LifeSim
Play

Updated October 15, 2026

The Sims 4 Legacy Challenge rules

The Sims 4 Legacy Challenge by Pinstar: 10 generations, §1,800 to start, succession laws, and 100 points of scoring. How to start and tips.

Lifesim, Inc.

What is the Sims 4 Legacy Challenge?

The Legacy Challenge asks you to play one family for 10 generations. You start with one young adult Sim on an empty lot and §1,800. Succession laws pick each heir, and a score sheet gives up to 100 points.

A player called Pinstar made the challenge in the time of The Sims 2. Sims Community says that the Broke family of The Sims 2 gave Pinstar the idea. The official rules are on simslegacychallenge.com, with rules for The Sims 2, 3, and 4. We read the Sims 4 pages on October 15, 2026.

What are the core rules?

RuleWhat the official site says
Length10 full generations of one family
FounderOne young adult, alone in the household
Start money§1,800, or §0 for an extreme start
LotAn empty lot of any size; the family never moves
LifespanNormal
Cheats and modsNone that give an advantage; cosmetic content is fine
SpousesTownies, who bring no money into the family
Anti-agingEach Sim can use one anti-aging item once

You can restart only after a crash or a bug. Bad events stay. The site bans the Money Tree reward and the Lottery holiday. MC Command Center is allowed only to raise the household size limit.

How do succession laws work?

You pick one law from each of three groups before you start. You cannot change them later. The gender law and the bloodline law decide which children can be heir. The heir law then picks one of them.

  • Gender law: Matriarchy, Patriarchy, or Equality. Each has a strict form. Strict Equality switches the gender of the heir each generation.
  • Bloodline law: Strict Traditional, Traditional, Modern, Foster, or Strict Foster. These decide if born or adopted children qualify.
  • Heir law: First Born, Last Born, Living Will, Merit, Strength, Random, Exemplar, Democracy, Magical Bloodline, or Magical Strength.

The title can move between children for a time. It locks when the old heir dies, or when the new heir has a child who can be the next heir. The laws are not in the game, so write them down.

How does Legacy Challenge scoring work?

The score sheet has 10 categories. Each one is worth up to 10 points, for 100 in total.

  • Family: one point for each heir who becomes a young adult.
  • Creative: honor the heir and spouse with songs, portraits, books, or photos.
  • Fortune: reach a household value, from §75,000 for one point to §5,700,000 for ten.
  • Love: one point for every 3 new traits that primary spouses bring in.
  • Knowledge: max out skills, up to every skill in the game.
  • Athletic: complete aspirations, one point for every four.
  • Nature: finish collections, reach the top of careers, and see Sims die in different ways.
  • Food: reach cooking goals, such as a top-quality Baked Alaska.
  • Popularity: win medals at parties and on dates.
  • Deviance: keep unused Potions of Youth in the house, 2 for one point and 20 for ten.

Some packs add optional points, and harder starts give bonus points. You lose one point each time the power or the water is cut for unpaid bills. You also lose one point for each child that social services takes.

How do you start a Legacy Challenge?

  1. Make the founder in Create a Sim as a young adult. Pick the last name with care; every heir keeps it.
  2. Choose your three succession laws.
  3. Move the founder onto an empty lot in any world.
  4. Open the cheat box with Ctrl + Shift + C. Type testingcheats true, then money 1800. Turn testing cheats off.
  5. Write your laws in the Family Notes of the household, so you see them when you load the save.
  6. Set the lifespan to Normal in the game options.
  7. Get a job and start to earn money.

The site also points to a starter lot, Legacy Lawn Living, in the Gallery. Search for the creator Pinstar1161. For more cheat codes, read our list of Sims 4 cheats.

What tips help in a Legacy Challenge?

  • Take odd jobs on day one. The official money guide puts them first.
  • Dig for collectibles, garden with free seeds from wild plants, and fish. They cost nothing to start.
  • Write novels on a free library computer. The income grows with the writing skill.
  • Avoid costly hobbies early, such as music or content creation. The site gives this advice.
  • Pay the bills on time. A cut to the power or water costs a point.
  • Merge each new spouse into another household first, so the spouse brings no money.
  • Save Potions of Youth. Each unused potion helps the Deviance score.

What versions of the Legacy Challenge are there?

The official site has an extreme start with §0, which gives one bonus point. With Get Together, you can start on a 64 x 64 lot in Windenburg. With Get Famous, an Ultra Extreme start takes Chateau Peak and gives two bonus points. Owners of Get to Work can add an optional species law for alien heirs.

Not So Berry is a different challenge. Kayla (lilsimsie) and Zoë (alwaysimming) made it. It also lasts 10 generations, but each heir has a color, set traits, a career, and an aspiration. See both in our list of Sims 4 challenges.

Where does LifeSim fit?

LifeSim is a free life sim in your browser set on a real map of Earth, where people talk back in your own words. It follows one life, not 10 generations, and it has no score sheet. Read about the life simulator, or find mods for your legacy family in the Sims 4 mods guide.

Questions

Who created the Legacy Challenge?

Pinstar. The rules first appeared on Sims 2 forums.

Do I need expansion packs?

No. The FAQ says packs are not required. Some packs add optional points and starts.

Can I have pets?

Yes. The FAQ says pets have no rules and give no points.

Can I control the spouses and the other children?

Yes. The FAQ says you can control any Sim in the legacy house.

Is the Legacy Challenge the same as Not So Berry?

No. Not So Berry is a separate challenge with colors and set careers.

More Sims guides

Sources

New to life sims? Read what a life simulator is.

Keep reading

All posts