How To Have Fun Playing Every Main-Series Sims Game in 2023

With four main-series games and a massive number of expansions, there's a reason to track down and play every game in The Sims series.

The Sims really stands on its own when it comes to life simulation games. Whether it's the cartoony humor of The Sims 1 or the incredible inclusiveness of The Sims 4, there's something to love in every main series Sims game. The interconnected lore and references between each game are just the cherries on top of a pile of reasons why the older Sims games are still worth playing today. The problem isn't whether the games are still worth playing, it's tracking them down in the first place.

While The Sims 3 and The Sims 4 are both still available through major online retailers, the first games in the series are a bit tougher to find. Even if someone manages to track down a copy of these games, there are still a few issues when it comes to properly running them on modern hardware. Luckily, fans have created some mods that help the older games cooperate on newer systems. While finding some of the older Sims games may prove to be a problem, running them has been made a breeze thanks to life-long fans.

The Original Sims Was Only Released Physically
Tracking down a playable copy of The Sims is a bit difficult nowadays. EA has not released The Sims digitally, so that really just leaves tracking down a physical CD of the game. This doesn't mean EA doesn't own the legal rights to the games, just that it isn't possible to buy the game officially. This has led to fans making the game available online, though it should be noted that these versions are still legally dubious.

The Sims 2 Is Hard To Find But Still Runs Well

Origin users were able to get their hands on The Sims 2: Ultimate Collection for free in 2014, though this was the last time EA provided an official way to play the second entry in the series. Currently, The Sims 2 is not available on any online retailers. Physical copies of the game can still work, though much like with The Sims, these can be a bit limited. Unlike The Sims, however, The Sims 2 actually runs fairly well on modern systems.

That isn't to say there aren't a few problems. Modern users might notice some odd shadow glitches that appear around the feet of Sims. Changing the in-game settings won't fix much, though there is still a way to remedy this problem. Players should locate their game's config file and find the category called "option Shadows." Changing "boolProp simShadows" to false should disable the shadows beneath the feet of Sims and remedy the issue. The best part is that it doesn't cause any serious visual downgrades in-game.

 

The Sims 3 Is Easier to Find & Is Worth Revisiting

Originally released in 2009, The Sims 3 is one of the more readily available The Sims games. Unlike the previous two entries in the series, players can find The Sims 3 still available on Steam and Origin, along with its amazing DLC collection. Each of the main DLC packs is available separate from the main game for $20.00 USD, though there's a lot of content from the game's online store that's still missing. In total, the entire DLC collection costs $379.81 USD.

While the high price isn't ideal for a game that's over 10 years old, rest assured that the digital versions of The Sims 3 will work without too much issue. There have been some reported issues with certain hardware, though there are more than a few fixes online to help players get around those. The Sims 3 is one absolutely worth revisiting, especially for features such as the open-world towns and the fan-favorite Create-A-Style tool.

The Sims 4 Is More Widely Accessible Than Any Other Entry

 
Being the most modern entry in the series at the time of writing, The Sims 4 is available through several online retailers and is still receiving content updates. While EA is currently working on the series' next entry, more content is still coming for the game. The Sims 4 was released in 2014 and still runs perfectly well on modern hardware. There's been a ton of attention put toward optimization with The Sims 4, so it's highly likely that even lower-end laptops will be able to run the game.
Players, for the first time in series history, actually have a few options for the platform that they play The Sims 4 on. The game was released across PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. The only major difference is that console players can't dive into the massive collection of fan-made The Sims 4 mods. Part of what makes the older The Sims games difficult 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 flow of time.