The Sims 4's latest free base game update has added several trans-inclusive Create-a-Sim (CAS) items, as well disability representation.
The update, which is available for all players to download now, includes chest binders and new shapewear.
In addition, teen or older male Sims – including both masculine and feminine frames – can have top surgery scars, signifying female-to-male gender-affirming surgery. The top surgery scars are found in the Body Scars category.
Related: The Sims 5 team addresses whether sequel will be multiplayer
Meanwhile, hearing aids and glucose monitors are now an option in the Medical Wearables category.
Hearing aids, for toddler or older Sims, come in 15 different colours and can be placed on a Sim's left or right ear (or both).
Glucose monitors, for child or older Sims, can be put on a Sim's left or right arm or on the left or right side of their lower abdomen.
This is a significant update, with numerous Simmers praising the new additions on social media. "OMG, I just did my top surgery and now my Sims can have the scar too!!!!! I'm going to cry," said one person on Twitter.
Another person tweeted: "Sims 4 adding a continuous glucose monitor that you can put on your Sim is making me feel so emotional because that’s literally me. I wear one and now I can add that to the me in the game 😭"
And sharing screenshots of his Sim with hearing aids, LuddySimmer said: "I've been looking at my sim self with hearing aids for like an hour. bc never thought one day I could represent myself in The Sims but im glad it's here."
One issue that has come up is that Sims cannot have hearing aids and earrings at the same time. Hopefully that will be addressed at some point.
LGBTQ+ and disability representation has been something the game's developers have been exploring and discussing for a while. Among other things, the team worked with the It Gets Better Project and GLAAD to add customisable pronouns to the English version of the game last May, with support for other languages being planned.
Progress on disability representation has been considerably slower for The Sims 4, but the devs have addressed the subject on a number of occasions in the past.
Related: The Sims 5 – everything you need to know
"Mobility items are at the top of our minds," said SimGuruSalo in October 2021, while producer Graham Nardone also previously said that the team has been actively thinking about how to represent disabled players in a respectful way, adding: "I think the last thing that we want to avoid is turning it into a feature."
The latest base game update comes during a big week for the game. A proper first look at the new infants life stage was unveiled, before the announcement of the next expansion titled Growing Together.
Infants will be a free update launching in March, around the same time as the release of the new pack.
The Sims 4 is available on PC, Mac, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
