In addition to pursuing a legal and respectable career, you can also choose the life of crime in The Sims 4. In this career, your Sim will engage in various illegal activities, ranging from hacking systems to committing thefts in order to earn Simoleons and build a reputation in the criminal underworld.
The Criminal career offers two unique specialization paths. You can become an Oracle, a cybercrime expert who relies on technology and hacking skills, or The Boss, a powerful crime leader who controls criminal operations from behind the scenes.
Each branch features its own daily tasks, promotion requirements, work schedules, and rewards. As a result, the path you choose will significantly influence your gameplay experience and your Sim’s career progression.
In this guide, we’ll cover both Criminal career branches, Oracle and The Boss, in detail, including salaries, work hours, daily tasks, promotion requirements, and rewards available at each career level.
Overview
The Criminal career in The Sims 4 offers a unique progression path compared to most other careers. Your Sim begins as a low-level criminal and gradually builds a reputation in the underworld until eventually reaching a position of significant influence.
Once your Sim reaches Career Level 5, you will be asked to choose one of the following specialization paths:
The Boss Branch
This branch focuses on leadership within the criminal world. As your Sim advances, they gain greater control over illegal operations and eventually become the mastermind behind a major criminal organization.
Oracle Branch
This branch focuses on cybercrime and technology. In addition to requiring the Mischief skill, Oracle heavily relies on the Programming skill for hacking activities and various digital operations.
Regardless of the branch you choose, the Criminal career offers excellent earning potential. While early-level salaries are relatively modest, income increases significantly as your Sim climbs the ranks.
Interestingly, Criminal is one of the highest-paying careers in The Sims 4, making it an attractive choice for players who want to accumulate large amounts of Simoleons while living outside the boundaries of the law.
Traits and Moods That Help the Criminal Career
The two Criminal career branches require different skills, so your choice of traits should ideally reflect the specialization you plan to pursue.
If you intend to follow The Boss path, your primary focus will be developing the Mischief skill. Therefore, traits such as Evil and Mean are highly recommended. These traits make Sims enjoy mischievous and malicious interactions more, making it easier and more natural to improve Mischief.
Meanwhile, the Oracle branch focuses on cybercrime and hacking. Although Mischief remains important, this path also relies heavily on the Programming skill. As a result, the Genius trait is one of the best choices because it helps Sims learn and improve Programming more quickly.
Regardless of your chosen branch, you will still need to engage in various social interactions to develop the Mischief skill. Because of this, socially oriented traits such as Outgoing can also be useful by making interactions with other Sims easier.
Ideal Mood
- Playful: The most effective mood for improving the Mischief skill.
- Focused: Extremely helpful for learning Programming and completing computer-related activities.
Keeping your Sim in the appropriate mood before practicing skills or heading to work can significantly speed up overall career progression.
Every Level in the Criminal Career: Salary, Work Hours, Promotion Requirements, Daily Tasks, and Rewards
In the table below, you can find a complete breakdown of every level in The Sims 4 Criminal career.
The information includes work schedules, daily and hourly pay, daily tasks, promotion requirements, and rewards earned when advancing to the next level.
By understanding the requirements for each promotion, you can prepare the necessary skills in advance and plan your Sim’s career progression more efficiently, whether you choose The Boss or Oracle path.
Criminal
Criminal is the starting stage of the career before selecting a specialization. During this phase, your daily task is Mischief Interactions.
The easiest way to complete this task is by interacting directly with other Sims:
- Click on a Sim.
- Select the Mischief category.
- Perform several mischievous interactions until the task progress increases.
If you prefer not to leave home, you can also complete the daily task using a computer:
- Click on a Computer.
- Select Socialize.
- Choose Troll Teh Forums.
Throughout the early stages of the career, focus on raising your Mischief skill to Level 6 in order to meet promotion requirements and unlock the specialization branches.
The best mood for this stage is Playful, as it helps Sims improve the Mischief skill more quickly.
One of the easiest ways to become Playful is:
- Click on a television.
- Select the Comedy channel.
- Watch for a while until your Sim gains the Playful mood.
Try doing this about 20 minutes before work begins so the mood remains active during the workday.
With the Playful mood active, your Sim will develop Mischief faster and earn promotions more easily.
| Level | Title | Schedule | Rates | Ideal Mood | Daily Task | Promotion Requirements | Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tough Guy/Gal | Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun (5pm-12am) | §63 | Playful | Mischief Interactions | – | Don’t Talk About Crime Club |
| 2 | Petty Thief | Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat (8pm-3am) | §91 | Playful | Mischief Interactions | Level 2 Mischief | §465 Bonus, Emblems of Espionage |
| 3 | Ring Leader | Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat (8pm-4am) | §136 | Playful | Mischief Interactions | Level 3 Mischief | §558 Bonus, Duffle o’ Cash, Pick Pocket |
| 4 | Felonius Monk | Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat (7pm-2am) | §161 | Playful | Mischief Interactions | Level 5 Mischief | §670 Bonus, Vintage Baseball Bat Sculpture |
| 5 | Minor Crimelord | Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat (8pm-2am) | §192 | Playful | Mischief Interactions | Level 6 Mischief | §804 Bonus, Fedora CAS Parts |
The Boss
The Boss specialization focuses on leadership and managing criminal operations. To advance through this branch, you must consistently develop both the Mischief and Handiness skills.
