Lights

Selection of available lights in The Sims 3

Lights are featured in The Sims series, and constitute a very broad category of objects, ranging from wall lights to street lamps. They provide light and improve the mood of Sims.

Types of lights

When The Sims was first released, there were only floor lamps and table lamps. Wall lights were introduced with the downloadable Wall Light Pack, which was included in Livin' Large. Ceiling lamps were introduced in Hot Date. When Hot Date introduced sub-categories into buy mode, floor lamps were labeled "Standing Lamps" and ceiling lamps were labeled "Hanging Lamps". There is also an "Other" category, which mostly consists of outdoor lights.

In The Sims 2, lights are divided into these categories: Table Lamps, Floor Lamps, Wall Lamps, Hanging Lamps, Outdoor Lamps, and Miscellaneous. For the most part, the "Miscellaneous" category contains street lighting. As in The Sims, "Hanging Lamps" is the label used for ceiling lamps.

In The Sims 3 and The Sims 4, lights are divided into five tabs in buy mode under the following titles: Table Lamps, Floor Lamps, Wall Lamps, Ceiling Lamps, and Outdoor Lights.

	The Sims	The Sims 2	The Sims 3	The Sims 4
Floor lamps
Table lamps
Wall lamps	LL
Ceiling lamps	HD
Outdoor lights	HD

Auto-Lights

In The Sims, outdoor lights come on at 6:00 pm and turn off at 3:00 am. Indoor lights will generally turn on when a Sim enters a room and turn off when no more Sims are in the room, or when all Sims in the room are asleep. Hot Date changed most, but not all, Maxis lights so that they will turn on whenever a Sim enters the room, regardless of the time of day. However, many custom lights will only turn on automatically between 6:00 pm and 8:00 am, either because they are based on unchanged Maxis lights, or because they are based on pre-Hot Date lights. In general, lights placed indoors on community lots are always on, but some custom lights may not behave in this way.

In The Sims 2, when an outdoor light is on auto, it will turn on at 7:00 pm and turn off at 2:00 am. Indoor lights that are on auto will be on between 7:00 pm and 7:00 am unless all Sims in the room are asleep.

In The Sims 3 and The Sims 4, the lights will turn on automatically if a Sim enters a room, arrives home (if they are alone), or wakes up. Occasionally, the lights may not turn on automatically, requiring the player to manually adjust them.

Light options and customization

The Sims

In The Sims, whether a light is clickable and can be turned on and off manually depends on its internal coding. Clickable lights will also go on when a burglar alarm goes off. Lights that have been turned on or off manually, or that have been turned on by a burglar alarm, will go back to automatic at 8:00 am. These clickable lamps also have bulbs that will periodically burn out and need to be replaced. The repairman will replace these bulbs. Sims can replace bulbs themselves, but may get electrocuted, though having even a low level of mechanical skill greatly reduces the risk of being electrocuted when changing a bulb.

Hot Date changed most, but not all, Maxis lights so that they do not behave in this way. However, many custom lights are clickable, either because they are based on unchanged Maxis lights, or because they are based on pre-Hot Date lights.

The Sims 2

In The Sims 2, all lights are clickable. They have the options "Turn On", "Turn Off", and "Auto-Lights". The player can turn individual lights on or off, or can turn all lights in the room or on the lot on or off. The "Auto-Lights" feature is enabled by default, but the player can disable or re-enable "Auto-Lights" for individual lights, or for all lights in the room or on the lot. This is done immediately, regardless of where the selected Sim is, what he or she is doing, or even his or her age; it can be done even if a toddler is the selected Sim.

When an outdoor light is on auto, it will turn on at 7:00 pm and turn off at 2:00 am. Indoor lights that are on auto will be on between 7:00 pm and 7:00 am unless all Sims in the room are asleep.

Some lights allow for further customization, such as changing the color or tone of the light. In Nightlife, many of the dance floor strobe lamps can be configured to only play certain animations. These changes take effect immediately, and can be done even on unowned community lots.

Lights in The Sims 2 do not burn out.

The Sims 3

Lights are very customizable as of The Sims 3, and wall lights can generally be shifted up and down walls. Lighting can be adjusted for both color and intensity, and players can enter RGB codes to add custom light colors by clicking on the light with both the ⇧ Shift and ^ Ctrl keys pressed. Lights can also be customized in buy mode by shift-clicking on them; this allows for default settings to be set on community lots.

Various expansion packs have enhanced light behavior throughout the series. In World Adventures, light settings can be controlled by tomb objects. The pack also introduced a wide range of invisible light sources available using the buydebug cheat. Late Night reintroduced the ability to shift wall lights up and down, and introduced the ability to color lights black.

Sims with the frugal trait may autonomously turn off the lights in their home, and will often give themselves the "It's Dark" moodlet as a result.

The Sims 4

Lights in The Sims 4 have three options: "Turn On", "Turn Off", and "Auto-Lights". As in The Sims 2, the player can turn individual lights, all lights in the room, or all lights on the lot on or off. Outdoor lights that are on auto will turn on at 9:00 pm and turn off at 5:00 am. Indoor lights that are on auto will be on at all times, unless all Sims and pets in the room or the lot are sleeping.

Wall lights can be moved up and down walls. Both color and intensity can be adjusted for all lights. Regardless of where the selected Sim is, all changes to lighting options will take effect immediately.