This wikiHow teaches you how to age a Sim more quickly in The Sims 3.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Buying a Birthday Cake

  1. 1
    Buy a Birthday Inferno cake and place it on a table. You'll find it for sale in Buy Mode in the Entertainment category, in the Party section. Birthday cakes cost 30 Simoleons.[1]
    • You don't have to throw a birthday party to age-up your Sims—just the cake!
    • You can also buy birthday cakes at the grocery store, or in the Outdoors section of Buy Mode.[2]
  2. 2
    Click the cake and select Blow Out Candles. A list of Sims will appear.
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  3. 3
    Select the Sim you want to age. Once the Sim blows out the candles, they'll be surrounded by sparkles and age up to the next life stage. (Depending on their age, you may be prompted to pick a new trait for them.)
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Using a Cheat Code

  1. 1
    Press Ctrl+ Shift+C (PC) or Command+ Shift+C (Mac). This opens the cheat box.
  2. 2
    Type testingcheatsenabled true and press Enter or Return.
  3. 3
    Hold the Shift key and click the Sim you want to age. Some options will appear over the Sim.
  4. 4
    Click Trigger Age Transition. This automatically ages the Sim up to the next life stage.[3]
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Shortening Your Lifespan

  1. 1
    Open a save file. You can't adjust aging settings from the main menu, so open one of your saved games.
    • If you don't have any saved games yet, start a new game.
  2. 2
    Click the to enter the Options menu. It's in the bar at the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. Enter the options menu.
  3. 3
    Click the Game Options tab. It's the gear icon with the plumbbob at the top of the window.
  4. 4
    Slide the "Sim Lifespan" switch to the left. Decreasing the Sim's lifespan causes them to age more quickly.
    • You can also adjust the span of certain ages, such as adjusting only babies and toddlers, by dragging the corresponding slider to the left.
    • To change the lifespan of different life states (like vampires or other occults), click on the dropdown box that says "Sim" and choose the life state that you want to adjust the lifespan of.
    • Click on the checkmark to save your changes.
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    My friend has an issue where her Sim won't age up, no matter what. CAS won't load, birthday cake and cheat aging doesn't work either. Can anyone help her? She's been with this Sim forever!
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Perhaps her Sim save/Sims game has corrupted somewhere and the game is preventing any further errors to happen. She should try to backup her Sims file by: 1. Going to This PC > Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 3 > Saves. 2. Selecting her Sim file. 3. Copying it and pasting it to her desktop. Then she should uninstall her game and reinstall it, adding the game back to the saves folder at the same location. If the game still doesn't work then it is the save file causing the problem and she should get rid of it.
  • Question
    How do I do it on Sims 360?
    Curtis Fairgrieve
    Community Answer
    Buy a birthday cake and select whichever Sim in the household you would like to age up, or change lifespan to "brief" or "short" in the settings.
  • Question
    How can I stop a fire in the Sims?
    Curtis Fairgrieve
    Community Answer
    Don't leave cookers unattended. If there is an outbreak of fire, make sure you have a smoke alarm fitted or phone the fire brigade.
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About This Article

Nicole Levine, MFA
Co-authored by:
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA. Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. This article has been viewed 241,553 times.
1 votes - 0%
Co-authors: 14
Updated: November 25, 2022
Views: 241,553
Categories: Sims 3
Article SummaryX

1. Blow out the birthday cake candles at a party.
2. Enable the "TestingCheatsEnabled True" cheat and click Trigger Age Transition.
3. Shorten the life span in the game options.

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