For dedicated players, The Sims 4 both mimics real life and elevates it. While you can buy a house and get a job in the real world, you likely can't wield a magic wand or visit a galaxy far, far away. Sims, however, don't have this problem.
For players new and old, The Sims 4 offers plenty of overt (and sometimes not-so-obvious) references to blockbusters, cult classics, and recent releases alike. It's time to reexperience some of your favorite movies Sims-style. Here's lookin' at you, kid.
10 Little Shop of Horrors
A cult classic, Little Shop of Horrors makes an appearance in The Sims 4 via the Cowplant. Like Audrey II, the carnivorous plant grown by Seymour in the film, the Cowplant enjoys regularly ingesting Sims for sustenance.
One method of acquiring a Cowplant Berry is to find it with the "Explore Space" action available for Sims with high Rocket Science skills. In a similar fashion, Audrey II is an extraterrestrial with an agenda of taking over the world by eating people.
9 Harry Potter
Several blink-and-you'll-miss-it Potterverse references (see the Darley Porter and the Basement of Shadows book) appear regularly in purchased items and interactions available to your Sims.
The Magic Realm in The Sims 4: Realm of Magic is a new neighborhood accessed through a portal. Once there, Sims can visit a quaint little street reminiscent of Diagon Alley to purchase all things magical, including familiars, broomsticks, and spell books. Sims can even challenge others to magical duels, an opportunity to showcase their proclivity with a wand.
8 Indiana Jones
The Sims 4: Jungle Adventure Game Pack seems ripped straight from the script of an Indiana Jones movie. With the ability to hunt down valuable relics, Sims can follow in the footsteps of Harrison Ford's intrepid archeologist, and search for treasure out in the jungle.
You'll likely have to evade booby traps and poisonous animals ("I hate snakes") before getting to the tomb's coveted artifact. Sims can even relax in the Puerto Lllamante Market after a day of exploration, just like Indy and Marion do in the first movie.
7 Citizen Kane
Released in 1941, Citizen Kane is often cited as one of the greatest movies ever made. It goes without saying, then, that The Sims franchise likely has made some reference to it.
In Citizen Kane, the main character utters "rosebud" upon his deathbed, a line that powers the central mystery of the film. Reflective of Kane's desire for childhood innocence and simplicity, "rosebud" ironically represents an easy way to become rich in The Sims 4. "Rosebud" is perhaps the best-known in-game cheat since it gives your Sims households 1,000 simoleons. This cheat has remained in effect throughout all of the major iterations of The Sims to date.
6 Star Wars
One of the more obvious movie references in The Sims 4 (there's a whole expansion pack dedicated specifically to it, after all), Star Wars infuses your Sims' lives in multiple ways. The Sims 4 Star Wars: Journey to Batuu Game Pack allows Sims to take a vacation in Disney's Star Wars-inspired theme park land.
Beyond just purchasing lightsabers and droids, Sims can also evoke the power of the Dark Side via evil chickens. A remnant of past Sims games, certain interactions let you hear the tale of Charles the Chicken, a bird with the ability to stop loved ones from dying. More prominent in The Sims 3, this reference to Darth Sidious can still be remembered fondly by fans of The Sims 4: Cottage Living pack.
5 Marvel Movies
Marvel, another Disney-owned franchise, also makes an appearance in The Sims 4. In The Sims 4 Jungle Adventure, Sims can buy an item called Dr. Parker's Spider Repellent. This name alludes to Peter Parker, the teenage scientist bitten by a radioactive spider in the Spider-Man comics and films. Similarly, one of the ever-popular gnome decorations leans into the superhero aesthetic with its name: Guardian of the Gnomelaxy.
Other subtle references to Marvel movies appear throughout The Sims 4 universe. In The Sims 4: Get Famous expansion pack, aspiring actors contracted with the A.I. Staffing Agency are told that "we ran 14 million simulations to see the outcome of your next acting gig." Like Doctor Strange in Avengers: Infinity War, the agency reports the likelihood of "resounding success" for Sims that actively practice their scenes.
4 The Hunger Games
In one of its more humorous movie references, The Sims 4 points to the Hunger Games series with book titles available for Sims to purchase. Titled The Bladder Games, The Glutton Spiel, and The Plunder Games, these books are available for Sims to read by interacting with a bookshelf or storing the item in their inventory.
The in-game book's description warns that "30 Sims are locked inside a mansion with no toilets. Who will come away clean?" Clearly, the stakes are just as high for Sims as they are for Katniss Everdeen in the original version.
3 Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice. Everybody's not-so-friendly favorite ghost shows up in The Sims 4: Eco Lifestyle expansion via bug-based drink recipes. Like the Tim Burton film, the mortal lives of Sims are threatened by invoking the mischievous spirit three times.
Instead of name repetition conjuring the unruly dead, however, Sims must use their mixologist skill to make three Beetle Juice drinks. On the third drink, Sims will die and turn into ghosts. Too bad they can't go out dancing to the Banana Boat song.
2 Mean Girls
In The Sims 4: Get Famous, you might see an interaction at a VIP club where a guard mentions that he isn't "like a regular bouncer. I'm a cool bouncer." This mimics the line uttered by Amy Poehler's character in Mean Girls when she claims that she's "not like a regular mom. I'm a cool mom."
Similarly, the same expansion pack introduces The Queen's Gossip Chair item. Shaped like a puffed-up royal throne, the chair's description features another reference to the "that's why her hair is so big" line in Mean Girls. Just like Regina George, Sims can hold court within their own social circles.
1 The Last Unicorn
A book available for Sims to read references a popular animated film released in 1982: The Last Unicorn. Also based on a real-life book of the same name, this film follows the last unicorn left free by a malevolent force intent on destroying the magical creatures. A journey across the earth results in friendships made, love lost, and the fragility of morality experienced.
The Sims' book titled The First Unicorn similarly tells of a horse that magically grows a horn overnight. As the description details, "Moon is now on a quest to find out what happened to her, and to see if there are any others of her kind." Hey, not as profound as the original, but for the Sims, that's a story worth telling.
Throughout the twentieth century, movies have contributed memorable stories to cultures across the world. Not surprisingly, then, their plotlines have also ended up within The Sims 4 franchise.
As you play, see how many references you can spot and maybe even recreate some of your favorite on-screen characters as Sims. Who knows? You may even end up rewriting some of the narratives yourself. Because after all, who doesn't love a happy ending?