How to start a Legacy Challenge
The Legacy Challenge was created by Pinstar, who runs the official rules site with Mystic. It needs only the base game.
- In a new save, make one young adult founder alone in the household. Looks, traits and aspiration are up to you.
- Move the founder onto any empty lot. Any size works now; the old 50x50 rule was dropped.
- Enter
testingcheats truethenmoney 1800in the cheat console. - Pick one law from each category below. They can't change later.
Extreme start (+1 point): bulldoze a 64x64 lot in Windenburg (Get Together) and enter money 0 once you move in. With Seasons it has to begin in winter. The Chateau Peak lot from Get Famous also works, and its Ultra Extreme version is worth +2.
Succession laws
Gender and bloodline laws decide who is eligible; the heir law picks one. The succession laws page has the full wording.
| Law | Options |
|---|---|
| Gender | Matriarchy or Patriarchy: founder and heirs are that gender, and another child qualifies only if there is none. Strict versions allow no exception. Equality: any child. Strict Equality: the heir's gender alternates each generation. |
| Bloodline | Strict Traditional: only children born to the previous heir (science babies count). Traditional: adopted children only if no born child exists. Modern: both. Foster: adopted children first. Strict Foster: adopted only. |
| Heir | First Born, Last Born, Living Will (best friendship with the parent), Merit (most completed aspirations), Strength (the oldest, unless a sibling beats them in a fight), Random, Exemplar (has the founder trait you named at the start), Democracy (your viewers vote), Magical Bloodline (strongest bloodline trait), Magical Strength (wins a duel). |
| Species (optional, Get to Work) | Xenoarchy: heirs alternate human and alien. Xenophobic: same species as the founder. Brood: the previous heir must carry the pregnancy. Tolerant: species doesn't matter. |
The title can change hands until the previous heir dies or the current heir has an eligible child.
Gameplay rules
- One lot, one family. The family never moves, and it is the only household you play in the save.
- Normal lifespan. Each Sim gets one anti-aging use in their life (a youth potion or milking the Cowplant) and one Wishing Well wish.
- No advantage cheats or mods.
motherlodeandkachingare out. Cosmetic CC is fine, and MC Command Center may raise the household size. - No reloading after a bad event, only after a crash or bug.
- Banned: the Lottery holiday, the Money Tree, the Potion of Immortality and resurrection (ambrosia too). Pleading with the Grim Reaper is fine.
- Aspirations can't be swapped until they are completed.
- Spouses bring no money. If one arrives with funds, use
moneyto set the balance back. Any number of spouses may move in on that condition. - The heir stays. Other children can move out but can't return.
- Children's traits are random. Roll them with the site's Random Trait Generator at child, teen and young adult, no rerolls. Infant and toddler traits can use the in-game randomizer.
Free · no download · LifeSim
Start generation one in a real city
Type your founder's name. LifeSim draws them and starts their life on a real map, with AI neighbors who remember them. Free, nothing to buy.
Scoring: how the 100 points work
The scoring page has ten categories of 10 points.
| Category | How you score |
|---|---|
| Family | 1 each time an heir reaches young adult (9), plus 1 for having or adopting 10 children in one generation |
| Creative | 1 per generation for memorializing the heir and primary spouse with a song, portrait, biography, comedy routine, video game or photo (9), plus 1 when one Sim completes two creative aspirations |
| Fortune | Household worth of §75,000, §120,000, §200,000, §320,000, §510,000, §830,000, §1.3M, §2.1M, §3.5M and §5.7M gives 1 to 10 points |
| Love | 1 per 3 unique traits that primary spouses bring in (9), plus 1 for finishing |
| Knowledge | 1 per 3 maxed skills, up to 27 skills (9), plus 1 for maxing every skill |
| Athletic | 1 per 4 completed aspirations, up to 36 (9), plus 1 for completing every aspiration |
| Nature | Up to 5 for completed collections (1, 2, 5, 9 and 13 of them), plus 1 each for ten different deaths on the lot, the top of every career, both branches of every career, every emotional painting and every consumable aspiration reward |
| Food | Ten 1-point feats, such as a fully upgraded top fridge and stove, a perfect Baked Alaska and six Sims eating at one table |
| Popularity | Party and date medals (gold 3, silver 2, bronze 1): 1 point per 9 medal points up to 81, plus 1 when one Sim has gold in every party type and on a date |
| Deviance | 1 per 2 unused Potions of Youth kept in the house, up to 20 potions |
Bonus points raise the maximum to 108: Parenthood +2, Seasons +3, Discover University +1, and the Extreme (+1) or Ultra Extreme (+2) start. Penalties: minus 1 per power shutoff, water shutoff and child taken by social services.
Lite version, rule updates and tracking
Legacy Challenge Lite is the same site's no-score version: same laws, fewer rules, and you just try to reach generation 10. It fails if the heir dies with nobody eligible to take over.
Rule updates: the published pages date from May 2020 (scoring) to March 2023 (gameplay). The site announced a full overhaul in November 2024 and began a playtest series in February 2025. As of November 10, 2026 the rules above are still the published ones.
The tracker at the top of this page saves your progress in your browser. Prefer set colors and careers? Try Not So Berry or browse the list of generational challenges and all Sims 4 challenges here.
FAQ
How much money do you start the Legacy Challenge with?
§1,800 for a regular start. Move onto an empty lot, then enter testingcheats true and money 1800. An Extreme start uses §0.
When does the Legacy Challenge end?
The moment the 10th-generation heir is born. That is why several categories give their tenth point for an extra feat instead of a tenth generation.
Do you need packs for the Legacy Challenge?
No. The core rules work with the base game. Packs only add options: the species law needs Get to Work, the Extreme start needs a 64x64 lot from Get Together or Get Famous, and Parenthood, Seasons and Discover University add bonus points.
Can you use mods in a Legacy Challenge?
Cosmetic custom content is fine. Anything that gives an advantage is not. The one named exception is MC Command Center, which may be used to raise the household size limit.