When I switched over to Windows 10, I was so upset that I couldn’t get the game to run smoothly. My graphics were flashing pink or blue, and I would crash every time I tried to take my Sim to a different lot. If you’re having the same problem, it’s an easy fix! You just need to install the 4GB patch.
And if that doesn’t work, there are several other things you can try listed below. This article contains EVERYTHING I KNOW about getting your game to work on Windows 10.
Last updated: 02/16/2021 (Updated with DXVK fix)
Increasing Available Memory
A windows update in late 2017 or early 2018 caused this bug to start happening to everyone playing The Sims 2. But the good news is it isn’t hard to fix.
The Sims 2 is an old game and it only uses 2GB of your available memory. You need a special patch for the game to access 4GB in Windows 10. When installed properly, you won’t run out of memory while you play and your game won’t crash and your graphics won’t flash pink anymore.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get your game running again with no crashes and no flashing graphics.
Step 1: Inspect Your Config Log
First, I’ll show you how to make sure this is what’s causing your problem. And when we’re done, I’ll show you how to make sure it really worked.
Open up your Documents folder and navigate to the following path:
Documents > EA Games > The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection > Logs
NOTE: If you don’t have the UC, the path will be the same. It will just say “The Sims 2” only instead of “The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection.”
Find the log file that looks like the one above. It will be the name of your computer followed by -config-log.
Open the file. It will look like this:
Look for the rows that say “Memory” and “Free Memory.” If your game is only using 2GB, it will say 2048 here instead of 4096.
NOTE: I have already installed the patch in my game, so that’s why the memory shows 4096 in this screenshot.
If your log file says 2048 MB, installing the 4GB patch will fix the problem. Congratulations! Let’s fix it!
Step 2: Download the 4GB Patch
Visit the NTCORE website to download the 4GB patch.
Unzip the .exe file onto your desktop or anywhere you like. You can delete it after you install the patch, so it doesn’t really matter.
Step 3: Install the Patch
Now pay attention, because you have to install it properly or it won’t work.
Double click on the .exe file after you download and unzip it.
Your file explorer will then open up. Navigate to the following location:
Windows (C:) > Program Files (x86) > Origin Games > The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection > Fun with Pets > SP9 > TSBin
If you have the disc version of the game instead of the UC, navigate to this location:
Windows (C:) > Program Files (x86) > EA Games > The Sims 2 Mansion and Garden Stuff > TSBin
NOTE: If you don’t have Mansion and Garden Stuff, navigate to the TSBin of the most recent expansion pack you have.
Select the .exe of your game in this folder, and then click “Open.” You should get a pop-up that looks like this:
Click OK and the box will disappear.
A backup .exe file should have been created in your TSBin folder. That’s normal, so don’t worry about it. This means your game is successfully patched.
Step 4: Make Sure it Worked
- Load your game and allow it to load to the neighborhood selection screen (at least). This will update your config log.
- Close your game and return to your desktop.
- Open up your config log from your documents folder again (as in step 1). It should now say 4096 in the memory line.
- Congratulations! The Sims 2 will now run on Windows 10 and your days of crashing and flashing pink graphics are over.
Troubleshooting
If you’re still having issues after applying the patch, there are a few more things you can try. The Sims 2 is picky with modern graphics cards.
The 4GB Patch Won’t Apply (Memory Does Not Change in Log)
Recently a Patron of mine was having trouble getting the 4GB patch to apply. We tried literally everything I could think of and her memory would not change in the Config Log. I have had several comments and emails about this too.
Here’s how we fixed it and got her playing right away.
Drag the .exe file from your TS Bin to your desktop and apply the 4GB patch there. Check your log file to make sure it applied. Your memory should be updated. Then you can use the shortcut you just created on your desktop to play the game.
Moving the .Exe File – DISC VERSION ONLY!
If you have the disc version of the game, it might be necessary to move the .exe file to another folder. I have no idea why this is necessary for some computers and not others. If nothing else works, try this!
Make a backup of your folders before you do this in case you screw something up. I warned you. Also, please note if you have the Ultimate Collection this will not work for you!
The patch will automatically apply to the TSBin. Cut and paste the Sims2EP9.exe file into the CSBin.
The CSBin directory is shown above. If this doesn’t work for you, move the .exe file back into TSBin (or restore from backup) and try something else.
Graphics Rules Maker
Everyone using Windows 10 to play The Sims 2 should use the graphics rules maker.
