Please Note: This is copied from Reddit's r/TheSims2Help's General Info Wiki page. Any linked headings will be linked back to the Reddit Wiki. In line links should denote where they go (reddit, lemmy, tumbler) anything not mentioned is probably another off reddit guide or .exe file. Most if not all content contained below was created by the Reddit r/Sims2Help team and all credit for this guide goes to them.
If you're just looking to download the game, you can see the Lemmy Download Guide or the, Reddit Download Guide.*
1. General Information & FAQs
::: spoiler Notes
Please regularly backup your saves, your mods, and your EA Games folder in general - it's the best way to protect things that are important to you in case anything goes wrong!
In Windows, the important folder to back up is located in Documents/EA Games (or possibly C:\Users\Public\Documents\EA Games\, if the normal Documents/EA Games folder is empty). If your game is within OneDrive/Documents, you should ensure OneDrive is not actively syncing the game's files while you play as syncing programs like this can corrupt your hoods - you need to disable OneDrive or stop it from syncing the Documents folder.
On MacOS, your save folder is located in ~Library/Containers/com.aspyr.sims2.appstore/Data/Library/Application Support/Aspyr/The Sims 2/ if you have the 64 bit version (which you have if on MacOS Catalina or above) or ~/Library/Application Support/Aspyr/The Sims 2 if you have the 32 bit version - please note this is the hidden Library folder (visible with Cmd + shift + .) not the System Library folder.
To back up your folder, right click on it and choose copy. Then navigate to a separate, safe place on your computer (or an external drive, Google Drive, USB stick, etc.) where your backups can live in safety, away from the rest of the game. Right click in the new place and select paste. Your folder will be copied over to the new location. :::
2. Can I Run It?
::: spoiler See Our Guide Downloading The Sims 2 Guide Section: Will it Run? :::
3. Missing Packs
::: spoiler 3.1) Legacy Edition / Oldgamesdownload / MrDJ / archive.org repack Missing IKEA Stuff Pack
Oldgamesdownload / MrDJ / archive.org repack
If you have downloaded your copy of the game from OldGamesDownload/archive.org/Mr DJ's repack, it is not the Ultimate Collection, despite the name, it's the discs bundled together. This version is safe and works the same as any other version of the game - it's just missing the IKEA stuff pack and has a different file structure to the Ultimate Collection.
The IKEA Stuff Pack can be downloaded here. Once the IKEA pack is downloaded, you will need to extract the folder by right clicking and choosing "Extract Here" or similar, and once extracted you will see there is a TSData folder inside.
Then go to your install directory, which is C:/Program Files (x86)/Mr DJ/ by default. There is a "The Sims 2 IKEA Home Stuff" folder in here, go into this folder and you will see there are currently two folders - TSData and TSBin.
Delete the TSData folder and then from your extracted SP8 folder, move/copy the TSData folder and paste it into this location. You will now have Ikea Stuff correctly installed.
However, some people have reported that this doesn't work for them or it causes issues such as crashing. Clearing your cache files (go to Documents/EA Games/The Sims 2 and delete accessory.cache and groups.cache at the end of the folder) may make the IKEA pack work for you.
If you're unable to install the IKEA Stuff Pack and you really want to have all the packs, you should uninstall the game and install it again using one of the versions we have linked which is the proper Ultimate Collection. :::
::: spoiler 3.2) Legacy Edition
Download the IKEA pack linked above and follow the instructions here. :::
4. About the Versions
Information regarding the different versions of the game
::: spoiler 4.1) A Note on Abandonware
The Sims 2 was previously considered abandonware on Windows, but this is not a legally recognised term. As per Wikipedia "Abandonware is a product, typically software, ignored by its owner and manufacturer, and for which no official support is available. Although such software is usually still under copyright, the owner may not be tracking copyright violations".
The Sims 2 is still, and always has been, under copyright, and thus downloading it is piracy - people who say otherwise are incorrect, though it is a commonly held belief in the Sims community that downloading abandonware is not piracy.
This was the case even before EA started selling the Sims 2 Legacy Edition. Although it is piracy, we do recommend doing it anyway and link to downloads for the Ultimate Collection because this is still not available for sale anywhere. :::
::: spoiler 4.2) Why would I break the law when I can buy UC online?
