Rancher's Rise - Earned Life
My take on a long-form ranch challenge focusing on realism, survival, relationship, seasonal gameplay, livestock, slow progression and your own building ( if you can ) Start with 0 simolians on the assigned empty plot ( see rules and all regarding this ) and build up your ranch life from scratch, entirely through your earnings and gameplay.
RANCHER’S RISE — EARNED LIFE
A Structured Sims 4 Challenge
Zero to hero. No handouts. No shortcuts. Just land, labour, and love.
REQUIRED PACKS Horse Ranch Seasons Cottage Living Eco Lifestyle Get Together Get to Work Island Living Jungle Adventure Realm of Magic Business & Hobbies Greenhouse Haven Luxury Holiday Celebration Cats & Dogs WHAT IS RANCHER’S RISE?
Rancher’s Rise: Earned Life is a long-form structured Sims 4 challenge focused on realistic ranch progression. You begin with nothing on an empty lot and slowly build a functioning ranch, home, relationship, and legacy through gameplay alone.
Everything must feel earned:
Your shelter Your animals Your money Your relationships Your lifestyle
This challenge is designed around slow progression, realism, immersion, and meaningful milestones rather than efficiency or exploits.
CORE PHILOSOPHY
Slow, deliberate progress beats fast wealth.
If progression feels too easy, you are probably skipping intended pacing or reinvestment rules.
The challenge is built around:
Survival Routine Seasonal planning Relationship pacing Ranch expansion Long-term legacy gameplay GAME SETUP World
Chestnut Ridge
Starting Lot
Rider’s Glen (40x30 empty lot)
If occupied, evict the household and bulldoze the lot.
Lot Traits Homey Natural Light
Third lot trait slot remains locked until Phase 2 completion.
Lot Challenge Living Off the Land
Starting Funds
§0
Use cheats once only to set household funds to zero.
Household Rules Start with only your main Sim Your future partner Sim should be created separately and placed somewhere nearby in Chestnut Ridge as an NPC household Recommended Traits Outdoorsy, Self-Sufficient Aspirations
Start with:
Country Caretaker OR Friend of the Animals
ALLOWED CHEATS Allowed once or for build purposes only:
bb.moveobjects household funds cheat to set §0 testingcheats for initial NPC partner placement
No other cheats allowed.
No: money cheats free real estate motive cheats relationship cheats
Breaking cheat rules resets the current phase.
MASTER RULES
These apply for the entire challenge.
INCOME RULES
Never allowed:
Careers Part-time jobs Freelance jobs
Income must come from:
Fishing Gardening Foraging Crafting Ranching Nectar Animal products Collectibles Gardening Limits
Maximum:
4 plants per crop type
No mass farming or grafting.
Painting & Writing Painting allowed only during Phases 1–2 Maximum 1 painting session per day Small canvases only Painting income locked after first animal purchase Writing income permanently locked after Phase 2 Reinvestment Rule
If household funds exceed §10,000 before Phase 4: You must immediately reinvest into:
Infrastructure Fencing Animal spaces Garden upgrades Greenhouse Ranch expansion
No early cash hoarding.
BUILD RULES
You may only build what your current phase allows.
Progression must feel earned.
Shelter Progression Sleeping bag / tent Platform Walls and roof Functional interior Expanded ranch home Lot Restriction
The entire north half of the lot remains locked until Phase 5.
Luxury Pack Restriction
Luxury furniture remains locked until Phase 6.
SEASONAL RULES Only plant crops during proper seasons Winter is a survival season No new animal purchases during winter Existing animals must still be fully maintained
Greenhouse Haven greenhouse unlocks in Phase 4.
Festivals count as social events with your partner.
RELATIONSHIP RULES
This challenge intentionally slows relationship progression.
The goal is realism, not speedrunning romance.
Core Rules You control only your own Sim Your partner remains NPC-controlled No relationship cheats No interaction spam No forced romance progression Friendship Gate
Romance interactions remain locked until:
Friendship exceeds 50% Move-In Requirements
Your partner may not move in until your home contains:
Bedroom Kitchen Bathroom Working utilities
All earned naturally.
Weekly Social Limits
During Phases 3–4:
Maximum 3 player-initiated socials per in-game week
This includes:
Planned visits Dates Invites Calling them over
One meaningful hangout counts as one social interaction.
Do not grind interactions endlessly in a single visit.
Natural Encounters & NPC-Initiated Socials
Organic gameplay events are always allowed.
If your partner:
Calls and invites you out Visits your lot autonomously Appears naturally at bars, festivals, lounges, parks, or community lots Joins existing social situations naturally
…you may interact with them freely.
However:
Friendship gates still apply Romance restrictions still apply Relationship pacing rules still apply
NPC-initiated interactions do NOT count toward weekly social limits unless intentionally abused for grinding.
The spirit of the challenge is natural storytelling, not relationship optimization.
