Unlock Y2K Sims Nostalgia with a Blast from the Past

Starting today, Simmers can take a trip down memory lane with the Blast From The Past event, a limited-time ‘battle pass’ for The Sims 4 Base Game, available from the 4th of February until the 18th of March, 2025. New quests and rewards became available each week, bringing back some of the most nostalgic and iconic items from previous games. In this guide we explain all weeks of the questline.

This event is ending in:

How to Start the Blast From the Past Event

You must be online and logged into your EA account for the event to appear. Make sure your game is completely up to date with the latest patch and launch the game. Then, select a save file and enter Live Mode with the household you want to play. You’ll receive a pop-up notifying you that the event is live, accept the quest. New quests will appear in the Quest Tab – or ‘Objectives Dropdown’ apparently – in the upper left corner of your UI. Here you can track your quest progress.

Watch the Official Blast from the Past Tutorial by EA

Blast from the Past Questline Walkthrough

Help a curious-looking Sim pierce together a time-bending mystery, collect Event Points and unlock classic treasures from the past. As you enter Live Mode a pop-up will prompt you to start the Blast from the Past questline. The pop-up will only show if the game is unpaused. Accept the quest to get started.

Table of Contents – Quick Menu

Week 1: A Strange Visitor

Suddenly someone arrives in a burst of light. Look for this Sim and uncover the mystery behind their arrival.

• Tune in to the News for 15 Minutes
  Click on any TV to watch the News channel and learn about a mysterious visitor. Information will appear in your Notification Wall once the 15 minutes are checked off.
• Check Emit’s Social Media Profile
  Click on your phone and use the Check Emit’s Profile in the Social tab. You can also find his social media through a computer under Social Networking.
• Ask other Sims about Emit
  Use the special Ask about Emit social interaction on three Sims.
• Travel to Magnolia Blossom Park in Willow Creek
  You can find the park in the middle of the map of Willow Creek.
• Introduce Yourself to Emit Relevart
  Look for a Sim with turquoise hair. It may take a while for him to spawn, but he’ll walk to fountain area eventually.
• Ask Emit Relevart about Missing Items
  Use the special Ask about Missing Items social interaction.
• Ask 3 other Sims about Missing Items.
  Use the special Ask about Missing Items social interaction on three Sims other. Just like before, you won’t need any friendship level with these Sims.

Tip! Sometimes the objectives to interact with three Sims doesn’t complete if you use multiple quest interactions – like Ask about Missing Items and then Accuse of Time Travel – on the same Sim. We found it easiest to simply just let our Sim constantly meet new people for the tasks.

Week 1: Missing Clues

Dig deeper to reveal the long-buried secrets of time travel. Puns intended.

• Refresh your Memory in The Sims Archives
  Use a computer to play The Sims Archives and let your Sim play the game until they are finished as it may take a while to complete the task.
• Find the Special Time Capsule
  Look around the neighborhood to find any dig sites and use the Dig for Special Time Capsule interaction.
• Open the Special Time Capsule
  The capsule will now appear in your Sim’s inventory. Open it to find what’s inside.
• Read the IOU Note
  There was a IOU Note in the capsule! Find note in your Sim’s inventory and use the Read IOU interaction.

Tip! If you ever lose any of the quest items, click on your mailbox to retrieve new ones.

• Report back to Emit
  Meet up with Emit and use the special Report about Time Capsule interaction.
• Accuse Sims of Being Time Travelers
  Use the Accuse of Time Travel social interaction on three Sims. This is considered a mean interaction, so be careful who you use this on.
• Ponder Time Travel
  Click on any shower, bath tub or toilet and use the Ponder Time Travel interaction.
  

Week 2: Echoes of Time

Echoes of the past linger through time, waiting to be rediscovered. Seek them out and unveil their hidden stories.

• Read the History of Time Travel at a Library
  Travel to a library and use the Read History of Time Travel interaction on a bookcase.
• Experience the Past by Playing the Sims Archives, vol. 2
  Use a computer to play The Sims Archives, vol. 2 and let your Sim play the game until they are finished as it may take a while to complete the task.
• Study a Historical Display at a Museum
  Travel to a museum and use the View interaction on eligible art.

BUGFIX If you encounter the completion bug for the Historical Display objective, check out our workaround below.

• Ask an Elder about the Shard
  Speak to a Sim in their Elder lifestage and use the Ask about Shard social interactions.
• Research Shard of Time
  Use the special Research Shards of Time interaction on any computer. Find the interaction in the Web – Research category.
• Search Objects for Shards of Time
  Click on items to use the the Search for Shard interaction. The interaction is available on couches, bookshelves, computers, fridges and even toilets.
• Show Emit the Shards
  Meet up with Emit and use the Show Shards of Time interaction to complete the quest.

Week 2: Inventing the Past

With the mysteries of time traveling unraveled, Emit sends you on a quest to become a time traveler like him. How exciting!

• Read Theoretical Electronics at a Library
  Travel to a library and use the Read Theoretical Electronics interaction on a bookcase.
• Repair Something while Handiness level 2 or Higher
  Level your Handiness skill to at least level 2 and repair a broken item. To quickly find a broken item, prank a toilet and then let your Sim use it. This will instantly break the toilet.
• Exercise your Mind while Level 2 or Higher in Logic
  Level your Logic skill to at least level 2 and then do a logic related activity such as chess or using a telescope.
• Collect Ironyum and Collect Plathinum
  Look around the neighborhood for any dig sites and use Dig. Do this twice to find both materials, this seems to be a 100% drop rate.
• Obtain an Electronic Upgrade Part
  Use a computer to order an Electronic Upgrade Part.
• Build the Time Travel Component
  Now that you’ve collected all your materials and trained your appropriate skills, it is time… Get it? Okay, I’ll let myself out.

