HOW TO INSTALL THE SIMS 2 IN 2021
The Sims 2 not only lets you create just about any type of Sim in any type of family, build elaborate houses, and even create a neighborhood from scratch, but it also allows you to start the game in medias res, with premade households. These families all have backstories that are smart spoofs of soap-opera plots-lots of scheming, romance. 1 Download 2 Installation 3 Patch notes 3.1 System/Config issues 4 External links 1.0.0.1022 CD Patch 1.0.0.1022 DVD PatchInstructions: Save the file to disk and then run it to install the patch. Once upon a time, Simmers around the world were able to purchase, register and download The Sims 2 on Origin. It was a time of peace and prosperity. Then it was taken down and replaced with Ultimate Collection. The new version was a blessing, but it didn’t come without a price. For years, Simmers were able to contact EA support to register it, but EA shut that option down. Now, The Sims 2. The Sims 2 is a high quality game that works in all major modern web browsers. This online game is part of the Simulation, Emulator, and GBA gaming categories. The Sims 2 has 148 likes from 213 user ratings. If you enjoy this game then also play games The Sims 3 and The Sims 2 - Pets. The Sims 2: Castaway is a high quality game that works in all major modern web browsers. This online game is part of the Simulation, Emulator, and Nintendo DS gaming categories. The Sims 2: Castaway has 20 likes from 27 user ratings. If you enjoy this game then also play games The Sims 3 and The Sims 2.
Once upon a time, Simmers around the world were able to purchase, register and download The Sims 2 on Origin. It was a time of peace and prosperity. Then… it was taken down and replaced with Ultimate Collection. The new version was a blessing, but it didn’t come without a price. For years, Simmers were able to contact EA support to register it, but EA shut that option down. Now, The Sims 2 for PC can’t be purchased on any official sources. However, thanks to it being abandonware, it’s pretty easy to download from many places. There are many different versions of the game available, some easier to install than others, but I want to cover the most common ones: Origin version of The Sims 2 (in case you own it), disk installations (and Old Games Download’s separate packs, since they are almost the same), as well as a version of Origin’s Ultimate Collection, which anyone can get and is the easiest one to install if you don’t actually own it on Origin.
AFTER YOU INSTALL THE SIMS 2 ON WINDOWS, REFER TO THIS THIS GUIDE FOR ADJUSTING THE GRAPHICS FOR MODERN SYSTEMS!
MAC USERS: You can purchase and download The Sims 2 Super Collection on Apple’s App Store. It includes 6 Expansion Packs, 3 Stuff Packs, works on new Macs, requires no compatibility fixes, and it’s even 64-bit (!!!). Everyone say “Thank you Aspyr.” Apple users have it easy.
1. ORIGIN: THE SIMS 2 ULTIMATE COLLECTION
This is the easiest way to install the game, provided that you managed to snatch a copy for yourself while it was available from 2014 until 2018. Just log into your Origin account, go to your Game Library, right-click on The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection and click Download. Choose the language, agree to EULAs without reading them, and proceed. The game should download and install automatically.
There is a small, but annoying issue with CAS content from The Sims 2 Happy Holiday Stuff pack in Ultimate Collection, as it might not show up in the catalog. The fix for this bug is available here, thanks to Moonkist Sims. Once you download the fix, extract the skins.package file and place it in ~Origin GamesThe Sims 2 Ultimate CollectionDouble DeluxeBaseTSDataResCatalogSkins (you can overwrite the original file as it’s no longer needed).
OPTIONAL, but RECOMMENDED if you have at least 8GB RAM: The Sims 2 can use up to 2GB RAM by default, but it might not be enough if you use a lot of CC and play on large lots and in large neighborhoods. That can be fixed with the 4GB Patch, which will allow the game to use up to 4GB and possibly improve performance.
To apply the patch, do the following:
1. Go to your The Sims 2 installation folder and find Sims2EP9.exe (for Ultimate Collection from Origin, it is located in ~Origin GamesThe Sims 2 Ultimate CollectionFun with PetsSP9TSBin). Right-click on the file and choose Cut, then paste it on your desktop.
2. Extract the 4GB Patch from its archive and run it as Administrator (right-click and choose Run as Administrator). A window where you need to locate the game executable will pop up.
3. In that window, locate the game executable that you moved to your desktop, click on it, and click Open. You should get a message that the executable was successfully patched, and a backup of the file will be created.
