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Ghost
Ghost
Game feature, life state · Featured in: The Sims The Sims 2 The Sims 3 The Sims 4

Featured Article
The Sims Wiki's Featured Article for September 16–30, 2011

Ghost
Ghost2
A ghost reading a book

See also: Ghost pet
TS4 Ghost Icon

Ghosts are featured in most The Sims games after Sims die. Some lots will have pre-made ghosts, and after Sims die, they linger as ghosts. Ghosts appear as transparent color-varied Sims.

The Sims[]

Ghosts appear on residential lots that have the remains of a deceased Sim in the form of either an urn or tombstone. They can appear at any time between 12:00 am and daybreak but they don't always appear. When they appear, eerie music will play indicating their presence. They will usually hang around for a few hours doing nothing but just walking around while making windy noises. They take on the same appearance that they had when they died, except that they appear to be pale green-blue and transparent. Although playable Sims cannot interact with them, ghosts can "Spook" living Sims. When this happens, the ghost will sneak up on the Sim, vanish, and then jump up behind the Sim while moaning and laugh. This causes the Sim to scream frantically and run away, while some of their needs will be depleted. This "Be Spooked" interaction can be canceled. It will not override what is in the Sim's action queue, so it can be canceled before the Sim is spooked. One premade lot where Sims can see ghosts is the cemetery of the Goth family, which has the ghosts of dead relatives, i.e. Boy, Bratty, Uncle, Auntie, Grandma, Grandpa, Cousin, and Vegas.

In Makin' Magic, magical Sims can make the Shed Your Skin charm. When it's used at night, the Sim who used it will be transformed into a green, ghost-like figure and will be able to talk to ghosts, as well as walk through walls and objects. Also, drinking Magic Nectar (x2 Grapes, x1 Toad Sweat) has the same effect as Shed Your Skin - but can be used during the day, as well.

The Sims: Bustin' Out (console)[]

In The Sims: Bustin' Out, ghosts work mostly the same as they do in The Sims for PC. The ghosts of dead Sims will appear at night and haunt the living Sims and scare them, and "scary" music will also play when ghosts appear on a lot. Only one lot, Goth Manor, has pre-made ghosts. The ghosts on that lot can be exorcised by using the Séance Table.

It's also possible for the maid to die to the mutant plant and continue working her role as ghost. She will not scare Sims, and she will be more efficient at her job thanks to her newfound ability to pass through walls and objects.

The Sims 2[]

Simon Crumplebottom Haunting

Simon Crumplebottom, one of the many ghosts that haunt 165 Sim Lane, spinning a teddy bear's head.

Sims aged child and older can die and become ghosts. Dogs and cats will also become ghost pets when they die of old age. There is a different type of ghost for each type of death in The Sims 2. Most of these ghosts have their own unique color, though some death types share appearances. All adult male ghosts are voiced by Stephen Kearin, while all adult female ghosts are voiced by Gerri Lawlor, regardless of which voice the Sim had when they were alive.

One to three ghosts can haunt a lot from 8:00 PM-onwards, and will return to their graves by 6:00 AM to avoid sunrise. They will corporealize next to their grave, or sometimes in a position their grave was previously located on a lot. An eerie ambiance will play when ghosts are haunting the lot, being emitted from the ghost themselves. Ghosts can also rarely appear during daylight hours. If a ghost's gravestone is struck by lightning, they will appear briefly before returning to their grave. If a Sim has collected 10 spiders in their bug hunting collection box and places it on the lot, ghosts will emerge at all hours and never return to their graves.

The presence of multiple ghosts will greatly deplete a Sim's Environment need. Seeing a ghost is a common want for Knowledge Sims, and they will get a positive memory when they see one. Other Sims will get a negative memory. Sims may also have wants to "See the Ghost" of Sims they are enemies with or furious at.

Ghosts have unique abilities, with certain death types bestowing additional exclusive behaviour. Ghosts can intentionally frighten living Sims, sometimes even to death. They can possess or use objects, for example: making a chair float or a teddy bear's head spin. Sims do not seem to notice or react to ghosts unless one chooses to make its presence known.

The only ways to exorcise ghosts from a lot are to either sell their graves[n 1], place them in inventory, or move them to a community lot. Due to an oversight, ghosts who have graves moved to a community lot will have their death type changed to Starvation, regardless of how they actually died. Ghosts on community lots will also never become angry, though they will express their displeasure if there is no fridge on the lot.

A number of other oversights affect ghosts. Saying goodbye to visitors on the lot can cause any ghosts actively haunting the lot to disappear, as they are also treated as visitors. Ghosts may also change their clothing to outerwear while going outside when the weather is cold, and can react to rain outside just as living Sims do despite their spectral form.

Infants and Children[]

Babies are unable to die, and so cannot become ghosts. Toddlers are not intended to be able to die, but due to an oversight they can die if they are on a tile that is on fire for a prolonged period. Deceased toddlers will become ghosts, but there are no animations for them in this state so they will not behave correctly.

Although children can die and become ghosts, they are missing several animations; they will teleport around the lot instead of floating, and they lack any facial animation whatsoever. Furthermore, child ghosts are not excluded from the child visitor curfew at night, so older NPCs may appear on the lot to remove them. As all ghosts are added to the "Default" household, these NPCs could potentially be Universal NPCs (such as the Witch Doctor) which can cause issues to occur.[n 2] Moving a child's grave to a community lot is a workaround that can prevent this from happening.

Behavior[]

Sims 2 microwave

A microwave door floating, levitated by a ghost

All ghosts exhibit unique behavior while haunting a lot, making use of several abilities that they did not possess in life. Ghosts will float through the air, instead of walking on the ground. They can also float through walls, fences, and furniture, but cannot cross ponds. Ghosts have a tendency to be attracted to their favourite object on the lot, oftentimes this will be their bed, but occasionally it can be a different object such as an easel.

