Fears and Desires – a relatively new mechanic in The Sims 4, introduced with the release of update 1.90.358 on July 26, 2022. This mechanic replicates a similar system that was implemented in the second installment of the iconic series. However, players had more questions than anticipations.

How Fears Work in The Sims 4

In The Sims 2, fears actually influenced the gameplay and made it more interesting. A Sim's life had to experience a real tragedy or at least a significant event: the death of a loved one, rejection at a wedding, theft of property, and much more. Fulfilling fears affected a Sim's life success and character's reputation. An especially unlucky Sim, whose fears were constantly fulfilled, could even go insane. This even affected the manner of their death – with two attractive girls in Hawaiian costumes or a quiet, unknown death.

What adds depth to the system is that the Sim worries about what really matters to them. They worry about loved ones, about problems that could realistically arise in their life. For example, if there's been an expired juice box sitting in the room for a while, the character will worry about cockroaches appearing. The start of the winter season is a reason to be concerned about the possibility of getting sick.

In The Sims 4, developers took a different path. They replaced fears and desires with a whims system. These are the three thought bubbles above the character's portrait that most players simply ignored. They brought in little happiness points (Satisfaction Points) and didn't have the same significance as wishes in The Sims 2 and The Sims 3. In the fourth installment, your character could go through their entire life with a perpetual smile without fulfilling a single wish. Plus, whims were insignificant: watering a plant, jogging on a treadmill, taking a shower, and so on, with the most significant being getting a promotion.

Now, Sims 4 characters' fears are based on how they spend their day. If a Sim hasn't received a job promotion for a while, they'll get the Tense moodlet and fear of a dead-end job. It doesn't matter that your character is not a workaholic, but rather lazy. It also doesn't matter that you just got a promotion a couple of days ago, and the next career level is far away. Sims have become too insatiable, and their fears are obsessive.

This didn't sit well with many players. Fears consumed a lot of in-game time but had absolutely no impact. You just needed to go to work, perform a specific action, and the fear would disappear, temporarily replaced by a positive moodlet. Then it would reappear, and the cycle continued. The process became repetitive, and constantly catering to the character's whims was exhausting. Even significant fears like fear of death were resolved with a simple conversation with another Sim, without any further consequences.

Next, we will detail how each fear appears, how to get rid of them, and how to completely disable the mechanic.

All Fears in The Sims 4 and How to Overcome Them

Fear of the Dark

When it appears: A regular Sim was frightened by an occult character during the dark hours – a vampire, werewolf, or ghost.

How to overcome it: Go outside during the dark hours while in a Confident mood.

Fear of Swimming

When it appears: The character had any negative experience while swimming. For example, experiencing discomfort and swimming with low energy.

How to overcome it: Swim for one hour while in a Confident mood.

Fear of Fire

When it appears: The character experienced a fire or witnessed one.

How to overcome it: Successfully extinguish a fire on your own.

Fear of Death

When it appears: The character witnessed a death.

How to overcome it: Talk about the fear with any other character and receive support.

Fear of Being Judged

When it appears: If a Sim becomes a victim of malicious actions from another character.

How to overcome it: Perform the "Work out differences" action with the Sim you had a conflict with.

Fear of Infidelity

When it appears: The Sim has had unsatisfactory WooHoo experiences, hasn't interacted with their partner for a while, and hasn't engaged in romantic actions.

How to overcome it: Talk to your partner, use romantic interactions, and get closer.

Fear of a Dead-End Job

When it appears: The Sim hasn't received a job promotion for a while.

How to overcome it: Go to work and choose "Regain passion for job" from the action panel.

Fear of Crowded Places

When it appears: The Sim ends up in a location with too many characters.

How to overcome it: Act cheerful in a place with many characters.

Fear of School Events (for schoolchildren)

When it appears: If the character had an unpleasant experience during extracurricular activities.

How to overcome it: Attend after-school activities while in a Confident mood.

Fear of Unfinished Homework (for schoolchildren)

When it appears: The character didn't complete homework on time.

How to overcome it: Complete homework while in a Confident mood.

Fear of Failing Exams (for schoolchildren)

When it appears: Poor performance in school or previously failed tests.

How to overcome it: Go to school in a Confident mood and take the test.

Fear of Failing Classes (for schoolchildren)

When it appears: The Sim has been skipping classes for a long time.

How to overcome it: Attend classes in a Confident mood.

Fear of Disappointing Parents (for schoolchildren)

When it appears: The schoolchild (child or teenager) has the truant status and has failed school tests multiple times.

How to overcome it: Discuss parents' expectations.

Fear of Unfulfilled Dreams

When it appears: The Sim hasn't fulfilled their wishes for a long time.

How to overcome it: Fulfill any of the Sim's available wishes.

Fear of Ghosts

When it appears: The character was frightened by a ghost.

How to overcome it: Fight with the ghost, preferably in a Confident mood.

Fear of Cowplants

When it appears: The Sim was swallowed and spat out by a Cowplant.

How to overcome it: Milk the Cowplant in a Confident mood.

Fear of Failure

When it appears: The Sim created a low-quality forgery or performed poorly in a task.

How to overcome it: Create a high-quality forgery, showcase it to another Sim, and receive praise.

How to Remove Fears

Using a Potion

To instantly remove fears without completely disabling the game function, open the rewards store and purchase the "Fear-Be-Gone" Potion for 300 points. The potion will appear in the character's inventory – drink it.

Through Game Settings

You can completely disable the wishes and fears system in the settings. To do this, go to the "Gameplay" section and uncheck the option labeled "Show Wants & Fears."

Using the "Disable All Fears" Mod

An alternative option if you want to completely remove all fears without disabling the mechanism through in-game settings or removing wishes. You can download the mod on our website.

These are all the methods available for removing fears in The Sims 4. Use the one that suits your gameplay best.