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Esther_Rosenbla's avatar
Esther_Rosenbla
6 years ago
Solved

Sims 3 installation issue

Sims 3- I've had it for years and haven't ever been able to pay it on my Mac because it asked for a product code (I lost the box). Today I saw I could download it. Did so. Said it needed a 3rd party ...
mac
technical issues
  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    6 years ago

    @Esther_Rosenblat  The current version of Sims 3 won't run at all in Catalina no matter what you do.  EA has announced a 64-bit-compatible update though (only for macOS), to be released some time this year... hopefully.  Here's the full announcement:

    https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-Mac/An-announcement-for-The-Sims-3-players-on-Mac/td-p/8271641

    In the interim, your options are to play on another computer, if you have access to one; to install Windows alongside Catalina, via Bootcamp or Parallels; or to install Mojave or earlier on an external hard drive and boot into that when you want to play.  For the last option, you'd need temporary access to a Mac running Mojave or earlier in order to install it.  Let me know if you're interested in any of these options.

puzzlezaddict's avatar
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
6 years ago

@Esther_Rosenblat  Does your Mac run Catalina?  If so, that's the issue: Sims 3 is a 32-bit app, and Catalina is 64-bit only.  If your Mac runs an older OS, please take a screenshot of the error and attach it to a post.

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    6 years ago

    @Esther_Rosenblat  The current version of Sims 3 won't run at all in Catalina no matter what you do.  EA has announced a 64-bit-compatible update though (only for macOS), to be released some time this year... hopefully.  Here's the full announcement:

    https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-Mac/An-announcement-for-The-Sims-3-players-on-Mac/td-p/8271641

    In the interim, your options are to play on another computer, if you have access to one; to install Windows alongside Catalina, via Bootcamp or Parallels; or to install Mojave or earlier on an external hard drive and boot into that when you want to play.  For the last option, you'd need temporary access to a Mac running Mojave or earlier in order to install it.  Let me know if you're interested in any of these options.

    • Esther_Rosenbla's avatar
      Esther_Rosenbla
      6 years ago
      @puzzlezaddict Thank you so much! You've outlined exactly what I needed to hear. I appreciate your help!
    • Vauxguy's avatar
      Vauxguy
      5 years ago

      Hello, 

      Is this still an issue as I'm trying to install again after years of not playing,  but I'm getting an error message 

      • puzzlezaddict's avatar
        puzzlezaddict
        Hero+
        5 years ago

        @Vauxguy  Yes, this is still an issue—the new version of Sims 3 hasn't been released yet.  The thread I linked will be updated when it is.

About The Sims 3 Technical Issues

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