Ghosts can cause mischief on lots. They can wither flowers, wake Sims, turn on electronics (even if the object is broken), fill bathtubs or make them filthy. They can also possess objects, such as chairs (even while living Sims are sitting on them), microwaves, teddy bears, toys, table lamps, the surgical dummy, and even graves. Most possessed objects will float in mid-air, but some objects exhibit unique possession behaviour, such as the teddy bear's head spinning, or the toddler xylophone appearing to play by itself. Ghosts can also possess puddles and invisible objects, though when they do nothing will appear to happen. Ghost dogs can dig spectral holes in the ground outside. On the other hand, some ghosts may exhibit helpful behavior, such as cleaning counters, or picking up or emptying trash.

The first time a ghost comes out of their gravestone or urn, they will mourn their own death. They can also mourn over the deaths of other Sims who have recently died. Sim ghosts generally do not interact with other Sim ghosts, but they may play with the ghosts of pets. Ghost pets may also fight with one another if multiple are actively haunting a lot.

Some types of ghosts will have special abilities that other ghosts do not have, based on the manner of their death. The ghosts of Sims who died of electrocution, disease, or hail will periodically appear to re-enact their death before dramatically collapsing to the ground. Ghosts of Sims who drowned will leave puddles on the lot. Ghosts who burned to death will seek moisture in pools, the sea, or bathtubs. The ghosts of Sims who starved to death will be compelled to seek food from fridges on the lot, and become angry if they are unable to find any. Cowplant victims will spend their afterlife obsessively taunting the plant with a chunk of meat.

In Apartment Life, Ghosts are unaffected by the Tempus Interruptus spell. Using Expello Simae on a ghost will compel them to immediately return to their grave.

Fright[]

Ghosts can frighten living Sims, potentially killing them. Calm and mildly angry ghosts can frighten Sims within 3 tiles of their position, while very angry ghosts can frighten Sims within 6 tiles. Ghosts cannot frighten living pets, but they can disturb them.

Frightened Sims will lose 16 points from their Hunger, Comfort, Hygiene, Energy, and Bladder motives. If the Sim is a Teen or older, and four or more of their motives (including Environment) are at -40 or below then they will die. If the Sim does not die, but their bladder motive is -20 or below, they will experience bladder failure.

Anger[]

Ghost in the kitchen

Some Sims can get angry if they find their spouse happily married again

Ghosts on residential lots can become angry from several causes, and there are two levels of anger they can experience. Angry ghosts will haunt the lot more aggressively, and are more likely to break objects or make them dirty. They will also periodically stomp and wave angrily and emit a thought bubble indicating the cause of their anger. Ghosts with the highest intensity of anger can also frighten Sims within 6 tiles of their position instead of within 3 tiles.

Ghosts will become angry if any of the following conditions are met:

  • The ghost died of starvation and there is no food in a fridge or no fridges on the lot.
  • A different family resides on the lot to when the ghost was alive (based on the family's internal ID).
  • The ghost's favourite object in life, the one they used most, is sold or destroyed.
  • Ghosts are also supposed to become angry if their widowed spouse remarries, however due to an oversight, this will only affect pre-made ghosts with living pre-made spouses (e.g. Darleen Dreamer will become angry if her widowed husband Darren Dreamer marries another Sim). All other Sims will have any spousal relationship flags cleared when one partner dies, making the conditions necessary for this situation to occur impossible

A ghost's anger will increase to a higher level of intensity if their tombstone is kicked, or their urn is smashed by a living Sim.

Types of ghosts[]

Most ghost types have a unique appearance, but there are no colors defined for Coffin Scare, Sunlight, Wishing Well, Lightning, and Murphy Bed ghosts and so they reuse the colors of other ghost types. The Coffin Scare, Sunlight, and Wishing Well ghosts share the same light blue appearance as Starvation ghosts. Lightning ghosts have the same yellow shade as Electrocution ghosts, and Murphy Bed ghosts have identical pink coloration to Fright ghosts.

The colors for ghosts of Large Dogs, Small Dogs, and Cats are all defined separately, but all of them use the default light blue color despite them only being able to die of old age, which for Sims will make their ghost appear gray.