Post Move-In Rules
Once living together:
At least one meaningful interaction daily One proper date weekly Seasonal holidays observed together THE SEVEN PHASES PHASE 1 — SURVIVAL Duration
Days 1–14 approximately
Allowed Income Fishing Foraging Digging collectibles Limited painting Limited writing Shelter Allowed Sleeping bag Tent Outdoor toilet Cooler Fire pit Platform only Restrictions No travel outside Chestnut Ridge One casual greeting to future partner allowed during Week 2 No purchases above §500 Phase Complete When §2,000 earned 4 crops growing 5 self-sourced meals cooked Survived one severe weather event PHASE 2 — STABLE INCOME Unlocks Walls and roof Basic kitchen World travel Jungle Adventure collecting Tide pool foraging Fabrication skill Rules Painting still limited Writing ends after this phase Maximum 2 intentional socials with partner this phase Phase Complete When §800 weekly income average Functional indoor shelter 3 fabricated furniture pieces §5,000 savings Unlock Off-the-Grid lot Challenge trait and the third Lot Trait slot
PHASE 3 — RELATIONSHIP Unlocks 3 socials per week Clubs One pet adoption Festival attendance with partner to be Relationship Pace
Weeks 7–8:
Friendship only
Week 9+:
Romance unlocks after 50% friendship
Maximum:
One romantic interaction per visit Phase Complete When 75% friendship 40% romance Home fully move-in ready 2 festivals attended together PHASE 4 — PROVE STABILITY Unlocks Greenhouse Guest room Holiday preparation Restrictions Painting income locked Writing fully locked Income Sources Gardening Fishing Fabrication Artifact sales Phase Complete When Partner moves in naturally §3,000 savings maintained Home fully functional One holiday celebrated together PHASE 5 — LIVESTOCK
This is the longest phase.
Do not rush it.
Unlock Order Tier 1 — Chickens
Requirements:
§4,000 savings Coop built and fenced
Start with:
Up to 4 chickens Tier 2 — Mini Animals
Requirements:
Chickens stable for 2 weeks Small enclosure built
Start with:
Up to 2 mini animals total Tier 3 — Large Animals
Requirements:
Mini animals stable for 2 weeks Full enclosure built
Start with:
Up to 2 large animals total Tier 4 — Horses
Requirements:
Large animals stable for one full season Stable and pasture complete
Start with:
Up to 2 horses Animal Rules All animals must be named Original animals should not be sold casually Daily tending mandatory No winter purchases Breeding Rules
When offspring are born:
Keep Sell Butcher
All options are valid.
However:
You may never exceed phase caps Excess offspring should be butchered or sold No bulk purchasing above caps Phase Complete When All livestock tiers established One full successful season completed One breeding event resolved Morning ranch routine established PHASE 6 — RANCH LIFE Unlocks Luxury furniture Expanded animal caps Horse breeding economy Retail lot option Partner hobbies Seasonal decorating Horse Breeding Rules
Loop: Breed → Raise → Train → Sell
Requirements:
No selling foals Horses must reach training milestones before sale Permanent breeding pair retained Weekly Requirements: One date One crafting session One selling session Phase Complete When
§3,000 weekly ranch income
Fully furnished home Highest romance stage Four full seasons together One trained horse successfully sold
PHASE 7 — NECTAR & LEGACY
Final ongoing phase.
Nectar Rules
To sell nectar:
Grow ingredients yourself Minimum 3 harvests first Nectar aged minimum 4 weeks One optional Realm of Magic enhancement allowed per save Final Animal Caps: Chickens: 8
Mini Animals: 6 total
Large Animals: 6 total
Horses: 5 total
LEGACY GOALS
Complete all to fully finish the challenge:
Raise and sell a fully trained horse Complete 3 horse breeding cycles Reach max caps through breeding Sell 20 aged nectar bottles Complete greenhouse setup Host a ranch event Complete Friend of the Animals aspiration Partner completes complementary aspiration Live one full season entirely from ranch food OPTIONAL SCORING
Optional honor-system scoring:
Phase completions Rule integrity Legacy achievements Parallel challenge completion
Use only if desired.
QUICK REFERENCE NEVER ALLOWED Careers/jobs Relationship cheats Painting income after first animal Writing income after Phase 2 Romance before friendship gate Luxury furniture before Phase 6 Selling foals Early nectar sales ALWAYS REQUIRED Daily animal care Seasonal planting Relationship pacing Reinvestment before hoarding Weekly dates after move-in Meaningful progression Honest rule tracking
Nothing was handed to you.
Every fence post, every harvest, every quiet evening beside the fire — you earned it.
Good luck. Take it slow. Enjoy the ranch.
For those that like to have aging on .. make this into a family driven generational ranch. I'm one of those that usually have it off, until I want to start a family .. I seem to always fumble this and have kids to late so parents dies while the offspring is infant or at best toddler lol Sorry if I've misspelled words. English is not my native Language. I've used ChatGPT for help structuring everything