At Levels 6 and 7, the daily task involves performing Mean Interactions with other Sims.
To complete it:
- Click on a Sim.
- Select the Mean category.
- Use interactions such as Argue or other negative interactions.
- Repeat until the daily task is completed.
At higher levels, the daily task changes to Upgrade Objects.
To complete this task:
- Click on an upgradeable object, such as a shower, sink, bed, or kitchen appliance.
- Select Upgrade.
- Choose one of the available upgrade options.
- Complete the upgrade to increase task progress.
If your Sim’s Handiness skill is low, you can improve it by using a Woodworking Table.
To obtain one:
- Enter Build Mode.
- Purchase a Woodworking Table.
- Place it in your Sim’s home.
- Use it to craft woodworking projects and gain Handiness experience.
Promotion requirements in The Boss branch primarily focus on Mischief and Handiness, so both skills should be developed consistently from the beginning.
The best mood for this branch is Focused, especially when practicing Handiness or preparing for work.
The Focused mood helps Sims perform upgrades more efficiently and improves technical skill-related activities.
| Level | Title | Schedule | Rates | Ideal Mood | Daily Task | Promotion Requirements | Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | The Muscle | Wed, Fri, Sat (10pm-4am) | §636 | Focused | Mean Interactions | Level 7 Mischief | §1,148 Bonus, Stolen ATM |
| 7 | Getaway Driver | Wed, Sat (8pm-3am) | §1,911 | Focused | Mean Interactions | Level 8 Mischief Level 2 Handiness | §2,201 Bonus, Bars of Gold |
| 8 | Safe Cracker | Wed, Sat, Sun (6pm-1am) | §2,233 | Focused | Upgrade Objects | Level 9 Mischief Level 4 Handiness | §4,211 Bonus, Stolen Necklace of the Late Duchess Pinky |
| 9 | The Brains | Mon, Thurs, Sun (6pm-1am) | §2,681 | Focused | Upgrade Objects | Level 10 Mischief Level 6 Handiness | §6,699 Bonus, Search For Bank Blueprints |
| 10 | The Boss | Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sun (5pm-12am) | §3,115 | Focused | Upgrade Objects | N/A | §8,039 Bonus, Fisticuffs Punching Bag, Boss Outfit CAS Parts |
Oracle
Oracle is the technology-focused specialization centered around cybercrime and hacking.
One of the unique rewards available through this branch is the Oracle Robes, which give your Sim the appearance of a professional hacker.
The daily task for Oracle is relatively simple. First, raise your Programming skill to at least Level 2 to unlock the Hack options on a computer.
Once unlocked, complete the daily task by:
- Clicking on a Computer.
- Selecting Hack.
- Choosing any available hacking activity.
- Waiting for the activity to finish to increase task progress.
To earn promotions, focus primarily on improving both Mischief and Programming, as these skills are required for advancement throughout nearly every Oracle career level.
The ideal mood for the Oracle branch is Focused, as it accelerates Programming skill gains and helps Sims perform computer-related tasks more effectively.
To become Focused:
- Purchase a Chess Table if you do not already own one.
- Click the chess table.
- Select Ponder Moves.
- Do this approximately 20–30 minutes before work starts.
Working while Focused can also improve Job Performance, making promotions faster and easier to achieve.
| Level | Title | Schedule | Rates | Ideal Mood | Daily Task | Promotion Requirements | Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | DigiThief | Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sun (1am-9am) | §344 | Focused | Hack or Make Viruses | Level 7 Mischief Level 2 Programming | §1,148 Bonus, Spy Satellite |
| 7 | Elite Hacker | Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sun (2am-10am) | §584 | Focused | Hack or Make Viruses | Level 8 Mischief Level 4 Programming | §1,723 Bonus, Hot & Cold Tech Spec Poster, Hack The Mainframe |
| 8 | An0nymous Ghost | Mon, Tues, Thurs, Sun (1am-10am) | §1,170 | Focused | Hack or Make Viruses | Level 9 Mischief Level 6 Programming | §2,929 Bonus, The Indispensable |
| 9 | Net Demon | Mon, Tues, Thurs, Sun (1am-8am) | §1,638 | Focused | Hack or Make Viruses | Level 10 Mischief Level 8 Programming | §4,686 Bonus |
| 10 | The Oracle | Mon, Tues, Thurs, Sun (12am-7am) | §2,212 | Focused | Hack or Make | N/A | §6,560 Bonus, Mayhem Portable Computer, Oracle Robes CAS Parts |
Conclusion
The Criminal career in The Sims 4 offers two distinct specialization paths, both of which provide high earning potential and rewarding career progression.
The Boss is ideal for players who enjoy social interactions, leadership, and developing the Mischief and Handiness skills. Meanwhile, Oracle focuses more on technology, hacking, and Programming skill development.
In terms of work schedules and salary potential, both branches are highly rewarding. The primary differences lie in their daily tasks, skill requirements, and career rewards.
The Boss delivers the experience of becoming the ruler of the criminal underworld, while Oracle offers a professional hacker-style gameplay experience, complete with the exclusive Oracle Robes reward.
Ultimately, the best choice depends on the type of gameplay experience you want for your Sim. Whether you prefer commanding a criminal empire or mastering the art of cybercrime, both paths provide a unique and profitable journey through The Sims 4 Criminal career.
