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Learn more about Ghost powers, needs, and how to become a Ghost in The Sims 4.
Ghost Sims
Ghosts are Sims that have left the world of the living and now exist in their spectral form. You’ll find free-roaming Ghosts in-game, but you can choose to play as a Ghost too. Ghosts come with The Sims 4 Base Game. Ghosts fade away over time. When this starts to happen, a notification appears saying the Ghost is Moving On. To stop it, select the Ghost’s urn or tombstone and choose the Strengthen Connection interaction to have them stick around. To get a Ghost to Move On, select their urn or tombstone and choose Release Spirit to the Netherworld. If you choose this option you can’t bring this Ghost back.Who can be a Ghost in The Sims 4
- Elder, Adult, Young Adult, Teen, and Child Sims.
- All Occult types.
- Elder Cats and Elder Dogs if you own The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs Expansion Pack.
- Elder Horses if you own The Sims 4 Horse Ranch Expansion Pack.
How to turn into a Ghost in The Sims 4
When your Sim dies, a pop-up appears with two options.- Become a Playable Ghost: they’ll still be part of the Household.
- Become a Freeroaming Ghost: they’ll no longer be part of the Household, and they’ll haunt the Lot where their urn or tombstone is located.
- Want to switch to be a Playable Ghost? Select Add Ghost to Household on the Sim’s urn or tombstone.
Make a Ghost in Create a Sim
- 1Create any Sim.
- 2Select Pick a Cause of Death! in the top left of the Sim Molecule.
- 3Choose a Cause of Death for your Sim.
- You’ll only see deaths available to you based on the Packs you own.
- Some deaths are age-specific. For example, only Elders can experience Death by Old Age.
- 4Select Toggle Ghost Overlay to switch between what your Sim looks like as a living or Ghost Sim.
- If you have The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack, select the Ghost Full Body category to see outfits that are only available for Ghosts.
Tombstones and urns
All Ghost Sims have an urn or tombstone. You’ll usually find it near where the Sim died. For Ghost Sims created in Create a Sim, you’ll find their urn or tombstone in their Personal Inventory. Interactions on a Sim’s urn or tombstone:- Mourn Past Life
- Possess
- Display As: change the appearance of an urn or tombstone
- Leave Sugar Skull Offering
- Engrave Epitaph: enter a personal note
- Read Epitaph
- Put in Inventory
- Add Ghost to Household
- Turn on auto-switch: By default, the game switches between a tombstone when outside and an urn when inside. De-select turn on auto-switch to turn that off.
- Return to the Netherworld: The tomb or urn remains, but the Ghost Sim will pass over to the Netherworld. They’ll no longer be available as a Freeroaming or Playable Ghost.
- Plan Funeral
- Light Candle
- Recognize Familiar Name: only available for Rebirthed Sims on their old urn or tombstone
- Move Onto the Great Beyond: only available if you reach the No Regrets tier of a Sim’s Soul’s Journey.
Ghost needs
A Ghost’s needs are a little different from a regular Sim. Here’s what replaces a living Sim’s needs when they pass over to the afterworld.- Goo Waste replaces the Bladder need.
- Ethereal Sustenance replaces the Hunger need.
- Otherworldly Slumber replaces the Energy need.
- Spooky Diversions replaces the Fun need.
- Ethereal Bonding replaces the Social need.
- Apparition Cleansing replaces the Hygiene need.
Ghost Sims change color depending on their mood.
| Mood | Color | ||
| Asleep | Navy Blue | ||
| Angry | Red | ||
| Bored | Gray | ||
| Confident | Blue | ||
| Dazed | Light Purple | ||
| Embarrassed | Yellow | ||
| Energized | Lime | ||
| Fine | White | ||
| Flirty | Pink | ||
| Focused | Dark Purple | ||
| Happy | Green | ||
| Inspired | Turquoise | ||
| Playful | Magenta | ||
| Sad | Dark Blue | ||
| Scared | Dark Purple | ||
| Tense | Light Orange | ||
| Uncomfortable | Orange |
- 1Self-select the Ghost Sim and choose Set Ghost Color to open the color options.
- 2Select the Enable Mood Color checkbox for them to continue changing color per their mood.
Ghost powers
Like other Occults in The Sims 4, Ghosts have special powers. Ghost Abilities are linked to their Cause of Death. Some of these are in the Base Game, and others come with Expansion or Game Packs. The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack comes with expanded content for Ghosts, including Ghost powers.If your Sim becomes a Ghost after they die, their ghostly Abilities are based on how they died. For more info on death types and all the ways to trigger them, check out our guide to deaths in The Sims 4.
- Consumed by the Mother: Their needs don’t decay, they can possess plants to decrease their quality, and can possess objects covered in vines to remove them. This death is included with The Sims 4 Strangerville Game Pack.
- Death by Anger: They’ll be prone to random outbursts of rage, making all nearby Sims angry too. This death is included in The Sims 4 Base Game.
- Death by Beetles: They don’t get scared in a Lot with the Haunted House Lot Trait. This death is included with The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle Expansion Pack.
- Death by Being Crushed by a Murphy Bed: These Ghosts can’t sleep in beds or sleeping bags. Instead, to fill their Energy need, they steal it from other Sims by possessing them. This causes the Sim to pass out or even die of overexertion if they’re an Elder. They’ll have the Warn about Bed Safety and Wake up and Warn! interactions. This death is included with The Sims 4 Tiny Living Stuff Pack.
- Death by Broken Heart: They’ll have the Furious Moodlet when they’re around Sims performing Romantic interactions. They’ll autonomously perform Mean interactions on Sim couples. This death is included with The Sims 4 Lovestruck Expansion Pack.
