The Sims 4 Runaway Teen Challenge is an exciting game to get into to elevate your gameplay. This legacy challenge follows the story of a teen Sim who leaves home and struggles to survive with no money and a few clothes.
The challenge has existed since 2013, but over the years has undergone many versions and iterations. If you want to complete it in the Sims 4 world, it’s crucial to understand its rules and guidelines to ensure success. This guide covers everything from challenge rules to essential tips to make it easier to navigate the challenge.
READ NEXT: The Sims 4: How to Complete Sims 4 Rags to Riches Challenge
What is the Runaway Teen Challenge?
The Runaway Teen Challenge in Sims 4 is a game that explores the complexities of living solo as a teen Sim. The challenge lets you guide a teenager who becomes a homeless Sim by helping them navigate various aspects of life. This includes finding shelter, food, and clothing.
You also have to help them build connections and relationships, pursue their dreams, whether it’s an acting career or a high-paying job, and secure sustenance. However, they must do it on their own without relying on anyone.
Runaway Teen Challenge Rules
The Runaway Legacy challenge has several rules your Sim must follow to succeed. Here’s a list of the original rules:
You must start with zero funds. Use the money cheat to set your household funds to 0.
You cannot use any traits, aspirations, or cheats that will make the challenge easier.
You cannot have any electronics, appliances, or cell phone access (put it on silent) until you have a home with at least 1 kitchen, 1 bath, and 1 bedroom.
You cannot build a shelter of any kind until you have enough money to do so.
Your teen sim cannot get a part-time job and must rely on activities like busking on the streets or selling art creations to earn money. Similarly, when you become a young adult, you cannot have a full-time job until you own a home with at least 1 kitchen, 1 bath, and 1 bedroom.
Your teen sim can only interact with other teens and children. You’re only allowed to interact with young adults once your Sim enters young adulthood. The reason for this is to avoid detection, as young adults may alert social services.
You cannot cook or shower on other people’s lots. To maintain hygiene and nutrition, you must do this in public spaces like gyms and parks.
You can use the fridge at the fire station one day a week (up to 3 times) for snacks. Don’t steal too much food, as you may get caught.
Once you have 500 simoleons saved, you can start buying food from the food truck, concession stands, vending machines, diners, etc., but only every other day.
You can dumpster dive, rummage through trash cans, and salvage furniture. You cannot replace the ruined furniture by clicking on it and clicking “replace.” But seats, tables, etc., are still usable. Don’t use a ruined crib for a baby; otherwise, the baby will get “stuck,” and you’ll have to reset the sim.
Your main food sources are the plants and vegetables you grow yourself, but you can harvest wild ones if you want. No “special” plants are allowed.
Your teen Sim cannot go to school. They must cancel each school day, which will not affect their traits.
You can fish, garden, and dig all you want and sell them.
Each time you travel, you must use the money cheat to incur the cost of 10 Simoleons.
Ultimate Goal of the Runaway Teen Challenge
The ultimate goal of the Runaway Teen Challenge is to simply survive and live your entire life from teenager to young adulthood to elder. You should aim for a good life, a high-paying job, 1 or 2 grandchildren, and a big house.
It’s unclear when the challenge ends, as there are no points to earn, but we’re pretty confident it’s when your Sim dies. Just aim to earn money the old-fashioned way – through fishing, gardening, and digging, to make a name for yourself.
The idea is to have fun playing and exploring the various hardships of homelessness while trying to make it in the Sims 4 world. So, whatever this means to you, you can do it as long as you abide by the Runaway Teen Challenge rules.
Note that this challenge has many iterations, but this guide has covered the original challenge for the base game.
How to Complete Runaway Teen Challenge
To complete this legacy challenge, start by creating a teen Sim. While it makes sense to have your Sim look poor and rugged, this may attract the attention of other Sims. We recommend buying nice clothes for your Sim as soon as you earn money. Similarly, their hair shouldn’t be glamorous or opulent. It should be a ponytail, shaved, or under an ugly hat etc.
When creating your teen Sim, don’t give them traits that make the challenge easier. For instance, avoid traits like loves Outdoors or loves Cold. After creating the teen Sim, move them to an empty 10 by 10 lot somewhere outside the city. Avoiding a community lot is better as it may attract unnecessary attention.
Before setting your household funds to zero, you can buy an Outdoor Retreat tent or a sleeping bag. Alternatively, you can opt to sleep on the bench.
Now, you’re ready to start your new life. Scavenge the scrap yard to look for scrap to sell and start planting crops for food and harvest. Continue finding creative ways to survive while avoiding detection. You should save all the money you earn to build or buy a house and have your own home.
Some Simmers get a part-time job to earn income, though this violates the original rules. However, due to the many iterations of the challenge, it’s acceptable.
As you grow into a young adult, start thinking about your career, the next generation, and having a family. At this point, you should already have a house so that your children have somewhere to live.
For your career, you can level your cooking skill and become a master chef or level your writing skills and earn the bestselling author aspiration.
For the family life, you must build romantic connections with others in order to start a family. Equipping your Sim with the serial romantic trait can help your Sim flirt with others and find a partner to start life with. Once you find your ideal partner, propose and marry them before moving them to your house. Or, you can start a new life in Willow Creek, build or buy a small home, and start a family life.
You can have children as soon as possible to create a legacy for the next generation. From here, you can spend the rest of your life span enjoying family life, making money, and raising your children. The challenge ends when you pass away, showcasing your ability to run away from home and create a new life for yourself.
READ NEXT: Sims 4 100 Baby Challenge: A Beginner’s Guide
Additional Challenges When Playing
Here are some other challenges and rules to take note of when playing the Sims 4 Runaway Teen challenge:
Your Sim can move from lot to lot to fly under the radar.
Putting your phone on silent in the game won’t help much, as notifications will still pop up on the screen. Just ignore them altogether or download mods to turn them off.
If your Sim keeps trying to go to school, queue up some actions before 8 am. Then simply cancel the “go to school” action. If they manage to go to school, make them go home immediately.
You can play the challenge on the base game or various expansion packs, like Outdoor Retreat, City Living, and Get Together.
If you’re using expansion packs, the rules may be a tard different.
When playing on Outdoor retreat, your Sim can take a vacation to Granite Falls but may only camp at the campsite, not the cabins. You can also only socialize with other teens and children.
When playing on Get to Work, your teen can become an alien Sim and visit planet sixam and retail lots.
When playing on City Living, your teen can live in an apartment, but it has to be empty and rundown. Also, your teen can substitute the sleeping bag or tent for a blow-up mattress. Your Sim can also order from vendors and visit festivals.
If you want the full details of the original runaway teen challenge, click here. This covers more in-depth the multiple rules for expansion packs like Get Famous, City Living, and Get to Work.
Conclusion
That’s it for the runaway teen challenge. Hope you have a good time guiding your Sim from having nothing to everything. Happy Simming, and follow us for more Sims 4 challenges.
READ NEXT: Sims 4 Black Widow Challenge: How to Complete It, Rules, and Guidelines