Yes, you can age up a horse in The Sims 4! Aging up horses in Sims 4 is possible through several methods, including waiting for natural progression, using special in-game items, or using cheat codes.
The introduction of the Horse Ranch Expansion Pack brought adorable horses into the world of The Sims 4. These magnificent creatures have their own life stages, just like your human Sims or smaller pets. Knowing how to age up a horse in Sims 4 is key to managing your ranch and seeing your foal grow into a majestic adult. This guide will walk you through all the details about Sims 4 horse age progression, Sims 4 horse lifespan, and how to change horse age Sims 4 effortlessly.
Exploring Sims 4 Horse Growth Stages
Horses move through distinct life stages. Knowing these stages helps you anticipate needs and plan your gameplay. The Sims 4 horse growth stages are simple but important for progression.
Foal Stage
When a horse is first born or created, it starts as a foal. Foals are small, playful, and require a lot of attention from their owners. They cannot be fully trained or ridden effectively yet.
Teen Horse Stage
After the foal stage, the horse ages up to become a teen. Teens are getting bigger and can start basic training. They still have some youthful energy that needs managing.
Adult Horse Stage
The adult stage is the peak of a horse’s life. Adult horses can be fully trained, used for competitive riding, and bred. This is the longest stage of the Sims 4 horse lifespan.
Elder Horse Stage
Like Sims, horses eventually reach old age. Elder horses might have slightly lower energy or skill gains but still provide companionship and ranch benefits.
Natural Aging: Letting Time Take Its Course
The most straightforward way to see Sims 4 horse age progression is simply to let the game run. The game handles aging horses in Sims 4 gameplay automatically based on your world settings.
Checking Your Aging Settings
Before waiting, check your game settings. These settings control how quickly Sims and pets age.
How to View Aging Options
- Go to the main Menu (press the Escape key).
- Select Game Options.
- Click on Gameplay.
In this menu, you will find settings related to aging. You can choose whether Sims and pets age autonomously.
| Setting Option | Effect on Horses |
|---|---|
| Auto Age (Played Households) | Horses in households you actively play will age normally. |
| Auto Age (Unplayed Households) | Horses in families you are not controlling will still age. |
| Aging Speed | This slider controls how fast time passes, affecting how quickly your horse reaches the next stage. |
If you want to experience the transition, ensure that general aging is turned on in your Sims 4 aging settings for horses. If aging is off, your foal will stay a foal forever!
Time Required for Natural Transition
The time it takes for a horse to age up naturally is pre-set by the game developers. It takes a specific number of in-game days for a horse to move from one stage to the next. While the exact duration is tied to the overall lifespan setting, expect a foal to take several in-game weeks to reach adulthood if aging is set to normal speed.
Forcing the Age Up: Quick Methods
Sometimes, you don’t want to wait. Perhaps you want to see your cute foal as an adult right away. You can force age up Sims 4 horse using cheats or special interactions.
Using the Cake Method (If Available)
For human Sims and dogs/cats, a birthday cake is the standard way to trigger an age transition upon celebration. While this is the intended mechanic for many life stages, the mechanic for Sims 4 horse age transition often relies more heavily on direct cheats or interaction, especially for the initial growth stages.
However, if you bake a standard birthday cake and have a Sim blow out the candles with the horse present and the horse’s birthday active, the game might recognize the celebration. Keep this as a backup method, but rely more on cheats for guaranteed results in aging up horses in Sims 4.
Implementing Cheats to Speed Up Growth
Cheats are the fastest way to handle Sims 4 horse age progression. Using the cheat console is simple, but you must know the right command to force age up Sims 4 horse.
Step 1: Open the Cheat Console
Press the following keys together on your keyboard:
* PC/Mac: Ctrl + Shift + C
This opens the white text box in the top-left corner of your screen.
Step 2: Enable Testing Cheats (Important!)
Before using most powerful cheats, you must enable the testing mode. Type the following command exactly as shown and press Enter:
testingcheats true
You will see a confirmation message saying cheats are enabled.
