How to start with §0
The most detailed ruleset is the From Rags to Riches Mega Challenge by SimishGamer on Mod The Sims, first posted in 2015 and last remade in June 2025. Its start:
- Make any Sim and move them onto the most expensive empty lot.
- Press Ctrl+Shift+C, enter
testingcheats on, thenmoney 0. - From here the only cheats allowed are resetting a Sim, removing money and moving objects. Fees in the rules are paid by lowering your funds with
money.
Until the home step is unlocked, nothing goes on your lot except items your Sim can carry, and no seeds. Sleep in public places. Once a Sim is a full friend you may stay at their home one night a week, eat there and take one plate with you. Eat by rummaging, harvesting public plants and using public grills. Any lifespan is allowed, and aging can be off.
Mandatory steps before each goal
| To unlock | You need |
|---|---|
| Building a home | Handiness 5 and Logic 3, then a §500 fine |
| A garden, outdoor items and seeds | The home step, Handiness 7 and Gardening 5, a basic furnished home (bed, toilet, shower, fridge, counter, sink, stove, table, chair, fire alarm, couch) and §500 for blueprints |
| A job | The home step; a bed, toilet, shower, sink, stove, counter, chair and fridge; §1,000 for a degree |
| Marriage | A starter home first. The spouse gives up their money and possessions, and every wedding is paid for and hosted. A spouse must meet the job step before working |
| Children growing up | Toddlers max every toddler skill. Child to teen: level 5 in one skill with perfect grades, or level 10 in one skill. Teen to young adult: level 5 in two skills with a part-time job, or level 10 in two skills |
How you win
You win when all five main goals are done:
| Goal | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Home | Fully furnished: 3 or more bedrooms, 2 or more bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, living room, a study with a computer, an outdoor garden and a pool |
| Family | Marry and become a grandparent |
| Career | Level 10 in any career branch, or §100,000 earned by your own business with fully trained staff, plus the Entrepreneurial reward |
| Aspirations | One completed for the founder, one for the spouse and one for each child |
| Money | A home worth at least §100,000 and at least §200,000 in the bank |
For a harder run the rules suggest a bank goal of §500,000 or §1,000,000. Optional goals include both spouses at career level 10, three children and three grandchildren, and a family worth §1 million.
Free · no download · LifeSim
Skip money 0. Start broke for real.
Type who you are. LifeSim draws your character and starts their life on a real map, where every neighbor is an AI character with a job, a home and a memory of you.
Making money before you have a job
The thread's own list for earning before the job step:
- Collecting and selling what you find, the creator's main early income.
- Harvesting plants that grow in public.
- Painting at an easel on a public lot, and writing on library computers.
- Tips from comedy at the nightclub microphone or from public instruments.
- Video gaming and programming.
Extra household members beyond the spouse and children may not work or sell hobby items, and club earnings can't be kept until every main goal is done.
Other editions and community rules
SimishGamer also posted an "Updated" edition on the EA Forums in August 2021. It makes marriage and family optional, lets the founder be a teen to an elder, raises the noise fine to §1,000, adds a college goal (§2,000 for a degree without Discover University) and sets the bank goal at §1,000,000.
"Rags to Riches" is also used loosely for any save that starts on an empty lot with §0. The short version many players use: one Sim, an empty lot, money 0, no money cheats afterwards and a finish line you choose. Those are community rules with no single source, so write your goal down first. Versions that sell a starter house or begin with §1,000 are fan variants too.
Other creator-written §0 starts: the Legacy Challenge has an Extreme start, lilsimsie's Very Veggie Legacy Challenge begins on an empty lot with §0, and Mystic's Movin' On Up Challenge (City Living) starts in the cheapest San Myshuno apartment, unfurnished, and climbs to the Torendi Tower penthouse. The Mega Challenge names packs only as options, so it plays on the base game; see more base game challenges.
FAQ
What cheat sets your money to zero in The Sims 4?
Open the cheat console with Ctrl+Shift+C, enter testingcheats on, then money 0.
Can you get a job in Rags to Riches?
In SimishGamer's rules, only after you have built a home, own a bed, toilet, shower, sink, stove, counter, chair and fridge, and paid §1,000 for a degree. Looser community versions leave it to you.
Who created the Rags to Riches Challenge?
The name covers many rule sets. The most detailed one for The Sims 4 is SimishGamer's From Rags to Riches Mega Challenge, posted on Mod The Sims on March 18, 2015 and remade on June 14, 2025.
Does lifespan matter in Rags to Riches?
No. SimishGamer's rules allow any lifespan and even let you turn aging off so you can finish every goal.