The Sims 2 Legacy Collection: packs, fixes and mods

The Sims 2 Legacy Collection is EA’s re-release of The Sims 2 for Windows 10 and 11. It came out on January 31, 2025, on the EA app, Steam and the Epic Games Store.

The collection has the base game, all eight expansion packs, and nine of the ten stuff packs. Only IKEA Home Stuff is not in it. Maxis is the developer and Electronic Arts is the publisher, says the Steam page.

EA released it for the 25th birthday of The Sims, with no advance notice. VICE called it a “shadow drop.” Gamepressure says that a teaser period, “Nostalgia Now,” ran from January 27 to 31. On the same day, EA also released The Sims Legacy Collection, the re-release of the first game.

You read this on the LifeSim blog. We make a free life sim, and we say plainly where our game does not fit.

The Sims 2 Legacy Collection has the base game plus 17 packs. EA and Steam both list the same 17 packs. The table shows them.

Why is IKEA Home Stuff missing?

EA does not give a reason on the store pages. Gamepressure only says the IKEA pack is the one exception. Players on Steam think that the license for the IKEA content is the cause. Players also report that some licensed songs are not in the game.

Some Steam users say that a fan-made file adds IKEA Home Stuff back. We did not test this, and we do not link to it. For the full pack list of the newest game, read our guide to Todos los packs de expansión de Los Sims 4.

You can buy it on the EA app, Steam or the Epic Games Store. At launch, it cost $29.99 in the US, says PCWorld. Prices change with sales, so check the store page before you buy.

• Alone: The Sims 2 Legacy Collection.
• Bundle: The Sims 25th Birthday Bundle has both Legacy Collections. At launch, it cost $10 less than the two games bought one at a time.
• Account: You need an EA Account. On Steam, you must also link the Steam account to the EA Account.

The game is not free. If you want a free Sims game, read whether The Sims 4 is free.

The requirements are low. The game is for Windows only. It is not on Mac, PlayStation, Xbox or Switch.

Mac

EA and Steam list only Windows. For Mac players, The Sims 4 is the better choice. Read how to play The Sims 4 on a Mac.

Consola

There is no console version of the Legacy Collection. EA did not re-release older console spin-offs like The Sims Bustin’ Out y Los Urbz.

Most crashes at launch came from old graphics code and screen settings. EA fixed many of them in patches in 2025. If the game still crashes, try the steps below.

Fixes from players

1. Update the game. Let Steam or the EA app install the newest patch first.
2. Start in a window. On Steam, right-click the game, open Properties, and type -w under Launch Options.
3. Set the resolution. One Steam user added -w -r2560x1440, then pressed Alt + Enter to go full screen. Use the resolution of your own monitor.
4. Check DirectX. Run dxdiag in Windows to see that the graphics card supports DirectX 9.
5. Check the monitor. One Steam user with a 4K monitor set a custom resolution for the game in the NVIDIA settings.

What EA fixed

The patch notes of February 4, 2025, fixed crashes from Alt + Tab and Alt + Enter. They also fixed a launch at 800x600 that stretched to fill the monitor. The same patch fixed a DirectX error, and Sims who disappeared after a move to another lot.

Patch 7, on April 3, 2025, fixed a user interface that was too small at high resolutions. It also fixed edge-scrolling and clipped Sims on ultra-wide screens. The common error text was “failed to find any directx 9.0c compatible graphics adapters.” Many players saw it on day one.

Yes, most custom content works. Gamepressure says the game supports mods, but each mod maker must update the mod. Old mods that change the game code can break it.

1. Open Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2 Legacy.
2. Make a new folder with the name Downloads. The game does not make this folder for you.
3. Put the .package files in the Downloads folder.
4. For .Sims2Pack files, use the Sims2Pack Clean Installer. Then move the files into the Downloads folder.

One Steam user says that old objects, clothes and hair still work. The same user says that recolors need a CEP file from Mod The Sims. Another user said that the Downloads folder did not work for them. Before you add mods, make a copy of your saves.

The saves are in a different folder than in older versions. Read where to find Sims 2 save files to move an old neighborhood. To get free money and more, use the Sims 2 cheat codes. They work in the Legacy Collection too.

Buy the Legacy Collection if you have no copy of The Sims 2. If you already have the Ultimate Collection and it runs well, keep it.

Engadget reported in July 2014 that EA ended support for The Sims 2. EA then gave the Ultimate Collection away on Origin. On Steam, one player said the Ultimate Collection is more stable with the right mods. Another player said the Legacy Collection also needs fan patches.

To compare the later games, read The Sims 3 vs The Sims 4.

The Sims Legacy Collection is the re-release of The Sims 1 for Windows 10 and 11. It came out with The Sims 2 Legacy Collection on January 31, 2025.

It has the base game and all seven expansion packs: Livin’ Large, House Party, Hot Date, Vacation, Unleashed, Superstar and Makin’ Magic. PCWorld also listed The Sims 4 Throwback Fit Kit with it at launch. Gamepressure says it is the first digital release of The Sims 1. Before, you needed the original CD.

