Sims 4: All Skill Cheats (Max Skills Instantly)

Updated September 20266 min readBy Radim Sekera

Grinding a skill from 1 to 10 takes Sim-days. Skill cheats collapse that into a single line of text — perfect for testing a build, jumping straight into a career, or skipping the grind on a skill you have maxed a dozen times before. This guide covers the exact format, every common skill code, and the syntax mistakes that make cheats fail.

Official screenshot from The Sims™ 4 — Official screenshot — The Sims™ 4 (Electronic Arts) · source

Quick answer

Enable cheats with testingcheats true, then set most skills using stats.set_skill_level Major_[SkillName] [level] — for example stats.set_skill_level Major_Painting 10 maxes Painting. Major skills cap at 10; toddler and minor skills mostly use a lower cap of 5 (Toddler Potty caps at 3) and a different prefix. A few skills, including Fitness, use Skill_ instead of Major_. The syntax is case- and underscore-sensitive, so one typo makes the cheat fail silently. You enter skills one at a time; there is no single max-everything command.

01The Skill Cheat Format

All skill cheats follow one pattern. Open the console (Ctrl+Shift+C on PC, all four shoulder buttons on console), then:

Type testingcheats true and press Enter to enable cheats.
Use the format stats.set_skill_level [SkillType]_[SkillName] [level].
Press Enter — the selected (active) Sim's skill jumps to that level immediately.

Example: stats.set_skill_level Major_Painting 10 sets Painting to the maximum level 10. Major skills cap at 10; toddler and some minor skills cap at 5 (the Toddler Potty skill is the one exception, capping at 3).

02Major Skill Cheats (Cap 10)

These use the Major_ prefix. A selection of the most-used codes:

stats.set_skill_level Major_Painting 10 — Painting
stats.set_skill_level Major_HomestyleCooking 10 — Cooking
stats.set_skill_level Major_GourmetCooking 10 — Gourmet Cooking
stats.set_skill_level Major_Writing 10 — Writing
stats.set_skill_level Major_Programming 10 — Programming
stats.set_skill_level Major_Gardening 10 — Gardening
stats.set_skill_level Major_Charisma 10 — Charisma
stats.set_skill_level Major_Handiness 10 — Handiness
stats.set_skill_level Major_Logic 10 — Logic
stats.set_skill_level Skill_Fitness 10 — Fitness (this one is an exception — it uses Skill_, not Major_, even though it caps at 10 like a major skill)
stats.set_skill_level Major_Guitar 10 — Guitar (also Piano, Violin, Pipe Organ)

03Minor, Child & Toddler Skill Cheats

Smaller skills and those for younger Sims use different prefixes and caps:

Minor skills (cap 5) use Minor_, e.g. stats.set_skill_level Minor_Dancing 5 for Dancing, or Minor_LocalCulture from packs.
Child skills (cap 10) use Skill_Child_, e.g. stats.set_skill_level Skill_Child_Creativity 10 (also Mental, Motor, Social).
Toddler skills use Skill_Toddler_, e.g. stats.set_skill_level Skill_Toddler_Communication 5 (also Imagination, Movement, Thinking — all cap at 5). Potty is the exception: it caps at 3, so use stats.set_skill_level Skill_Toddler_Potty 3.
Pack skills follow the same pattern with their own names, e.g. Major_Wellness (Spa Day), Major_Veterinarian (Cats & Dogs).

04Common Mistakes & Tips

Skill cheats fail silently — no error appears — so check these if nothing happens:

Forgot the enabler: you must run testingcheats true first in the session.
Wrong capitals or underscores: the syntax is case- and underscore-sensitive. Major_painting will not work — it must be Major_Painting.
Wrong prefix: using Major_ for a toddler skill (which needs Skill_Toddler_) fails — and Fitness is the one major-tier skill that also breaks with Major_; it needs Skill_Fitness instead.
No single max-all cheat: you must set each skill individually — there is no vanilla command to max every skill at once.
Lowering a skill: the same command works to reduce a skill — just enter a lower number.

FAQ

How do you max skills in Sims 4 with cheats?

Open the console with Ctrl+Shift+C, type testingcheats true, then use stats.set_skill_level Major_[SkillName] 10 for most major skills — for example stats.set_skill_level Major_Painting 10 maxes Painting. Fitness is an exception and uses Skill_Fitness instead of Major_Fitness. Major skills cap at 10, while toddler and some minor skills cap at 5 (Toddler Potty caps at 3). You set each skill individually; there is no command to max every skill at once.

What is the skill cheat format in Sims 4?

The format is stats.set_skill_level [SkillType]_[SkillName] [level]. Most major skills use the Major_ prefix and cap at 10 — Fitness is a notable exception, using Skill_Fitness instead. Child skills use Skill_Child_, and toddler skills use Skill_Toddler_ and cap at 5, except Potty, which caps at 3. The syntax is case- and underscore-sensitive, so Major_Painting works but major_painting does not. You must run testingcheats true first.

Why are my skill cheats not working in Sims 4?

The usual causes are forgetting to enter testingcheats true first, or a typo in the capitalisation or underscores — the cheat fails silently with no error. Make sure it reads exactly like Major_Painting, not Major_painting or Major Painting. Also confirm you are using the right prefix: toddler skills need Skill_Toddler_, not Major_, and Fitness needs Skill_Fitness rather than Major_Fitness even though it behaves like a major skill.

Is there a cheat to max all skills at once in Sims 4?

No — the base game has no single command to max every skill simultaneously. You must enter stats.set_skill_level for each skill one at a time. Some third-party mods add a max-all option, but in the vanilla game you set each skill individually using the Major_, Skill_Child_, or Skill_Toddler_ prefixes.

Sources

Where the facts on this page were checked. If one of them now says something different, we want to know — tell us and we will fix the guide.

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