Step 3: The Cheat to Age Up Sims 4 Horse
The specific command to advance a Sim or pet to the next life stage is:
sims.advance_aging
How to use this cheat for a horse:
- Ensure the horse you want to age up is currently selected or active in the view.
- Open the cheat console again (Ctrl + Shift + C).
- Type
sims.advance_agingand press Enter.
This command instantly pushes the selected Sim or pet to their next life stage. If your horse is a foal, running this cheat to age up Sims 4 horse once will make it a teen. Running it again will make it an adult.
If the cheat doesn’t seem to work immediately, try clicking on the horse, Shift-Clicking it, and looking for a hidden “Trigger Age Transition” option (this is sometimes available if testing cheats are on, depending on game updates).
Modifying Lifespan Settings Directly
If you find the default Sims 4 horse lifespan too long or too short, you can adjust the overall game settings. This controls how long all creatures stay in each stage.
Adjusting Lifespan Lengths
To change how to change horse age Sims 4 through lifespan settings:
- Go to Game Options > Gameplay.
- Locate the Life Span section.
- You can set the overall lifespan to Short, Medium (Default), or Long.
This adjustment affects all Sims, dogs, cats, and horses. Setting it to “Short” means your foal will become an adult much faster, accelerating all Sims 4 horse growth stages. Setting it to “Long” will prolong the time spent in each stage.
Customizing Individual Horse Lifespans (Via Mods)
Currently, the base game does not allow you to set a unique lifespan just for one horse while others age normally. If you need granular control, you might need a third-party mod. Some popular mod creators offer tools that allow specific control over individual pet lifespans, offering deeper customization than the standard Sims 4 aging settings for horses. Always download mods from reputable sources.
What Happens During the Age Transition?
The actual process of Sims 4 horse age transition is usually quick once triggered by a cheat or the natural progression timer runs out.
Visual and Behavioral Changes
When a horse ages up, you will see a brief visual effect, similar to when a Sim ages up. The horse’s model changes size and appearance instantly.
- Foal to Teen: The horse gets taller and starts looking more defined. Its needs might change slightly as it requires less constant supervision.
- Teen to Adult: This is the most significant change. The horse reaches its full stature. You can now train it fully, ride it competitively, and start breeding.
Skill Retention
A crucial point about aging up horses in Sims 4: they retain all learned skills. If your foal spent time learning basic skills, those levels carry over directly into the teen and adult stages. You don’t lose progress!
Managing Foals: Why You Might Need to Age Them Up Quickly
Foals can be a handful. They are dependent and take up space. If you are aiming for high-level competitive riding, you need an adult horse as fast as possible.
The Need for Adult Horses
Adult horses are necessary for:
* Riding skill development.
* Competing in Ranch life competitions (which require adult status).
* Breeding new foals.
Waiting aging horses in Sims 4 gameplay might slow down your ranch goals. Using the sims.advance_aging cheat is often preferred by players focusing on high-level ranching achievements.
Stable Management with Foals
Foals require specific care. They cannot forage well or perform complex tasks. If your ranch is crowded, quickly aging up horses in Sims 4 frees up stable space dedicated to high-maintenance foals.
Comprehensive Guide to Using the Force Age Up Cheat
Let’s detail the most reliable method: the cheat command. This directly addresses how to change horse age Sims 4 when patience is not an option.
Reconfirming the Steps for Success
For players new to cheating, following these steps precisely ensures success in aging up horses in Sims 4:
- Load Game: Start the game session where your horse resides.
- Open Console: Press Ctrl + Shift + C.
- Enable Cheats: Type
testingcheats trueand press Enter. Confirm the success message. - Select Target: Click on the horse you wish to age up so its portrait appears at the bottom of the screen.
- Execute Aging Cheat: Type
sims.advance_agingand press Enter. - Verify: Check the horse’s age status in its information panel or by observing its physical appearance. If it was a foal, it should now be a teen.