4. Place Sims2EP9.exe back to its original location, the TSBin folder.
5. To check if the patch worked, load the game, then go to DocumentsEA GamesThe Sims 2 Ultimate CollectionLogs (or wherever your Documents folder is), and look for a file named DESKTOP-config-log.txt or similar. Open it, and look for Machine info (near the top). For Memory, it should say 4096MB. If it doesn’t, then repeat the patch. If it does, you’re good to go.
NOTE #1: In case you wish to play without Origin, that is an option too. Download a No CD version of Sims2EP9.exe (2nd post, thank you celebkiriedhel), extract it to your desktop, apply the 4GB Patch, and place it in TSBin (overwrite the original one).
NOTE #2: If you repair your game through Origin, the 4GB Patch, No CD hack and the Holiday pack fix will likely be removed and you’ll have to apply them again.
NOTE #3: You can no longer register new copies of The Sims 2 on Origin. Not even through EA Customer Support. They will say NO. Please, DO NOT PURCHASE any Ultimate Collections on eBay or other sites. You will either: get scammed, receive a stolen account that EA will likely ban, or get a link to a pirated version that you can find yourself pretty easily anyway. You have been WARNED! If you plan on buying the game, buy CDs from sellers that you trust.
2. DISK & SEPARATE PACKS FROM OLD GAMES DOWNLOAD
If you have disk versions of The Sims 2 and its packs, you can use them to install the game. You can also download packs separately, from Old Games Download, and mix & match if you’re missing some packs on disks; or you can just download them all from that website. This is possible thanks to separate packs on Old Games Download being just disk images of normal, physical disks. Please note that I DO NOT recommend installing Ultimate Collection from Old Games Download website, since it appears to be missing some content and might cause issues in the long run. It might work, but I haven’t tested it and I will not be covering it here.
NOTE: for some games that you download from Old Games Download, you’ll need WinRar or 7zip to unpack them, as well as Daemon Tools to mount disk images. They are all free, and you don’t need them once the game installation is done.
While The Sims 2 packs can be installed in any order, usually with no issues, I recommend installing them in release order, and updating them as soon as they are installed to avoid possible issues later on and ensuring that the installation goes as smoothly as possible. You can find all available update files HERE. Once you install a pack, update it immediately if there is a patch for it available. Also check NOTE #2 in this section.
If you use 4 CDs to install the base game, use the top base game patch. If you use Old Games Download base game, or 1 DVD, use the bottom base game patch.
I put together the full installation order and also included collections/deluxe editions in case you have them, as well as installation codes for some of them:
1. The Sims 2 base game (5GGG-XR4L-6845-R845-6845), The Sims 2 Deluxe OR The Sims 2 Double Deluxe
1.1. The Sims 2 Patch*
2. The Sims 2 University Expansion Pack (KJPX-NT8G-WDUC-9LX6-CLWF) (skip this if you have The Sims 2 University Life Collection)
2.1. The Sims 2 University Patch*
3. The Sims 2 Nightlife Expansion Pack (4LPP-B5UF-VCWQ-6A3V-KLST) (skip this if you installed The Sims 2 Deluxe or The Sims 2 Double Deluxe)
3.1. The Sims 2 Nightlife Patch*
4. The Sims 2 Open for Business Expansion Pack (BXQQ-22QU-T2B2-MLDA-7XWY) (skip this if you have The Sims 2 Best of Business Collection)
4.1. The Sims 2 Open for Business Patch*
5. The Sims 2 Family Fun Stuff (RL5D-MK9F-FHUK-YT9T-5SFZ) (skip this if you have The Sims 2 Fun with Pets Collection)
5.1. The Sims 2 Family Fun Stuff Patch*
6. The Sims 2 Glamour Life Stuff (EXYQ-P8BS-NZ5W-KTWM-VG8Q)
7. The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack (URCL-USKQ-TBLV-N27F-WDRT) (skip this if you have The Sims 2 Fun with Pets Collection)
7.1. The Sims 2 Pets Patch* **
8. The Sims 2 Happy Holiday Stuff
9. The Sims 2 Seasons Expansion Pack (KF44-YZ9M-535V-WGKZ-5UYF)
9.1. The Sims 2 Seasons Patch**
10. The Sims 2 Celebration! Stuff (YQ22-KH8G-5XEX-K5LF-THGY) (skip this if you installed The Sims 2 Double Deluxe)
11. The Sims 2 H&M Fashion Stuff (B87F-77MR-N2YG-6KZ3-EER6) (skip this if you have The Sims 2 Best of Business Collection)
12. The Sims 2 Bon Voyage Expansion Pack (WPWE-73NX-QZ4L-DG5L-HKF3)
12.1. The Sims 2 Bon Voyage Patch
13. The Sims 2 Teen Style Stuff (ZERR-ZNVA-J3FY-BZCM-GDUC) (skip this if you have The Sims 2 The Sims 2 University Life Collection)