Death Type Ghost Colour Behavior Pack
Starvation TS2 Ghost Starvation Light blue
rgba(100,120,255,0.8)
These ghosts will occasionally open any fridges on the lot, removing food points from them. The ghost will become angry if there is no fridge on the lot, or if they open an empty fridge.
The Sims 2 Icon
Electrocution TS2 Ghost Electrocution Yellow
rgba(255,255,20,0.8)
These ghosts will occasionally re-enact their death by becoming shocked and collapsing to the ground.
The Sims 2 Icon
Drowning TS2 Ghost Drowning Blue
rgba(0,30,255,0.8)
These ghosts drip water, leaving puddles on the lot.
The Sims 2 Icon
Fire TS2 Ghost Fire Red
rgba(255,0,30,0.8)
These ghosts are driven to take baths, or swim in pools or the sea.[TS2:BV] These ghosts are more likely to become angry.
The Sims 2 Icon
Old Age TS2 Ghost Old Age Gray
rgba(150,150,150,0.8)
Pets who die of old age will instead appear light blue. Ghost dogs will dig phantom holes. While these ghosts are not always peaceful, they are less likely to become angry.
The Sims 2 Icon
Disease TS2 Ghost Disease Green
rgba(0,255,30,0.8)
These ghosts will occasionally re-enact their death by choking and collapsing to the ground.
The Sims 2 Icon
Flies TS2 Ghost Flies Purple
rgba(138,43,226,1)
The Sims 2 Icon
Fright TS2 Ghost Fright Pink
rgba(255,105,180,1)
The Sims 2 Icon
Satellite TS2 Ghost Satellite Orange
rgba(255,160,122,1)
The Sims 2 Icon
Cowplant TS2 Ghost Cowplant Dark Green
rgba(0,128,0,1)
These ghosts will taunt Cowplants on the lot with a slab of meat. Due to an oversight, they will do this repeatedly for the duration they haunt the lot. They will become angry if a Sim drinks their life essence.
The Sims 2 University Icon
Coffin Scare TS2 Ghost Coffin Scare Light blue
rgba(100,120,255,0.8)
The Sims 2 Nightlife Icon
Sunlight TS2 Ghost Sunlight Light blue
rgba(100,120,255,0.8)
The vampire's fangs will appear in very vibrant blue hue but are usually seen misaligned on the Sim's head
The Sims 2 Nightlife Icon
Rally Forth TS2 Ghost Rally Forth Gold
rgba(255,162,0,1)
These ghosts will continue to hold the megaphone that killed them, though they don't appear to actually use it.
The Sims 2 Open for Business Icon
Wishing Well File:TS2 Ghost Wishing Well.png Light blue
rgba(100,120,255,0.8)
The Sims 2 Seasons Icon
Hail TS2 Ghost Hail Magenta
rgba(255,0,220,1)
These ghosts will occasionally re-enact their death by being bludgeoned by hail and collapsing to the ground.
The Sims 2 Seasons Icon
Lightning TS2 Ghost Lightning Yellow
rgba(255,255,20,0.8)
These ghosts retain their scorched appearance from being shocked.
The Sims 2 Seasons Icon
Murphy Bed TS2 Ghost Murphy Bed Pink
rgba(255,105,180,1)
The Sims 2 Apartment Life Icon

The Sims 2 (console)[]

In the home console versions of The Sims 2, all dead Sims become ghosts that the player can fully control. Ghosts will be able to perform different social interactions with living Sims, including the ability to possess and scare them. Their needs will be static in the middle. All ghosts look the same regardless of how the Sim died. Unlike most Sims games, ghosts will appear at all times of day. Ghosts can also be revived by winning a fiddle challenge with the Grim Reaper or giving him §100. Dead Sims are never really lost forever (or at least for a long time) as they are in the PC version.

In the PlayStation portable version, the main character can only die and be controlled. As playing with this life state, the player can move the character throughs walls or scare others. The Sim will stay as a ghost until the Grim Reaper himself resurrects the Sim or is asked by the player before the duration's expiration.

The Sims 2 (DS)[]

Although Sims will only pass out and wake up in the Manager's Suite Nintendo DS version of The Sims 2, there is one ghost that can haunt the hotel. When the Cute Ghost painting is placed in the hotel, Sims may start receiving phone calls and text messages from the guests and concierge complaining about the hotel being haunted. The players may find the cute cartoonish looking ghost (who dons the original look of a ghost opposed to looking like a Sim) floating around Strangetown, he appears mostly in the lobby. He attempts to scare guests but can be temporarily removed via vacuum cleaner; he will return as long as the painting remains in the hotel. Due to the ghost not looking like a Sim it is unknown who he actually is, guests will just refer to him as 'Ghost'. He makes child like noises, so he could be a child. The Concierge will ring the player saying the ghost visited and started crying, though the player will never see this. If the ghost is nearby while the player is socializing with another sim it may reduce the amount of successful interactions needed to successfully perform an interaction.

The Sims 3[]

Riverview-graveyard

Ghosts in the Riverview Graveyard

Ghosts also appear in The Sims 3, and are fairly similar to those in The Sims 2. They also appear in different colors depending on how they died, but are much richer in color and appear to have higher visual fidelity than those in The Sims 2. There are premade ghosts in each graveyard and also in some houses that ship with The Sims 3 and each of its expansions. Unlike in previous games, ghosts are treated like normal Sims and can be interacted with as soon as they appear on the lot by simply clicking on them. They can also be turned into playable characters and can do all of the things normal Sims can do. They are the only life state other than normal Sims in The Sims 3 base game. The ghost state can be combined with all other life states.

They are also seen briefly right after a Sim dies as the Grim Reaper comes to reap the ghost Sim from their mortal body. This also makes it possible for a Sim to fulfill a wish to see a ghost just after another Sim dies.

When talking to a ghost, they sound like a normal Sim with a little echo. Prior to patch 1.26, they would scream at random. Ghosts move by floating instead of walking. They can become invisible, as well as possessing and haunting furniture. Ghosts, including playable ones, have free will actions which tell them to scare other Sims, but they do not do this all the time, and scaring Sims cannot cause death. The most ghosts could do is make a cowardly Sim faint. As of patch 1.6, ghosts float rather than stand (but do walk up and down stairs), and autonomously go through objects, walls and even other Sims.

When a Sim's spouse dies (of any cause except for old age), it will still show the Sim as being in a relationship with their deceased partner. Therefore, if the ghost finds their living spouse (who will be shown as a fiancée instead) performing any strong romantic action with their new partner, the ghost will be angry, as he or she will think of it as cheating. If a Sim goes around town and performs romantic interactions with their new romantic interest, girl/boyfriend, fiancée, or spouse, he or she may get the cheater reputation. The player can stop this by having the surviving partner break up with the ghost when he or she is haunting. However, angry ghosts can be quite violent, so it would be easier to either put the grave in the graveyard, sell it, place it in a Sim's inventory, or hire a ghost exterminator.

Another unique thing about ghosts in The Sims 3 is that they can also go outside of the graveyard to go to other lots and haunt other Sims, but they will only target homes that are somehow related to them. If taken notice of at the graveyard when they are already floating around, some ghosts will seen going out to the entrance and driving away in cars (either a Sloppy Jalopy or Big Lemon). However, the cars will look perfectly normal, not like ghost cars.

