The Sims 4 Death Methods Ranked by The Gamer

Sometimes, The Sims 4 isn’t about building dream homes and living happily ever after. It’s about watching the Grim Reaper show up after a perfectly timed “accident.” In the game, some methods leave obvious clues, while others could be passed off as unfortunate coincidences. Here’s how the different ways to send a Sim off are ranked by how likely you’d be to get away with them.

This ranking is based on The Gamer’s list, and it sorts the options from those that are almost guaranteed to land you in Sim-jail to the ones you could probably pull off without raising an eyebrow.

A Pool Accident

Back in older Sims games, removing the pool ladder was an infamous tactic. Now, Sims can just climb out on their own, so that trick no longer works. The only way is to trap them by building a wall or fence around the pool with no gate while they’re in it.

It’s a method so impractical and obvious that you’d never get away with it. There’s no way to claim you “forgot” to add a gate to your new safety fence while someone was still swimming. This one practically guarantees a guilty verdict.

Death Flower Floral Arrangement

A black flower with a skull on it? Yeah, that’s the death flower. If you add it to a floral arrangement, it only works on elder Sims, so you could try to frame it as a natural passing. Still, the appearance of the flower alone screams suspicious.

It’s possible to claim ignorance, but in reality, giving an elderly person a bouquet featuring a plant literally called “death flower” makes you look worse than the Grim Reaper himself. Not the cleanest way to cover your tracks.

Badly Cooked Pufferfish Nigiri

Pufferfish can be deadly if not prepared correctly. In The Sims 4, a poorly cooked pufferfish nigiri can kill a Sim, but in real life, it’s hard to pass off feeding someone poisonous fish as an innocent mistake—especially if you have a motive.

Even if you say it was just bad cooking, this one can easily lead to a manslaughter charge in the Sim-world equivalent of court. Risky business.

A Sauna Mishap

Overheating in a sauna can be fatal in The Sims 4 if a Sim gets trapped inside. The challenge here is setting it up. Most homes don’t have a sauna, so you’d have to rely on public spaces like gyms.

Locking the door without anyone noticing and turning the heat up high would be tough to pull off. The likelihood of getting spotted is high, and you’d need perfect timing to make it happen.

A Falling Vending Machine

In Mt. Komorebi, vending machines can crush Sims if they’re shaken too hard. This is one of the more believable “accidental” deaths in the game, as vending machines are notoriously frustrating.

While there’s still an element of risk—both in finding the right machine and in the fact it might not work—this method has a decent chance of going unnoticed if you’re careful.

A Murphy Bed Mechanical Failure

The Murphy bed, introduced in The Sims 4: Tiny Living, can malfunction and trap a Sim, causing death. This is more private than a vending machine incident, but also luck-based.

You’d need the victim to actually get caught in the mechanism, which isn’t guaranteed. Done right, it could be passed off as a freak accident, but if it fails, you’ll just end up with an annoyed, unharmed Sim.

An Accidental Fire

Fires in The Sims 4 can start from a dirty dryer, bad cooking, or leaving flammable rugs near an open flame. These can be framed as accidents easily. The tricky part is keeping the target from escaping, putting themselves out, or calling firefighters.

Without controlling the situation, the plan could fail, and suspicious behavior while preventing escape would give you away instantly.

Overexertion

Elder Sims can die from overexertion, which can come from too much exercise—or even too much woohoo. This is arguably one of the most natural-looking deaths in the game, with no obvious foul play.

However, since it only works on elder Sims, your options are limited. Younger Sims are immune to this cause, so it’s not universally usable.

Emotional Deaths

High emotions—anger, sadness, hysteria—can actually kill Sims. It’s surprisingly believable that a Sim could get so angry they have a heart attack or be so heartbroken they pass away.

Because there’s no direct evidence and emotional triggers can be subtle, this is by far the easiest death to disguise as natural. Unless someone already suspects you, there’s almost no way to connect it back.

In The Sims 4, not all deaths are created equal when it comes to avoiding suspicion. Some—like the emotional route—leave no proof, while others—like pool fences with no gates—are practically confessions. Whether it’s by bad sushi or an ill-timed Murphy bed malfunction, the difference between a “tragic accident” and a very obvious setup comes down to planning, luck, and keeping the story believable.