Today, EA released its latest The Sims 4 Laundry List development blog, detailing a massive free update scheduled that is scheduled to release on May 12, 2026, which includes over 150 fixes and new features.
Many of the changes coming with the upcoming patch will address key quality-of-life features that fans have been providing feedback on for some time. A major new category for layering clothes (e.g., binders, undershirts) called Base Layers is coming to Create-a-Sim, featuring over 380 variants to improve fashion and gender expression.
Infant and Toddler design is getting a complete overhaul, adding new playmats, increased feeding and care speeds, menu toggle buttons, and diapers that automatically go into nearby trash cans rather than on the floor. Sim autonomy and sleep also undergo some changes.
While sleeping and cuddling, you’ll see a new interaction that lets romantic partners sleep together without leaving bed. Autonomy-reduction improvements include reducing the frequency of dancing (about once per Sim-day) and removing the feature that lets Sims drink water autonomously.
Maxis will implement six fixes to resolve cases of photos and paintings losing textures, better known as the black photo bug, and has increased backup save frequency to improve data security.
This is just the first step in a series of updates planned to improve the quality of life in The Sims 4 in 2026, with the September through December timeframes set to focus on improving dining and eating/drinking logic and strengthening family trees and relationship tracking. An official developer livestream is set to take place on May 6, 2026, at 10 AM PT on The Sims Twitch channel to detail even more of the planned upcoming changes.
For more of the latest news on The Sims 4, check out the Adventure Awaits Expansion Pack and the free update that came with it.
