For years, the game had no built-in way to determine whether Sims found each other attractive or had specific romantic preferences.
That changed with the introduction of the Sexual Orientation settings, which give players more control over how Sims approach romantic relationships.
Here’s how the current attraction system works and what your options are if you’re looking for something closer to The Sims 2’s chemistry system.
The Sims 4 Sexual Orientation Settings
The Sexual Orientation settings let you define who your Sim is romantically attracted to.
You can specify which gender your Sim is naturally attracted to. Sims will automatically reject romantic advances from Sims outside of their selected attraction preferences.
Your Sim’s romantic orientation can also evolve through gameplay. If you’d like this to happen, open the Sexual Orientation settings and enable the option that allows your Sim to explore romantically.
If your Sim isn’t looking for a committed relationship, they can also become WooHoo Partners with another Sim. WooHoo Partners are friends who can WooHoo together without being in a romantic relationship.
These settings allow Sims to be straight, gay, bisexual, asexual, or aromantic, giving players more ways to customize their Sims’ romantic lives.
You Can Still Build Relationships the Traditional Way
If you prefer not to rely on the Sexual Orientation settings, you can always build relationships through regular gameplay.
Use Friendly and Romantic interactions to develop your Sims’ relationship over time. As their romance grows, they’ll unlock more romantic interactions and can eventually get engaged and married.
Players coming from The Sims 2 may remember the Chemistry system, where Sims could instantly identify potential romantic matches.
The Sims 4 doesn’t include a comparable feature by default, but mods can add similar mechanics.
Best Attraction Mods for The Sims 4
The Chemistry System
The Chemistry System mod adds an attraction system based on personality, skills, and appearance.
You can define specific preferences or randomize them, allowing Sims to naturally gravitate toward Sims with matching traits.
The system is inspired by The Sims 2’s Chemistry mechanic and adds another layer to building relationships.
For more information, visit the creator’s Patreon page.
WickedWhims
Well, Wicked Whims also supports an interesting attraction system. You don’t have to use other modules of the mod if you don’t want to. Enable only the attraction system, and enjoy the results.
If you’d rather not use WickedWhims, WonderfulWhims offers a similar attraction system without requiring the other features of WickedWhims.
It also includes a variety of relationship improvements, including the ability to define attraction preferences.
Editor’s Note: This guide was updated in August 2026.