UI Cheats Extension (by weerbesu) - allows you to easily cheat or alter pretty much every aspect of the game by just right clicking on various parts of the UI (e.g. relationships, money, needs).
MC Command Centre (by deaderpool) - allows you to customise so many aspects of the game. I’d advise you to properly read the details on the website to understand all the functionality of this mod, but it is an essential for me. The key things I use it for are custom lifespans (see mine here), and changing Sim outfits.
Control Any Sim (by TitanNano) - allows you to temporarily control any Sim without needing to add them to your household. Incredibly useful for stress-free gameplay and storytelling!
Remove Sims from Conversations (by thepancake1 and MizoreYuuki) - allows you to remove pesky townies who want to butt into your Sims’ conversations e.g. in a restaurant.
Move Objects Always On (by Twisted Mexi) - enables the MOO cheat to always be on, from the moment you boot up the game.
Better Exceptions (by Twisted Mexi) - an extremely useful mod that automatically tells you (while you’re in the game) what mods may be outdated or causing conflicts/issues.
Dine Out Reloaded (by Carl) - going to a restaurant is no longer buggy (although Maxis did repair some of the issues recently)! The mod is so much more than just bug fixes though. It also make running a restaurant so much more customisable and interactive.
Wicked Whims (by TurboDriver) - adds so much into the game around woohoo, pregnancy and attraction (alongside more adult stuff), as well as providing the option to override EA’s Try for Baby interaction, instead making it about risk and using protection. I previously used the mod for a lot of these things, but now I disable nearly all the settings as I didn’t like how it overcomplicated my gameplay. I now use it solely for the attraction system, the animations, and the pixel remover. I use MCCC for pregnancy related tuning.
The Hopes & Fears Mod (by MissyHissy) - completely overhauls the Wants system, tuning all the EA Wants and adding in a ton of custom Wants. Missy is also currently going through and overhauling each of the new Fears too (thank goodness!). This really is an essential mod in my eyes!
Trait Overhaul (by bienchen) - makes traits more meaningful i.e. your Sim’s traits have more of an affect on autonomy, relationships, skill gain, career performance.
Milestones Expanded (by Lumpinou) - adds over 50 custom Milestones to the game. Milestones are one of the best additions to the game, but so many important ones were omitted!
Andrew’s Poseplayer and Scumbumbo’s Teleport Any Sim - the tools you’ll need to use custom poses in your game for staged screenshots, such as family photos.
Into the Light (by Lotharihoe) - lighting mod that improves how Sims blend into their surroundings.
Out of the Dark (by Lotharihoe) - paired with the above, lighting mod that improves the indoor lighting system.
Graphics Overhaul (by Simp4Sims) - a wonderful mod that improves graphics and performance. I use Preset 1.
No Fade Everything (by MizoreYukii) - stops objects and environment disappearing when you get too close. Useful for screenshots and keeping the immersion!
Sunblind (by softerhaze)- a lighting overhaul mod which completely changes the outdoor lighting in the game. It makes everything look so beautiful! Just make sure you follow the installation instructions carefully.
Basemental Alcohol (by Basemental Mods) - allows your Sims to get drunk! There is another version of this which focuses on… other substances, but I just use the alcohol one.
Contextual Social Interactions (by Lumpinou) - adds more meaningful social interactions depending on things that are happening in your Sims’ lives e.g. ‘tell about promotion’.
First Impressions (by Lumpinou) - uses the sentiment system to apply a first impression whenever your Sim meets someone new. Really useful for guiding gameplay and storytelling.
The Personality Mod (by MissyHissy) - brings back the 6 personality types from The Sims 2 (e.g. Romance, Knowledge etc.) as Reward Traits which actually impact your Sim’s Wants etc. (requires the Customs Wants mod in order to work).
No Make-up or Accessories on Random Sims (by SimplyAnjuta) - reduces the risk of randomly generated townies looking so hideous.
More Students (by Aramiteus) - allows you to expand the active high school classes to more than 6 Sims, as well as assign the students and teachers who show up to the school.
Bed Cuddle interaction (by thepancake1) - brings back the adorable bed cuddle interaction from The Sims 2.
Conversation Tweak (by Bienchen) - reduces the chance of Idle Chat amongst Sims i.e. they will actually use specific interactions (e.g. Tell Story) instead of an empty chat interaction which does nothing.
Steady Sit & Seat Any Sim (by amellce) - helps to prevent Sims getting up from their chairs (or changing seats) in the middle of eating/during conversations etc.
Shorter University (by Peridot Sims) - allows you to tailor how many credits a Sim needs to graduate university. I use the 4 credits option, which means my Sims can graduate in a week as opposed to quadruple that! This fits much better with how I play rotationally.
Clubs Improvements - Invite Limit & No Gatherings (by TurboDriver) - removes the 8 person limit for clubs, and stops club events automatically starting when you travel anywhere with multiple people who happen to be in the same club.
Sleep All Night (by LittleMsSam) - it’s nice for Sims not to wake up every 5 minutes during the night. Instead they actually sleep through to the morning.
Better Autonomous Homework (by LittleMsSam) - kids will do their homework more autonomously, and will keep their homework in their inventories too.
Pregnancy Overhaul (by LittleMsSam) - slightly reduces the size of the default pregnancy bellies, and allows pregnant Sims to do more activities in the early trimesters too.
Miscarriage Chance and Abortion (by LittleMsSam) - introduces a small chance of miscarriage with pregnancies, and adds an option for abortions.
Grannie’s Cookbook (by littlbowbub) - adds a load of new cool (and pretty) meal options for your Sims to cook.
Grab Beer and Wine from the Fridge (by Zero) - allows Sims to grab alcoholic beverages from the fridge, instead of having to only make them at the bar. They will do it autonomously too.
More Kisses (both modules) (by maplebell) - adds a few new custom kissing interactions to the game!
Science Baby Tweak (by Lumpinou) - allows your Sims to choose to undergo a normal 3 day pregnancy when having a Science Baby (I didn’t like that it was instant!)
Best Hug Ever Unlocked (by adeepindigo) - unlocks this super cute new interaction in Growing Together so that our Sims can use it whenever they want!