WARNING – Back up all of your game saves prior to installing Windows 10 as an added precaution.
(I didn’t because I’m too impatient a person and I never said I was bright. Luckily my files were fine, but that doesn’t mean everyone’s will be. There’s a lot of file transferring involved in the upgrade installation process, so there’s countless ways things could go wrong. So in the words of Prince Royce – Baby back, back, back it up.)
The day has finally come for the new, shiny Windows 10 release. While most seemed to be undaunted by the update, simmers everywhere feared for their games. We’ve been through this many times before. A new operating system has every chance to break our beloved games. And how could we survive without the ability to go back and play The Sims, even though it was released over 15 years ago? It’s aged very well, might I add. So before everyone jumped on the opportunity to download the new OS at the first chance they got, many wavered for fear of losing their games forever.
But have no fear! I’m here to confirm that every game from The Sims Complete Collection to Sims 4 and everything in between (looking at you Medieval) runs just as well on Windows 10 as they did before the update.
NOTE: The following results are from my laptop specifically. Other’s results may vary. I have, however, seen several people across the web verify they work for them as well.
I assume it’s safe to say if the games work on your computer now, they’ll work the same after you install Windows 10 as well. Possibly even better than before.
Below is some information specific to running each series.
The Sims Complete Collection
Please be aware users have had difficult times installing The Sims games for many years now as technology continues to change and improve. Most of those issues, however, seem to stem from the original copies and not The Sims Complete Collection. The way they repackaged all of the games together for the collection must have changed the way the games install, so users have an easier and more successful time installing it compared to the individual games. Again, your results may vary depending on your rig.
One of the most common issues with The Sims, no matter what version you have, is the black box glitch. When you initially run the game in windowed mode, you’re graced with this wonderful black box that covers the game screen. It looks like below.
This box covers anything and everything on the screen, so even if you put a window over The Sims window, the black box will cover everything. The way to remove this box is to press CTRL + ALT + DEL on your keyboard. This will bring up a new window with several options. Don’t click any of them, exit the screen instead. Once you exit, the black box will be gone and you’ll see your game.
Sadly, without modding, the screen size is not adjustable and what you see is what you get. Modding is also not a perfect solution as it causes some wonky issues with the UI. Your other option is to play full screen, which also has a major con – when you get in game, you have to stay there. If you ALT + TAB to view a different window and then return to the game, it will completely freeze a few moments later and you’ll have to force close it.
So when playing The Sims, you have two choices: Play in the small windowed mode, or play full screen and make sure you never switch tabs.
The Sims 2
The only issue I faced with Sims 2 Ultimate Collection on Windows 10 was that it reverted my custom GraphicsRules file, so I ran into the same graphics issues many people suffered on Windows 8.1. This was a quick fix as all I needed to do was remake the custom file using a program specifically built for that. It can be found HERE.
After reinstating that custom file, everything was smooth sailing. The game actually runs faster now than it did in Windows 8.1.
The Sims 3, The Sims Medieval,
The Sims 4
Windows 10 doesn’t change anything about these games or what you need to do to play them flawlessly. They all more recent releases, so they play nicely with updated tech. If you run into any issues trying to play any of these, it’s most likely not a Windows 10 specific issue.
As usual, your results may vary, but like Sims 2, these games actually run faster and smoother for me on Windows 10 than they did on Windows 8.1.
I hope this has eased some of your uneasiness in deciding whether or not Windows 10 is for you.
