Does CurseForge allow NSFW mods? The Inappropriate Project rule and the Sims 4 guidelines

CurseForge does not allow NSFW mods in general. Its Moderation Policies include an “Inappropriate Project” rule covering adult content in an age restricted game or content otherwise deemed inappropriate by moderation, and the rule states that NSFW and 18+ content would normally be prohibited, with nudity and adult substances as examples. Game-specific guidelines can be stricter, and the Sims 4 ones ban mods that add nudity or sexual content.

For adult game developers, CurseForge matters because mods are how many players extend a game, and some of those mods add or restore adult content. The rule means CurseForge is not the place for an adult mod.

This page sets out what the Moderation Policies say, how moderation and appeals work, what the Sims 4 guidelines add, and what the rules mean for adult mods. It describes the pages as they stood on 31 October 2026.

Key points

• NSFW and 18+ content would normally be prohibited. The wording gives nudity and adult substances as examples.
• Avatars cannot be NSFW. The Project Avatar rule says so directly.
• Game-specific guidelines can override. The Sims 4 guidelines say they take precedence.
• The Sims 4 bans nudity and sexual content mods. Kissing and cuddling are allowed.
• Moderation is automated and manual. Anyone can report a project.
• AI showcase images need a disclaimer when they could mislead.

What the Moderation Policies say

The rules are in the Moderation Policies article, which shows a modified date of 22 October 2026. It has a general section, a table of general policies and sections for specific games.

The Inappropriate Project rule

The adult content rule is one row in the table of general policies. It is called “Inappropriate Project”, and it describes projects that do not appear to be the correct content for the current category or game, or that contain “adult content in an age restricted game”, or are “otherwise deemed inappropriate by moderation”. The row ends with a sentence that does the work: NSFW and 18+ content would normally be prohibited, with nudity and adult substances in brackets as examples.

Three features of the wording are worth separating.

1. “Would normally be prohibited.” The phrase is a default, not an absolute. It leaves room for exceptions that the page does not describe.
2. “Age restricted game.” The row refers to adult content in a game that carries an age restriction. It does not say that adult content is fine in a game without one, and the sentence that follows gives a general default.
3. “Deemed inappropriate by moderation.” The final test is the moderators’ judgement. The page gives no examples of what falls on either side.

The avatar rule

A separate row, Project Avatar, says avatars must not be solid colours and must not contain anything NSFW or copyrighted imagery. They must be 400 by 400 pixels.

General guidelines

The general section sets the tone. Projects should add value to players while respecting the game creators and the game itself, they should not encourage discrimination, and CurseForge follows game developers’ end-user licence agreements and terms of service, “and so should your projects”, for content and functionality alike. That sentence is the link to the game-specific rules: a game’s publisher can set the content limit for mods of that game.

Other rules that touch adult mods

Several other rows are relevant to anyone working with adult material.

• Content copyright. Using copyrighted content from other registered works requires permission or an appropriate licence. Accounts abusing this can be banned permanently.
• Anti-griefing. Content used to harass, discriminate or negatively affect players is not allowed.
• AI misleading content disclosure. Any AI-modified, generated, edited or enhanced showcase image that may misrepresent the mod’s actual content must include a clear and visible disclaimer, for example on the image or in the description.
• Licensed music. Music is allowed only if the author owns it or has redistribution rights.

How moderation works

The page describes moderation briefly. CurseForge has a large collection of mods, all of which go through a series of processors, automated checks and manual reviewing. If an inappropriate project passes moderation, anyone can report it through the reporting function on the website, or open a ticket with supporting information. Copyright claims by the original owner of content follow a separate process.

Rejections and appeals

If a project submission receives a reply that changes are required, or that it was rejected, the page says the messages are generated either automatically or by staff, who can be identified by an Admin tag. It tells authors not to delete the project or file and upload it again to solve a rejection, because that makes things more complicated. It also says moderation is done under best efforts, and that authors can appeal a rejection, ask for clarification or report a project they think is inappropriate, with respect at all times.

The page does not describe a strike ladder or the penalty for repeated adult content, and it does not say how long an appeal takes.

What the Sims 4 guidelines add

CurseForge publishes separate guidelines for several games. The Moderation Guidelines for The Sims 4 show a modified date of 16 December 2024. They are presented as the publisher’s own rules for hosted content, and they say they supplement CurseForge’s policies and, in a conflict, take precedence.

The guidelines describe the base game as rated T for Teen by the ESRB, with content descriptors for crude humour, sexual themes and violence. Then they set the rule for mods:

• Mods must not modify the game to allow for nudity, sexual content or inappropriate romantic or sexual relationships.
• Content created to simulate nudity, sexual content or sexually explicit clothing is prohibited.
• Kissing, cuddling and making out are allowed, and the guidelines add that Sims do not have sex, they “Woohoo” or “Try for Baby”.
• Content that modifies the game to allow inappropriate or unwanted relations is prohibited, with romance outside appropriate age stages and with animals as examples.
• Content that disables consent for romantic interactions is prohibited.

The same document bans mods about alcohol effects, drugs and smoking features, real people and political themes, and gambling. The Sims 4 is the clearest example in the pages read of a publisher’s rating setting the limit for mods. The other games listed, among them Hogwarts Legacy, Ark: Survival Ascended and inZOI, point to their publishers’ guidelines, which were not read.

Minecraft

The Minecraft section of the Moderation Policies covers technical rules for modpacks, such as formats, archive types and mod loaders. It does not add a content rule beyond the general table, so the Inappropriate Project rule is the one that applies.

What this means for adult game developers

1. Do not post an adult mod on CurseForge. The default is that NSFW and 18+ content is prohibited.
2. Check the avatar and screenshots. The avatar rule bans anything NSFW, and the Inappropriate Project row is judged on the project as a whole.
3. Read the publisher’s guidelines for the game. Where they exist, they can be stricter and they take precedence in the Sims 4 case.
4. If you run mod support for your own game, say where adult mods may live. CurseForge will not host them by default. See where to sell adult games for stores and does Steam allow NSFW content for another route.
5. Disclose AI showcase images. A generated image that might misrepresent the mod needs a clear disclaimer.
6. Do not re-upload after a rejection. The page says it only complicates things; appeal or ask for clarification.
7. Check licences for art and music. Copyright abuse can lead to a permanent ban.
8. Know the wider rules for AI assets. See AI-generated content rules for adult games.

What is still unknown

• What “normally” allows. The page does not describe exceptions to the default.
• How it treats a game with its own adult content. The row refers to an age restricted game and says nothing more.
• What penalties apply to repeat offenders. No ladder is described.
• What the other game-specific guidelines say. Those for Hogwarts Legacy, Ark and inZOI were not read.
• What the Mod Author Terms and the Terms of Service add. They were not read for adult content.

How this page was put together

The Moderation Policies and the Sims 4 guidelines were read on CurseForge’s own support site, in a browser, on 31 October 2026. The first shows a modified date of 22 October 2026 and the second 16 December 2024. Short phrases are quoted and the rest is paraphrased.

The author has not uploaded a mod to CurseForge or had a project rejected, and nothing here is a first-hand account of moderation. The Mod Author Terms, the Website Rules and the guidelines for the games other than The Sims 4 were not read.

This page was written on 31 October 2026 and will be updated when CurseForge changes its pages. To report an error, see the corrections standard.