Note that, when a ghost goes back to its grave, their relationships will be reset to zero. Therefore, it is useless trying to have a Sim become friends with a ghost unless the ghost's urn or tombstone is placed in the Sim's inventory and taken into their house.

Sometimes, when using the cheat ResetSim [InsertNameHere] on a ghost, the ghost may return to the Netherworld.

Types of ghosts[]

See also: Hybrid

As in The Sims 2, ghosts have different colors depending on how the Sim died, but their appearance is rather different. They have blank eyes, which is their most notable feature. Different ghosts may behave a little differently depending on their traits when they were alive and how they died.

Types of ghosts by death
Death type Color Traits / Notes Images
Old age Cloudy grey skin with sparkles NPC old age Sims will occasionally nap in empty beds or complain that they're tired and bored. Ghosts Death By Old Age
Drowning Blue with rippling skin and dripping water (does not create puddles of water like they did in The Sims 2). If the ghost is an NPC, it will avoid water and often complain of exhaustion. Player Sims of this ghost type won't mind swimming or bathing, and it will not replace or override Loves to Swim or mermaid statute. Sims who died of the pit monster in the Door of Life and Death also have this type of ghost. Ghosts Death By Drowning
Electrocution Yellow with electrical sparking skin and sometimes emit blue electric sparks. NPC ghosts will act scared if it encounters broken electrical objects. Player Sim ghosts have no side-effects, will not get the Scared moodlet, and can even be told to repair the objects themselves (and will often succeed at it too). Ghosts Death By Electrocution
Fire Orange with fiery skin and smoke. Sims can die like this in many various ways, like spontaneous combustion, inventing failure, or being too close to a meteor impact. When the ghost is in a pool, it turns invisible, except for its hair.

NPC fire ghosts occasionally takes showers and baths, while player Sim fire ghosts have no side-effects.
Ghosts Death By Fire
Starvation Pink-purple with cloudy skin. Will only make ghostly noises if they move. Eats any food left lying around, or will prepare food for themselves. They will always be thin, no matter how fat they were when they were alive. Sims killed by the Cowplant will also have this type of ghost. If such a Sim starts out from CAS, their Hunger motive will be on the border between Very Hungry and Starving, though a dinner or restaurant visit will fill them to full again, and the motive won't drop faster than usual. Ghosts Death By Starvation
Mummy's curse[TS3:WA] Gold with cloudy skin and emits black haze. Will only make ghostly noises if they move. Prior to Late Night and its subsequent patch, the ghost was dark grey or black. Though the in-game process leading to this death will replace one of the Sim's traits with Evil, this is not the case if the Sim started out as a ghost in CAS, nor if the statute was given to them with NRaas Master Controller Cheats. Ghosts Death By Mummy's Curse
Meteor[TS3:A] Dark orange with fiery skin. Treated as a death by fire. Ghosts Death By Meteor
Thirst[TS3:LN] Dark crimson with rippling skin, emits a pulsing red light accompanied by a heartbeat from their chest. Vampires only. Will also be skinny, like ghosts who died from starvation. Not available in Create-a-Sim. If given with NRaas Master Controller Cheats, their thirst motive will start out at "Thirsty" at a 2-hour countdown, though a restaurant visit will fill them to full again (and one plasma juice to 90%), and the motive won't drop faster than usual. Thirst ghost cropped
Watery grave[TS3:ST] Dark blue. Prior to patch 1.50, the ghost was the same color as that of a Sim who drowned. Unskilled Magicians who fail to execute the watery grave trick with the Box of Danger have a chance of dying. If such a ghost becomes playable, they have no side-effects. Ghosts Death By Watery Grave
Buried alive[TS3:ST] (a.k.a. Human Statue) Invisible with hints of black. Unskilled magicians who fail to execute the buried alive trick with the Box of Danger have a chance of dying. Losers who fail this trick and die will not be resurrected despite their trait's ability to escape most other deaths. Ghosts Death By Buried Alive
Jelly bean[TS3:SN] Dark purple with electric blue hair and outlines. They will have jelly beans floating around inside them. The Sim's head when selecting an interaction, will frequently flicker, even if the game is paused, but flickers to a lesser extent than for Shark attack. Ghosts Death By Jelly Bean
Haunting curse[TS3:SN] Dark green with light green hair and outlines. Sprites of skulls, tombstones and crescent moons surround the ghost. Witches only. No side-effects. Ghosts Death By Haunting Curse
Transmutation[TS3:SN] Bright gold with gold stars and sparkles when moving. No side-effects. Ghosts Death By Transmutation
Freezing[TS3:S] White with light blue hair and highlights. If playable, they will have the "Teeth Chattering" moodlet regardless of actual temperature, and roll unachievable wants to warm up. Ghosts Death By Freezing
Blunt force trauma[TS3:UL] Magenta with white hair and highlights. Feathers will float around them. No side-effects. They won't even mind being told to use vending machines, despite them having died from such a machine. Blunt force trauma ghost
Ranting[TS3:UL] Green with lime green hair and highlights. Grawlix symbols surround the ghost. No side-effects. Ranting ghost
Shark attack[TS3:IP] Purple with pink highlights and water flowing in their body. The Sim's head when selecting an interaction, will frequently flicker, even if the game is paused. This can be weary on the player's eyes, but not as much that it could cause epilepsy. Shark ghost cropped
Running out of air[TS3:IP] Dark turquoise with water flowing in their body. No side-effects. Death by scuba diving ghost
Dehydration[TS3:IP] Golden yellow. Mermaids only. If given with NRaas Master Controller Cheats, their Hydration motive will start out at "Flakey" at a 6-hour countdown, and the motive won't drop faster than usual. Dehydration ghost
Jetpack crash[TS3:ITF] Red with orange hair and lava-like textures. No side-effects. Fall from sky ghost
Time anomaly[TS3:ITF] Light orange with light blue hair. Will have almost invisible arms and legs, and a light going through them. No side-effects. Time anomaly ghost
Future urnstone hologram[TS3:ITF] Blue with hologramic appearance. This is the only ghost in The Sims 3 that is not tied to any death. This type of ghost can only become playable if created via Create-a-Sim in Supernatural, and ghosts created this way still have their gravestones in their inventory, despite this not being a real death. This ghost is also used with futuristic gravestones, as well as when plumbots with holo projector trait chip summon a Sim. Such playable ghosts have no side-effects. Future urnstone hologram ghost

