When does a burglar come in The Sims 4?
Sims 4 burglar: when one comes, and the exact odds
Once a week, The Sims 4 books one burglar check for your home. It succeeds 15% of the time, or 7.5% once anyone in the household has a friend. Until your EA account has had a burglar, the chance is ×9,999, so the first one is certain. Each missed check raises the next, up to 75%.
The burglar in The Sims 4 is not a random nightly event. Once a week, on its Wednesday planning pass, the game books one burglar check for your household. When the check runs, it rolls against a chance that starts at 10% and is always multiplied by 1.5, so a plain check succeeds 15% of the time.
The game also keeps a flag on your EA account, not in your save, called FirstTimeBurglar. Until it is set, the chance is multiplied by 9,999, which the game caps at 100%. That is why every new player meets a burglar early, and why it happens only once per account.
- 15%Chance of a weekly burglar check
- 100%Your account's first burglar
- 75%Top chance after missed checks
Every multiplier on the burglar check
| Condition | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Your EA account has never had a burglar (no FirstTimeBurglar flag) | ×9,999 |
| Someone in the active household has friendship of −20 or less with any Sim | ×1.2 |
| Someone in the active household has friendship of 35 or more with any Sim | ×0.5 |
| The property is worth more than §100,000 | ×2 |
| The property is worth §20,000 or less | ×0.75 |
| The lot's missed-check counter is exactly 2 | ×2 |
| The lot's missed-check counter is exactly 3 | ×3 |
| The lot's missed-check counter is exactly 4 | ×4 |
| The lot's missed-check counter is exactly 5 | ×5 |
| Always (no condition) | ×1.5 |
The chance week by week, after a burglar
| Week | No friends, ordinary home | Someone has a friend (35+) | Home worth more than §100,000 | Home worth §20,000 or less |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15% | 7.5% | 30% | 11.25% |
| 2 | 30% | 15% | 60% | 22.5% |
| 3 | 45% | 22.5% | 90% | 33.75% |
| 4 | 60% | 30% | 100% | 45% |
| 5 | 75% | 37.5% | 100% | 56.25% |
| 6 | 15% | 7.5% | 30% | 11.25% |
Cooldowns after a visit
| When | No new burglar for |
|---|---|
| After a burglar visit | 14 Sim days |
| After a visit, on a Heist Havoc lot | 3 Sim days |
| After your Sim wins a fight with the burglar | 21 Sim days |
| After the police officer wins the fight | 28 Sim days |
On a lot with the Heist Havoc lot trait, the check runs every day at 50%, with no multipliers.
Why burglars come in streaks
Your lot keeps a hidden counter of missed checks. It starts at 1 and goes up by one each time a check books no burglar. At exactly 2, 3, 4 and 5 it multiplies the chance by the same number, so a home that has been skipped for a while gets 30%, then 45%, 60% and 75%.
The bonus only applies at those exact values. After a fifth miss the counter passes 5 and the chance falls back to 15%. When a burglar is booked, the counter is removed and the climb starts again.
What makes a burglar less likely
Friends help. If anyone in your household has a friendship of 35 or more with any Sim, the chance is halved, so a settled household rolls 7.5% instead of 15%. A cheap home helps too: a property worth §20,000 or less multiplies the chance by 0.75. An enemy does the opposite (friendship of −20 or less with anyone, ×1.2), and so does an expensive home: more than §100,000 doubles it.
After a visit, a hidden cooldown stops the next booking for 14 days. If your Sim wins a fight with the burglar it is 21 days, and 28 days if the police officer wins the fight. You can also turn burglar visits off in the game options with Allow Burglar Visits.
The Heist Havoc lot trait
A lot with the Heist Havoc trait works on a faster clock. It books a burglar check every day instead of once a week, the check rolls 50% with no multipliers, and the cooldown after a visit is only 3 days.
Questions
Is the first burglar in The Sims 4 guaranteed?
Yes. Until your EA account has had a burglar, the burglar check is multiplied by 9,999 and capped at 100%. The flag is saved to your account, so a new save on the same account does not get a second guaranteed burglar.
How do I stop burglars in The Sims 4?
Turn off Allow Burglar Visits in the game options. In play, make a friend: friendship of 35 or more with any Sim halves the chance. A home worth §20,000 or less lowers it to 0.75 times.
Do expensive houses get more burglars in The Sims 4?
Yes. A property worth more than §100,000 doubles the chance of each burglar check, from 15% to 30%. With a few missed checks behind it, an expensive home can reach 100%.