Link to my Sims 4 Rags to Riches Tutorial Series:

Basic Premise of the Challenge:

Your sim, or sims, start with nothing on an empty lot and the goal is to become ‘rich’.  You can define what ‘rich’ is, just set this up front.  I often have at least one sim complete the fortune aspiration, which means they need to earn 200,000.

Note ‘Rags to Riches’ is often referred to as ‘R2R’. 

How Do You Start With Nothing?

1. Using cheats, first open the cheats console to turn cheats on
   • • ‘testingcheats on’ or ‘testingcheats true’
     • Then type ‘money 0’
2. If you do not want to use cheats, add your sim to an existing household or create an extra sim you don’t plan on using. Move them into an existing lot (it can have a home) and then use the ‘split from household’ option and make sure the sim moving has enough money + 1 simoleon for an empty lot (the two cheapest lots in Newcrest are 1,500, so give them 1,501). See my updated tutorial on splitting from households if you’d like to see it in action: https://youtu.be/mbA0BLEL

Frequently Asked Questions (‘FAQ’):

1. Can your sim have a job? Usually not to start with, and I generally find sims make more money collecting, etc than a low-level, rabbit hole career. A good time for a sim to get a job is once you’ve built them a starting home.
2. Does the challenge require the use of mods? The use of mods is not required and if you want to use mods (or custom content), it’s recommended not to use any that will give you an advantage over someone not using them (i.e. create a sim custom content would have no impact however furniture custom content that is less expensive than it’s in game content, especially if it has higher stats would give an advantage).
3. How many sims do you start with? That is up to you, most people start with one, though I sometimes start with more than one, it depends on what I’m trying to do with the challenge.
4. Is there a specified age for your starting sim (or sims)? Again, that is up to you. You will need a teen or older to create a valid household in Sims 4. I often start with a teen and to make it harder, make them go to school so they have less time each day to earn money.😊
5. What lifespan should you use? That is up to you, you can use short, normal, long or turn aging off.
6. Can you use cheats for needs? No, since one of the goals of the challenge is to see if your sim can survive when starting with nothing.
7. How does your sim survive with nothing?  Re: earning money, I find it’s best to start with fishing and collecting to try and get money & when you can find some harvestables, start a garden. You can also take photos and sell that into your inventory.  Re: looking after themselves, sims can sleep on benches, eat produce, or cook on the BBQs in the world after you sell something from collecting. I will have more details in my separate video on this. 😊
8. Can I add things to community lots to help my sim? The general rule is no, especially if it is something that doesn’t make sense it should be there.  I do often add a potty chair since usually in real life a toddler can use a toilet with help.
9. Can my sims visit sims’ houses to help meet their needs? Generally, no, though I have seen some R2R challenges where they can  do so once a week if they are good friends. Though usually sims will ask your sim to leave unless they have the ‘always welcome’ trait.
10. Can I keep the money a sim brings when they move into my home? Usually no since the goal is to earn the money, not to bring it into the household when you add another sim. To accomplish this, you will either have to make sure the sim you are moving in lives with another sim who is teen or older or if they don’t, make sure to choose the option ‘sell furniture’ and use cheats to reset the household funds to where they were before they moved in (see cheats from how to set funds to zero when starting)
11. Impact of different packs on the R2R challenge? I’m working on doing R2R video tutorials by pack for any packs that impact on the challenge, including how to survive with the impact of weather that comes with Seasons. These videos will be added to the playlist linked at the top of this page as they get released.

As you may have gathered from the answers to the FAQ, the general idea is that if something makes it easier, usually you don’t do it. That said, it’s your game and your challenge, so it needs to suit you and the main goal is to have fun!

Suggestions for Additional Rules or Goals to Add to Make it More Challenging:

1. Add the lot trait ‘off the grid’ and have your sims earn and ‘pay’ (using cheats’) the value of the lot to ‘connect to the grid’
2. Don’t let your sims travel from their starting neighbourhood until they have a predetermined amount of funds (e.g. 1,000, as used in the ‘Drifter Challenge’)
3. Make it more challenging;
   1. only let your sims earn money from predetermined things. e.g. writing, programming, fishing, gardening, music.  Some things let your sims earn more money than others.  When I do this, I usually set a predetermined amount that sims can earn money from other things once they’ve reached that goal as I don’t like to be limited in what my sims can do/earn money from.
   2. Don’t let your sims sell things into their inventory (examples that work with that are writing, programming, music. Also, if you have certain packs you can sell things from retail (Get to Work), yard sale table (City Living/Jungle Adventures) or the Street Gallery (City Living)

These are just guidelines for the basic concept of the challenge and some tweaks you can do to make it your own. 

If you have any questions, feel free to comment here or to head over to my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/MapleSimmer/

Alternatively, you can come join my Facebook group and share how you do in this challenge, or in anything sims related, be it sim creation, sim builds or your sims stories &/or challenges! It’s also a great place to ask any sim related questions, including questions about rags to riches or other challenges, that either I, or other members can try to answer. Sims Sanctuary

Challenge and Playlist Links:

There are a couple of challenges, such as Rosebud and the Rags to Riches Mega Challenge that have more details and rules and others that use the concept which I’ll link below. I also have a number of Rags to Riches Challenges Let’s Plays which I will also link below.

