Sims 3 Cheats: Money, Needs, Build and Console Codes

To use Sims 3 cheats on PC, press Ctrl + Shift + C while in a save, type testingcheatsenabled true and press Enter. That one command unlocks the rest: the familyfunds money code, build tools such as buydebug, and Shift-click menus on Sims, the mailbox and the ground. Two money codes work without it, kaching (+1,000 Simoleons) and motherlode (+50,000). Consoles open the cheats a different way, and the console method costs you Trophies and challenges.

This page lists the codes these sources document, in tables with what each one does and where it catches people out. The main reference is the Sims Wiki page for Sims 3 cheats and its console cheats page, cross-checked with GamesRadar+’s Sims 3 cheats list (last updated January 14, 2025). Where the two disagree, the table says so, and codes that only appear in one place are labelled. Everything was checked on November 13, 2026 UTC. Looking for the newer game? See our Sims 4 cheats guide.

Quick answer: the Sims 3 cheats people use most

• Open the console: Ctrl + Shift + C on Windows, Command + Shift + C on Mac. On PS3 and Xbox, hold all four shoulder buttons.
• Unlock the extra cheats: testingcheatsenabled true (turn off with testingcheatsenabled false).
• Money: kaching (+1,000), motherlode (+50,000), or familyfunds [Household] [amount] to set an exact figure.
• Fill every need: Shift-click the mailbox, then choose Make All Happy or Make Needs Static.
• Place anything anywhere: moveobjects on, and buydebug on for debug objects.
• Free house: freerealestate, typed in Map view.
• Unstick a Sim: resetSim [First Last].

How to enable cheats in The Sims 3 (PC, Mac, PS3, Xbox)

Load a save first. The console only opens during normal gameplay, not on the main menu. Cheats are not case-sensitive, according to the Sims Wiki, so capital letters in names like resetSim only make them easier to read. If a name contains a space, wrap it in quotation marks.

Platform	How to open cheats	Shift-click equivalent
Windows PC	Ctrl + Shift + C, then type in the box at the top of the screen	Hold Shift and click
Mac	Command + Shift + C (the Sims Wiki says 32-bit Mac versions use Ctrl + Shift + C like Windows)	Hold Shift and click
PlayStation 3	Hold all four shoulder buttons (L1, L2, R1, R2) at once	GamesRadar+: press X + O. The Sims Wiki: hold L2 and click
Xbox	Hold all four shoulder buttons (LB, LT, RB, RT) at once	GamesRadar+: press A + B. The Sims Wiki: hold LT and click

What the console version actually does

The Sims Wiki describes the console route differently from the PC console. Pause the game and hold all four shoulder buttons at once (L1, L2, R1, R2 on PS3; RT, RB, LT, LB on Xbox). On PS3 a screen asks whether you want to enable cheats and warns that challenges and trophies will be disabled. If you accept, an item called Spoot the Magic Llama appears in your Buy catalog under Miscellaneous Decor. Place him and click him to open the cheat options, which include motherlode and unlocking Karma powers. The wiki says the Xbox version also lets you max out karma and gives 5,000 lifetime happiness points. On Xbox, it says you will not be able to unlock Trophies or challenges after activating the cheat, and it advises saving a separate copy of the game first. These steps come from the wiki’s console page only, so treat the exact menu wording as community-reported.

Sims 3 money cheats

Cheat	What it does	Caveats
kaching	Adds §1,000 to the active household	No testing cheats needed
motherlode	Adds §50,000 to the active household	No testing cheats needed
familyfunds [Household] [amount]	Sets that household’s funds to the amount, for example familyfunds Landgraab 10000	Needs testingcheatsenabled true. It sets the total, so a smaller number takes money away. A household name with a space needs quotes: familyfunds "De Luca" 50000. It fails if two households share a name. GamesRadar+ gives the range as 0 to 99,999,999
freerealestate	Lets Sims buy lots for free	GamesRadar+ says to enter it in Map mode

Neither source lists an unlimited-money toggle. Every code above is a one-off change to the household’s balance.

Codes that circulate but are not real

Many cheat lists include rosebud, shazaam and forcetwins. The Sims Wiki says these “have never actually existed in the game”. GamesRadar+ does list them (rosebud for 1,000 Simoleons, shazaam for 2,500 lifetime happiness, forcetwins for twins). The two sources disagree, so this guide does not recommend them. If you want lifetime happiness, the wiki documents a different method: type testingcheatsenabled true on the load or new-game screen, then Ctrl-click between the chest and the lifetime-happiness points to add 500 each click.

The testingcheatsenabled Shift-click menus

testingcheatsenabled true turns on a debug pie menu when you Shift-click certain things. Both sources list these options. You can also Ctrl-click a moodlet to remove it, and the wiki notes the cheat can edit traits, age a Sim up or open a Sim in Create-a-Sim.

Mailbox: needs, friends and careers

Shift-click the mailbox, then choose	Effect
Make All Happy	Sets mood to maximum and removes most negative moodlets
Make Needs Static	Needs are maximized and stop decaying
Make Needs Dynamic	Returns decay to normal after Make Needs Static (GamesRadar+ names it “Make All Dynamic”)
Make Friends For Me	Gives the Sim random friends from the neighborhood
Make Me Know Everyone	The Sim knows everyone in the home neighborhood (the wiki adds the World Adventures neighborhoods)
Force Visitor / Force NPC	A random visitor, or a specific NPC, arrives
Set Career	Sets the Sim’s career path, branch and rank

For relationships and needs there is a manual trick too. With testing cheats on, the wiki says you can click a motive bar and drag left or right to raise or lower it, and do the same on a relationship bar. The wiki warns this works both ways, so it is just as good at starving a Sim or turning two Sims into enemies. The game must be unpaused for motive changes to show.