Playable ghosts[]

Ghost Family

A ghost family

Ghosts can be resurrected to become playable using the Oh My Ghost! opportunity. The player can get this opportunity 2–3 days after the Sim dies. They can get married and have babies, including ghost babies. As a playable character, the ghost will be added to the household, like a family member. They can then be resurrected as normal Sims if they are fed with Ambrosia. Ghosts who have lost their gravestones cannot be resurrected. In The Sims 3 for console, a ghost can be brought back to life by using the Divine Intervention Karma Power.[1] If a Sim in the player's household dies, that Sim will be playable as a ghost for 5 days. After which the ghost returns to the Netherworld and is never seen again.

There are multiple ways to revive a ghost. If a Sim has a death flower in their inventory when they die, the Grim Reaper will take the flower and bring the Sim back to life. Ghosts can attempt to travel back in time using the time machine for a chance of revival.[TS3:A] Sims can also wish for a Sim to be resurrected using the genie.[TS3:ST]

Ghost Sims carry their own tombstones in their inventory which cannot be removed. If the player no longer wishes for the ghost to be around, the ghost can be dismissed by simply clicking on it and selecting the "Return to the Netherworld" option. This will revert the ghost to its remains, which will then need to be reburied or turned into an urn.

Ghosts act in many ways similar to normal Sims. They eat food, clean messes, and sleep. Ghost children even go to school, even though they are dead. A ghost child's grade always starts at C, no matter how high the grade was before death.

ChanceSpook

A child having consumed the Ghost Potion

If the Generations expansion pack is installed, a Sim who is good with the chemistry table or has a Ghost Potion in their inventory can turn into a ghost for three hours. While under the effects of the Ghost Potion, the Sim has the appearance of a ghost who died of old age and has all of the abilities of a true ghost; however, as they are not actually dead they do not have an urn in their inventory and therefore cannot use the "Return to the Netherworld" interaction.[TS3:G]

The console version of The Sim 3 Pets will have a karma power named "Ghostify" which will turn a Sim to a ghost and can be upgraded to choose a type of ghost.

If the Supernatural expansion is installed, playable ghosts can be created in Create a Sim, and their type of death can be chosen. Deaths from other expansions can also be chosen even though the player doesn't have the corresponding expansions installed. (This is because the codes for expansion-ghosts types are carried forward through the different patches for The Sims 3. In order to kill Sims to get these types of ghosts, however, still requires their corresponding expansions.) Playable ghosts of pre-existing Sims (as well as ghost pets and Plumbot ghosts) can also be added to a household by using the Philosopher's Stone.[TS3:SN]

At the initial release of The Sims 3, ghosts were unable to become partners in or buy out businesses. However, in fully-updated games, ghosts can now purchase properties (including businesses) by using the "Check Real Estate" interaction on their cell phone.

Oddly, ghosts that were made in CAS (including all playable ghosts from Moonlight Falls) will not age, but ghosts that were made playable in gameplay will age, and eventually die of old age (along with ghost babies made in gameplay). In addition, playable ghosts are immune from forms of death in the game (being already dead), such as fire and starvation, although with regards to the latter, they still have an active hunger motive, but they will not die again of starvation, but will only receive the very negative hunger moodlet.

Related opportunities and wishes[]

Gold Digger lifetime wish

Sims with the Gold Digger lifetime wish want more than anything to see the ghost of their rich spouse. This can be easily achieved by marrying a young adult Sim to a wealthy elder.

Indian Burial Ground
When a family first moves in to a home, they may find their property is haunted by random ghosts. Sims can deal with the ghosts themselves or keep them. Sims will shortly be offered help from a Repo-Man in order to get rid of the urns.
  • Sometimes, when given this scenario, some of the ghosts may appear with a death type from an expansion pack the player does not have installed. This is because the codes for ghost types are carried forward in the patches, and is not exclusive to the expansion pack. Killing Sims in certain ways requires the corresponding expansion pack, however.
Miscellaneous wishes
  • Sims with the Evil trait often wish to see the ghost of living Sims around them.
  • Several of the Photography photo album in the skill journal include capturing the snapshot of a ghost, some ghosts, and a Mummy-Ghost.

Ghost glitches[]

In The Sims 3, a glitch might occur; when a ghost is haunting the lot, they may continue to haunt the lot forever and never return to their graves. In order to send the ghost back to its grave, the player must activate "Testingcheatsenabled", hold down shift and left-click on the ghost. The player will see an option titled Force Object; if it is selected, an option titled "Delete It" will become available. Select this and the ghost will disappear, as if it never came out to haunt the lot in the first place. This cheat is mostly harmless and can be used to send a ghost back to their grave if this glitch occurs. Another way is to send the ghost back to its grave is to use the ResetSim cheat (ctrl+shift+c, then type "ResetSim (first name) (surname)"). Type the name of the ghost into the ResetSim (without the brackets) and they will go back into their urns or graves.

