Every Sexual Orientation option in The Sims 4

The next free update for The Sims 4 will give players a choice between multiple Sexual Orientations.

High School Years is an upcoming paid expansion for the game, but a patch alongside it will be provided to every player for free. It will include the Sexual Orientation feature during Create-A-Sim.

Users will be able to assign different attractions for various scenarios. With the update, three separate parameters can be set, including who the Sim is romantically attracted to, exploring romance with, or interested to "Mess Around."

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Gamers can now set Sexual Orientation in The Sims 4

A look at the new feature on the Create-A-Sim screen (Image via Electronic Arts)

The developers behind The Sims 4 indicated the importance of representing the LGBTQIA+ community. This has led to the addition of varied Sexual Orientations in The Sims.

The three options will be available for any Sim when the High School Years expansion and update drops on July 28. Already existing Sims can have their options altered as well.

This Sim is romantically attracted to

This option gives a choice of men and/or women. Both or neither can be chosen for this simple selection. It says which Genders the Sim will be attracted to, and if a Sim doesn't match the checked Gender(s), their advances will be rejected.

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This Sim is exploring romantically

The exploration option can see the attraction shift while playing. A No selection will not allow that to happen. A Yes choice could potentially change romantic interactions from the first setting with their in-game decisions.

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This Sim is interested in Mess Around with

Having physical relations is known as WooHoo in The Sims 4. Selecting no option will see them stay away from WooHoo altogether. Choosing Men, Women, or both will add an interest to WooHoo with Sims of the toggled Gender(s).

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What about Gender options in The Sims 4?

Many identity options have been added, but there is still some work to do (Image via Electronic Arts)

While many see this as a huge step forward, the question remains on gender options. As it stands, pronouns are an available feature, but multiple gender options aren't available due to the mechanics of The Sims 4.

This was touched on in a blog post introducing the Sexual Orientation feature. Jessica Croft, known as SimGuruJessica, is the Lead Designer on The Sims. She had this to say:

"This is due to technical limitations. As stated above, mechanically, non-binary Sims don't yet exist in TS4. You still have to make a binary gender selection for your Sim at creation, regardless of pronoun settings. We hope that we've shown our commitment to improving the representation of gender identities with features such as Gender Customization, which allows you to modify physical frame, clothing preferences, pregnancy, and toilet use options."

Croft stated that full support of non-binary Sims is the next step they hope to take. It would be another addition that adds to the identity features and reflects the real world.