The minimum system requirements are the same as for The Sims 2 Legacy Collection. At launch, it cost $19.99 in the US, says PCWorld. The 25th Birthday Bundle has both games. On Steam, players give it a “Mostly Positive” rating.

The Sims 1 also had console spin-offs, like The Sims Castaway. EA did not put them in the Legacy Collection.

Is LifeSim like The Sims 2?

Only in part. LifeSim is not a Sims game, and it has no build mode, no Create-A-Sim and no mods. In LifeSim, you live one life in a real city on a 3D map of Earth. You talk to the people in your own words. It is free in the browser at play.lifesim.com and on iPhone. For a full list, read juegos parecidos a Los Sims or LifeSim vs Los Sims.

• The official reason that IKEA Home Stuff is missing. EA does not say it on the pages that we opened.
• Which songs are missing. Players say some licensed songs are gone, but we found no full list.
• Whether the Grunge Revival Kit and Throwback Fit Kit bonuses still come with each purchase. PCWorld lists them, but the EA page does not.
• The release date on the EA pages. They show March 10, 2026. Steam and the press say January 31, 2025. We use the Steam date.
• The full list of patches after April 2025, and which crashes are still open today.
• Steam Deck support. The Steam page gives no rating, and we did not test it.
• Whether the Ultimate Collection still installs from the EA app for every player who redeemed it in 2014.
• EA Help pages on errors and save paths. They did not load for us, so the steps above come from players and EA patch notes.

• The Sims 4 Get Together
• The Sims 4 Island Living expansion pack
• The Sims Bustin’ Out
• The Sims Castaway
• Archivos de guardado de Los Sims 4: instalar, todos los mundos, copia de seguridad
• Ubicación del archivo de guardado de Los Sims 4
• Ubicación del archivo de guardado de Los Sims 3
• Ubicación del archivo de guardado de Los Sims 2
• Cómo conseguir una planta carnívora en Los Sims 4
• Cómo pagar facturas en Los Sims 4
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• La Galería de Los Sims 4
• Notas del parche de Los Sims 4
• Los Sims 4 en móvil
• Los Urbz: Sims en la Ciudad
• La película de Los Sims
• Guía de Los Sims Medieval
• Los Sims 3 vs Los Sims 4
• Los Sims Online
• Inyector XML para Los Sims 4
• Los Sims 4 Urbanitas
• Los Sims 4 Creciendo en Familia
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• Trucos de habilidades en Los Sims 4
• Trucos de relaciones en Los Sims 4
• Trucos de profesiones en Los Sims 4
• Truco de mover objetos en Los Sims 4
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• Truco de puntos de satisfacción en Los Sims 4
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• MC Command Center (MCCC)
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• Los mejores mods de Los Sims 4
• El mejor gestor de mods para Los Sims 4
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• Better Exceptions para Los Sims 4
• El mod Slice of Life para Los Sims 4
• Las reglas del Reto Legado de Los Sims 4
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• Los rasgos de Los Sims 4
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• Generador de nombres de Los Sims 4
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• El Proyecto Rene de Los Sims
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• Habilidades de Los Sims 4
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• Los Sims 4 La aventura espera
• Los Sims 4 ¡A trabajar!
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• Los Sims 4 Vida en el pueblo
• Kits de Los Sims 4
• Los Sims 4 Enamorados
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• Los Sims 4: Parenthood
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• ¿Es Los Sims 4 gratis?
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• Qué paquete de expansión de Los Sims 4 comprar primero
• Cuestionario para elegir paquete de Los Sims 4
• ¿Está Los Sims 4 en Game Pass?
• Requisitos del sistema de Los Sims 4
• Clasificación por edad de Los Sims 4: ¿es apto para niños?
• ¿Cuánto tiempo vive un Sim en Los Sims 4?
• ¿Sigue siendo jugable Los Sims Mobile?

• Steam: The Sims 2 Legacy Collection (released January 31, 2025)
• EA: Los Sims 2 Colección Definitiva
• Steam: The Sims Legacy Collection (released January 31, 2025)
• EA: The Sims Legacy Collection
• PCWorld: The Sims and The Sims 2 are now available digitally for the first time (February 3, 2025)
• Gamepressure: EA re-releases The Sims 1 and 2, confirming fan speculation (January 31, 2025)
• VICE: EA just shadow dropped The Sims and The Sims 2 as legacy releases (January 31, 2025)
• EA: The Sims Legacy and The Sims 2 Legacy patch notes (February 4, 2025)
• EA: The Sims Legacy and The Sims 2 Legacy patch notes, Patch 7 (April 3, 2025)
• Steam Community: directx 9.0 error (January 31, 2025)
• Steam Community: Can I install mods on this version? (January 31, 2025)
• Steam Community: Feels like a lot of items are missing? (February 4, 2025)
• Steam Community: What’s the difference between this and the Ultimate Collection? (February 2, 2025)
• Engadget: Get The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection for free this month (July 24, 2014)