- Death by Cowplant: When they’re happy, they can help make plants grow and mature faster. If they’re angry, they can choke plants with weeds and make them decay in quality, potentially killing them. This death is included in The Sims 4 Base Game.
- Death by Drowning: They’re afraid of water, and when they move, puddles appear. This death is included in The Sims 4 Base Game.
- Death by Electrocution: They can give Sims an electric shock. If they’re angry, they can possess electronic Items and break them. This death is included in The Sims 4 Base Game.
- Death by Embarrassment: They’ll frequently remember the embarrassing way they died and become embarrassed all over again. This death is included in The Sims 4 Base Game.
- Death by Fire: They’ll start random fires all over the Lot, and if you’re playing them as the active Sim, you can direct them to start fires too. This death is included in The Sims 4 Base Game.
- Death by Flies: They’ll always be successful when bonding with flies. This death is included with The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle Expansion Pack.
- Death by Freezing: They can kill Sims by freezing them, cool down hot Sims, and extinguish fires. This death is included with The Sims 4 Seasons Expansion Pack.
- Death by Hunger: They’ll frequently raid the fridge for food, their Hunger need will decay quicker, and they can eat when they’re full. This death is included in The Sims 4 Base Game.
- Death by Killer Chicken: They’ll autonomously scare chickens on the Lot. This death is included with The Sims 4 Cottage Living Expansion Pack.
- Death by Killer Rabbit: They’ll autonomously scare rabbits on the Lot. This death is included with The Sims 4 Cottage Living Expansion Pack.
- Death by Laughter: They’ll often have the Playful moodlet and make nearby Sims Playful too. This death is included in The Sims 4 Base Game.
- Death by Lightning: They emit sparks. This death is included with The Sims 4 Seasons Expansion Pack.
- Death by Mold: They can Summon Allergic Mold and use the Fungal Overgrowth interaction outside to spawn harvestable mushrooms. Other interactions include Spoil Food and Blow Fertilizing Spores on plants which increases their quality, and the Confide interaction with plants which increases their Social need. They can’t eat mushrooms and have an Angry Moodlet when they see other Sims eating them, lowering their relationship with that Sim. This death is included with The Sims 4 For Rent Expansion Pack.
- Death by Meteorite: They’ll sometimes reenact their death, leaving the ground covered in soot. This death is included in The Sims 4 Base Game.
- Death by Murder: They can still use the Provoke interaction on a Crow, but they won’t be able to do it as often. This death is included with The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack.
- Death by Old Age: Like Death by Overexertion, this death only happens to Elder Sims. If they die in this way, as Ghosts they’ll nap a lot. This death is included in The Sims 4 Base Game.
- Death by Overexertion: This death can only happen to Elder Sims. If they die in this way, as Ghosts they’ll nap a lot. This death is included in The Sims 4 Base Game.
- Death by Overheating: They’ll seek out ways to cool down, like drinking water and swimming. These Ghosts can use the Sabotage interaction on a sauna and have the Warm Up Sim interaction which can kill the Sim. This death is included with The Sims 4 Seasons Expansion Pack.
- Death by Poison: They’ll often burp, which causes other Sims around them to pass out. This death is included with The Sims 4 Jungle Adventure Game Pack.
- Death by Rabid Rodent Fever: They’ll have the Spread Rodent Fear interaction which causes all nearby Sims to flee. If they drink the Rabid Innoculation Serum, they’ll look like a regular Ghost. This death is included with The Sims 4 My First Pet Stuff Pack.
- Death by Steam: They can absorb puddles of water to hydrate themselves and can use the Sabotage interaction on the sauna. This death is included with The Sims 4 Spa Day Game Pack.
- Death by Stink Capsule: They’ll autonomously use the Defuse Prank interaction on objects. This death is included with The Sims 4 High School Years Expansion Pack.
- Death by Urban Myth: They’ll become scared when they use a mirror and will autonomously use the Defuse Prank interaction on objects. This death is included with The Sims 4 High School Years Expansion Pack.
- Death by Vending Machine: They’ll always be crushed by the vending machine when they perform the Shake interaction and will have a Scared moodlet. This death is included with The Sims 4 Snowy Escape Expansion Pack.
Ghost Mastery
The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack adds powers for Ghost Sims. Ghostly powers are fueled by Stamina. If a Ghost Sim’s Stamina bar gets too low, wait for it to refill before using their powers again. When a Ghost’s Stamina is low, they’ll have a more faded appearance, but they’ll return to their full vibrancy once their Stamina is recharged. You’ll find the Stamina bar in the Simology Panel by selecting the head icon in the bottom right of Live Mode. The blue bar encircling the pink and blue nexus is a Ghost’s Stamina bar. Hover over it to get more info about a Ghost Sim’s current Stamina level.You’ll also find the Ghost Mastery Panel in the Simology Panel. Using Ghostly Abilities will earn Ghost Sims experience, and they’ll move up in their Ghost Mastery level. Progressing through the levels earns Perk Points they can spend on more Ghost Mastery Abilities. The Ghost Mastery Panel is split into three sections.- Evil (left of the Mastery Panel)
- Neutral (middle of the Mastery Panel)
- Good (right of the Mastery Panel)
- Level 1: Wispling
- Level 2: Ethereal Novice
- Level 3: Phantasmal Ascendant
- Level 4: Spectral Luminary
- Level 5: Transcendent Wraith.
- Evil Ghosts: the Mark of Evil Ghost tattoo.
- Good Ghosts: the Mark of Good tattoo.