Copperdale is a vibe. Between the neon lights of the pier and the absolute chaos of the cafeteria, it’s arguably one of the most immersive worlds Maxis has dropped in years. But let’s be real. Living through puberty a second time in a digital simulation is exhausting. If you’re tired of your Sim failing exams because they were too busy "Trendi-ing" or if you just want to be the Prom Royalty without putting in the actual legwork, you need a shortcut. Using Sims 4 High School Years cheats isn't just about breaking the game; it’s about making the game actually playable on your own terms.
Before you start messing with the fabric of reality, remember the golden rule: testingcheats true. Type it into the console. If you're on a PC/Mac, hit Ctrl + Shift + C. Console players, you’re hitting all four shoulders (L1+L2+R1+R2 or LB+LT+RB+RT). Once that "Cheats are Enabled" message pops up, you're the god of Copperdale High.
Fast-Tracking Your High School Career
Graduating early is the dream, right? In the base game, you’re stuck waiting for that final notification, but with the right strings of code, you can basically hand your Sim a diploma whenever you feel like it.
If you want to jump straight to being a straight-A student, use careers.promote highschool. It’s simple. It works. It gets you closer to that sweet, sweet graduation ceremony. But what if you want to be a dropout? Or maybe you want to skip the "teen" struggle entirely? You can use traits.equip_trait trait_hsexit_graduate_early to instantly give your Sim that early graduate status. This isn’t just a cosmetic change; it unlocks the ability to enroll in University early or jump into full-time careers while your peers are still struggling with pre-calculus.
Sometimes the game glitches. You know the drill. You study, you show up, you do the homework, and the grade bar just... stays red. It’s annoying. In these cases, forcing the promotion via the console is basically just a bug fix. Honestly, I’ve had to do it more times than I’d like to admit because the autonomous "mess around" interaction kept overriding my Sim’s study sessions.
Dominating Extracurriculars and After-School Activities
The High School Years expansion added some pretty specific career tracks for teens: Cheer Team, Football Team, Chess Club, and Computer Team. They’re fine, but the grind to reach the top rank can take up your Sim's entire social life.
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If you want to be the captain of the football team without throwing a single pass, the command is careers.promote career_Volunteer_HighSchool_Football. Swap out "Football" for "CheerTeam", "ChessClub", or "ComputerTeam" to hit the top tier of those respective paths.
- Football Team:
careers.promote career_Volunteer_HighSchool_Football - Cheer Team:
careers.promote career_Volunteer_HighSchool_CheerTeam - Chess Club:
careers.promote career_Volunteer_HighSchool_ChessClub - Computer Team:
careers.promote career_Volunteer_HighSchool_ComputerTeam
Reaching the top level isn't just for bragging rights. It unlocks specific objects and social interactions that you can't get elsewhere. Plus, it looks great on a college application if you have the Discover University pack installed.
The Social Ladder: Traits and Reputation
Social Bunny is a nightmare. There, I said it. It’s a cool concept, but keeping up with the constant posts to gain followers is a full-time job. While there isn't a direct "Give me 1 million Social Bunny followers" button, you can cheat the traits that make your Sim naturally more popular.
The "Reward Store" traits are usually the way to go here, but High School Years added some specific ones related to how your Sim interacted with their peers. Use traits.equip_trait trait_Reward_HSExit_HeroOfCopperdale to give your Sim the "Hero of Copperdale" trait. This makes them a local legend. On the flip side, if you want to be the "Icon" of the school, use traits.equip_trait trait_Icon.
Have you ever noticed how some Sims just have that "it" factor? It’s usually hidden flags in the code. You can also manipulate the new "Shortcuts" to friendship. If you Shift + Click a Sim with cheats enabled, you can "Modify Relationships" and just slide that bar all the way to the right. It’s way faster than spamming "Deep Thoughts" or "Enthuse about Hobbies" for three in-game hours.
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Dealing with the New Death Types and Ghosts
Look, it happens. Sometimes your Sim dies of a broken heart, or more likely, from the new urban legend prank. If you want to bring someone back—or if you just want to turn your Sim into a ghost for the aesthetic—you can use trait cheats for that too.
The "Death by Urban Legend" is a weird one. If you want to turn a Sim into a ghost that specifically died this way, use traits.equip_trait trait_Ghost_UrbanLegend. They’ll have a spooky, static-like aura. If you’re feeling more traditional and want to reverse a death, traits.remove_trait [trait name] is your best friend. Just find the specific ghost trait they have and delete it. Boom. Living Sim.
Thrift Store and Trendi Hacks
The Thriftea shop is probably my favorite addition to the pack, but the inventory rotates slowly. If you’re hunting for a specific "Depop-style" look and it’s not showing up, there’s no direct "refresh" cheat, but you can use the bb.showhiddenobjects and bb.showliveeditobjects commands in Build/Buy mode to find almost any clothing rack or display item.
For the entrepreneurs, making money on Trendi is mostly about "Hype." While you can't directly cheat the hype of an outfit, you can cheat your Sim’s Entrepreneur Skill. Use stats.set_skill_level Major_Entrepreneur 5. This maxes out the skill, meaning your outfits will sell for way more Simoleons and your business pitches will actually succeed.
Secret Reward Traits and How to Get Them
There are a few "hidden" traits that come with graduation. Depending on how you performed, you might end up with something that helps you for the rest of your Sim’s life.
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- Overachiever:
traits.equip_trait trait_HSExit_Overachiever. This makes your Sim better at basically every career. - Valedictorian:
traits.equip_trait trait_HSExit_Valedictorian. This is the big one. It provides a massive boost to career performance and salary. - High School Dropout:
traits.equip_trait trait_HSExit_Dropout. It sounds bad, but it’s great for storytelling. It limits certain careers until you get an online diploma.
Using these Sims 4 High School Years cheats allows you to skip the repetitive "Go to class, sit in chair, eat lunch, go to class" loop. You can focus on the drama. The prom proposals. The sneaking out. The things that actually make the pack fun.
Actionable Tips for Using Cheats Effectively
Don't just spam every code in the book. It can break your save file or at least make the game feel hollow.
First, back up your save. Seriously. Especially before messing with career promotions or trait removals.
Second, use cheats to enhance the story. Maybe your Sim is a "nepotism baby" who cheated their way to Valedictorian—that’s a fun storyline!
Third, if you’re on a console, remember that enabling cheats disables Trophies/Achievements for that specific save file forever. If you’re a completionist, you might want to keep a "clean" save and a "chaos" save.
To get the most out of your high school experience, try combining these cheats with the teleportsim command (Shift + Click on the ground). It’s the easiest way to get to your locker on time when the pathfinding AI decides to take the long way around the football field.
Now that you've got the keys to Copperdale, go ahead and promote yourself to Prom Royalty. You've earned it—or at least, your keyboard has.