- Repeat if Necessary: If you need the horse to be an adult, run the
sims.advance_agingcommand one more time. This will skip the teen stage transition and move it straight to adult status if the game logic follows the Sim aging pattern (which it usually does for pets/horses).
Troubleshooting Cheat Failures
If you run the cheat and nothing happens, consider these common issues related to Sims 4 aging settings for horses:
- Testing Cheats Off: Did you forget to type
testingcheats true? Re-enter it. - Wrong Target: Were you actively focused on the horse when entering the command?
- Game Glitch: Sometimes the game needs a slight nudge. Save the game, exit to the main menu, and reload the save. Then try the cheat again.
Fathoming the Horse Lifespan Settings
Sims 4 horse lifespan is directly tied to the game’s overall clock. Knowing this helps you plan long-term gameplay around Sims 4 horse age progression.
Default Lifespan Breakdown (Approximate)
Assuming default aging settings, the time spent in each stage looks roughly like this:
| Life Stage | Approximate In-Game Days |
|---|---|
| Foal | 7 – 10 days |
| Teen | 10 – 14 days |
| Adult | 20 – 30 days (Longest Stage) |
| Elder | Until death |
These numbers are estimates and can be altered significantly by changing the global lifespan settings mentioned earlier. If you are trying to achieve the “Maxed Out Horse” aspiration, manipulating these times via cheats or settings is essential.
How Aging Affects Needs and Skills
As horses age, their needs bars behave differently. Foals might deplete their social and fun bars quickly due to their high need for attention. Adults stabilize but still require consistent care. Skill building potential also matures:
- Foal: Can only learn basic relationship and foundational handling skills.
- Adult: Can learn all riding, temperament, and agility skills up to level 5.
This reinforces why players often seek to force age up Sims 4 horse—to unlock maximum training potential sooner.
Advanced Control: Customizing Growth Via Mods (If Desired)
While the base game offers good control over aging up horses in Sims 4 using the cheat console, mods offer much greater power, especially if you are struggling with the built-in progression.
Perks of Using Growth Mods
Mods can enable features such as:
- Instant Adulthood: A single click to make a foal an adult immediately.
- Selective Aging: Aging one horse without affecting others on the ranch.
- Custom Durations: Setting a foal stage to last only 3 days, for example, overriding the default Sims 4 aging settings for horses.
If you are looking specifically for how to change horse age Sims 4 on a highly customizable level, searching for “Sims 4 horse age control mod” within the community will yield results. Remember to always read mod descriptions carefully.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I turn off aging for my horses in Sims 4?
Yes, you can pause aging for all pets (including horses) by going to Game Options > Gameplay and ensuring “Auto Age (Played Households)” and “Auto Age (Unplayed Households)” are unchecked. This will halt Sims 4 horse age progression until you turn them back on.
What happens if I use the sims.advance_aging cheat multiple times?
If you use the cheat to age up Sims 4 horse when it is a foal, the first time usually makes it a teen. The second time will make it an adult. If you run it again while it is an adult, it will become an elder. Running it on an elder horse may result in death or simply do nothing, depending on the game’s current interpretation of the command for that life stage.
Do horses age if I move them to a new lot or world?
Yes, horses continue to age based on the server time and your general aging settings, regardless of where they are located in the game world, as long as aging is enabled. This is vital for aging horses in Sims 4 gameplay management.
Is there a way to revert a horse back to a younger age?
No. Once a horse has aged up in the game, there is no built-in command or interaction to revert it to a previous life stage (like turning an adult back into a foal). Your only option would be to load a backup save file from before the unwanted age transition or use creative tools to reset the horse object entirely.
How do I check my horse’s exact remaining time until the next stage?
The game does not display an exact countdown timer for Sims 4 horse growth stages in the main interface. You must rely on the visible stage change or use the cheat command to jump ahead, which confirms you have passed the required time for that specific transition.