Burglars are part of The Sims 4 base game: EA brought them back in a free update on February 25, 2025. They visit residential lots at night, whether your Sims are asleep or awake. For the strongest routine defense, place a burglar alarm and use a Sim with Handiness to upgrade it so it calls the police automatically.
How burglars appear in The Sims 4
Burglars arrive at night, and you do not need an expansion pack to encounter them on a residential lot. EA says visits are rare by design. The burglar is named Robin Banks; if Robin joins your household or dies, another eligible burglar takes the role.
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To see burglars more often, use the Heist Havoc lot challenge. It increases visits, but EA warns that alarms may not behave reliably with the challenge active, so it is a choice for added chaos rather than dependable protection.
How to stop a burglary
Install and upgrade a burglar alarm
- In Build Mode, buy and place a burglar alarm on the residential lot.
- Have a Sim with Handiness interact with the alarm and add the available upgrades.
- Prioritize the upgrade that automatically calls the police. Other upgrades make the alarm break less often or shock the burglar into dropping stolen goods.
EA describes the alarm as the only way to ensure police arrive in time. The automatic-call upgrade is therefore the most useful choice for routine protection; the other upgrades address reliability and recovering items.
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If a burglar is already on the lot
- Call the police: Wake a Sim and use the police-call interaction promptly. EA says this may lead to an arrest, but it is not guaranteed.
- Fight: A Sim can confront the burglar. EA says fitness improves the chance of winning, but does not promise a victory.
- Let an upgraded alarm respond: If the alarm has automatic police calling, it can summon the police when triggered. Its shock upgrade can make the burglar drop stolen goods.
Which response should you choose?
| Response | What it does | Conditions and limits |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic police alarm | Calls police when triggered. | Requires a placed alarm and the automatic-call upgrade; EA says an alarm is the only way to ensure timely police arrival. |
| Shock upgrade | Makes the burglar drop stolen goods. | Requires the relevant alarm upgrade. |
| Manual police call | May result in the burglar being arrested. | Call promptly; arrest is not guaranteed. |
| Fight | Lets a Sim confront the burglar. | Fitness helps the Sim’s chance of winning, but the outcome is not guaranteed. |
| Heist Havoc challenge | Raises burglar frequency. | Alarms may behave unreliably; use it if you want more burglar visits. |
| Pack-specific defense | Allows certain pets, occult Sims, or careers to respond. | Requires the corresponding pack; see the options below. |
Pack-specific defenses and lot requirements
Some defenses are available only with additional packs. EA lists a dog from Cats & Dogs, a werewolf from Werewolves, a spellcaster from Realm of Magic, a Servo from Discover University, a scientist’s freeze ray from Get to Work, and a vampire from Vampires. These are alternatives for households that own those packs, not base-game defenses.
Residential burglar visits and alarms are part of the base game. An alarm on a Small Business Venue lot requires the Businesses & Hobbies Expansion Pack; that pack is not needed for burglars or alarms on residential lots.
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What burglars can steal
EA says most Build Mode objects cannot be stolen and gives in-ground plants, windows, lights, and elevators as examples. That does not establish that every outdoor object is safe, or provide a complete list of stealable items. The alarm’s shock upgrade is the documented way to make a burglar drop stolen goods.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What EA has confirmed about the feature
EA’s February 25, 2025 update notes reintroduced burglars in the base game and described alarms that can summon police, break less often, or shock burglars. Those notes listed PC version 1.113.277.1030, Mac 1.113.277.1230, and console version 2.08 for that release; these are release identifiers, not current-version numbers.
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In a developer diary published the same day, EA said the feature included more than 50 reactions and 37 player interactions across the base game and 17 packs. EA has not published a precise burglar spawn probability, alarm success rate, police response time, or a complete list of stealable items in the cited feature documentation.
Sources: EA base-game update notes, February 25, 2025; EA developer diary, February 25, 2025.
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