Week 3: The Setback

Your plan is coming together, but something still feels off…

• Activate the Time Travel Component
  Use the special Active Time Travel Component interaction on any computer.
• Repair or Replace the Computer
  Oh no, the computer broke down! Click on it to either repair it yourself or use the Replace interaction to buy a new one. You can also hire a Repair Service on your phone.
• Burn Off Steam by Exercising for an Hour
  Go for a jog, use some workout equipment, whichever you prefer.

Tip! Some Simmers experience a bug where this goal doesn’t get completed unless their Sim works out in a Gym venue.

• Get Something to Eat
  Let your Sim grab any meal at a fridge or a food stall.
• Ask Emit about the Malfunction
  Contact Emit by inviting him over or visit Mangolia Blossom Park. Then use the Ask about Malfunction interaction.
• Overclock a Computer
  Use the special Overclock interaction on any computer.

Week 3: On the Hunt

More determined than ever – and with Nikolai Volt’s technology on your side – it is time to set the final plan in motion.

• Give Yourself a Pep Talk
  Alright, you can do this! Click on a mirror and select Give Yourself a Pep Talk.
• Look for the Thief by Playing in the Archives
  Use a computer to play The Sims Archives, vol 4. Wait until you receive the pop-up that the quest is completed.

Week 4: Hidden Motives

Uncover the answers you’ve been searching and confront the elusive time-traveling thief!

• Report to Emit on the Experiment
  Contact Emit by inviting him over or visit Mangolia Blossom Park. Then use the Report on Experiment interaction.
• Send a Time-Traveling Email to the Thief
  Use a computer and select the Send Time-Traveling Email interaction.
• Retrieve the Thief’s Letter from the Mailbox
  Click on your mailbox and use the Get Thief’s Letter interaction.
• Read the Thief’s Letter
  Open the letter by using the Read Thief’s Letter interaction. You can find this item in your Sim’s personal inventory.

Week 4: The Good Thief

With the thief’s true motives revealed, it’s time to wrap up and say your goodbyes to Emit.

• Tell Emit about the Thief’s True Intentions
  Contact Emit again, either by invite or by visit to Magnolia Blossom Park. Then use the Tell About Thief’s True Intentions interaction.
• Say Goodbye to Emit
  It’s time for the questline conclusion and say goodbye to Emit. Use the Say Goodbye interaction on him when you’re ready.

Blast from the Past Event Rewards

This Sims 4 time traveling questline sure is a throwback to 25 years of Sims! Upon completion, Simmers unlock iconic items from previous games. Keep in mind the event is available for a limited-time only. Oh, the irony… Either way, here are the items you can unlock with Event Points.

You’ll also receive some items for the household you’re playing, such as Simoleons and Potions. If you’re wondering what item is up next, you can always check out the progress bar. While in the Main Menu, click the Events button on the top of your screen. You can also access the progress bar through a Plumbob button on the upper left of your screen when you’re playing.

Completing the Milk Carton Collection in other Save Files

So you unlocked the Milk Cartons collection in one of your saves, but you want to play another one. Now what? Well, luckily the items can be purchased in Build & Buy. Place the cartons on the lot and go back into Live Mode. Drag and drop the cartons into your Sim’s inventory to check them off for the collection.

Bugfix! How to Complete the Study for Historical Display Objective

A lot of Simmers seem to be experiencing a bug with the Echoes of Time quest from week 2. The objective to Study a Historical Display at a Museum will not be marked off as completed. Luckily, we’ve found two ways to fix this!

Let’s start with the easiest one. For some reason not all artworks are marked correctly in the game’s code. After trying out a bunch of things, we’ve found that the Bust of Baron von Dithering statue checks off the objective successfully. Another item that works for other Simmers is the On the Hunt Statuette. You can use the View interaction to complete the objective, as long as it shows the Emit icon next to the text.

If this still doesn’t work, you can try the following method.

Disclaimer! While our crew tested this method personally, we always recommend you use caution while removing files from your game. Make sure to back-up any important data such as save files. Use this method at your own risk.

Please be aware this method will reset your progress for the Echoes of Time quest completely. You will have to redo any tasks you’ve completed thus far. When you’re 100% sure important data has been back-up correctly, use the following steps to – hopefully – fix the bug:

1. Ensure the game is closed completely
2. Go to your Sims 4 game files – usually found at C:\Users\Username\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4 – and move accountDataDB.package out of the folder
3. In this same folder, remove the localthumbcache.package file
4. Restart the game and start up the household you were playing, then enter Live Mode unpaused
5. Wait until you receive the prompt to start the Echoes of Time and accept the quest
6. Travel to any museum and use the View interaction on the Bust of Baron von Dithering statue
   • You can just place one on the lot if the museum doesn’t have the statue yet
7. If everything works correctly your game has successfully replaced the accountDataDB.package and the localthumbcache.package files. You may delete your old accountDataDB.package, or keep it somewhere as a back-up file

Special thanks to MoonshineSim for helping me reset the Reaper Event quests from last year with this exact method. You’re a life saver!

Blast from the Past Event: ALL Weeks Now Available!

So far we’ve unlocked Emit’s outfit, landline phones, Dina’s iconic Sims 2 dress, the Sticky Fingers aspiration and more. All weeks of the questline are now opened. The last two weeks of the event are there to give players the opportunity to finish their questline and claim any remaining rewards.

That’s it for the Blast from the Past event! Did you enjoy the questline? What reward do you like best? Let us know in the comments below!