This program is easy to install and makes “rules” for the game to follow so that it recognizes your graphics card. This will allow you to play in 1920 x 1080 resolution and make your game look the best it possibly can. See the creator’s website for further instructions. Make sure to read everything to ensure your settings are correct.
Direct X 9.0 Error After Using Graphics Rules Maker
If you get a Direct X or Access Violation error trying to run your game after using Graphics Rules Maker, you need to download a separate fix.
There’s one version for UC and one version for discs. There are fixes available for both Nvidia and Radeon graphics cards. Read the instructions carefully before installing.
My Game Won’t Start
If you’re game doesn’t start at all after applying the patch and using the graphics rules maker, you most likely need to delete your cache files. Navigate to:
C:\Users\YourName\Documents\EA Games\The Sims™ 2 Ultimate Collection
You will see two files in this folder at the very bottom:
- Accessory.cache
- Groups.cache
Delete both of them and start your game again. Don’t worry! This is completely safe and your game will generate new cache files after you start it up.
To prevent having to do this again, see the instructions here for making your cache files read-only. You will never have to delete them again. If you don’t do this, you may have to delete the files again the next time your game doesn’t start. No big deal, but a little annoying.
My Memory Still Won’t Update (DISC VERSION)
If you’ve made it all the way to the end of this tutorial and your memory STILL doesn’t update, there is one more fix that seems to work for even the most severe cases. You need to use a No-CD crack. (Don’t worry it’s perfectly legal since you own the discs.)
- Replace your .exe file with the more flexible version found on this page: http://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=7800&pid=40665#pid40665
- Click on the “No CD Hack for M&G” to download.
- Rename Sims2EP9.exe to Sims2EP9.___exe.
- Copy the new .exe file you downloaded into your CSBin folder (where the original is).
- Apply the patch to the new .exe file and try again. You may need to apply the patch on the desktop and then move to CSBin if that doesn’t work.
NONE OF THIS WORKS! MY GAME IS STILL CRASHING! (DXVK Fix)
If you’ve exhausted every other option, there’s one more thing you can try. Don’t ask me how or why this works, but it seems to do the trick when none of the other options work. When Mr. Pleasant couldn’t play Sims 2 on his new computer, this was the only thing that stopped the crashing and purple soup.
I have removed my instructions from this guide, as they have become outdated. Instead, see THIS DOCUMENT with current instructions for using the DXVK Fix, plus more advanced troubleshooting options.
If I find more information that might help, I will add it to this article in the future. If these fixes work for you (or if you have any problems), leave a comment below and let me know!
I have the base game. No expansions. How can I make that run smoothly?
Thank you for the very clear instructions!
For me and my NVIDIA graphics card, These are the steps that worked for me.
1. I used this link and follow step 2 on this site. I downloaded George, renamed sims2ep9 to old and dropped George in the same folder.
http://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=9047&pid=45659#pid45659
2. I used graphics rules maker and used auto detect.
3. I updated my graphics drivers.
The pink flashes and loading issues were gone for me after that. I hope this helps someone.
Hi Cindy,
I’m having an issue with my Sims 2 and I feel like you’re the only one that can help me. My sims 2 game was playing fine last night however this morning I wake up and want to play it but it won’t launch, I press play in origin and origin minimizes as if its loading the game and not long after origin pops back up and the game doesn’t launch. I’ve uninstalled and reinstalled the game, back up’d and deleted my mods/cc and my custom neighbourhoods and still nothing. I have no idea what to do to try and fix this issue.
Kind Regards,
Fellow Simmer.
Hi! This is usually because you need to delete your cache files. That’s the only reason I’ve ever had for the game just not to launch. Delete “accessories.cache” and “groups.cache” from your Documents > EA Games > Sims 2 folder. Hope it works for you!
My Solution at the end of my post: For the past week and a half I’ve been trying to get the Origin Sims 2 Ultimate to run on my Windows 10 Professional PC, with 64GB RAM, Intel 2.9GHz Hex-Core and 8GB Radeon GPU, I NEVER had any issues with this game on Win Vista, Win 7 or Win 8.1. This week I tried everything people had posted about and at first the game was Crashing on load, then when I finally was getting it to load it was taking about 17 minutes just to open the main menu (even with the 4GB patch), Then it was crashing in the load neighborhood menu and when I FINALLY got it to load the children were Neon pink.
Today I saw an older post mentioning Securom and even though the Origin Ultimate collection supposedly has it removed I decided to try the Removal Tool and though it said no Securom elements were detected I ran it anyway & now my game is running smoothly.