The Sims 2: The Ultimate Collection was only available for free on Origin for a few years. It is not possible to buy The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection, and it never has been. If a seller is advertising The Ultimate Collection for sale, please be advised that it is not a legal copy.
To receive this version, they would be selling you an Origin account. This is against EA's Terms of Service and these accounts are often stolen. The original owners of the account can reclaim it at any time or if EA realizes you bought the account, they could terminate it.
If they are not trying to sell you an account, but are instead going to send you a download link for the files, you would be buying pirated files if you pay them - you may as well just download the game by yourself!
It is possible to buy the Sims 2 Legacy Edition on the EA App, Steam and Epic Games and you are welcome to do that if you wish, but it is not the Ultimate Collection. :::
::: spoiler 4.3) Well, what about the disks then?
There are about 20 discs in total for the entire collection.
You will need to use a program to update the base game files (e.g. Grumpyloader) in order to install the expansions, because you cannot install the expansions without the base game trying to update which will now always fail and cancel the pack install.
You will then have to patch the base game and every expansion you install before you move onto the next one. The Sims 2 server was taken down in 2011 which means the disks can no longer patch themselves.
You'll also have to deal with SecuROM (included with the later discs, from either Seasons or Bon Voyage onwards) which is known to cause a whole host of issues, such as disabling disk trays. It also stays on your computer, even when you uninstall Sims 2, and you have to get a special tool to remove it that SecuROM released once they lost a lawsuit.
However, you can only remove it once The Sims 2 is uninstalled or by using a NoCD exe as every time you load the game, it will re-install itself (if you don't ever run the game from the original exe, and always use a cracked one, SecuRom won't be installed in the first place).
If you are determined to use the disks to install, you can follow this guide. However, we do not provide support with getting the discs to install and recommend you use the Ultimate Collection linked above to save yourself from this tedious process, unless you are comfortable with troubleshooting issues yourself. :::
::: spoiler 4.4) Why do I need to apply so many fixes to play the game?
These problems are due to the fact that the game is 20+ years old. It is unable to recognise new hardware and operating systems. These are incredibly common issues that arise on all versions. It doesn't matter if you got your game on disc, Origin/EA, or if it was an illegal copy. Time is always cruel to old, outdated games. :::
5. Backing Up & Patches
::: spoiler 5.1) Making A Backup / Uninstalling Old Versions Such As Discs
If you have a previous version of The Sims 2 installed on your computer, such as a copy from the disks, but you would like the Ultimate Collection there are a couple of steps to follow.
First, if you want to back-up your saves, custom content, and mods, you'll want to go to Documents/EA Games and right click on The Sims 2 folder. Choose "Copy" and go elsewhere on your computer (or a cloud service like Google Drive or a USB stick), somewhere safe to keep the files. When you're in the new location, right click and choose "Paste". Your saves, mods, and custom content will copy over to this new location.
Now that you have a back up, you are free to uninstall using this guide. Please follow all of the steps, otherwise you may be unable to reinstall the game.
Once you've completely uninstalled, follow the directions in the download TS2 section to download our recommended version of the Ultimate Collection.
To replace your files, go to Documents/EA Games/The Sims 2 (or The Sims 2 UC/Legacy, depending on what you've got). Delete all of the folders inside and then paste in all the folders that you backed up elsewhere. :::
::: spoiler 5.2) Patches
All of the digital downloads for the Sims 2 (from games4theworld, Origin/EA, MrDJ/oldgamesdownload, archive.org, osab's repacks) are patched already so you do not need to apply the patches.
If you have installed from the discs then you should apply the patches as they contain important fixes. You can download them here - you may get a security error from your browser, this is just a precaution and these files are safe to download. :::
6. Anti-Virus Flags
::: spoiler 6.1) Why does my computer or anti-virus say that the download is malicious?
In short: it's a false positive. Special thanks to Reddit u/Reblyn for this section.
Windows flags every program as a virus that isn't officially "signed". How do you "sign" a program? You go to Microsoft and ask (i.e. pay) them to do it. Naturally, fan-made mods and arr'd copies of games aren't signed. This is reserved for official programs and games, which were usually created and published by big corporations, who had the money to go and ask Microsoft to sign their product.
That's all there is to it. This is how false positives happen.
