Less Relationship Culling (Customizable)
There is nothing more frustrating than watching your Sims build a beautiful friendship, only to have them treat each other like complete strangers a few in-game days later. The vanilla game is aggressive about trimming the social graph, especially for Sims who aren't in your active household. This is where Less Relationship Culling (Customizable) steps in, giving you total control over how many connections your Sims can maintain. Instead of the game's harsh default behavior, this mod ensures that meaningful bonds—whether romantic, platonic, or professional—remain intact for far longer.
Why Does the Base Game Forget Relationships?
In an unmodded game, the culling process runs nightly, usually after Neighborhood Stories at around 2:30 am. The game prioritizes keeping relationships for Sims in "My Households," allowing them up to 35 connections before it starts deleting the weakest ones. For Sims in "Other Households," the situation is far worse—they get almost no protection, and their relationships are wiped out almost immediately unless they share a family tie or live under the same roof.
This means you might see your Sim's NPC best friend chatting with them at a bar one evening, and by the next morning, they have no idea who each other are. It breaks immersion and makes the world feel shallow. Less Relationship Culling (Customizable) for The Sims 4 fixes this by using the game's internal SimInfoLODLevel system to assign different relationship caps based on how important a Sim is to your gameplay.
Understanding SimInfoLODLevel and How the Mod Works
The mod leverages six LOD (Level of Detail) levels that the game already tracks: minimum, background, base, interacted, full, and active. The "minimum" level is reserved for fully culled Sims (mostly long-dead ghosts), and "active" covers your currently played household, which is always exempt. The mod takes over the four middle levels—background, base, interacted, and full—and applies your custom limits to each one.
Newly generated townies usually sit at "background," while premade Sims start at "base." Once you interact with a Sim, they bump up to "interacted." If you play a household for a while and then switch away, those Sims remain at "full" level. By default, the mod sets limits of 35 for background and base, 50 for interacted, and 75 for full. You can adjust these numbers in the generated config file to suit your playstyle, but keep in mind that setting them too high can cause minor lag over time as the game tracks more connections.
Customizing Relationship Caps for My Households
For your played households, the mod raises the vanilla cap from 35 to 75 by default. This means your active Sims can maintain a much larger circle of friends, coworkers, and acquaintances without the game deleting their weakest bonds. The config file lets you set this number independently from the LOD levels, so you can fine-tune exactly how many relationships your legacy family can hold onto.
Protecting Strong Bonds with Relationship Bits
The mod goes a step further by introducing additional relationship bits that block culling entirely. In the vanilla game, only marriages, engagements, and family ties are safe from deletion. This mod adds configurable options for strong bonds like romantic partners or best friends. Setting these values to "True" in the config ensures those relationships are never culled, even for unplayed Sims in other households.
There's also a brand-new relationship bit specifically for culling prevention. You can add or remove it using a picker interaction under the Actions menu of any Sim, or via the cheat console. The picker shows a list of all Sims known to the Sim you're interacting with, and any that already have the bit are grayed out. For cheat users, the command is sims.set_relationship_culling_prevention [First Name] [Last Name] [First Name] [Last Name], with the word "False" added at the end to remove the bit.
Using the Cheat Console to Check LOD Levels
As a bonus, the mod includes a diagnostic cheat command. Typing sims.get_lod_level [First Name] [Last Name] into the console (Ctrl+Shift+C) will output that Sim's current LOD level. This is handy for testing your custom settings and understanding how the game classifies different Sims in your world.
Compatibility and Installation
This mod requires the XML Injector to function correctly, so make sure you have that installed first. It is compatible with the base game and all current expansions, game packs, and stuff packs, as it doesn't override any core files. It works with the latest game patches and is safe to add to existing saves. However, as with any mod, it's wise to back up your save files before making changes.
For installation, simply extract the mod files into your Mods folder (Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > Mods). After launching the game, enable script mods in the Game Options menu if you haven't already. The mod generates a config file on first run, which you can edit with any text editor to customize the relationship limits.
How to Install and Get Started
If you're wondering how to install, the process is straightforward. First, download the mod from a reputable Sims 4 modding site. Once you have the archive, extract it and place the .package and .ts4script files into your Mods folder. After launching the game, you'll see a config file appear in the mod's folder—open it to adjust the limits. If you prefer a more streamlined approach, the foxygame.net launcher offers one-click installation for Less Relationship Culling (Customizable), automatically placing it in the correct directory and checking for version compatibility with your game patch.
For those who want to download Less Relationship Culling (Customizable), the mod is available on major Sims 4 mod hubs. It's a lightweight addition that doesn't affect performance significantly at default settings. The mod's creator has also included a picker interaction to manually mark specific relationships as protected, which is perfect for keeping key storylines alive across generations.
Final Thoughts on Managing Sim Relationships
If you're tired of your Sims' social lives resetting every few days, this mod is an essential addition to your load order. It respects the game's internal systems while giving you the flexibility to decide how many relationships matter. Whether you're running a sprawling legacy challenge or just want your Sim to keep their college buddies, Less Relationship Culling (Customizable) delivers a more persistent and believable world. The foxygame.net launcher also keeps the add-on catalog updated, so you'll get notified when a new version of this mod is released, ensuring you never miss a compatibility fix.
Ultimately, this mod puts the power back in your hands. You can set conservative limits for a performance-friendly game or crank them up for a deeply interconnected social simulation. With its clear config file, cheat commands, and in-game pickers, it's one of the most user-friendly relationship management tools available for The Sims 4. Give it a try, and watch your Sims' friendships stand the test of time.