Challenges you can play with no packs
Each row says why the challenge works on the base game, going by its own rules page.
| Challenge | Goal | Why no packs |
|---|---|---|
| Legacy Challenge (Pinstar) | 10 generations on one lot, scored out of 100 | The core rules are base game. Packs only add optional laws and bonus points |
| 100 Baby Challenge (Snarky Witch) | 100 children in as few generations as possible | The base rules apply to everyone; pack rules matter only if you own the pack |
| Rags to Riches (SimishGamer) | From §0 to a §100,000 home and §200,000 in the bank | Packs are mentioned only as options |
| History Challenge (Cloudseeker; maintained by SnowieSimmer) | Ten eras from the Stone Age on, one per generation | The rules say only the base game is required. The tenth era, Future Tech, is optional and needs packs |
| Disney Princess 10 Gen Challenge (MissPlaying) | 10 generations with goals from princess films | The thread says it can be completed with only the base game |
| Very Veggie Legacy, base game version (lilsimsie) | 10 vegetable-themed generations from a §0 start | The creator wrote a separate base game table |
| Barbie Legacy, Base Game Edition (sims-himbo) | 10 generations, each mastering a different career | The creator posted a separate base game edition |
| Wonder Child Challenge (Pinstar) | Raise one first-born child to the highest score before young adult | Pack rules are optional notes |
| Apocalypse Challenge (Pinstar) | Lift every restriction by topping each career branch, in as few Sim days as possible | The restrictions are tied to base game careers |
How each one starts
- Legacy: one young adult on any empty lot, then
testingcheats trueandmoney 1800. - 100 Baby: one young adult matriarch in any lot she can afford with her starting funds. No cheats.
- Rags to Riches: any Sim on the most expensive empty lot, then
testingcheats onandmoney 0. - History Challenge: two Ancestors on an empty lot in a world with at least 12 lots, then
money 8000(5000 for a Historian start). - Very Veggie: one young adult founder on an empty lot, then
money 0. - Barbie Legacy: a founder named Barbie.
freerealestate onis allowed for the first house; avoid money cheats after that. - Wonder Child: two adult roommates (not young adults) in any lot they can afford. Their first-born is the Wonder Child, and the challenge ends when that child becomes a young adult.
- Apocalypse: any Sim, young adult or older, alone on an empty lot with no job. Each Sim can lift one set of restrictions.
Popular challenges that do need packs
- Not So Berry: generation 1 already needs the Scientist career from Get to Work, and later generations use City Living, Get Together, Parenthood and Spa Day content. lilsimsie notes that fans have written base game versions; her own base game list is the Very Veggie one above.
- Barbie Legacy (original): its creator lists Get to Work, City Living, Cats & Dogs, Get Famous, Island Living, High School Years and Parenthood, with Spa Day as skippable.
- Occult Legacy: its creator lists 18 packs.
- Very Veggie (original): written to use many packs on purpose, with a substitution for each one you lack.
- Decades Challenge: no pack list, but its complex aging is meant for Discover University.
Free · no download · LifeSim
A whole city, nothing to buy
LifeSim is free in your browser and on iPhone, with no download and no packs. Type who you are and start a challenge life in any real city.
Built into the base game: Scenarios
The game also has its own goal-based challenges, called Scenarios. EA's page for the Too Many Toddlers Scenario says Scenarios start from the New Scenario button on the main menu with a new household, and are free for anyone who has the base game.
The August 30, 2022 update added three Welcome Scenarios with premade households: New In Town (making friends), Stuck In Their Shadow (a workplace rivalry) and Parenting Predicaments (family life). They are a quick warm-up before a ten-generation run.
More challenge rules: all Sims 4 challenges.
FAQ
Is the Sims 4 base game free?
Yes. The Sims 4 base game is listed as free to play on Steam, so every challenge in the list above can be played without buying anything.
Can you play Not So Berry with only the base game?
Not as written. The first generation's Scientist career comes from Get to Work, and later generations need more packs. Players have written base game versions, but they aren't the creators' rules.
What is the shortest base game challenge?
On this list, the Wonder Child Challenge. It ends the moment the first-born child becomes a young adult, so it lasts one childhood.