External Hard Drive for Mac to Play TS4 Recommendations?

Thank you for your suggestion!

Tbh I didn't think a USB-C Drive could handle the Sims 4. Have you tried it out before? Have you had any troubles with game lag? 

Fair point! I guess I just figured because of the size of the game, the software would be too much to run on a USB stick. However, since it's USB-C, it runs faster so that's good to know! I appreciate your help and am going to go pick up the USB tonight. How did you transfer all of your Sims files onto the disk? I've read some posts where they recommend uninstalling and re-installing the game and origin onto the disk. Is this what you did? 

@erikaeves 

Make sure Origin is closed then move the base game and Sims 4 Packs folder onto the external drive. You’ll then need to do this to change the file path in Origin and give it permission to access the external https://bluebellflora.com/2020/11/26/external-drive-not-showing-in-origin/

You can unplug the drive when you’re not playing but ALWAYS make sure Origin is closed first. When you plug it back in and load Origin it will always verify the game installation which may take a little while depending on how much DLC you have.

Thank you so much for your help!

Hello, 

In follow-up of my previous post, I have successfully transferred my Sims 4 data onto a USB stick and have re-routed Origin pathway to the USB as well. I am wondering if it would be possible to move my Sims 4 Packs folder and the Sims 4 game onto the USB (which are currently located in my applications folder)? 

If I were to completely save the Sims 4 onto the USB (application, data, packs, etc.), would it run properly? Would it update properly? I know that the game has system requirements. Or are these operating system specific? 

Sorry if this is confusing - I have lots of questions!

Thank you, 

Erika

I believe Origin has a Move Game option where you can move your install onto a different drive. However, save data by default will always save to where Windows or macOS is installed regardless of where The Sims 4 is installed but it is possible to use symbolic links to move it to a different drive.

Assuming your Mac has an SSD, longer loading times will be expected on a USB hard drive but the game should be playable. I am not sure about using a USB stick or flash drive but a USB 3.0 or USB-C flash drive could work. Installing games on a USB hard drive or SSD (if you have one) would be a good option.