Forum Discussion

BlackjackWidow's avatar
BlackjackWidow
Hero (Retired)
6 years ago
Solved

[Mac] SimCity and MacOS Catalina & newer

Beginning with MacOS Catalina 10.15, Apple will no longer support 32-bit apps. 

SimCity is a 32-bit legacy game, and will not currently run on MacOS Catalina. If you purchased SimCity from the App Store, Aspyr currently plans to update SimCity to a 64-bit app. As far as we know, there are no plans by EA to change the SimCity app. If you purchased from EA and want to continue playing SimCity, you will want to do some planning before completing an update to Catalina.

EDIT: Update for January 7, 2020: Aspyr has updated their version of SimCity: Complete Edition to 64-bit. It is now compatible with Catalina.

There are a few choices for running SimCity on Catalina:

  • Create a bootable external drive running macOS 10.14 Mojave or earlier
  • Install a virtual machine running macOS 10.14 Mojave or earlier
  • Boot camp your Mac and run SimCity in Windows (your EA purchased games allow you to run either Mac or PC versions)

Be aware, if you're installing an earlier MacOS: 

Mojave 10.14.4 had reports of problems using HD and UHD resolutions. See This Thread for more info & how to force resolution in Advanced Game Options

High Sierra 10.13 had multiple reports of problems crashing SimCity. See This Thread for more info

If you have already upgraded to Catalina, you could also consider restoring to an earlier MacOS version or purchase the 64-bit SimCity application from the App Store. If you choose to purchase from the app store, be aware that you will no longer have access to any regions or cities on the EA servers. The Aspyr version is single player / offline use only.

For more information, @Bluebellflora has written detailed instructions on how to accomplish each of the above solutions.

Running 32-bit apps after macOS Mojave

EDIT: As of Dec 21, 2019 Aspyr has listed their SimCity:Complete Edition version 1.0.3 as being 64-bit. Be aware that EA does not support the Mac App Store version. The App Store version is single player only. There is no access to multiplayer or any regions on the EA servers. 

  • BlackjackWidow's avatar
    BlackjackWidow
    6 years ago

    Apple dropped support for 32-bit games like SimCity, beginning with MacOS Catalina 10.15.

    There is more information in This Post, including some options for running 32-bit games after upgrading to Catalina. See this blog for detailed info.

    Aspyr has updated their version of SimCity:Complete Edition to 64-bit and it is now compatible with Catalina. If you choose to purchase the App Store version, be aware you will no longer have access to any regions or cities on the EA servers. The App Store version by Aspyr is single player / offline use only. 

    EDIT: In July 2021, Aspyr released an update for their Mac App Store version of SimCity:Complete Edition. This update addresses crashes for M1 devices and Big Sur.

    Please contact Aspyr if you are still experiencing issues after installing the latest patch.

    If you recently purchased SimCity, and none of the above options appeal to you, you may wish to check out the Great Game Guarantee.

101 Replies

Sort By
Show More
  • BlackjackWidow's avatar
    BlackjackWidow
    Hero (Retired)
    6 years ago

    Apple dropped support for 32-bit games like SimCity, beginning with MacOS Catalina 10.15.

    There is more information in This Post, including some options for running 32-bit games after upgrading to Catalina. See this blog for detailed info.

    Aspyr has updated their version of SimCity:Complete Edition to 64-bit and it is now compatible with Catalina. If you choose to purchase the App Store version, be aware you will no longer have access to any regions or cities on the EA servers. The App Store version by Aspyr is single player / offline use only. 

    EDIT: In July 2021, Aspyr released an update for their Mac App Store version of SimCity:Complete Edition. This update addresses crashes for M1 devices and Big Sur.

    Please contact Aspyr if you are still experiencing issues after installing the latest patch.

    If you recently purchased SimCity, and none of the above options appeal to you, you may wish to check out the Great Game Guarantee.

  • jbd00's avatar
    jbd00
    6 years ago

    @EA_Mai @EA_Eve  and @MaxisBazajaytee  Hi, I remember back in the days EA cooperated with AspyrMedia in order to get SimCity to work back when High Sierra got released. I was wondering if you could again cooperate with the company in order for the game to be 64xPatched in Origin? ❤️ Aspyr's App Store version does not have online multiplayer support ☹️

  • taniasiao1's avatar
    taniasiao1
    6 years ago

    Hello,

    I just re-installed SimCity complete Edition on Mac Origin and it won't launch.

    I have tried to restart Origin and also re-install it, but it just won't start at all. When clicking the install button (which remains even after the installation is complete!) it sometimes performs a check. After this is complete it asks me to select a language, but then it will remain in status "download" forever. When I click the orange "install" button, it just changes back to install. No error messages are given.

    My Mac runs Catalina 10.15.1.

    How do I solve this?

  • rachel1073's avatar
    rachel1073
    5 years ago

    I purchased SimCity years ago, and it appears in my Origin game library with the option to install it. WHen I select that, it "downloads" extremely quickly, says it is complete, but only has the option to download/install again or close it. Downloading/installing again does nothing, can't get it to actually download. I'm on a new Mac.

  • RealSimmor0's avatar
    RealSimmor0
    5 years ago
    Which version from your operating system are you using, @rachel1073?

    Be aware of and sure notified, that Catalina version 10.15.3 is a 64 bit operation system only and doesn't support 32 bit applications anymore. This means, you can't run games like SimCity (2013), The Sims 3, The Sims Medieval and Spore anymore.

    When you like using 32 bit applications and / or want to play these games you must use an older version or just switch to another platform.


    Find out which operating system you're using: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201260
    More about end of 32 bit application support, see: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208436


    Regards.
  • BlackjackWidow's avatar
    BlackjackWidow
    Hero (Retired)
    5 years ago

    Hi @rachel1073  -  Are you trying to run SimCity on MacOS Catalina? Apple dropped support for 32-bit games like SimCity, beginning with MacOS Catalina 10.15. 

    As stated in the first post of this thread, if you wish to run SimCity there are a couple of choices; you could create a bootable external drive, install a virtual machine running an earlier MacOS or bootcamp your Mac and run SimCity in Windows. There is more detailed information here: https://bluebellflora.com/running-32-bit-apps-after-macos-mojave/ including step-by-step instructions on how to create a bootable external drive.

    If your new Mac is not running Catalina, please reply back with more information about your Mac following these instructions: https://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-Mac/READ-FIRST-Sims-4-Mac-Help-Guides-and-Troubleshooting/m-p/4612396/highlight/true#M162 

  • BlackjackWidow's avatar
    BlackjackWidow
    Hero (Retired)
    5 years ago

    Hi @MikeBacotti - I don't think they will ever go to multiplayer. EA hosts all the servers for the current online play. I think if Aspyr were going to do any kind of server hosting themselves they probably would have rolled it out that way. I think their niche is porting Windows games to the Mac, but not actually hosting mmo-type games. You could always ask them, to be sure.  

  • sebmac2001's avatar
    sebmac2001
    5 years ago

    Anybody know when EA is gonna fix this?? we approaching mid 2020 soon...

About SimCity Franchise Discussion

Do you have what it takes to be mayor? Share your city-building experience and strategy with the SimCity forum community.1,681 PostsLatest Activity: 2 years ago