On this page:
How do you start the New Year New Hustle scenario in The Sims 4? How do you complete the New Year New Hustle scenario in The Sims 4? How to make money and reach Level 5 of a skill How to reach Level 3 of a career Do you need any expansions to play New Year New Hustle?
How do you start the New Year New Hustle scenario in The Sims 4?
To begin playing New Year New Hustle (or any available scenario in The Sims 4), you need to choose New Scenario from the main game menu. You’ll then be directed to select which scenario you want to play, and finally prompted to choose whether to begin the scenario in an existing save, or create a new save file to play in. After making your choices, you’ll be taken to Create-A-Sim to create the scenario household. In order to meet the scenario conditions, this household will need to consist of just one Sim who is a Young Adult or older (you can add more characters to the household later if you wish, by creating them separately and then merging them with the challenge household in Manage Worlds). Once you’ve finished up in CAS, you can move in your household and begin the challenge.
How do you complete the New Year New Hustle scenario in The Sims 4?
New Year New Hustle has two victory conditions, but it’s worth noting that — as in all Sims 4 Scenarios — you need only complete one of them to win the challenge. There’s also no time limit, other than the one which requires you to begin the scenario before February 2nd. Once you’ve created your household and saved your game, you can take as long as you want both in-game and in real time to meet those goals. This scenario is completed when your Sim either:
Has §25,000 in their household funds and reaches Level 5 in any skill; or Reaches Level 3 of any career.
How to make money and reach Level 5 of a skill
Although the New Year New Hustle scenario won’t be particularly challenging for experienced Sims 4 players, the first victory condition is just a little more complicated, requiring you to keep track of a couple of different metrics in order to succeed. First, there’s money to think about. Since your scenario household is made up of a single adult Sim, their starting funds will be §20,000. However, you’ll need to spend some of that on housing, so you’ll begin a fair bit further from your 25k goal than you might think. If you have either City Living or Eco Lifestyle installed, my advice would be to rent an apartment rather than buying a house at the start of this challenge. Even the cheapest house in The Sims 4 will set you back by over half your starting funds, whereas many apartments can be had for a relatively low deposit amount. This way you’ll start closer to your goal. Other money-saving tips include eating Quick Meals from the refrigerator (most of which don’t incur an extra ingredients cost), and using skill-building objects on community lots if your Sim’s home doesn’t come furnished with them, instead of buying your own. There’s actually quite a bit of overlap here with the Making Money scenario, so take a look at our guide to pinching pennies until you’ve reached your savings goal in The Sims 4. Next it’s time to think about your Sim’s skills. Not every skill in The Sims 4 was created equal but all adult skills do go up to at least Level 5, so pick any that works for your Sim. Just bear in mind that some skills work better with certain personality traits: for example, Creative Sims gain skills like Painting, Writing, and playing music at a faster rate; while Genius Sims enjoy the same bonus for scientific pursuits ranging from Programming and Rocket Science to Fishing and Gardening. There are quite a few ways personality and skills can interact, so see our The Sims 4 skills list to see which moods promote which skills. Once you’ve chosen your skill, have your Sim spend as much time as they can on activities that help build that skill — relevant activities for each skill can also be found on the skill list linked above. Many skills can also be set at your Sim’s hobby by selecting their Likes & Dislikes in Create-A-Sim. This won’t directly increase skill-building speed but will ensure that your Sim has fun whenever they are building a skill they enjoy, effectively giving you one less need to worry about while you pursue their hustle. If you’ve decided to pursue this victory condition specifically, I’d also recommend getting your Sim a job as a Freelancer and aiming to reach Level 5 in their employment agency’s targeted skill. Freelancer gigs tend to have a generous pay-out compared to a traditional workday, helping you reach 25k in funds faster; and, since you actively control your Sim while they complete a gig, they’ll be building skill the whole time they’re working. There’s also no numbered advancement levels like in other careers, so you won’t accidentally trigger the second victory condition.
How to reach Level 3 of a career
For veteran players of The Sims 4, this second condition will probably be extremely easy. However, if you’re new to The Sims 4 and are looking for a Scenario that eases you into some of the game’s core mechanics, this is a very good one to pick. To get your Sim into a career, click on their phone icon in the lower left hand corner of the screen. Go to the Careers tab and select Find a Job. A pop-up menu will give you the choice of every career option in your game, including those from any expansions and add-ons you own. Every job in The Sims 4 has at least three levels, so pick whichever one you like the look of. The only one I’d recommend avoiding is the Freelancer career, since it doesn’t have traditional levels and therefore won’t help meet this victory condition. Climbing the first few rungs of any career ladder in The Sims 4 is mainly a case of meeting your Promotion Requirements and completing your Daily Tasks — both of which can be tracked in the Career panel in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen — and then turning up to work on time in a good mood. As long as you can do this every day your Sim is scheduled to work, they’ll probably reach Level 3 within about an in-game week. Keep your Sim’s mood high by dealing with their needs (i.e. Hunger, Energy) so that they’re in the green range when they go to work. Needs in The Sims 4 don’t decay very quickly so it’s not usually too hard to keep on top of them, particularly in a one-Sim household, just by keeping an eye on the Needs panel. My only major bit of advice here is that if you’re in a starter home or apartment with a cheap bed, be sure to get your Sim off to sleep early so they’ll be well rested in time for work.
Do you need any expansions to play New Year New Hustle?
Despite the broad theme of this scenario being New Year’s Resolutions, you don’t need to have the Seasons expansion pack (or any other add-on content) installed to take part in the New Year New Hustle scenario. Indeed, engaging with the actual Resolution mechanic from said pack isn’t a requirement of this scenario. You can begin New Year New Hustle at any point in the in-game calendar, and while having your Sim make a resolution on New Year’s Eve can be complementary to this challenge, they don’t directly interact with each other. If New Year New Hustle has whetted your appetite for Scenarios in The Sims 4, then be sure to check out our main The Sims 4 Scenarios page for tips on starting and completing every Scenario released in 2021. If you’re looking for more new gameplay features, we’ve also got a page about the recent The Sims 4 Neighborhood Stories update. Finally, because it wouldn’t be Sims without a few cheat codes, see our full list of The Sims 4 cheats.
