The best Sims 4 houses and how to download them

What are the best The Sims 4 houses? If you've run out of ideas to make the best Sims 4 house you possibly can, are looking for a challenging new project to test your skills, or want to download the very best gallery houses, these are some of the best Sims 4 house designs right now.

We're constantly amazed by the incredible skills of the The Sims 4 community and the houses we still see being built over a decade since the life sim's release. While you can download players' houses straight from the Gallery, browsing them is also a great way to develop your own skills, so whichever method you're here for, these are our favorite Sims 4 houses to check out next.

Here are some cool The Sims 4 house ideas for inspiration or even download straight to your game:

Enchanted by Nature house

Gallery: VelvettB
Name: Toadstool Fairy Cottage

This beautiful toadstool house by VelvettB is perfect for the new Enchanted by Nature DLC and the fairy Sims that come with it. Even the interior is a fairy's dream, with its Butterfly-inspired decor and mossy walls. If you want to place this cosy home in Innisgreen, download it from VelvettB's Gallery.

Hyper-modern underground house

Gallery: Acsimms
Name: Underground modern house

We can't get enough of this uber-modern Sims 4 house design by AC Sims, with its 'underground' feel, stunning views, and vast outdoor space. Thanks to its three different-sized tiers, there are four garden areas here including the roof - count 'em! Suitable for catching rays at any time of day. There's also loads of space inside the house for designing however you like. And just look at all those floor-to-ceiling windows? Can we have one of these in real life, please? You can download this house from Acsimms' gallery, but it does require a few CC packs to work properly.

British semi-detached home

Gallery: Jessicapie
Name: British Semi-Detached

If you're British or would love to live in Britain, Jessicapie has built the perfect recreation of a typical British semi-detached house. Perfect for two separate Sims families, this The Sims 4 house has two For Rent units, and Jessica has even decorated each in different styles.

Modern desert home

Gallery: MrdesimsYT
Name: Modern Luxury Desert House

This incredible desert home was built without any custom content, meaning you can build or download it without having to download any extras first. Creator Mrdesims has uploaded a full, easy-to-follow stop-motion build to their YouTube channel if you want to settle down in a warm, dry climate yourself.

Candy shop apartment

Gallery: ninahschmidt
Name: Candy Shop & Café With Apartment

To be honest, we can't think of anywhere we'd rather live than directly above a candy shop. The businesses and hobbies expansion is the latest pack added to The Sims 4, and creator Nina Schmidt has made all our dreams come true with this candy shop and cafe build with its own apartment to boot. Easy access to work in the morning - and for those late night snack cravings.

Suburban family house

Gallery: Cyberdollyt
Name: Realistic Family House

If you're not much of a builder, this is a great place to start. This realistic family house is a three-bed, two bathroom bungalow that's got all the essentials for Sim life. Whether it's a basketball hoop out front, the kids' bedrooms kitted out with all the important childhood accessories, or the washer/dryer combo in the utility room - this house is down-to-earth and a great place to practise your building skills. This particular house is built in the suburban neighbourhood of Del Sol Valley, an additional area added as part of the Get Famous DLC, but you can build it on any sizable lot.

Beach house

Gallery: Gryphi
Name: Modern Beach House

Of course, it's nice to live in a realistic family home but wouldn't it be even nicer to create your own beach house with floor-to-ceiling windows, a modern, asymmetrical shape, and an outdoor seating area to take in those coastal views?

This stunning build from Gryphi features items from various kits, including Desert Luxe, but you could make it your own without the exact windows and doors used here.

River cabin

Gallery: KateEmerald
Name: River Cabin

We're stepping it up a notch with this next design idea, but if you want to download or build this incredible home, you'll be pleased to hear it's another with no CC.

This idyllic river cabin spans several levels of intricate design from waterfalls to a loft expansion. But, before you even get started on the actual house, there's all that base level work that makes this house very unique.

Landscaping is a challenging skill to learn in The Sims 4, and there are plenty of tutorials available to help you on your way. Luckily, this speed build should be a great starting place for you to follow along to.

Classic Mansion

Gallery: Simproved
Name: Luxurious Mansion

Sims living is all about achieving your aspirations, and if your aspiration in life is to live in a 13-bed, 16-bath, luxurious, classically designed mansion, then this build is for you. Granted, this one will challenge your building skills, but the result is worth it. And, while it has all the mod cons that a mansion might possess; spa, gym, bowling alley, personal cinema, it also has some you might not expect, including a nightclub, a museum, a vault, and even a secret lab.

Mountain cabin

Gallery: KateEmerald
Name: Mountain Cabin

From the same designer as the river cabin above, we once again try out some of those exterior landscape building techniques. This time, for a log cabin set in the mountainous forest of Granite Falls, part of The Sims 4: Outdoor Retreat expansion pack. It's a beautiful, minimalist, wood-centric hideaway that will have you reaching for your terrain tool and taking the time to carefully select your greenery.

Tiny treehouse

Gallery: AvelineYT

Finally, big isn't always best. This sweet, blissful tiny treehouse is a one-bed, one-bath for one or two Sims to hide away and enjoy the compact lifestyle. Maybe it's a writer's retreat or a creative escape for a budding artist, this concept really brings out the creativity on offer from The Sims 4. Plus, the designer highlights how certain objects have multi-use opportunities that you might not have thought of before. Unfortunately, this one can't be downloaded, but the creator has a few other builds in  their Gallery. This one, though, you'll have to replicate yourself.

How to download a build from the EA Gallery

The EA Gallery features builds and designs from players all over the world, and they can each be downloaded and imported into your own world. To do so:

• Access the Gallery in-game by clicking the lightbulb icon
• Search for and select the build you want to download
• Click the download button and save it to 'My Library'
• Open Create-a-Sim
• Select the Gallery icon again
• Choose Households from the Category tab
• Click 'Place Household' to inport the build into your world.

We hope you're feeling as inspired as we are by these The Sims 4 houses. If you fancy finding some more help and inspiration, why not check out the best The Sims 4 mods. And, if you've fallen for some of the DLC-locked locations in the builds above, our guide to The Sims 4 best expansion packs will help you weigh up your options on what you should get next.