Third-party virus scanners such as Virustotal are, quite honestly, complete and utter garbage and shouldn't be used. Fan-made programs are simply not in their database and will therefore be flagged as potential malware.
As you can imagine, their databases are probably also quite lacking. They'll have most well-known programs in them which don't need to be checked anyway, for everything else they're pretty much useless.
Programs that have been used by the community for over 10 years are not suddenly going to have viruses in them, otherwise someone would have caught that a long time ago. Viruses don't float around the internet and attach themselves to files that have been uploaded years ago. :::
7. All About Saves
::: spoiler 7.1) I get a low disk space notification / I have no neighbourhoods when opening the game
If you get a low disk space notification when starting the game, and your disk space isn't actually low, or if you have no neighbourhoods to choose from on the neighbourhood selection screen, the issue is the TM in the name of "The Sims™ 2 Ultimate Collection" which is only present with the actual Ultimate Collection from Origin/EA App or Games4theworld (osab's installer removes the TM and the MagiPack UC uses "The Sims 2" as the folder name).
The reason it is only an issue for some people and not everyone is to do with the region/locale of the computer you are using; many Japanese simmers have the issue, for example. You can read about the issue and solutions to it here, here, and here - your options are to either remove the TM symbol from the game in the registry or to change your region/locale on your computer. :::
::: spoiler 7.2) My game won't save sims or settings!
If you're having issues with the game not saving, for example when new sims are created during birth or adoption and then disappear when you reload the game or when you change a setting and it reverts the next time you start the game, you should look at your antivirus and OneDrive. Both of these can interfere with the game's files. For OneDrive, read this thread (it is about sims 3 but applies to 2 also) about how to disable it to prevent further issues.
For your antivirus, you need to add an exception for the game's files - this is the case even if you only have the generic Windows' Defender/Security installed. You will need to Google how to add an exception for your particular antivirus as it varies based on the program - just Google "your antivirus name + add exception" and you should find the info.
Make sure to add your installation location (e.g. C:/Program Files/The Sims 2 UC or wherever you installed it - see Where Are My Installation Files), your save location (Documents/EA Games) and the game application itself (Sims2EP9.exe, Sims2RPC.exe, Sims2RPCSettings.exe, and Sims2EP9RPC.exe), if that's an option on your antivirus.
Some antivirus software will have an additional setting "Data Protection" (e.g. Norton 360) - make sure to add the game as an exception here too as not doing so may stop the game from saving any progress you make. :::
::: spoiler 7.3) How do I restart the premade neighbourhoods?
Please follow this Fandom guide to reset the premade neighbourhoods to their original state. :::
::: spoiler 7.4) How to Convert Store Edition for Ultimate Collection or Legacy
First, you'll need SimPE. You can get it here and you can read about it here.
So, once you have SimPE downloaded and extracted, do the following:
Go to the hood folder - for these instructions, I will use E001 (Belladonna Cove) as the example. Open E001 and right-click on E001_Neighbourhood.package. Click open with... and then click Choose Another App. Check the box which says, "Always use this app to open .package files" at the bottom and then click More Apps. Scroll down, click "Look for another app on this PC," and locate the SimPe.exe in the 0.75.69 folder you extracted.
SimPE will open, note that it takes a while to load - the bottom left will show what's loading, don't click anything until there is nothing there. Make sure you click Plugin view along the bottom tabs list, it may be on Details when you first start.
In the Resource Tree on the top left, click the ID Number (IDNO) resource.
You will now see one resource (ID Number) in the resource list on the top right. Click on it.
In the plugin view in the bottom pane, you'll now see a bunch of info. Look at the required EP and change the dropdown from StoreEdition to MansionGarden.
Click commit in the bottom right, then press save (floppy disk in the top left or press Ctrl + s).
Close the file and repeat steps 1-5 for all E001_Suburb###.package, E001_Downtown###.package, E001_Vacation###.package and E001_University###.package files for that hood.
Repeat for the other hoods. :::
::: spoiler 7.5) What's up with the Main Street Mobile Homes lot?
As mentioned in this thread, there is a bug with the Main Street Mobile Homes apartment lot that ships with Apartment Life where it causes crashing. You can delete the original and use this remake if you want to play the lot without crashes. :::
8. Cheats & Mods
::: spoiler 8.1) Something is messing up my game but it's not corruption!
