Update: The patch has been delayed and will now release on 3 June.
The much-anticipated new expansion pack for the Sims 4, Eco Lifestyle, is set to be released on 5 June 2020. What appeared to be a lukewarm pack initially now looks like it could be one of the most intriguing Sims 4 expansion packs to date. This is largely due to the gameplay fundamentals that will add things like an Eco Footprint UI to neighbourhoods. The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle will also add pollution to the game, which will impact on Sims in different ways.
To prepare for release of the Eco Lifestyle expansion pack, the Sims 4 base game will also be getting a big update on 2 June 2020. The patch will change quite a few things and is likely to have a big impact on mods and custom content.
What the Sims 4 June patch will include
These are the updates to the Sims 4 base game we know will come with the June 2020 patch. You can read more about the Sims 4 June patch updates here.
- Ladders
- Placing doors and windows without forced snapping to the grid
- An updated inventory system
- A change to the bills and utility system
- NPCs (firefighters and repo(wo)men)
- Neighbourhood descriptions will be updated – including for the existing neighbourhoods that do not currently have them. That means the existing world will all be broken up into ?districts?
- An update for off-the-grid items and its own category in build-buy mode
That’s right, Simmers. Never again will we be forced to decorate around a door because it’s restricted to the grid. A life of symmetry beckons.
Sims 4 June 2020 patch: Mods and CC impact and what to do
Patches always have an impact on mods and CC, but due to the vastness of this update, it’s extra important to take care. We’re going to assume if you are reading this, you are familiar with some of the basics like where to locate your mods and CC folders and so on.
While mods are usually the most at risk for big updates of this nature or when new expansion packs come out, custom content can also be impacted. When the footprints of items in the Sims 4 game are changed through a patch or expansion, CC might stop working as expected. This happens when things like beds are made ?upgradable? or example or when bathtubs changed to accommodate mermaids.
With Eco Lifestyle adding an Eco Footprint to every object in the game, it’s likely that many of the CC objects form build-buy will be severely impacted this week. The good news is that most of these are usually an easy fix.
You can use The Sims 4 Studio’s batch fix option ? once it is released ? to repair CC broken as a result of changes to the game code. You can find out more about TS4Studio on their official website.
The best thing to do to mitigate any potential niggles to your game prior to a Sims 4 patch is to turn off automatic updates for your game.
How to turn off Sims 4 automatic updates
Open Origin and select Preferences or Application settings from the main menu. From here, turn off the switch for Automatic game updates and Automatically update Origin.
If you want to take extra care, you can also turn off the Automatically start Origin option.
It’s a good idea to make a back up your of Sims 4 game before installing any updates or new content.
Go into your game and ‘save as? before you install the update. This will ensure you have a ?test file? to work with.
Once you have installed the latest Sims 4 patch, remove all mods and CC from your mods folder before. Creators are good at keeping everyone updated on whether they?ve noticed anything to be broken and there is usually a helpful thread on the official Sims forums also tracking broken mods and CC after a Sims patch.
Update any mods and CC that need updating and move these back into your mods folder. You can add mods and CC you?re not sure of back in, too, but you do this at your own risk ? this is where the ?test save? can come in useful.
When you start up The Sims 4 after a patch update, mods will be disabled and you will have to turn it back on.
How to turn Sims 4 mods on after a patch
If you?ve updated The Sims 4 and you aren?t seeing your mods or CC appear, make sure you have turned them back on. To do this, go to game options after you have loaded your game and check that script mods and custom content has been enabled. You can find those settings as indicated in the screenshot below.
After doing this, you?ll have to restart your game again.
If you still aren?t seeing your mods or CC, there might be a problem with them and you should contact the creators? support channels for assistance.