The Sims 4’s new update could burn your house down

Firestarter

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

The Sims4 has a fire problem, as more and more users report random and uncontrollable infernos starting out of nowhere.

These complaints began to surface when The Sims 4 went free to play afterThe Sims 5was announced. These aren’t empty threats, either: many have found that entire rooms or houses have been burnt to a crisp, thanks to this bug. The repair costs are putting a real strain on many Simmers’ lives.

It’s all gone quite dark, with some players saying goodbye to beloved sims after entire families were trapped in house fires. I’m sure this is not the start EA wanted in The Sims 4’s new free to play chapter.

Buggy flames

At the center of all these house fires is the fear of fire trait. Introduced in the Wants and Fears update back in August, Sims now have a series of desires they’re aiming for but also deep-seated fears based on negative experiences.

If a sim starts a fire accidentally or is burned while cooking, they can develop a fear of fire. The knock-on impact is that they become more likely to start fires by mistake. It’s a vicious circle, especially as the bug seems to turn fire-fearing sims into something just shy of pyromaniacs. Every time they engage with fire, it will cause the immediate vicinity to be engulfed in flames. This seems counterproductive to me, surely someone with a fear of fire would be extra careful not to start one.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be the case. Users have reported fires in the kitchen, garden, andeven the bathroom. Many people are forced to feed their sims salad and fruit to avoid the oven altogether.

The Wants and Fears update has been causing trouble for a while now. But, the problem seems to be worsened by something in the Sims 4’s free to play update-play. Now the fear of fire trait seems to be popping up more often.

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

Healing flames

Luckily, there are several ways to fix this problem. Some users have found that by forcing their sims to extinguish a fire, the fear will dissipate, and their house will be flameproof once more.

Others have suggested looking at the rewards store and purchasing a fear-be-gone potion. This neat little drink will extinguish any fears your sim may have. And as there are no microtransactions in The Sims 4, you won’t be paying for this with real money.

Finally, the last way to get rid of your sims’ fear of fire is to disable fears completely. Many have found the Fears and Wants update to be taxing on their supposedly carefree Sim experience, as it deals more damage than good. So you can download aRemove Fears Cheatand other individual Fears to be done with this firey mess once and for all.

Elie is a Features Writer for TechRadar Gaming, here to write about anything new or slightly weird. Before writing for TRG, Elie studied for a Masters at Cardiff University JOMEC in International Journalism and Documentaries – spending their free time filming short docs or editing the gaming section for their student publications.

Elie’s first step into gaming was through Pokémon but they’ve taken the natural next step in the horror genre. Any and every game that would keep you up at night is on their list to play - despite the fact that one of Elie’s biggest fears is being chased.

I reviewed the PS5 Pro and recommend these 7 enhanced games to try first

Valve just single-handedly upgraded content creation for PC gamers – Steam’s Game Recording feature is now available to all

Latest Google Pixel update includes surprise launch of Android 15’s best battery feature