Another bug in the game causes ghosts on community lots to leave the lot and drive to a random unoccupied lot instead. The ghost will move onto the unoccupied space and then vanish. If the player attempts to interact with the ghost or clicks any interaction on it the ghost will disappear. Because of this bug, ghosts will no longer haunt the lot even if they are in a graveyard. This will also happen on unselected households.

Prior to Patch 3, it was common for ghosts to lose their gravestone if the player switched families. That meant it could not be resurrected nor could it die.

If a ghost is asked to move in and join the active household, the urn or grave for that ghost can be deleted; however, the sparkles on the ghost that died of old age will be lost. If the ghost eats ambrosia, it cannot be brought back to life. Deleting its urn or grave will also cause the ghost state to be permanent.

The Sims 3 (DS)[]

Ghosts in The Sims 3 for Nintendo DS look much like regular Sims, but their features are grayed out slightly, and they are transparent. They don't 'walk', so much as they 'float', by lifting their legs up and moving. They cannot drive cars. They also appear prone to glitches, including getting stuck in the ground, and appear more frequently at night. They can be talked to, angered, and even flirted with, but a ghost has the extra ability to scare other Sims. They can go through walls, and when they move, ghostly Simlish can be heard.

It is known that when normal Sims (especially Sims with the coward trait) try to interact with ghosts, their hair turns white, and the normal Sim runs away. When this happens, the ghost that the normal Sim ran away from will usually reenact the normal Sim's fright. Most normal Sims will run to the stoplight beside the road outside the graveyard, scream, and faint; ghosts will run there (or float), and will do what the Sims did. They will scream, fan themselves if it is a female Sim/ghost, and faint, but instead of being transported to the hospital after fainting like normal Sims, they will get back up and float to back to the graveyard. This could be a sign that ghosts are offended when normal Sims get scared of them.

The three ghost characters are Sarah Abreu, Abrams Daigle, and Star Vega. Obviously, all three start out unemployed. None have lifetime wishes, but the players can give them one through the Mid-Life Crisis lifetime happiness reward. Strangely, Abrams and Sarah both have the insane trait, while Star Vega has the kleptomaniac trait. All three of these characters can be found at Pleasant Rest Graveyard, usually only at night. One can play as a ghost by befriending them, inviting them over and convincing them to move in. When played, ghosts act much like regular Sims, and can pursue careers. They can live indefinitely without food, and do not need to use the bathroom or clean themselves. They do, however, have a fun need, sleep need, and social need. When they get a job, or have a Magic Moment, the ghost will appear alive. This can also be seen if one attempts to edit the appearance of a ghost.

Ghosts are generally quite grumpy, and are hard to make friends with. Abrams will usually reject a proposal.

The Sims 4[]

Angry ghost TS4

An angry ghost in The Sims 4

The Sims 4 did not originally contain ghosts. When Sims died, they were permanently unplayable. Ghosts were added to The Sims 4 via a game patch on October 1, 2014. As in The Sims 3, ghosts come back as non-playable Sims that haunt the area around their graves upon death. Developing a good relationship with them can allow Sims to ask them to join the household.

Newborns and infants cannot be ghosts, while all other life stages can be ghosts. However, toddler ghosts are not accessible without the use of cheats (by either using to equip.trait to give a toddler a death trait, or aging down a child-or-older ghost into a toddler) or mods, and they lack many animations.

Ghosts change to certain colors depending on their emotional state:

  • White: Fine
  • Green: Happy
  • Blue/Teal: Confident
  • Magenta: Playful
  • Red/Fire Engine Red: Angry
  • Grey: Bored
  • Lime: Energized
  • Purple: Focused
  • Dark Blue: Sad
  • Yellow: Embarrassed
  • Orange: Uncomfortable
  • Amber: Tense
  • Pink/Brilliant Rose: Flirty
  • Lavender/Amethyst: Dazed
  • Cyan/Light Sea Green: Inspired
  • Reddish Purple/Eggplant: Scared
  • Navy Blue: Asleep/PØŞŞ€ŞŞ€Đ[TS4:SV]

Sims can interact with ghosts like they can with normal Sims. There is a friendly interaction for ghosts in which ghosts can pass through Sims. Sims can also "Ask Them What Happened" to figure out how they died. Ghosts can appear for every 2 days from 12:00 AM to 6:00 AM. Ghosts can also appear in some public venue lots for their visit (especially at night), such as on nightclubs, bars during the Ghost Night[TS4:GT] and onsen bathhouses[TS4:SE]. Having ghosts in a household is the requirements for two achievements.

Ghosts can possess objects and go through walls and objects, though the player can choose which objects to possess. Ghosts can also break and/or "Ghostly Repair" objects through this possession ability, which is useful for Sims with lower handiness skill.

If Spooky Stuff is installed, ghosts can wear any carved pumpkins on their heads, which will provide them with a happy moodlet.

