How to play all main series games

The Sims stands out for its uniqueness when it comes to life simulation games. Whether it's the cartoonish humor of The Sims 1 or the incredible inclusiveness of The Sims 4There's something to love about every main series Sims game. The interconnected lore and references between each game are just two of the many reasons why the oldest Sims games are still worth playing today. The problem is not whether they are still worth playing, but tracking them down in the first place.




While The Sims 3 AND The Sims 4 While both are still available through major online stores and retailers, the earlier games in the series are a little harder to come by. Even if someone manages to track down a copy of these games, there are still some issues when it comes to getting them to run properly on modern hardware. Luckily, fans have created some mods that help the older games work together on newer systems.. While some of the older ones are found Sims Games could be a problem, running them has become a breeze Thanks to long time fans.

Updated August 23, 2024 by Arthur Goyaz: The Sims series is a 21st century landmark and a beloved simulation franchise that has evolved over the years. This guide has been updated with relevant information about upcoming Sims games, reflecting CBR's latest editorial standards.



The original Sims were only released in physical versions

Title

Release Year

Platforms

Average price per used copy

The Sims

2000

Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube

$10

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Track down a playable copy of The Sims It's a bit difficult nowadays, but not impossible — gamers can find Xbox or PC copies on resale sites like eBay for as little as $10. EA has not released The Sims digitally, so all that remains is to track down a physical CD of the game. This does not mean that EA does not own the legal rights to the games, but rather that you cannot purchase the game officially. This has led to fans making the game available online, although it should be noted that these versions are still legally questionable.

Unfortunately, getting The Sims to work properly on modern Windows systems is no longer simple. The first step is to follow a guide from YouTuber and Sims fan SariaFan93, as they provide a patch for Windows 10 users. A patcher created by GitHub user FaithBeam helps the game run in widescreen, fixing some annoying crash issues with the game's UI. These fixes address most of the issues, allowing The Sims to work smoothly. Since the original The Sims It's so hard to find and relies almost exclusively on mods to work on modern systems, so you'd better be careful when searching the internet for a link or port.


the sims

The Sims

The Sims is the life simulation game that started the beloved franchise.

Released
February 4, 2000

Developer(s)
Maxi

Publisher(s)
Electronic Arts

European Supervisory Authority
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The Sims 2 is hard to find but still works well

Title

Release Year

Platforms

Average price per used copy

The Sims 2

2004

Windows, Mac, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PlayStation Portable

$20

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EA Origin users have managed to get their hands on The Sims 2: Ultimate Collection for free in 2014, but that was the last time EA provided an official way to play the second installment in the series. Currently, The Sims 2 It is not available from any online retailer, but there is always the resale market. Physical copies of the game may still work, but in a very similar way to The Simsthese can be a bit limited. Unlike The SimsHowever, The Sims 2 works quite well on modern systems. It is the installation process that is usually the problem when dealing with physical disks.

That's not to say there aren't other quirks and problems with The Sims 2. Modern users may notice some strange shadow glitches appearing around Sims' feet. Changing the game settings won't fix much, although there is still a way to fix this issue. Players should find their game's configuration file and find the category called “option Shadows”. Changing “boolProp simShadows” to false should disable shadows under Sims' feet and fix the issue. The best part is that it doesn't cause any serious visual downgrades in the game.


The Sims 2 imdb

The Sims 2

Platform(s)
PC, macOS, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Nintendo DS, PS2, PSP, Xbox (original)

Released
September 14, 2004

Developer(s)
Maxi

Publisher(s)
Electronic Arts

The Sims 3 is easier to find and worth revisiting

Title

Release Year

Platforms

Average price per used copy

The Sims 3

2009

Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, N-Gage 2.0, Wii, Nintendo 3DS

7$

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Originally published in 2009, The Sims 3 It is one of the most readily available The Sims games. Unlike the previous two chapters in the series, players can find The Sims 3 still available on Steam and Originalong with its incredible collection of DLC. Each of the main DLC packs is available separately from the main game for $20.00, although there is a lot of content from the game's online store that is still missing. In total, the entire DLC collection costs $379.81.

While the high price tag isn't ideal for a game that's over 10 years old, you can rest assured that the digital versions of The Sims 3 will work without too many issues. There have been some reported issues with certain hardware, though there are more than a few workarounds online to help players avoid them. The Sims 3 is one worth revisiting thanks to its relaxed gameplay and features like open-world cities and the fan-favorite Create-A-Style tool. Finally, the range of platforms the game runs on offers plenty of accessible ways to play in 2024.


The Sims 3 Game

The Sims 3

The Sims 3 gives you room for creativity and the ability to play with various life aspirations. The game balances financial progression and career.The Sims 3 is a virtual life simulator where you put yourself in the shoes of a Sim. Real life is reduced to simple mechanisms, but within the mechanisms lies a whole universe of infinite possibilities. Here, you give your Sims unique personalities and control their destinies. Shaping their bodies through the vast array of clothing choices is quite exciting.

The Sims 4 is more widely accessible than any other title

Title

Release Year

Platforms

Average price per used copy

The Sims 4

2014

Windows, OS

7$

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Being the most modern entry in the series at the time of writing, The Sims 4 It is available from several online retailers and its contents continue to be updated. Additionally, the base game has been free to play since October 2022, although DLCs still cost money. While EA is currently working on the next installment in the series, more content is coming for the game. The Sims 4 It was released in 2014 and still runs great on modern hardware. There has been a lot of attention put into optimizing for The Sims 4so it's very likely that even low-end laptops will be able to run the game.

For the first time in the series' history, players actually have some options for what platform they play on. The Sims 4. The game was released on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. The only major difference is that console players can't dive into the vast fan-made collection The Sims 4 mod. Part of what makes old people The Sims games that are hard to run is that they were designed with very specific computer hardware in mind. When a game is released on consoles, it effectively provides a guaranteed place where the game will be relatively safe from the passage of time.


the sims 4 poster

The Sims 4

The Sims 4 is the latest life simulation game in The Sims franchise, with numerous expansion packs, game packs, stuff packs, and kits to help players take control of their Sims' lives.

Released
September 2, 2014

Developer(s)
Maxi

Publisher(s)
Electronic Arts

Will The Sims 5 ever come out?

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Since the release of the first The Sims in 2000, the series kept up the tradition of releasing a new game every 5 years. Well, at least until The Sims 4 was released in 2024. It's been 10 years since the game came out and the fact that EA has yet to announce a release window for The Sims 5 proves that things aren't moving any faster as the fourth game reaches its 10th anniversary. However, at least fans know that the project is officially in development: Project Rene is the working title for the game, and it was announced in October 2022 during the Behind The Sims Summit. There were a few questions answered about The Sims 5 thereafter.

The good news is that, as The Sims 4the base game has been made free, The Sims 5 It will be free to download as soon as it is released. Franchise creator VP Lyndsay Pearson also said at the summit that “No matter who you want to play with, we want you to be able to play wherever you want.” This means that The Sims 5 could finally introduce a cross-platform system to the franchise, as well as an official multiplayer feature. The Sims 5or Project Rene, will also seek to improve the Create-a-Style previously introduced by The Sims 3 to enable player-selectable colors and patterns. In short, everything that has been announced about the upcoming The Sims The game is an attempt to fix the franchise's past problems, while the actual exclusive features are still being kept under wraps.


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