Rags to Riches Links:

1. Rosebud by EuphorialQueen (meet the in-game achievement to have a household worth 1,000,000, this includes the value of the lot): https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/792094/rosebud-challenge-can-you-become-a-sim-millionaire-euphorialqueen-update-29jan2020
2. Mega Rags to Riches on ModtheSims (has certain goals before you can build, etc.): http://modthesims.info/t/550861

Some other challenges, including their links, that use the Rags to Riches Concept:

1. Runaway Teen Challenge (teen has run away from home and starts with nothing): https://stormydayzgamez.wordpress.com/runaway-teen-challenge-rules-updated-22417/
2. Abandoned Children Challenge (start with a teen with a younger sibling who have been abandoned with nothing): http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/853390/abandoned-kids-challenge-teenager-raising-their-siblings-with-no-money/p1
3. Nomad Challenge (you can start with a couple or a single sim who start with nothing & they can’t buy/build anything that’s not portable until the first collection is completed, this requires Outdoor Retreat.  The overall goal is to complete all the collections, over as many generations as it takes, and build a museum on the lot to house it.  This includes having a perfect garden with at least one of each type of plant.): https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/811827/nomad-challenge-requires-outdoor-retreat
4. Single Dad Challenge (a father with no money/home is left with a baby/babies to raise, this has some preliminary play where you have the baby before the actual challenge starts): https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/850102/single-father-challenge
5. Drifter Challenge (which has 24 ‘Houses’ which you can do all, or most and then it becomes a bit like a legacy or you can do one or more ‘houses’ as stand-alone challenges but you usually start with nothing for each house and each house has its’ own set of goals):
   My overview: https://maplesimmer.video.blog/2020/04/27/drifter-challenge/
   Rules: http://thedrifterchallenge.blogspot.com/

YouTube playlist links for Rags to Riches (or their equivalent) Challenge Let’s Plays that I have:

Rosebud (completed): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrKKFjGglR5dyLqYdMYFUfbi

Rags to Riches: Vampire Edition (completed): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrLGL-akQpVx0_fUfpUekohM

Rags to Riches: Toddler Edition (single mom in the city with twin toddlers; completed): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrJTliojxHyYIDDItl7r_H7D

Runaway Teen in the City (completed): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrL1i_zuHaBAy550nQBwKzQm

Abandoned Kids Challenge (completed): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrLLu_3hVG5aF_MpMDGGnMVT

Rags to Riches: Get Famous Edition (completed): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrLfmRPZ6LLRZ4rHaMONfQ3I

Homeless Musician Challenge (completed): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrII9Rhp8dHjWiDNaBLsm37c

Rags to Riches: Realm of Magic Edition (completed): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrKbCbCLyrF1HCoEaDe3pbrO

Rags to Riches: Discover University Edition (completed): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrIrWL1uFuBK7FXQYL5IZ_Wl

Rags to Riches: Eco Lifestyle Edition (completed): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrJxIzjg9PG6lc0KB7nYnzVE

Rags to Riches: Snowy Escape Edition (completed): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrKaEoTWy5RE4fRfW763JzGa

Paranormal: Ghost Hunters Challenge (completed) (variation on the R2R theme): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrKkc0k7BzpFT5fD15c-ys9f

Homeless Decorator Challenge: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrK-7kQnXWArfl8_GUDpDVOE

Rags to Riches: Cottage Living Edition: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrKBWVm_QvJWz3UjuSkYv1CZ

Spa Day Refresh: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrJftysI5jLEbadr4Cprb_B8

Drifter Challenge (starting with House 1, currently on House 8): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrI7U2rcgndajgKvJiEjm8_8

If you are moving your sim out of an existing lot and would like to know how much money they need to buy any starting (ie less than 20k simoleons) or empty lots, here are some screenshots with that information as well as some information re what is in the neighborhoods that can be useful if you are planning on doing a Rags to Riches challenge.

Keep in mind that if you want your sim to move into an empty lot they will need the value of the lot plus 1 simoleon as the game won’t allow them to move in with the exact amount.  If your sims are moving into a lot with anything of value of it, this includes landscaping, they will be able to move in with the exact value.

Keep in mind that for both Willow Creek and Oasis Springs the Commercial Districts have fishing, playground area and barbecues in the common, ie surrounding, area.  Oasis Springs even has a public bathroom in the common area.

Willow Creek:

Pendula View has a playground with public barbecues & public bathrooms in it’s neighbourhood as well as a community garden to the left of the empty Hallow Slough lot.

Courtyard Lane has public barbecues.

Foundry Cove has the tree that will give you access to Sylvan Glade (see my video tutorial for more information: https://youtu.be/vk0MKwM151I)

The surrounding neighourhood of Magnolia Blossom Park has barbecues by the water at the back and a public bathroom at the front of the park.

All neighbourhoods have fishing and collectibles including plants you can harvest if you stay in the neighbourhood long enough (and if it’s the correct season if you have Seasons).

Oasis Springs:

Parched Prospect has a little park with playground equipment for children, but none of the neighbourhoods in Oasis Springs have public bathrooms.

Both Bedrock Strait and Skyward Palms has fishing, Bedrock Strait also has a community garden with barbecues.

Acquisition Butte has a portal to the Hidden Grotto, Desert Bloom Park has a matching portal, however both portals need to be unlocked by a sim with level 10 handiness (see my video tutorial for more information on the Hidden Grotto: https://youtu.be/vP6Ib7ahlPI )

The surrounding neighourhood of Desert Bloom Park has barbecues and a public bathroom at the back of the park. It has fishing to the side and back of the park.

All neighbourhoods have collectibles including plants you can harvest if you stay in the neighbourhood long enough (and if it’s the correct season if you have Seasons).

Newcrest:

Llama Lagoon has fishing, two sets of public bathrooms, one of which is at the playground with monkey bars and public barbecues, a jungle gym on the water between Twin Oracle Point and Rippling Flats and another public barbecue behind Tranquil Crescent.

Ridgeline Drive has no fishing but it does have a public barbecue area.

Bridgeview has one fishing spot and a playground with monkey bars and public barbecues.

All neighbourhoods have collectibles including plants you can harvest if you stay in the neighbourhood long enough (and if it’s the correct season if you have Seasons).