@eur0san You can't transfer packs from Origin to Steam or vice versa. What you can do, if you own the game in both apps, is install the base game through Steam and then add both your Origin- and Steam-owned packs. This only works if you're playing through Steam, not Origin, and you do need to buy at least the base game through Steam to be able to buy packs there too.
@puzzlezaddict Hello! I bought the Sims 4 on Steam at first and with the Steam version I can only play the game on Windows. Now I wanna play the game on Mac but since the Mac version is only available on Origin, what should I do now? I tried to buy the game again on Origin but it keeps saying that I already own it in my Origin library but it is the Steam Windows-only version that is on there.
Also if I did manage to get a Mac version, will my previous data and DLCs on Steam be erased? Will I have to start over with my game?
@lihhital You won't be able to use any of your Steam-owned content in macOS. So it's probably easiest to just create a new Origin account and buying whatever you'd like to play on your Mac. I mean, you could also buy codes for all the Sims 4 content you want elsewhere and register everything in Origin, but that could be more expensive than buying directly from Origin.
If this Mac has an Intel processor, you could instead partition the drive and install Windows on one side. This is known as Bootcamping, and the idea is that you boot into the OS you want to use and run it natively either way, with no performance hit from virtualization. A standalone Windows 10 license is probably cheaper than rebuying all your Sims 4 content anyway, especially if you find an older version on Amazon—since you only need the product key, you don't care if the install medium is from c. 2017. Bootcamp is not available on M1 Macs though.
Your saves and other user data can be transferred between installs, accounts, or computers, so all of that should be fine no matter what you do as long as you use the same packs for the saves. Trying to load a save without a pack present that the save formerly used could corrupt the save, or it might not load at all.
By the way, is there a reason you want to play on a Mac now? Depending on the hardware of the Mac and Windows PC in question, you might be better off, in terms of performance, just sticking with Windows.
@puzzlezaddict Thank you so much for your answer!
The reason why I want to play it on a Mac is that my main computer is a Mac, and this whole time I've been just playing the game on another computer that is not 100% mine. I didn't know that you can play the Sims 4 on a Mac when I bought the game on Steam (should've just done some research first and bought it on Origin in the first place lol), but luckily, I only bought the digital deluxe (kind of like base game) and haven't bought any extra stuff yet, and it was on sale, so it was not too expensive. And also, there's a sale in Origin for now as well, so I thought it would be a good chance to switch over.
I also thought about unlinking my Steam account from my EA account, buying another copy on Origin and then linking the Steam account back. Hopefully in that way I will have the game on both platforms. Would that work? Would the content be in sync (since I'm only buying the digital deluxe as well)?
@lihhital Unlinking and relinking your Steam account probably wouldn't work. There's apparently a long waiting period (maybe six months?) to link another account, and I would guess it would apply to linking the same one again. So you'll need another approach.
It's possible you'll find the game on sale from some other digital retailer, in which case you could simply buy the product code and register it within Origin. Here's a list of authorized vendors:
https://help.ea.com/en/help/faq/where-to-buy-ea-games-v2/
Or you could create a new Origin account, buy Sims 4 in it, and then have it merged with your current account. This is a bit of a pain, as you need to go through EA customer support, but you'd get a copy of the game right now at the current sale price.
Or, I guess, you could ask EA customer support to remove Sims 4 from your Origin account so you can buy a new copy. This might be the easiest approach of all, but it also requires explaining the situation to a support rep.
Regardless of how you approach this, you'll be able to use your saves and other user content on your Mac. You do need to transfer the files manually—they aren't stored on EA servers—but that's as simple as moving any other files from one computer to another.
Hey my problem is that I play the game on EA and I want to buy the StrangerVille pack in steam and I didn’t install the game on steam so if I buy it the pack gonna work on EA??
@6sanpen5p132 No, you'd need to uninstall the EA App version of Sims 4 and install the Steam version instead. You could then download all the packs you own from the EA App, and they'd work with the Steam install. But if you buy Strangerville in Steam, it will only work with a Steam install.
Strangerville is the same price in Steam and the EA App, or at least it is in my region, so it would be a lot easier to just buy the pack from the EA App.
If I install the game on EA/origin and download a pack there will it show up if I play on steam?
@Annkh You can use packs you've bought in the EA App with a Steam install, sure. However, if you're playing through Steam, do not install the base game through the EA App as well; that will only complicate things. Instead, download only the pack through the EA App, and it should go into the program files for the Steam install, where it will work as if you'd bought it from Steam.
I have a question. I've been playing on Steam and I got a code for a DLC for ea app. I redeemed it through ea app, and it worked with the Steam version . I got another code, which was also for ea app. When I redeemed it, it wasn't on steam. I check the steam folder and the files for DLC was there, but it wasn't showing in the game. I've decided to install the version from EA App. The DLC was there, alongside my save file, however the first DLC I got wasn't here. Is there any way for me to get that DLC from ea app to the steam version?
@7po4l66c5dcu Both DLCs should work with the Steam version. But perhaps one was installed into the wrong location. To find out, please run searches for both packs. Open a File Explorer window, click This PC in the left panel, and enter the folder name for one of the missing packs in the search field in the upper-right corner. This is the full list of packs:
https://sims4.crinrict.com/eng/extras-2/available-packs-dlc/
For example, if you're looking for Seasons, you'd search for EP05 . Wait for the search to finish, then make sure the full file path is showing under each result. If it's not, expand the window sideways as necessary. Take a screenshot using Windows key-shift-S and attach it to a reply here. Then repeat for the other pack.
EP01 is the one, that wasn't showing on Steam.
Community ManagerHeya @7po4l66c5dcu,
Did you make sure to redeem your Get to Work code on the same EA account that your Steam ID is currently linked with? It sounds like you may have redeemed that code on a different EA account that does not have your Steam ID linked with it.
We can check if you're using the correct EA account by checking the Connections page on your EA account- if you do not see your Steam account linked here under your connected accounts, that means you've redeemed your Get to Work code on the incorrect EA account. If this is the case, you'll need to reach out to the live support team so they can look into transferring your content over to the EA account that does have your Steam ID linked, that way you can access and play your DLC again through Steam. You can contact live support through the help site here if you need further assistance with this.
How do you download the dlcs from the ea app and then put them in steam? i’ve been trying to figure it out but i have no idea how to
@ohwowlauren When you've installed Sims 4 through Steam, sign into the EA App, open your game library, click Sims 4, select Manage > Manage Add-ons, and click Download next to the names of any packs you own through the EA App. To be clear, you're not downloading the Sims 4 base game, only the packs.
