trait provides emotional boosts to Rainbow Babies, offering a 1.5x happiness multiplier for all positive emotions and increasing autonomous friendly interactions, especially those that involve physical affection.

Additionally, parents can initiate the Give Extra Love interaction, which triggers happiness mood buffs for both the parent and child, helping them heal and build strong, loving relationships. This simple trait mod is perfect for creating heartfelt and realistic narratives in Sims’ lives.

13 Absent Emotion Traits Mod

Forbids Sims From Experiencing Specific Moodlets and Emotions

The Absent Emotion Traits Mod by Vicky Sims adds an interesting element to gameplay that could prove uniquely challenging. Sims with these traits will never experience the corresponding emotions. These traits can be primary traits or reward traits.

For example, Sims with the ‘Lifeless’ trait will never experience the ‘Energized’ or ‘Excited’ emotions. Sims with the ‘Clearheaded’ trait never get ‘Dazed’, distracted, or confused. Sims with the ‘Forbearing’ trait never experience pain, get ‘Uncomfortable’, or even become tired. The potential for gameplay ideas is endless.

14 More Traits in CAS

Give Sims Even More Personality

Before downloading other mods, players might want to consider the More Traits in CAS trait expansion mod by thepancake1 and MizoreYukii. The Sims 4 typically only allows an adult Sim to have three traits, which can be incredibly limiting – especially when things like ‘vegetarian’ take up one of those precious slots.

This mod allows the Sim to have additional slots in CAS depending on their age. Elders, adults, and young adults can have five traits; teens can have four, children three, and toddlers two. This small change significantly improves the current system and expands Sim’s personality depth.

15 Child Exclusive Traits

Traits For Making Youthful & Bubbling Personalities

Perfect for family Simmers, the Child Exclusive Traits mod by Triplis adds eight traits exclusive to children. Players have long complained about the lack of depth for the earlier life stages in The Sims 4, but it’s nothing talented modders can’t fix. This mod provides variety to children’s personalities and adds some extremes to spice up Sim stories.

The eight traits added are Bold, Fretful, Gigglemeister, Rocket, Sensitive, Sleuth, Sweetie, and Tattletale. The best part is that each trait directly corresponds to an in-game teen trait and an adult trait.

16 University Traits

Traits For Educational Stereotypes

The Sims 4 Discover University is an expansion pack that adds a new world, aspirations, jobs, and school system. It’s safe to say that it added a lot of content to the game, but that hasn’t stopped modders from making improvements.

PimpMySims4 released the University Traits pack with five traits tailored to university students as part of a series on ‘Things Discover University is Missing’. This pack adds the following traits: Coffee Addict, Frat Boy, Sorority Girl, Studious, and Cognitively Impaired. Each trait interacts with Discover University the best, but they will function in-game without the expansion pack.

17 Misery Traits

Because There Are Plenty of Boring EA Traits

Despite its potential to be a world without strife, many Simmers enjoy a little tension, drama, and upset in their Sims’ world. For those players, the Misery Traits pack by NateTheL0ser adds a whole host of negative traits to play with.

This pack includes Alien Hater, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Hay Fever, Allergic to Cats, Allergic to Dogs, Hates Heat, Can’t Stand Cold, Fame Jealous, Dry Skin, Chronic Headaches, Allergic to Magic, Asthmatic, and Hates Vampires. Each trait has unique negative buffs and moodlets that create a more exciting story and challenging gameplay.

18 Zodiac Signs

That Sim Is Such an Aries!

InsightBond has a comprehensive Zodiac Signs trait pack for all astrologically inclined Simmer. This pack comes with a trait for each of the 12 zodiac signs and unique interactions and Moodlets for each sign. Keen astrologers might even want to take advantage of the three trait slots to give their Sim a sun, moon, and ascending sign.

Each sign has unique social interactions: one Friendly and one Funny, ‘Tell A Story Social.’ Players can incorporate these traits into storytelling and gameplay in fascinating ways.

19 Emotional Traits

Traits to Make Sims Even More Emotional Beings

The Emotional Traits pack from modder Kuttoe elevates existing in-game traits and adds some emotion that the game might not have. All of these traits are available from ages child to elder and even add boosts to Character Values introduced in the Parenthood game pack. Perfect for the drama-oriented Simmer.

The included traits are Arrogant, Calm, Coward, Daydreamer, Egghead, Insecure, Oblivious, Perky, Restless, and Stoic. Players can tell exciting stories and spice up their gameplay with these new, extreme traits.

20 Book Smart/Street Smart

Traits that Aid Skill and Career Building

The Book Smart/Street Smart trait pack may only come with two traits, but they add surprising interest and realism to the game. In real life, many people will know (or be) people who ace exams but don’t know how to catch a bus and people who can navigate danger with incredible ease while lacking the basic knowledge of academic subjects.

Each trait learns different skills faster, naturally does better at specific jobs, gets positive buffs for certain activities, and finishes certain activities more quickly. For example, Book Smart Sims will improve with Lawyer, Writer, Engineer, Doctor, Teacher, and Scientist careers. On the other hand, Street Smart Sims will do better in Athlete, Secret Agent, Criminal, Actor, Detective, Military, and Gardener careers.