If you're having issues with the game that are not technical issues (flickering, black shadow boxes, pink flashing, etc. are covered in the tech support section of the wiki), then you probably have an issue with broken or conflicting custom content. This is a relatively normal thing and it's nothing to worry about. Sometimes you download custom content that doesn't work. While it might sometimes look scary, usually it's a simple fix.
If you know which piece of custom content it is, we advise you to take it out! However, if the custom content causing issues is geneticised/townified skins or eyes then you will need to use SimPE to fix each Sim that had the custom content in their DNA before loading the game again, otherwise you will mess up the DNA of the sims. Here is a tutorial. If the custom content is custom food, see the note on custom foods in the mods info section. If it's a career or a major, you should make all sims using that career or major quit the job/change major before removing the package - but if you don't, you'll just need to reset those sims using testing cheats afterwards.
If you don't know what piece of custom content is causing the issue, we recommend the 50/50 method. It's simple: you remove 50% of the custom content in your folder, boot the game, and see if the issue is gone. If it's not, you repeat the process with the other half of your custom content. Once you know which half the error is coming from, you can start to narrow down your search and repeat the process until you get down to just one file! This is the quickest way to find problem content, and is far faster than doing it one file at a time. :::
::: spoiler 8.2) Typing out all those cheats is so tiring. Is there something I can do about it?
Yes! If you always want your game to start with certain cheats on, you can create a UserStartup.cheat file. It's a special file that not only automatically enables cheats when you load up the game, but it can also create shorter codes for your cheats. For example, it can change MoveObjects On so all you have to type in the cheat bear is moo!
First of all, some mods create a UserStartup.cheat file for you. It's best to check that you don't already have one. So head on over to Documents/EA Games/The Sims 2/Config and have a look for a file called UserStartup.cheat. If you're on Mac, you'll need to go to ~/library/Containers/com.aspyr.sims2.appstore/Data/Library/Application Support/Aspyr/The Sims 2/Config.
If you have one, great! If you don't, simply open up Notepad and immediately save the empty file to your desktop. Where it says the name for the file, type "UserStartup.cheat" without the quotes. On the file extension just below it, choose "All Files" from the drop down box. It should look like this.
Once it's saved to your desktop, all you have to do is write in the cheats that you would always like to be enabled. Please remember to write the cheats correctly and only have one cheat per line, like this:
boolProp constrainFloorElevation false
boolProp ControlPets on
boolProp testingCheatsEnabled true
boolProp allow45DegreeAngleofRotation true
intProp MaxNumOfVisitingSims [number]
uintProp LotSkirtSizeIncrease [number]
These will be applied every time you start the game, so you won't have to type them in. One-time cheats, such as kaching and motherlode, will not work in this file. The only cheats that work are ones that can be turned on and off. If you don't know what the cheat does, please do not apply it!
For aliases, it gets a little more tricky. The layout must be as follows:
alias TheTextYouWishToUse "CheatCommand" "ShortDescription" "LongDescription"
So, if you wanted to shorten MoveObjects On to moo, it would be as follows:
alias moo "MoveObjects On" "Move Objects" "Allows the player to place objects anywhere"
Some examples:
alias test "boolProp testingCheatsEnabled true"
alias mon "moveObjects on"
alias mof "moveObjects on"
alias mot "motiveDecay off"
alias m "maxmotives"
As you saw above, you do not have to write out either of the descriptions for the file to work. When you type "help" into the cheat bar, the descriptions will be listed next to the cheats to help you remember what they're associated with. If you don't think you'll need them, don't add them!
If you don't write cheats correctly, the game will stop reading the file and none of the cheats beneath the broken cheat will be read.
Also, be aware that the quarter tile placement cheat (setQuarterTilePlacement on/off) must be typed in this format to work in file:
boolProp quarterTilePlacementEnabled true
You can still create an alias for the regular version of the cheat though. Eg:
alias qtileon "setquartertileplacement on" "setquartertileplacement on" "setquartertileplacement on"
alias qtileoff "setquartertileplacement off" "setquartertileplacement off" "setquartertileplacement off"
Note that this cheat still needs to be toggled in game - use Ctrl + F to turn it on or off.
Please also note that the cheat "boolprop AllObjectLightsOn true" will cause crashing on launch if you put it in your userstartup.cheat file as mentioned in this thread.
