Many general Z audiences are looking for ways about how to make SIMS 4 game run faster on laptops.
If you are also a SIMS 4 player, you probably know how frustrating it can be to pause the game and keep fixing the laptop speed.
But how do you make SIMS 4 run faster on a laptop? How to fix SIMS 4 running slow on PC? This article will give you 5 proven ways to solve this problem and get back to playing SIMS 4!
Let’s get started!
Before we talk about the possible ways to increase your laptop performance to run SIMS 4 games, we need to make sure your laptop meets the minimum requirements needed to run SIMS 4 games.
The following table tells you about the minimum system requirements to play the SIMS 4 game:
Minimum System Requirements for SIMS 4
- OS: Windows 64-bit and must be at least Windows 7
- CPU: Intel Core Intel Core i5 or AMD Athlon – make sure the processor’s speed is at least 1.8 or 2GHz.
- RAM Memory: At least 4GB
- Hard Disk: At least 15 GB of free space (game files size is about 16GB after installation). If you want to install the game with all expansion packs, custom contents, and other configurations, it will require another 1 GB of space.
- You would also need 128 MB of dedicated video memory and a powerful Graphics processor.
- You might also need 3.0 both, Pixel and Vertex Shader but that’s not a must since we will focus more on our proven ways to bring back the smile on your face.
So, you have the list. Now check the above table and move to the first step.
1. Change Power Setting
The first thing we can do is to change your power settings. The process is very simple. Just right-click on the Windows taskbar and select “power options”.
Then you will see a new window with different options of power plants for a laptop battery or plugged in. Simply choose the one that suits you best – Balanced (recommended) or Power Saver.
Then go to your laptop’s Control Panel -> Laptop or Computer -> Power Options-> Change Plan Settings -> Choose your current plan, then click on “Change Advanced power settings”.
Go under Processor Scheduling and set it for Background Services instead of Programs. It will run one program at a time that is compatible with the SIMS 4 game.
Lastly, you need to change the settings for your laptop’s graphics card. How? Just go under Display and set it from “On Battery” to “Maximize Power Savings”.
2. Update the Graphics Driver
The next way is to update your graphic driver. You need to understand the more the outdated your graphic driver, the more lagging you will face.
Here is how you can make SIMS 4 less laggy on your laptop.
This is the step by step instruction to update your graphics driver:
- Go to your laptop manufacturer’s website and download the correct version of the graphic driver compatible with SIMS 4.
- After you downloaded it, go to Device Manager (Right Click on Windows Start Button -> Select Device Manager) then find your graphics card under Display Adapters. Right-click on Intel Graphic Card -> Update or Install Driver Software -> Search for updates ->
- Browse my computer for driver software -> Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer -> Show All Devices (if you don’t see it then select “Have Disk” -> Browse and find the driver you downloaded, usually it’s in your Downloads folder).
- After updating the graphics card driver, restart your computer.
3. Lower Graphics Settings
The next way is the simplest. Just open the SIMS 4 game and go to Video settings -> Graphics.
Then change your graphics quality from Ultra High or Highest with all effects to Low with few effects.
This will make the SIMS game run faster on the laptop and you can play without any lag or frame drops.
4. Perform a Custom Content Test:
The next step is to perform a custom content test. Just right-click on the Sims shortcut -> Open file location.
Then go to Electronic Arts > The Sims four > TSData and then open the Tray folder. You will find a .package file inside it with random Letters & Numbers names, delete that one from your laptop.
If you can’t see any files here, make sure Show hidden files and folders are enabled in your Windows settings.
Go to the Control Panel -> Folder Options and open the View tab.
Then untick “Hide protected operating system files” (make sure it’s unticked) and click on OK.
Now you’ll be able to see the Tray Folder in your Electronic Arts directory which contains all custom contents for the SIMS 4 game.
After removing the file, restart your computer and open the game again. How? Just double-click on a shortcut or launch it from your desktop.
5. Repair Your Game
Still not able to resume your game. No worries. This method will surely work as it has done for me.
- You need to repair your game. Just open Origin and go to My Games -> More options (top right) Repair Game or Check for Updates.
- Clean Up Your Computer: Just open your Windows Disk Cleanup (Right Click on My Computer -> Properties -> More Options) and select “Temporary files” under the Files to delete the section.
- Also, you can clean up your Downloads folder from time to time, which is usually full of unnecessary data like temporary internet files, broken downloads, etc.
Pro Tips about How to Make SIMS 4 Game Run Faster on Laptop:
Since you are here, also keep these points to better optimize your laptop. Here are a few more tips to run SIMS 4 smoothly to enjoy streaming.
- Reduce or turn off any unnecessary tasks, such as antivirus software and other programs that run in the background
- Close all other open applications before running the game
- Ensure your laptop’s cooling system is working properly by cleaning out dust from vents and fans with a vacuum cleaner or compressed air canister
- If possible, switch from a wireless connection to a wired one
- Delete any other unnecessary programs that are running in the background
- Close any tabs or windows that you’re not using (including social media sites)
- Check how much RAM and storage space you have left on your laptop and see if there’s anything you can do about freeing up more memory for gaming by deleting unused files or uninstalling programs like antivirus software, which may interfere with gameplay
- If there is a lot of clutter on your desktop, organize it so that it’s easier to find things quickly
- Make sure Windows isn’t throttling performance because of power management settings—simply go to Power Options > Choose what closing the lid does and set it to Do nothing.
Final Thoughts
Running Sims 4 on your laptop is not always an easy feat. With these 5 proven ways, you can get more performance out of your system and run the game faster.
Though this game is very popular among the general Z audience, everyone is able to enjoy it to the fullest as many of them keep searching why is sim 4 so slow on my laptop or why is sim 4 so glitchy. But now you know the secret!
So, enjoy streaming and if the article helped you resume your gaming, let me know in the comments below!