How to Edit a Sim in CAS (Create a Sim): A Complete Guide

If you've ever wanted to change how your Sim looks after you've already started playing, you're not alone. Create a Sim (CAS) is one of the most powerful tools in The Sims 4, but accessing it mid-game — and knowing everything you can actually do there — isn't always obvious. Here's what you need to know.

What Is CAS and What Can You Change There?

Create a Sim is the character customization mode in The Sims 4. It's where you control nearly every aspect of a Sim's appearance and personality before or during gameplay.

Inside CAS, you can edit:

• Physical appearance — body shape, skin tone, facial features, eye color, and more
• Hair and makeup — style, color, and cosmetics
• Clothing — by category (everyday, formal, athletic, sleepwear, party, and cold/hot weather outfits)
• Traits — personality characteristics that shape how your Sim behaves
• Aspirations — long-term goals that guide gameplay progression
• Voice and walk style
• Age category — from infant to elder, depending on your gameplay situation

What you can't typically edit without workarounds: a Sim's name, their relationships to other Sims, or their career progress.

How to Access CAS Mid-Game 🎮

There are a few different routes depending on what you're trying to do.

Option 1: Use the In-Game Mirror or Dresser

The simplest method — click on a dresser or mirror in your Sim's home and select Change Appearance. This opens a limited version of CAS that lets you edit clothing, hair, and some cosmetics. It won't let you change traits, body shape, or aspirations.

Option 2: Use the "Edit in CAS" Cheat

This is the most popular method and opens the full CAS editor for any Sim in your household.

Here's how to do it:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + C (PC/Mac) to open the cheat console
2. Type testingcheats true and press Enter
3. Then type cas.fulleditmode and press Enter
4. Close the cheat console
5. Shift + Click on the Sim you want to edit
6. Select "Edit in CAS" from the menu

With cas.fulleditmode active, you get access to the complete editor — including body shape sliders, traits, aspirations, and age.

On console versions (PlayStation and Xbox), you open the cheat console with all four shoulder buttons simultaneously, then follow the same steps.

Option 3: Edit Sims Not in Your Active Household

To edit a Sim who lives in a different household, you'll need to either:

• Move them into your household temporarily, edit them, then move them back
• Use a mod like MC Command Center (MCCC), which allows editing of townie and NPC Sims without moving them

This matters because the standard CAS cheat only applies to Sims currently in your active household.

What the Variables Are: It's Not the Same for Everyone

How smoothly this process works — and how much you can change — depends on several factors.

Players on PC have the broadest access — both through official cheats and through community-made mods and custom content. Console players can use cheats but can't install mods, which limits options for editing Sims outside your household.

Editing Traits and Aspirations Mid-Game

If you've activated cas.fulleditmode, you can change traits and aspirations freely in full CAS. However, if you want to change just a trait or aspiration without opening CAS at all, a Reward Store potion — specifically the Potion of Youth is not what you want here — look for the "Flaw Remover" or use a trait-change mod. 🧬

Trait changes can meaningfully shift how your Sim interacts with the world, so it's worth taking your time here rather than clicking quickly through the menus.

Custom Content and Mods in CAS

If you're playing on PC and have installed custom content (CC) — fan-made hair, clothing, skin overlays, or accessories — these will appear inside CAS alongside the base game items, usually without a separate indicator unless you have a mod manager running.

Mods like Better Exceptions or MCCC can expand what CAS can do, fix bugs, or allow you to edit Sims you otherwise couldn't touch. The tradeoff is that mods need to be kept updated as EA patches the game — an outdated mod can cause CAS to crash or fail to load.

When CAS Doesn't Open or Glitches Out

Common issues include:

• Mods/CC causing CAS crashes — the fix is usually removing or updating outdated mods
• Cheat not working — make sure testingcheats true was entered first and confirmed before typing cas.fulleditmode
• Shift+Click not responding — this sometimes happens if testingcheats didn't activate; re-enter the cheat
• Missing items — if CC is missing, check your Mods folder and make sure script mods are enabled in game settings

How straightforward the editing process feels ultimately comes down to which platform you're on, which packs you own, whether you're using mods, and exactly which Sim you're trying to reach — all of which vary considerably from player to player.