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puzzlezaddict's avatar
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
2 years ago

Re: Do I need Origin when I brought the game on the EA app and/or Steam?

@Notfallkaramell  Origin is no longer required in Windows.  Anything you've bought through Origin should be accessible through the EA App, with the only exceptions being due to user-specific account issues and some download problems with the App.

If you still have the product codes from your CDs, and you haven't previously registered them in Origin or on the old Sims 3 site, you can do so now, and the content should appear in your EA App game library.

Steam requires neither Origin nor the EA App in order to run Sims 3 and never has.  You also don't need to open Steam after you've run the game the first time—you can launch it by double-clicking TS3W.exe.  If you're buying again anyway, I'd highly recommend Steam for several reasons, not the least of which is that you'd skip the current EA App download issues and any other problems the App will have in the future.

There's also the "Sims 3 Collection," a bundle that includes every expansion and stuff pack except for Katy Perry Sweet Treats (which is unavailable to purchase from EA as well) at a decent discount.  It does not include the base game.  The price is even better when Sims 3 is included in Steam sales.

If you do want to use Steam, you'll need to buy everything through Steam.  Anything you own in the EA App won't transfer.

4 Replies

  • Notfallkaramell's avatar
    Notfallkaramell
    2 years ago

    I registered my disks back in 2015, albeit in a different account on a different PC via a different email. I actually tried to reinstall them, but Origin was required, which did not start. I was constantly hung on the error that it can't connect with the internet. I try it again now that I deinstalled Origin. Maybe my PC tried to activate Origin because it was on the hard drive? Are the codes really unusable now that they were already used? I thought only Sims 4 codes had that.

    I had hoped someone recommends Steam, the prices are cheaper there. 

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    2 years ago

    @Notfallkaramell  The discs for expansion and stuff packs are usable without their being registered if, and only if, you also have a base game disc that doesn't require Origin.  It's definitely possible that the disc only tried to use Origin because the app was still present on your computer, so it's worth trying again once Origin is uninstalled.

    The other option is to login to the EA App using that old email address, if you still have access to it.  The content should all be in the game library tied to that  account.

  • Notfallkaramell's avatar
    Notfallkaramell
    2 years ago
    @puzzlezaddict Tried installing the disk, Origin is required. I have no access to the old account (email got hacked years ago, so all accounts with that email are dead\gone).
  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    2 years ago

    @Notfallkaramell  I'm sorry to hear that.  I guess your best bet is Steam then, during a sale.  The base game might still be full price, so be sure to check the "Sims 3 Collection" price too.

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