14. The Sims 2 FreeTime Expansion Pack (4PT3-VZUH-H99Z-U4CF-4RGL)
14.1. The Sims 2 FreeTime Patch
15. The Sims 2 Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff (NT8G-C2G8-D7UY-LRJB-89B4) OR The Sims 2 Best of Business Collection
16. The Sims 2 IKEA Home Stuff (3U99-CJXY-Z8SZ-Y964-RWKP) OR The Sims 2 University Life Collection
17. The Sims 2 Apartment Life Expansion Pack (TAWN-F96C-HRQ9-6QRV-CWPG)
17.1. The Sims 2 Apartment Life Patch
18. The Sims 2 Mansion & Garden Stuff (JGJS-P4JU-PDG9-U4DR-JW2B) OR The Sims 2 Fun with Pets Collection
Once you install all packs, install the crack for the latest one (Mansion & Garden Stuff; if you don’t have it, then the latest EP, but don’t touch others). Here is one for M&G. Then follow the 4GB Patch installation instructions mentioned in the Ultimate Collection section.
*Only install these patches if you installed their respective packs separately, and NOT as a part of a deluxe edition/collection! All deluxe editions/collections are pre-patched and do not require an update.
**Mod The Sims has two versions of updates for Pets and Seasons: Disk and Digital (DD). Please download disk versions since digital copies of Pets and Seasons are no longer available, so the digital patch is useless.
1. To install The Sims 2 and its packs from disks, insert the disk in your disk drive, start the installer by opening AutoRun.exe, and follow the on-screen prompts.
The Sims 23
2. To install them from Old Games Download, once you download the desired pack(s), unzip all the files somewhere (preferably into a labeled folder for easier organization), and look for .iso, .bin, .mdf or .mds files. Those are the disk images that contain the installation files. Windows 10 is able to mount .iso files, but for the others, you’ll need Daemon Tools to open them. After they are mounted, they should show up in This PC section in File
On its surface The Sims 2 is a game with few changes. The graphics are bigger, more detailed, and more emotive. The audio has more variety. But the gameplay is still all Sims, controlling the lives of a collection of digital people as they make their way through mostly mundane lives. As you dig into the game however you quickly find that this is a much more robust, mature and complex game than the original, leaving you with the impression that this is Will Wrights dream finally realized.
Just about everything that drives The Sims 2 is different. The biggest difference is in the Sims themselves. Sure you can still boss them around, leading them to great heights or horrible despair, but now you don't have to. These Sims seem to think for themselves in many ways as they have been given limited memories, desires and fears. They also now have true family connections and the ability to age from birth to death at an old age. As they age and their family grows your Sims change.
It's amazing to behold.
One of the biggest gameplay changes to The Sims 2 is the aspiration system which is built around a Sims fears and hopes. If you fulfill a Sims desires they don't age and you gain aspiration points which can be used to purchase items. If enough of their fears come true they go temporarily insane, in a disturbingly realistic manner.
The look of the game has also changed pretty drastically. You can now zoom in to watch the 3D Sims interact with each other and the world around them. This new world is swarming with fun little details, like clocks that actually show the time or televisions that have real shows.
The design features for the Sims homes and towns have also been enhanced. Now you can fine tune the look of each Sim, creating virtual reproductions of friends and family and if you marry two people in the game you can have the computer automatically produce a child using genetics.
The homes now have a lot more options for architecture and interior design and The Sims 2 even allows you to create your own towns. You can even import cities from Sims City 4 to live in.
The audio has been upgraded as well, though not nearly as much as the rest of the game. The soundtrack isn't much different from the music of the original Sims, but the Sims language, Simlish, has received some polishing.
The Sims 2 Pc
The Sims 2 is a fantastic answer to the original game, delivering just the right amount of tuning to perfect Will Wright's vision without messing too much with the original formula. This game will make Sims fans ecstatic and may even attract some new ones with its improved look and sound and easier to maintain population.
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