Shift-click a Sim, the ground or an object

Shift-click	Option	Effect
A Sim	Trigger Age Transition	Ages that Sim up
A Sim	Add to active household / family	Moves the Sim into your household
A Sim	Edit Sim in CAS	Reopens the Sim in Create-a-Sim. The wiki says it won’t work on a pregnant Sim or one in a work uniform
Active Sim	Modify Traits	Changes the active Sim’s traits
The ground	Teleport me here	Moves the Sim to that spot
The ground	Build/Buy on this lot	Opens Build and Buy mode, even during a fire or burglary (after patch 1.7). Choosing either enables both
The ground	Seasons	Weather control, only with the Seasons expansion
Career building	Force Opportunity / Force Event / Force All Events	Triggers work opportunities and events

Sims 3 build and object cheats

Cheat	What it does	Caveats
moveobjects on / off	Removes footprint limits so objects can overlap and sit off-center, and lets you move or delete normally fixed objects	Accepts on/off or true/false, not 1 or 0. The wiki warns it can delete the mailbox, the garbage can and even Sims, and some of those are hard to get back
buydebug on / off	Unlocks a Buy mode slot of debug objects such as spawners, mature plants and the Mysterious Mr. Gnome, and shows room markers	Needs testing cheats. Typing the bare name also turns it on
constrainFloorElevation [on|off]	Allows terrain adjustment regardless of objects or Sims on it	Does not need testing cheats. The sources describe it only as a toggle and don’t say which value gives the effect, so try both
disableSnappingToSlotsOnAlt on	Objects will not snap to slots while you hold Alt	The wiki says it is no longer needed after a patch it can’t identify
placeFriezes on	Lets you put foundations on top of tiled floors	–
allowObjectsOnRoofs on	Lets you place any object on a roof	Sims Wiki only
AlwaysAllowBuildBuy	Switch to Build or Buy mode at any time, including during a fire	Needs testing cheats. Sims Wiki only
unlockOutfits on	Career and NPC outfits (uniforms, service outfits) become available in Create-a-Sim	Type it before you enter CAS

If you use Alt while rotating an object or a custom lot, the wiki notes you also get free rotation. That is not a cheat, but it is how players build things like objects placed in a circle. Prefer to play on a phone? Our games like The Sims list covers life sims for iOS and Android.

Utility cheats: resetSim, help and more

Cheat	What it does	Caveats
help	Lists most available cheats; help [cheat name] explains one	Advanced cheats appear once testing cheats is on
resetSim [First Last]	Resets that Sim: neutral motives, no moodlets, teleported home. Useful for stuck Sims	Roles like “Tourist” are not needed in the name. The wiki says resetSim * resets every Sim in town, a fix for severe lag or crashes
slowMotionViz [0-8]	Changes game speed visuals, 0 normal, 8 slowest	Needs testing cheats
fps on / off	Shows the frame rate counter in the top right	Accepts on/true/off/false
hideHeadlineEffects on	Hides thought balloons and the plumbob	Handy for screenshots
maptags off	Hides map tags, including the ones the 1.7 option misses	Needs testing cheats. Does nothing in Edit Town
ageuptonpc	A toddler who grows to a child becomes an NPC in the household	Needs testing cheats
discoverAllUnchartedIslands	Unlocks every uncharted island in Isla Paradiso	Needs testing cheats and the Island Paradise expansion. Spelling is exactly as shown: the wiki says the “unlock…” spelling in many guides is not recognized
quit	Exits the game after a save prompt	–
fullscreen on / off	Switches between fullscreen and windowed	–

What the Sims 3 cheats do not have

Neither source lists a console code that sets a skill level, so this page does not offer one. If you see a skill code in an older guide, check it against the in-game help command before trusting it. This page covers only the game’s built-in console. Mods, trainers and unlockers for paid content are not covered here, and DLC unlockers are piracy.

Sims 3 cheats not working? Check these first

1. Press Enter after each code. Nothing runs until you do.
2. Turn on testingcheatsenabled. Codes marked “needs testing cheats” above, and all the Shift-click menus, do nothing without it.
3. Check the screen. freerealestate is for Map view, and unlockOutfits must be typed before you enter Create-a-Sim.
4. Use the right on/off words. moveobjects takes on/off or true/false only.
5. Quote names with spaces. familyfunds "De Luca" 50000, not familyfunds De Luca 50000.
6. Mac and console differences. A 64-bit Mac build uses Command + Shift + C, and console players need the Spoot the Magic Llama route.

Newer Sims? Our Sims 4 career cheats and Sims 4 aging cheats cover the equivalents in the current game, where the console is testingcheats true instead.

FAQ

How do you open the cheat console in Sims 3?

Press Ctrl + Shift + C on Windows or Command + Shift + C on Mac while in a save, then type a code and press Enter. On PS3 and Xbox, hold all four shoulder buttons at once.

What is the Sims 3 money cheat?

motherlode adds 50,000 Simoleons and kaching adds 1,000. With testingcheatsenabled true, familyfunds [Household] [amount] sets the exact total.

Do Sims 3 cheats disable Trophies?

On PS3, the cheat prompt warns that challenges and trophies are disabled if you turn cheats on, per the Sims Wiki. On Xbox, the wiki says you can’t unlock Trophies or challenges after activating the cheat, and it advises saving a copy of your game first.

How do I fill my Sim’s needs with cheats?

Turn on testingcheatsenabled true, Shift-click the mailbox and pick Make All Happy to max the mood, or Make Needs Static to stop needs decaying.

Sources: Sims Wiki, The Sims 3/cheats; Sims Wiki, The Sims 3 (console)/cheats; GamesRadar+, The Sims 3 cheats (updated January 14, 2025). Checked November 13, 2026, 01:58 UTC.

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