Template:Infobox game/row/osxporter
Key points
- Runs well on low-end hardware
- Large community
- All Origin versions get a free upgrade to The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection (contact EA Support for non-Origin versions).[1]
- Disc version may not run properly on Windows 10 due to issues with SecuROM.[citation needed]
- Alt-tabbing may not work properly during the game's loading screens.
General information
- Official Website
- The Sims Wiki
Availability
- SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see above for affected versions).
- The Windows version is no longer sold digitally.
- All Origin versions are automatically upgraded to The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection. Contact the EA Support for retail versions.[1]
- The Ultimate Collection from Origin uses SecuROM.
DLC and expansion packs
Name |
Notes |
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Apartment Life |
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Bon Voyage |
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Celebration! Stuff |
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Family Fun Stuff |
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Freetime |
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Glamour Life Stuff |
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H&M Fashion Stuff |
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Happy Holiday Stuff |
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Holiday Party Pack |
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IKEA Home Stuff |
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Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff |
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Mansion & Garden Stuff |
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Nightlife |
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Open for Business |
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Pets |
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Seasons |
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Teen Style Stuff |
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University |
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Version differences
- The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection is a complete edition containing all expansions and Stuff Packs. Origin customers are upgraded to this version automatically; for non-Origin versions contact EA Support for manual activation.[1] SecuROM 7 DRM.[4]
- The Sims 2: Super Collection includes six expansions and three Stuff Packs. This version is only available for OS X.
- The Sims 2 Holiday Edition (2005) includes the base game and the Holiday Party Pack (aka Happy Holiday Stuff Pack).
- The Sims 2: Holiday Edition (2006) are a re-release of the 2005 version with some additional content
- The Sims 2 Deluxe Edition includes the base game, the Nightlife expansion, official downloadable content from the (now defunct) Sims 2 Exchange and a DVD with exclusive extra material.
- The Sims 2: Double Deluxe includes the base game, Nightlife expansion and Celebration Stuff.
The Sims 2 Store Edition
There was briefly an online store that sold additional items for use in The Sims 2. To use the store, the game required a patch to The Sims 2 Store Edition. Store Edition removed the need for a physical CD, but introduced instability to the game. Support was pulled from the Sims 2 Store, and the Store Edition is no longer available.
Essential improvements
In-game camera and game recording settings.
Patches
- Retail versions of the base game, expansions, and the Family Fun Stuff pack require patching after installation. The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection on Origin is already patched.
- Although the game's patch site has now gone down, many expansion pack patches are available from the PCGamingWiki filespace.
Skip intro videos
Graphics Rule Maker
- Fixes common issues, like graphics settings disabled or not getting applied on newer GPUs, black square sim shadows. No manual file editing needed.
Game data
In-game general settings.
Configuration file(s) location
-
<path-to-game>
changes according to what expansions you have installed. For example, if you have Ultimate Collection or all expansions path would be ...\Fun with Pets\SP9\...
Save game data location
System |
Native |
Notes |
Origin |
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Ultimate Collection does not need Origin running to play. |
Video settings
In-game graphics settings.
Template:Video settings
- Each of the game's cameras can have their FOV set independently using the fov parameter in their Camera Settings files, which are contained in
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Cameras
- If your "Edge Smoothing" slider is greyed out in-game, then it's likely that the game cannot determine how much VRAM your GPU has and is defaulting to its failsafe of 32 MB.
Input settings
Template:Input settings
Audio settings
Template:Audio settings
Localizations
Language |
UI |
Audio |
Sub |
Notes |
English |
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Speech is fictional language called Simlish. Speech is subtitled with generic icons. |
Czech |
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Danish |
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Dutch |
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Finnish |
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French |
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German |
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Hungarian |
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Italian |
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Japanese |
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Korean |
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Norwegian |
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Polish |
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Portuguese |
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Brazilian Portuguese |
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Russian |
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Spanish |
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Swedish |
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Thai |
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Traditional Chinese |
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Issues fixed
Vista/7 Compatibility
- The Sims 2 is compatible with newer versions of Windows, however the original release of the game has issues, and will show an error message when loaded.
- Patching the game or installing the expansion packs will correct this.
Stuck Sims/Poorly Placed Objects/Frozen Objects
- Periodically, a sim may become trapped or an special object may be placed in a bad location, preventing a sim from doing anything. In other cases, a normal object may be improperly tagged as "in use" and cannot be moved, sold, or manipulated.
Black Square Shadows
Neighbourhoods inaccessible in Ultimate Collection
Issues on newer CPUS
- The Sims 2 was made before the release of multi-core CPUs. It may have issues at the startup loading screen on newer CPUs with multiple cores and Hyperthreading. Try following if The Sims 2 does not progress in loading at startup.
"More..." button does not work in conversations
This issue is caused by using a mouse when playing on a laptop with a touchpad. It is solved by either:
- Disabling the touchpad whilst playing The Sims 2, if possible.
- Using the touchpad to play instead of a mouse.
If playing on a PC Desktop it is solved by:
- Pressing tab when selecting options in the pie menu
Other information
API
Executable |
32-bit |
64-bit |
Notes |
Windows |
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macOS (OS X) | |
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System requirements
Windows |
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Minimum |
Recommended |
Operating system (OS) |
98, 98SE, ME, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 | |
Processor (CPU) |
800 MHz
| 2.4 Ghz |
System memory (RAM) |
256 MB |
1 GB |
Hard disk drive (HDD) |
3.5 GB |
15.0 GB (For all Expansion Packs) |
Video card (GPU) |
ATI Radeon 7200 nVidia GeForce 2 Series 32 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0 compatible
| ATI Radeon 9600 nVidia GeForce 6 Series 64 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible |
Other |
When the Seasons (or Later) Expansion Pack is installed, T&L incompatible graphics chips can be used;[5] however it requires a Minimum CPU speed of 2.4 Ghz. | |
macOS (OS X) |
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Minimum |
Operating system (OS) |
10.3.8 |
Processor (CPU) |
1.2 GHz PowerPC G4/G5 |
System memory (RAM) |
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Hard disk drive (HDD) |
3 GB |
Video card (GPU) |
ATI Radeon 9000 nVidia GeForce FX5200 32 MB of VRAM |
Notes
- ↑ SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows 10[2] or Windows 11 and is disabled by default on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 when the KB3086255 update is installed.[3]
References