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jacqw9's avatar
jacqw9
3 years ago

Unable to use redeemable code due to forgotten account

When I was really young, around 8 or 9, I bought the Sims 3 and continued to purchase all the DLCs. I used to play them on a Windows computer, but because I was so young, I don't remember downloading the games or inputting my access codes. I now have a Mac computer and wanted to try to redeem my codes to download the 64-bit version since my computer won't run the 32-bit version. I input my code but it stated an error that I already redeemed it. I contacted EA support, and they asked me if I knew any other accounts it could be on. I attempted to log in with the only other emails I think it could possibly be but it says there are no accounts under those emails. I have no clue what account that code is linked to, and obviously, for security reasons, EA won't tell me or don't even know themselves. I'm quite bummed and lost right now because I spent hundreds of dollars on this game and now I'm finding out I can't ever play it again unless I can somehow figure out what account this code was redeemed on. Support also stated that even if I tried to run the discs on a Windows computer it might not let me on without the right account. Does anyone know how I can play these games without accessing whatever account I used? Or, does anyone know if there's a way I can find what account I used? I tried literally every email and User ID I could, and nothing worked. I can't help but feel like I wasted my money growing up now that I can't play any of the games I purchased.

mac
technical issues

1 Reply

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    3 years ago

    @jacqw9  There's no way for you to find the old account on your own if you don't know the email address tied to it.  As for the discs themselves, you could install in Windows, but not in macOS, without needing access to the old account if, and only if, the base game disc was manufactured prior to September 2012.  The newer discs require Origin, or now the EA App, to be present and managing the install process; the older ones do not.  Check the fine print on the back for a copyright date, and the newer discs also have the Origin logo somewhere on the box.

    It doesn't matter when the other discs were made; they should work without the EA App regardless.  The one catch here is that you need to decline the EA Download Manager's offer to manage the install process for you, or else the EADM will attempt to update itself to Origin.

    Your discs will of course not include the 64-bit Mac version.  But even if your Mac supported 32-bit apps in general, 32-bit Sims 3 wouldn't work because all versions of macOS starting with El Capitan (2015 release) fail to authenticate these discs.

    If you want to make one more attempt at finding the old account, EA customer support should be able to give you something like the first two characters plus the domain.  You could ask your family members if anyone had ever had an email address that matched—it's possible you borrowed someone else's account at the time.

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