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Ashlei1911's avatar
Ashlei1911
6 years ago
Solved

Downloading bought sims 4expansion packs at a later time?

i want to buy a couple of expansion packs now while they’re on sale but i don’t want to download them right now. is that possible at all? i mean orgin would still have it in records that i bought it and so would i from receipt summary. but is it possible to just buy it from my orgin account now and download maybe months from now?

pc
  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    6 years ago

    @Ashlei1911  Yes, it's possible, sort of.  When you buy new packs, Origin may try to install them automatically, or it may start to download them the next time you launch the game.  This will happen even if you have automatic game updates disabled in Origin.  You can manually stop the downloads, and then Origin won't try to redownload for a while, I believe until the next time Origin or Sims 4 updates, or the next time you clear Origin's cache, or maybe the next time you remove the Sims 4 user data folder from Documents\Electronic Arts.

    But again, you can always stop the process.  If you're playing and they start, just alt-tab to Origin, expand the download manager in the lower left corner of the window, and X out the downloads.  It's also a good idea to disable auto updates, or else Origin might try to redownload your packs every single time you open it.  In Origin, hover over your username, select Application Settings, and under Application (the first header), scroll down to Client update and disable automatic game updates.

    The other approach would be to let the packs download but then disable them via command line, so they don't load when you play.  This usually works quite well:

    https://sims4.crinrict.com/eng/2017/03/disable-single-packs/

    Finally, you could wait for the next sale of Sims 4 content.  No one knows when it's coming, but it feels like there's a sale every other month.  So if you didn't need to have the new packs the instant you were ready to play them, you could avoid all this extra work and just buy them the next time they were on sale.

5 Replies

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    6 years ago

    @Ashlei1911  Yes, it's possible, sort of.  When you buy new packs, Origin may try to install them automatically, or it may start to download them the next time you launch the game.  This will happen even if you have automatic game updates disabled in Origin.  You can manually stop the downloads, and then Origin won't try to redownload for a while, I believe until the next time Origin or Sims 4 updates, or the next time you clear Origin's cache, or maybe the next time you remove the Sims 4 user data folder from Documents\Electronic Arts.

    But again, you can always stop the process.  If you're playing and they start, just alt-tab to Origin, expand the download manager in the lower left corner of the window, and X out the downloads.  It's also a good idea to disable auto updates, or else Origin might try to redownload your packs every single time you open it.  In Origin, hover over your username, select Application Settings, and under Application (the first header), scroll down to Client update and disable automatic game updates.

    The other approach would be to let the packs download but then disable them via command line, so they don't load when you play.  This usually works quite well:

    https://sims4.crinrict.com/eng/2017/03/disable-single-packs/

    Finally, you could wait for the next sale of Sims 4 content.  No one knows when it's coming, but it feels like there's a sale every other month.  So if you didn't need to have the new packs the instant you were ready to play them, you could avoid all this extra work and just buy them the next time they were on sale.

  • Ashlei1911's avatar
    Ashlei1911
    6 years ago

    when packs go on sale are they always this price? that’s my only worry, i’m just now getting back into the sims but if this price is the best you’ve seen in awhile then i’ll try what u said above and follow the steps so i can buy them now.

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    6 years ago

    @Ashlei1911  I've been paying attention (to some degree) to Sims 4 sales for about a year, and every time I see one, expansions are 50% off, game packs are 25% off, and stuff packs are full price, or maybe one of them is discounted.  There is of course no guarantee that the pattern will continue, but it does seem like EA has decided to make sales a somewhat regular event.

  • Ashlei1911's avatar
    Ashlei1911
    6 years ago

    my other concern is that orgin will be on some bs and not recognize that i’ve bought the packs before hand if and when i get a new pc within the year. i’ve seen threads on here of people having issues to where they could download the sims again but only a few of their  packs would be playable even though they’ve already bought them, and orgin says they need to buy them again. just trying to prevent that in the future from happening even though i do have the purchase receipts ( some have said they had trouble getting word back from EA/ orgin with that issue )

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    6 years ago

    @Ashlei1911  If you buy through Origin, you shouldn't have any issues.  Still, it's always a good idea to keep the emailed receipts, as well as a screenshot of the order confirmation when you get it.  That way, if your content does disappear for some strange reason, it will be much easier to sort it out with EA customer support.

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