If the above section doesn't make much sense to you, there is a more in-depth guide here. :::
::: spoiler 8.3) Where can I get safe CC?
There are so many places out there to get custom content, it can be a little overwhelming to start shopping. ModTheSims is an oldie but a goodie, the Pleasant Sims blog has a lot of great resources, and we also have a mods list which links to many other great places!
You can find a lot of custom content elsewhere on the internet. Many people upload their creations to Tumblr but you have to be wary when searching through obscure sites.
A great way to ensure you don't click on any misleading links or pictures is to use an adblocker. We recommend Ublock Origin. It is an extension for your browser that will protect you from misleading download buttons and harmful ads. While it is recommended to have an adblocker on at all times for your own safety, Ublock Origin is easy to turn off when you want to support your favourite creators by watching their adverts. Just click on the extension and press the big power off button. Job done! :::
::: spoiler 8.4)Why do some people have a white/black/pink/green user interface?
Greatcheesecakepersona spent two years working on improving and updating the UI of The Sims 2.
The Starship UI mod is the dark UI version of the clean UI and is available here. The pink version of the UI is also available at this link, as well as the dark UI for BodyShop. The "Random UI Experiments [Alpha]" folder contains unfinished experimental UIs in several other colours, however, these are likely to have bugs such as parts of the UI being the wrong colour as they are not final release versions. :::
9. Game Options
::: spoiler 9.1) My Config Log is incorrect/I don't understand the values in it!
The config log is a file located in Documents/EA Games/The Sims 2/Logs/-config-log.txt which is updated every time you run the game or BodyShop and tells you what configuration the game is using in terms of RAM, graphics card, settings, etc.
For Legacy, it is normal for:
- the version to be 1.18.0.114
- the OS version to be Windows NT 0.0
- the graphics card to be <<NOT FOUND IN DATABASE!>>
- the memory and free memory to be listed as 0MB
- the texture memory not to be listed at all
For non-Legacy, it is normal for:
- the version to be 1.17.0.66 provided you have Mansion & Garden (i.e. all UC + other digital repacks; if you have discs without M&G expect a different version)
- the OS version to be Windows NT 6.0
- if you are using the Legacy graphics rules (included in MagiPack + osab's Starter Pack), it's okay for the graphics card to have <<NOT FOUND IN DATABASE!>> and not to list the texture memory
- if not using Legacy graphics rules, the graphics card should NOT have <<NOT FOUND IN DATABASE!>> and if it does, you need to fix your graphics rules
- texture memory should not be 32MB, if it is you need to fix your graphics rules
- memory should be 4096 if you have the 4GB patch or 2048 or 1024 if you don't. The free memory line should ideally match the memory line - if it doesn't, try closing some programs and restarting your computer before running the game to keep more memory available
If you use DXVK, note that your graphics card will be listed as a Nvidia GeForce 7800 GTX regardless of what GPU you actually have. This is intentional and is part of how DXVK works. :::
::: spoiler 9.2) How do I change the game's language?
If you're playing on MacOS, the supported languages are English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Japanese. The language that the game is in will be based on the language of your OS - e.g. if you have your Mac set to use French but want to play in English, you'd have to change your MacOS language to do so. If your Mac is using an unsupported language, the game will default to English. The supported languages are listed in Aspyr's Super Collection FAQ though the list is unlikely to change at this point.
If you're playing on Windows (or Linux via Proton, Bottles, etc. or Mac via Parallels, Crossover etc.) and you are not using the Legacy Collection via Steam (and possibly Epic), then you can follow this guide to change languages, which also lists all available languages. Ensure you do not mix up decimal and hex values or you will end up with an unexpected language!
If you are using the Legacy Collection via Steam (and possibly Epic), then the registry method above will not work for you. Instead, you need to use a launch command. To do this, right click on the game in your library (or click the Settings button if you have the game page selected) and click Properties. In the Launch Options box at the bottom, add the language you want in this format:
-l:"English UK" or -l:French
Note that languages with spaces must be enclosed in quotation marks. The game does not use standardised language codes for this, it's based on the game's locale folder names (if you open the game's install folder and go to EP9/TSData/Res/Locale you can see all possible options). See this thread discussing this topic. :::
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