(TLDR) My solution ended up being:
1) Run Graphics Rules Maker
2) Run Securom Removal Tool
3) Place an “Illegal” cracked/pirate exe in the Fun with Pets bin
4) Run the 4GB patch on the cracked EXE
5) Change the EXE to run in Windows 7 Compatibility mode (Do NOT run as Admin, caused me crashing)
I have no clue why this worked lol, but now instead of taking 14-17 mins just to open the load screen it took about 8 secs and looks fantastic, no pink textures or black square shadows 😀
Hi Cindy I have the ultimate collection but I don’t have the fun with pets folder…
Hi Cindy, I recently re-installed The Sims 2 and now whenever I load up the game in windowed mode it’s literally a square – how do I fix this?
You probably need to change your resolution in the game settings. Go to the graphics settings in-game and choose a bigger resolution. Also, make sure you used graphics rules maker so a bigger resolution is possible with your graphics card. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much! It 100% helped out!! I also had another question – how do I change the season lengths for Sims 2 with SimPE?
Hi Bree! The only way I know how to do it is download a mod that changes the Season length (to anything, doesn’t matter), open the package file in Sim PE (right click – open with) and then change the values to whatever you want. I used this one to change my seasons: https://modthesims.info/d/282183/longer-seasons-7-10-14-20-30-days-all-specific-seasons.html
Hi Cindy! I just wanted to stop by and say that I recently found you after researching issues with the game. I had to replace my video card and my game was NOT working properly. As a Sims 2 addict, you can imagine how horribly that impacted my game play and Sims life 🙁 You saved my years of play. I personally cannot thank you enough for all you do in your blogs and videos. Wishing you the best and just letting you know what you do/did made a difference.
Thank you! Glad I could help! 🙂
I really like all the work you did, and it worked, but only once….I did all the steps, played for a while, saved, quit and then tried again with no luck….
I tried repeating the last part, but it did nothing…
Hello,
I tried everything on this list but when I copied the No-CD download to the CSBin I couldn’t open my game and a pop up would come up saying I hadn’t downloaded the Sims 2. I still can’t get the memory to change in logs.
I wanted to share the fix that worked for me, since I continued to have issues getting the 4GB patch to actually register with my game despite getting the success message. I tried the shortcut trick and that didn’t work either.
What finally worked was to use a new version of the exe file nicknamed George that I found here in a forum: http://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=9047 Post #8 has the link that worked for me!
Thank you! I was about to give up on Sims 2 with the crashing but I believe it’s better than Sims 3 or 4 and didn’t want to do that yet with all the time I spent making tings. Your instructions were easy to follow and I was able to apply with no issues. I was just putting up with the not too often crashed until this weekend when I made a huge shopping center lot and I guess I had to to much in it and it would crash every time.
That can happen with really large lots that have a lot of items! I love making big lots and sometimes I have to reign myself in. Lol
Just got the Sims 2 and I knew exactly where to go to find out how to get it working. Thank you so much! So weird to be playing it for the first time in 10 years lol
Yay! Have fun!
Hey cindy, sorry to be a pain but I was really wondering what pc you have to play the sims 2 on? I’m really struggling to find the perfect one just for the sims 2. Thankyou. Love the videos!
Hi! You can see my PC specs on this page: https://pleasantsims.com/faqs/
Thank yoy, thank you, thank you.
Did I mention I wanted to thank you?
I am autistic and this game is tremendously important to me and I was going crazy not being able to run it on windows 10.
Hugs!
You’re very welcome!
Hey Cindy! I found this thread because I was able to find my charger for my super old laptop that still works and currently The Sims 2 works on it works completely fine but I wanted to update to Windows 10 so I can use this laptop to play other games as well as The Sims. However after reading all the steps, I realized my laptop only had 3GB of Ram with 2.75GB usable on a 64-bit operating system and I was wondering if I should even bother updating to Windows 10 and following these steps because I’m not sure if it’ll work? I don’t mind keeping this laptop solely for The Sims but I was hoping to be able to play some other games on this laptop. Do you think these steps will work in my situation? Or should I just play it safe and don’t bother updating Windows? For the record I haven’t done any of the steps except for looking at my logs and currently my game says the memory is 2812MB and the free memory is 1800MB. Thank you for your time!
how do i get the screen to stop flickering everytime i move my sim or camera? the screen blinks for a bit then comes back?
Hi, getting any help with getting the game to work would be very much appreciated. I’m pretty desperate right now, tbh. I’m trying to apply the graphics rules maker, but it doesn’t seem to be working. Every time I open the game, it’s the same default resolution, and when I try to load into the neighbourhood, it crashes. I had the game working for quite some time, but I needed