Ever spent four real-world hours watching a Sim fail to grill a cheese sandwich without setting the kitchen on fire? Yeah. We've all been there. It’s part of the charm, sure, but sometimes you just want your Sim to be a world-class chef or a master violinist without the thousand-hour grind. Honestly, the sims 4 cheats pc skills system is basically a necessity if you’re trying to tell a specific story or just tired of seeing your Sim's "poorly seasoned" moodlets.
The thing is, it’s not just about typing one word. It’s a bit more finicky than the old "motherlode" days.
How to actually get started
First, you’ve gotta open the console. On PC, you’re hitting Ctrl + Shift + C all at once. A little white box pops up in the top left. This is where the magic happens. But wait—don't just start typing skill names yet. Most of the heavy lifting requires you to enable the "master" cheat first.
Type testingcheats true and hit enter.
If you don't see a message saying "Cheats are enabled," it didn't work. Sometimes background apps like Discord or screen recorders hijack those keys, so you might need to close them or try Ctrl + Shift + Windows + C. Once you're in, you’re ready to manipulate the very fabric of your Sim's reality.
The basic syntax you'll use
Most skill cheats follow a very specific pattern: stats.set_skill_level [SkillName] [Level].
You replace [SkillName] with the internal game code for that skill and [Level] with a number (usually 1–10). If you want to max out Charisma, you don't just type "Charisma." You have to use the game's secret language.
Sims 4 cheats pc skills for every expansion
The base game is easy, but as you add more packs, things get weird. The developers aren't always consistent with how they name things in the code. For example, the Fitness skill isn't "Major_Fitness"—it's just Skill_Fitness. Why? Nobody knows. It’s just one of those Sims quirks.
Here is how you handle the most common ones.
The Heavy Hitters (Base Game)
For most of these, you'll use the "Major" prefix. To max out Cooking, you’ll type stats.set_skill_level Major_HomestyleCooking 10. Note that it’s not just "Cooking." For Gardening, use Major_Gardening. For Writing, it’s Major_Writing. Guitar and Piano follow the same Major_Guitar and Major_Piano format.
If you're looking to make a Sim a genius, Major_Logic is your go-to. If you want them to be a jerk, go with Major_Mischief. It’s pretty straightforward once you get the rhythm of it.
Pack-Specific Skills
When you get into expansions, the names get more specific. If you have City Living, you’ll want Major_Singing. If you’re playing Vampires, you’ll use Major_PipeOrgan.
Discover University brought us Major_Robotics and Major_ResearchDebate. If your Sim is living their best life in Snowy Escape, use Major_RockClimbing, Major_Skiing, or Major_Snowboarding.
Lately, in 2026, players are still obsessed with the Businesses & Hobbies expansion. If you want to skip the apprenticeship, use stats.set_skill_level Major_Pottery 10 or stats.set_skill_level Major_Tattooing 10. These new skills allow you to open shops, so maxing them early is a huge shortcut to making bank.
The weird "Minor" skills and kids
Not every skill goes to 10. Some are considered "Minor" and only go up to level 5. If you try to set them to 10, the game just gets confused and usually does nothing.
- Dancing:
Minor_Dancing(Max 5) - Media Production:
Minor_Media(Max 5) - Entrepreneur:
Minor_Entrepreneur(Max 5) - Cross-stitch:
Skill_CrossStitch(Max 5)
Then there are the kids. Children and toddlers have their own entirely different skill sets. You can’t make a toddler a master of Gourmet Cooking (as funny as that would be).
For toddlers, the max is usually 5, except for Potty training which is 3. Use Skill_Toddler_Communication, Skill_Toddler_Imagination, Skill_Toddler_Movement, or Skill_Toddler_Thinking.
For children, use Skill_Child_Creativity, Skill_Child_Mental, Skill_Child_Motor, or Skill_Child_Social. All of these max out at 10.
Hidden skills you probably didn't know existed
There’s a whole sub-layer of "hidden" skills that don't even show up in your skill panel but affect how your Sim behaves. These are things like the Work Ethic skill or even how well a Sim handles a Juice Fizzing machine.
While you can technically cheat these, they’re mostly used by the game’s AI to determine success rates for background tasks. For most players, the visible skills are more than enough to handle.
One thing people get wrong often is the Retail skill from Get to Work. It’s not a standard skill you can just level up with a single code in the same way; it’s tied more to the perk system and hidden "Employee" stats. If you're trying to cheat your employees, you’re better off using a mod like UI Cheats Extension by Weerbesu, which lets you just right-click the skill bars.
Why your cheats might not be working
It happens to the best of us. You type the code, hit enter, and... nothing.
Usually, it's a typo. The game is incredibly picky about underscores and spaces. If you put a space between set_skill_level and the skill name, it fails. If you forget the underscore in Major_Charisma, it fails.
Also, make sure you are actually controlling the Sim you want to change. The cheat applies to the "active" Sim. If you have the mom selected but want to level up the son, you’re just going to make the mom a master of whatever code you just typed.
👉 See also: Finding the Citadelle des Morts Void Sword Code: What Most Players Miss
Lastly, check if you have any "Script Mods" disabled in your game options. While these cheats are native to the game, some players find that certain updates can bork the console's responsiveness if their settings aren't right.
Moving forward with your gameplay
Cheating skills changes the game's pace entirely. Instead of spending every waking moment practicing, your Sim can actually go out and live. Go to the festivals in San Myshuno. Start a drama-filled romance in Tartosa.
If you want to take it a step further, look into Aspiration Rewards. Perks like "Savant" or "Night Owl" help you gain skills faster naturally if you feel like "pure" cheating takes the fun out of it.
To keep your game running smoothly after a big cheating session:
- Save your game immediately after applying codes. Sometimes the UI takes a second to catch up.
- Check your Sim’s career. If they suddenly have Level 10 in a skill required for their job, they’ll likely get promoted the very next time they go to work.
- Don't overdo it. Maxing every single skill on one Sim can sometimes make the game feel a bit hollow, as there's nothing left for them to "learn."
Use these codes to bypass the boring stuff so you can get back to the actual storytelling. Whether you're building a dynasty or just making a chaotic household of 8 master criminals, knowing your way around the cheat console is the ultimate power move.