To create a dynasty in The Sims 4, use a Young Adult or older Sim in Live Mode: open Social Groups in the bottom-right corner, select View Dynasties, then Found a Dynasty. That Sim becomes the Founder and Dynasty Head, and can set the dynasty’s identity, values, and succession plan. The feature requires The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy Expansion Pack and the base game.
What you need before founding a dynasty
The Dynasty system is part of The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy Expansion Pack; the expansion also requires The Sims 4. EA describes the pack as downloadable content, and its storefront notes that cross-pack play requires additional packs. See EA’s expansion announcement and the EA Marketplace listing for pack details.
EA announced February 12, 2026 as the expansion’s launch date. Steam also lists February 12, while the EA Marketplace listing displays March 17, 2026; because those storefront dates conflict, the announcement date is the clearest stated launch date. Availability and listing details can vary by region and date. The instructions below follow EA Help’s Dynasty setup guide.
How to found and set up a dynasty
- Choose an eligible Sim. Switch to Live Mode and select a Young Adult or older Sim to be the founder.
- Open the Dynasty menu. Select the Social Groups tab in the bottom-right corner, then choose View Dynasties.
- Start the dynasty. Select Found a Dynasty and follow the setup flow to establish its identity. The founder becomes both Founder and Dynasty Head.
- Set its public identity. Name the dynasty and customize its crest and motto. The crest can be displayed on a Dynasty Crest Shield placed in Build Mode.
- Define its standards. Choose the dynasty’s skills and ideals. You can select up to three skills from the base game or any pack; ideals set expectations tied to careers, activities, and actions.
The founder’s family, spouse, and descendants automatically join. Other Sims are not automatically enrolled simply because the Head wants them to join: a Sim cannot be forced into a dynasty.
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How the Head, Heir, and Outcast roles work
Dynasty Head
The Head manages the family’s direction: they decide who joins, assign perks, encourage or discourage behavior, and designate the Heir or an Outcast. Only the Head can approve or exile members. If the Head falls behind in rank, another ambitious Sim can challenge for leadership.
Heir
The Head chooses an Heir to take over if the Head steps down or dies. Actions by the Heir have more influence on prestige than the same actions by other members, whether those actions align with the dynasty’s values or conflict with them. That makes the choice consequential: a Sim’s everyday play can reinforce the family’s standards or undermine them.
Rank #2
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Outcast
An Outcast has defied the dynasty’s values or rejected the Head’s authority and been exiled. Outcasts lose access to dynasty perks and have less effect on prestige. They can repent, and the Head can redeem them.
How to choose values and build prestige
Values pair skills with ideals. Skills identify abilities the dynasty prizes, while ideals describe expected conduct. Members who act in line with those standards build prestige; actions against them can reduce it. Prestige advances through ten levels and unlocks Dynasty Perks.
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Rank #3
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- Rule your story: Build a powerful Dynasty, shape shared Values, choose an Heir, or exile family members in a deep life simulation driven by legacy, prestige, and choice.
- Claim the crown: Rise through Nobility by winning the people, pleasing rival Nobles, dueling with swords, or exposing Scandals that can change the balance of power.
- Scandal fuels drama: Forbidden romances, secret children, and public disgrace can impact careers, relationships, Dynasty Prestige, and Noble Favor.
EA Help lists these ways to gain prestige:
- Take part in activities and careers aligned with the dynasty’s skills and ideals.
- Earn good school grades and make friends.
- Host social events.
- Marry a member of another dynasty.
- Establish alliances or rivalries, then behave in ways that fit them: friendly toward allies and mean toward rivals.
For a skill-focused legacy, choose skills your active household can use regularly and steer members toward related careers or activities. For a social or political story, ideals and relationships can do more of the work through events, alliances, rivalries, and marriages. These are play approaches, not separate game modes. Because the Head and Heir carry extra prestige weight, give their actions particular attention when you want to build—or deliberately complicate—a legacy.
How to manage members and succession
- Select the Dynasty Head in Live Mode.
- Open Social Groups and choose Dynasty Details.
- Use the member list to choose an action, such as Designate Heir, Declare Outcast, or Kick out of Dynasty.
Members can leave a dynasty at any time without the Head’s approval. The Head’s control over membership is therefore not absolute: they can approve or remove members, but cannot compel a Sim to join or remain.
Rank #4
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Can one dynasty include multiple households?
Yes. Dynasty membership can span separate households, and EA Help says there is no maximum number of members. Each Sim, however, can belong to only one dynasty at a time.
When Sims from different dynasties marry, they can stay in their respective dynasties, merge into one of the existing dynasties, or start a new one. A newly created dynasty carries over prestige from the existing dynasties, according to EA Help. This lets you keep two family lines distinct, consolidate them, or use the marriage as the beginning of a new branch.
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Choose a dynasty plan that fits your story
- One household, clear succession: Keep the founder’s family together and designate an Heir early so the story has a clear line of succession.
- Wide family network: Let descendants live in separate households while keeping their shared dynasty identity and standards.
- Prestige-focused play: Choose values members can act on consistently, then make the Head and Heir’s choices support those values.
- Family conflict: Use rivalries, Outcast status, or a marriage between dynasties to create tension around loyalty, status, and succession.
The system is a framework for a multi-generation Sims story, not a simulation of real-world dynastic history. Its mechanics center on membership, values, prestige, perks, alliances, rivalries, and who inherits leadership.
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