Types of ghosts[]

The known ghost types and their respective attributes are:

Death Type Icon Effect Behavior Pack
Hunger Trait TS4 Death by Hunger Hunger motive will deplete twice as fast. &BG
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Electrocution Trait TS4 Death by Electrocution Emits sparks, which also visibly appear inside their body. Imbued with electricity, the ghost can give other Sims an electric shock. When the ghost is angry, they can possess electronics to break them. &BG
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Fire Trait TS4 Death by Fire Emits smoke and has a visible flame inside their body Imbued with fire, the ghost of a Sim who burned to death can start fires at will, as well as set off continuous fires when they're angry on the lot they live on. &BG
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Old Age Trait TS4 Death by Old Age The ghost of a Sim who has reached the end of their lifespan will prefer to take it easy. &BG
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Overexertion Trait TS4 Death by Overexertion As with ghosts of Sims who died of Old Age, these ghosts will also take it easy and spend their time relaxing. &BG
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Cowplant Trait TS4 Death by Cowplant A Sim who is consumed by a Cowplant becomes one with nature. If the ghost is happy, they can help plants grow and mature faster. If the ghost is angry, the ghost can choke plants with weeds, and make them decay in quality. &BG
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Laughter Trait TS4 Death by Laughter Humor doesn't end at the grave. These ghosts will periodically become Playful, and can instill a playful or Happy mood in nearby Sims too. &BG
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Anger Trait TS4 Death by Anger Has visible smoke billowing inside their body Will periodically become Angry, and can negatively influence nearby Sims by making them angry too. &BG
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Embarrassment Trait TS4 Death by Embarrassment Shame follows the deceased to the afterlife. They will periodically become Embarrassed, and nearby Sims can also become embarrassed in the ghost's presence. &BG
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Drowning Trait TS4 Death by Drowning Emits drops of water that will leave puddles on the lot. Added in Patch 7. &BG
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Meteorite Trait TS4 Death by Meteorite Has a visible glowing, orange metorite inside their body. Added in Patch 131. Occasionally these ghosts will reenact their death, which will cause the ground to become covered in soot. &BG
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Steam Trait TS4 Death by Steam Emits steam and drops of vapor. Can 'Sabotage' a sauna, causing it to break whenever a Sim next uses it. Can also absorb puddles of water for hydration. &GP02
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Pufferfish Trait TS4 Death by Pufferfish Has a visible pufferfish swimming inside their body. &EP03
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Sunlight Trait TS4 Death by Sunlight Has a visible glowing sun inside their body. Can start fires when angry. Although they are ghost and cannot die again, they will still experience increased Vampire Energy motive decay when in sunlight. &GP04
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Poison Trait TS4 Death by Poison Emits a green stink cloud. Will periodically belch, which will make nearby Sims either react with digust or pass out, and has a rare chance of poisoning them too. &GP06
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Rabid Rodent Fever Trait TS4 Death by Rabid Rodent Fever Wears an oversized hamster costume, and visibly foams at the mouth. Can use 'Spread Rodent Fear' interaction, which causes all nearby Sims to panic and flee. Drinking a Rabid Innoculation Serum will remove the costume and foam effect, making the deceased Sim appear as a regular ghost. &SP14
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Consumed By the Mother Trait TS4 Consumed By the Mother Emits floating spores. Motives never decay. They can possess plants to decrease their quality, and can possess objects covered in vines to remove them. &GP07
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Overheating Trait TS4 Death by Overheating Will seek out activities that cool them down, such as drinking, and swimming. Can 'Sabotage' a sauna. Performs idle animations that will heat up nearby Sims, and can manually do so with the 'Warm Up Sim' interaction. &EP05
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Freezing Trait TS4 Death by Freezing Emits frost. Can possess fire to extinguish it. &EP05
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Lightning Trait TS4 Death by Lightning Emits sparks. &EP05
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Flowers Trait TS4 Death by Flowers &EP05
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Spellcaster Overload Spellcaster Overload Icon Emits sparkles and rays of light. &GP08
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Murphy Bed Trait TS4 Death by Murphy Bed Has visible 'ZZZZ's inside their body. These ghosts cannot sleep in beds or sleeping bags, but have no restriction on sleeping in a tent or napping on sofas and loungers. They can possess other Sims to steal their energy, which will cause the victim to pass out, or possibly die of Overextertion if they are an Elder. They also have unique interactions to 'Warn about Bed Safety', and to 'Wake Up and Warn!' Sims sleeping in a bed. &SP16
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Flies Trait TS4 Death by Flies Emits flies, and has a visible swarm of flies inside their body. Always successfull when bonding with flies. &EP09
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Beetles Trait TS4 Death by Beetles &EP09
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Vending Machine Trait TS4 Death by Vending Machine Has a visible fizzing can of soda floating inside their body. Will always be crushed by a vending machine when interacting with one, and will become Scared of it. &EP10
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Falling from Heights Trait TS4 Death by Falling Periodically performs chalk hands idle animation. &EP10
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Killer Chicken Trait TS4 Death by Killer Chicken Emits ghostly shrieking chicken sounds. Has a visible chicken head floating inside their body. Will autonomously scare chickens on the lot. &EP03
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Killer Rabbit Trait TS4 Death by Killer Rabbit Emits ghostly shrieking rabbit sounds. Has a visible rabbit head floating inside their body. Will autonomously scare rabbits on the lot. &EP03
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Urban Myth Trait TS4 Death by Urban Legend Emits a black aura. Will become scared when using mirrors, and will autonomously use 'Defuse Prank' interaction on objects. &EP12
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Stink Capsule Trait TS4 Death by Stink Capsule Emits a green stink cloud. Will autonomously use 'Defuse Prank' interaction on objects. &EP12
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Mold Trait TS4 Death by Mold Emits mold spores, and has a visible green, glowing mushroom inside their body. Has a unique hunched floating animation. Has several unique interactions that will decrease energy when used; 'Summon Allergenic Mold' can be used on the ground at will, and 'Fungal Overgrowth' can be used outside to spawn harvestable mushrooms. They can also 'Spoil Food', and 'Blow Fertilizing Spores' on plants to improve their quality. These ghosts are unable to eat mushrooms, and will become Angry when witnessing other Sims eating them, drastically lowering relationship. They can also 'Confide' with plants to increase their Social motive. &EP15
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Tip
Dead Sims can be resurrected by using the Book of Life, Ambrosia, the Whispering Wishing Well, or Spellcasters using the Dedeathify spell.

