Summary

• The Sims 4 lacks depth and needs attention to various features before cars are added.
• Cars would offer little depth and purpose in The Sims 4's cartoony world.
• Prioritizing cars would push aside more worthwhile improvements and features.

It's no secret that The Sims 4 still has a lot of missing mechanics even almost a decade into its lifespan, but there's one frequently-asked-for feature that should be much lower down on a list of requests than it seems to be for many players. Even with years of significant additions through both DLC and free updates, there are undoubtedly still many areas in which the title could improve. However, I cannot take much more of the constant clamoring for cars in The Sims 4 when there are so many other issues that need attention.

When The Sims 4 was first released, it felt unfinished in many ways - classic features like pools didn't exist, nor did the concept of toddlers, for example. Coming off such a detailed predecessor, stark differences between The Sims 3 and 4 in of things like mechanics and overall depth were quite glaring in the beginning. In the near-decade since then, the game has grown in a myriad of impressive ways, but nostalgia for the features of past eras still remains. This is particularly true for vehicles, despite the fact they'd actually add very little to the title.

Cars Were Fun In The Sims, But Their Era Is Over

Vehicles In The Sims 4 Would Enhance Very Little

It's not that I didn't enjoy utilizing cars in previous games - deg a wealthy Sim's garage with ostentatiously expensive vehicles was always a fun way to add backstory, and they were a useful mechanic in the open world of The Sims 3. However, outside of being fancy set dressing or open-world utility, they don't offer much depth otherwise. Sims used to be able to fix up cars in previous games, but that same sort of tinkering can now be done on a myriad of other projects in The Sims 4 that largely helps fill that void.

In of using vehicles as decor, players do technically have the option to enhance their Sims 4 builds using debug items with a few cheat codes. There are, of course, a slew of custom content vehicles available - albeit unusable - to PC players as well, but the cheats ensure that even console players have the option. A lack of cars certainly impacts the game's overall sense of realism, but The Sims 4 is also arguably the most cartoony and unrealistic entry yet, so their absence isn't as notable, especially in a title that isn't open world.

Many Other Sims 4 Deficits Should Take Priority

The Game Has A Laundry List Of Problems Well Beyond Cars

Beyond the fact that the addition of cars would enhance very little in the long run, the much stronger argument against prioritizing them is that there are so many other improvements and features that should come to the game before them. In the past few years, some players' biggest complaints have finally begun to be resolved, like Sims 4 babies becoming more than furniture and a more complex likes and dislikes sytem. In fact, save for the My Wedding Stories debacle in 2022, the track record for DLC has been markedly better recently.

It would be a shame for much more worthwhile future improvements to be pushed aside for cars. Though its actual quality is currently unknown, the Lovestruck expansion pack is hitting on several long-requested points from fans: more romantic interactions, a world inspired by a non-American country, a turn-ons and turn-offs system, and more being implemented show true attention being paid to player voices. Even so, it's not as if the game's problems will all miraculously disappear after its release - there are still many other deficits that need attention before vehicles.

The Sims 4 Lovestruck expansion pack will be released on July 25, 2024, for all available platforms.

In 2021, the Spa Day Game Pack received a refresh that added several new features, giving it much more depth and functionality. Unfortunately, since then, there haven't been any more refreshes, despite several DLC - particularly the mostly broken Dine Out Pack - that could benefit from it immensely. There are also several features from past games, like fairies, zombies, and bands, that would be much more meaningful ways to expand on the game when compared to the simple addition of cars.

Cars In The Sims 4 Will Probably Never Happen

A Potential Need For Infrastructure Overhaul Makes Their Addition Unlikely

Not only would a focus shift to vehicles be bad for the franchise, it could also potentially be difficult to implement, making it not only a bad idea, but an unlikely one as well. It's hard to know the full picture of how the back end of the game works, but history has shown large mechanics can easily go awry. Considering bicycle travel in The Sims 4 still has issues many years later, it's possible a vehicle system could be hard to execute for lot-based worlds, to the point it could make developers reticent to even attempt it.

I don't mean to say a lack of cars is out of laziness - there could be many internal reasons the team has held back on the feature over the years. However, considering that it's been nearly a decade with no mention of cars, it feels safe to say it's a feature that's very likely never going to come to fruition. Perhaps it can't be ruled out entirely, but as more and more time es without a single hint towards a vehicle future in store for players, the more grating requests for them become.

At this point, when I see comments under seemingly every Sims 4 post asking when cars are coming, it feels akin to fans asking for Silksong in every livestream chat regardless of relevance - save for the fact that one day Silksong will actually happen. Through a nostalgic lens, cars were fun, but their necessity simply can't compare to other desirable features. One of the most common overarching complaints about The Sims 4 is a lack of depth, and what would behoove the franchise most is to continue the current trend of addressing that rather than shifting focus to cars.