Summary
- Some Sims 4 players are sneaking hate symbols into the game using new tattoo creation mechanics.
- Players can now run tattoo parlors in-game, leading to offensive tattoos surfacing in The Gallery.
- The Sims 4 community hopes developers will vigilantly remove offensive content and urges reporting.
Some players of The Sims 4 are using a new gameplay mechanic to sneak hate symbols associated with Nazism into the normally cozy life simulator. Skill-based tattoo creation was introduced to The Sims 4's gameplay just a few days ago, and some players are already upset with the creations they're finding in The Gallery.
Along with pottery, tattooing is one of the new skills players can acquire in The Sims 4's Businesses & Hobbies expansion, which was released on March 6, 2025. The expansion also allows players to start and run small businesses from their Sims' homes or new small business venue lots, and players can opt to combine those two elements to have Sims run their own tattoo parlor.
All Expansion Packs in The Sims 4
The Sims 4 has plenty of great expansion packs; some of them really enhance the gameplay, while others fall just short of expectations.
That new freedom in the game also comes with an enhanced ability to create tattoo patterns that can be uploaded to The Gallery, the game's player-led hub for sharing custom creations that other players can browse and download to use in their neighborhoods. While there are restrictions on the Sims 4 Gallery meant to keep offensive content out, a player has reported on Reddit that they have found tattoos depicting Nazi hate symbols clearly displayed on their first visit to The Galley after installing the new DLC. Though this player originally declined to name the hate symbol, instead referring to it as "Yes, that one," they later clarified that both were swastikas, one with a red background, and that they seemed to have been snuck in using keywords alluding to European heritage. Both offending files have been reported to the developers at Maxis.
Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies Player Reports Swastika Tattoos in The Gallery
This isn't the first time that a player has reported Nazi imagery found in a game. In 2021, a Ukrainian player spotted a Neo-Nazi symbol in Call of Duty: Warzone's Chimera Squad logo, sharing pictures that reflected similar imagery used by a real-life Neo-Nazi group based in their home country. Aside from a pallet swap, the images from the game and the hate group seemed nearly identical, leading the developers to censor the image in certain regions of the world.
Even prior to that report, in 2017, Bungie removed armor from Destiny 2 that contained imagery that may have alluded to a white nationalism symbol that originated on the Internet. In the same vein, The Sims 4 player seems hopeful that Maxis will remain vigilant to remove any future offensive tattoo uploads, asking the community to report any that they find and not turn a blind eye to intolerance.
- Released
- March 6, 2025
- ESRB
- Teen // Crude Humor, Sexual Themes, Violence. In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Base Game
- The Sims 4
- Developer(s)
- Maxis
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
WHERE TO PLAY
- Franchise
- The Sims
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, macOS