Special NPC Ghosts:

  • Elementals:[TS4:IL] Elementals are ghosts that can be summoned by Sims with the child of the islands trait. When summoned, they can provide buffs or debuffs depending on how the Sims treat the island and its culture. Elementals all have the Sulani mana trait which can be inherited by adding them to the household (which makes them mortal) and having them try for a baby with a member of the household. Alternatively, the trait can simply be added with the cheat traits.equip_trait trait_Hidden_IslandAncestor_Elemental. Elementals will eventually disappear after being summoned.
  • Island Spirits:[TS4:IL] Island Spirits are ghosts akin to the ones from The Sims 3: Ambitions ghost hunting career where they are more ethereal than previous ghosts. Island Spirits can only be seen on lots with the "Island Spirits" lot trait, and will appear at random times. When they appear, Sims can commune with them or banish them. Communing with them will grant buffs and debuffs in a similar fashion to elementals.
  • Forest Spirits:[TS4:SE] Forest Spirits are non-humanoid ghosts that are found in specific areas of Mt. Komorebi. A successful interaction with a Forest Spirit will give you a doll version of that spirit that can be hung up at the Sim's home.
  • Claude René Duplantier Guidry:[TS4:PS] Guidry is a special ghost NPC that appears in haunted houses or can be summoned by skilled mediums. Guidry is mainly there to help Sims know more about living in haunted houses and also answer many questions for Sims about specters and the paranormal.
  • Temperance:[TS4:PS] Temperance is a special ghost NPC who is eternally angry, she appears after a while when a Sim is living in a haunted house, she has a feud with Guidry and will appear to disrupt any interactions to be friendly with ghosts or seances. Sims can stop her if they summon Bonehilda or ask Guidry for a bizarre idol which will hold off Temperance from doing actions.

Specters[]

Specters are a special ghost type appearing in haunted houses introduced in The Sims 4: Paranormal Stuff. Specters can either be friendly, sad, or angry, and there are multiple advantages and disadvantages to having them in the house. Normal Sims can interact with them fine but Sims who have the medium skill will have a better time influencing their relationship and specters will behave differently depending on their moods:

  • Happy specters will be kind and often give out spooky candy for Sims on the lot, they mostly will float around and Sims can have successful chats with them.
  • Sad specters have mixed results in interactions with Sims. They can be friendly or mischievous as they stay up during the night, and possibly drop cursed objects.
  • Angry specters are very mischievous ghosts that are mostly playful but have a chance when really angry to attack Sims by setting fires on the lot. Almost all interactions with them will fail.

When specters appear, they will cause lights to flicker all about the house. Cursed Objects and not being friendly with the specters for a while will bring down the spiritual volatility of the house as well as make specters angrier.

Sims in the Freelance Paranormal Investigator career will often meet specters and will possibly need to exorcise them from the lot. Sims can get rid of specters in multiple ways:

  • Ask to Leave: Friendly specters most likely will accept this interaction and will leave peacefully.
  • Present Offering: Sims can present offerings of food, drinks, craftables, etc. and the specter may leave afterwards.
  • Offer Soul: Sims can offer a piece of their own soul to a specter, this will cause a Sim's lifespan to fill up a considerable amount. However Sims can eat soul scraps specters leave behind to counteract this.
  • Perform Ceremony: Mediums can perform a ceremony to exorcise all the ghosts, however, if this fails, the specters will become angrier.

Abilities[]

Ghosts in The Sims 4 can manually access their abilities, unlike in previous installments where it was an autonomous interaction. All ghosts can do a variety of ghostly interactions, but they can also get extra interactions or effects based on how they died.

  • Possess objects making them float, such as microwaves, chairs, tables, computers etc.
  • Float through objects and walls instead of going around them.
  • Scare Sims. This interaction makes ghosts become completely invisible and reappear with a jump scare sound effect.
  • Break objects such as sinks, toilets etc.
  • Repair broken objects by possessing them.
  • Pass through Sims, which is a more playful interaction that allows ghosts to float through Sims, to which the Sim will be amazed and encourage to pass through again.
  • Wear carved pumpkins on their heads and float around with them.[TS4SS]
  • Ghosts who died by fire can stomp the ground and cause a fire where they stand when they're angry.
  • Ghosts who died by electrocution can break electronics such as TV's, computers etc. as well as repair them.
  • Ghosts who died by drowning will leave puddles.
  • Ghosts who died by laughter will always have successful jokes and give off a playful aura to other Sims.
  • Ghosts who died by embarrassment will give off an embarrassed aura to other Sims.
  • Ghosts who died by anger will give off an angry aura to other Sims.
  • Ghosts who died by a Cowplant will cause plants to flourish and grow faster when they are happy but wither and die when they are sad.
  • Level 4 or higher Mediums can perform a Ghastly Ritual that has a chance of temporarily turning them into a ghost. This even allows child Sims to temporarily become ghosts.[TS4:PS]
  • Ghosts who died by overheating in the sauna will absorb puddles.[TS4:SD]
  • Vampire ghosts who died by sunlight retain their vampiric abilities in death.[TS4:V]
  • Ghosts who died by overheating during hot temperatures have an interaction to warm up Sims.[TS4:S]
  • Ghosts who died by freezing have an interaction to cool down Sims.[TS4:S]
  • Ghosts who died by the Mother will have no motive decay.[TS4:SV]
  • Spellcaster ghosts who died by spellcaster overload retain their magical abilities in death.[TS4:ROM]

Gallery[]

Audio[]

Description Audio
Song that plays in The Sims when a ghost appears.

First variant

Second variant

Third variant. (Unused.)

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. In an unmodified game, deleting a Sim's grave will irreversibly delete the Sim's character file. This also prevents them from being resurrected.
  2. Mods such as this one can be used to prevent this issue.

References[]

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