Sims 3 64 bit - Launcher won't run the game

[Alicewilks1992]

Hi Everyone!

I am not technically minded at all so I could be doing something completely wrong but I can't for the life of me figure out what. 

I am trying to run Sims 3 on Origin (as it stopped working when I updated my MacBook) and since the 64bit became available to download. However, after downloading and opening the game launcher none of my downloads are on the bottom row (that indicate what games are installed) and when I click on the play button it come up with an error - picture attached. 

I have tried uninstalling everything and re-installing it, updating and repairing the game in origin but none of that is working, can anyone shed any light on what I can do? 

Thank you  

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@Alicewilks1992  Your OS won't authenticate Sims 3 discs, so you'll at least need to install your newest pack through Origin, whichever that happens to be at the time.  I think you may still be able to install through discs, it's just that you'd get a disc authentication failure at the Main Menu.  Installing the newest pack through Origin and running the digital download version of the Super Patch fixes that however.

Anyway, the best approach would be to uninstall the 64-bit version (right-click on the game icon in your Origin library and select Uninstall), run the Origin reset tool for macOS, and restart your computer.

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/origin/origin/how-to-reset-origin-on-mac/

Please also make sure you don't have any leftover files from the 32-bit version.  You can check with this guide to doing a clean uninstall:

https://bluebellflora.com/how-to-do-a-clean-uninstall-and-reinstall-on-a-mac/

In your position, I'd just go straight to installing through Origin, but you don't necessarily need to do that.  It's still better to install the base game through Origin though, so you can make sure it's working.  Once you've installed it, run the Super Patch (again, the digital download version, not the version for one of the regions) to manually patch to 1.67.

https://bluebellflora.com/sims-3-manual-super-patch-for-mac-1-67/

Launch the game to make sure it works.  Then install Late Night, and create an alias (icon) for it in Applications > The Sims 3:

https://bluebellflora.com/sims-3-packs-not-showing-as-installed/

Launch Late Night, so it patches.  At least it should patch, but it's not a huge deal if it doesn't.  Please do make sure the game still works though.  Then install Into the Future, and apply the workaround in this video to copy a folder from Late Night into a folder for ITF:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-Mac/CURRENT-ISSUE-Sims-3-Unknown-Error-in-El-Capitan-and-...

Launch Sims 3 again to test, and if everything works, you can start installing the rest of your packs.  I'd still go one at a time, testing after each one, so you find out right away if there's a problem.  If you do get an unknown error or something else, please let me know.

[puzzlezaddict]

@Alicewilks1992  Your Mac doesn't support Metal, so it also doesn't support the 64-bit version of Sims 3, unfortunately.  You'll need to uninstall that version and install the old 32-bit version if you want to play.

There's no reason the old version of Sims 3 shouldn't run, or at least open, on your Mac.  If you'd like help getting it working again, please let me know which packs you'd want to install—some of them need a bit of extra help, but the workarounds aren't overly complicated.

[Alicewilks1992]

Oh!

I'm so sorry, I must have read the wrong information online before when it stopped working before - (it said my error code was due to the 32 bit no longer being supported on Mac)

I will try uninstalling it all and re-downloading the 32 bit version again, some of my packs at disc version and some are origin will this make a difference? 

Disc - 

Sims 3 deluxe 

University 

Late night

Pets 

Supernatural 

Origin - 

Generations 

into the future 

Island paradise

Seasons

(and I should have world adventures - but this isn't showing at the moment)

Thank you so much for your help!  

[Alicewilks1992]

@puzzlezaddict I tried to re-download the 32bit Sims 3 and it comes up with a box saying it is not optimised for my Mac and when I click on learn more it takes me to a page from apple that advises me to check to see if the developer has a 64 bit version available. I can't update my MacBook any further than High Sierra due to the age of it - do you know of any way I can get on either of the versions? (I attached photos incase you needed them)

[#6]

@puzzlezaddict I tried to re-download the 32bit Sims 3 and it comes up with a box saying it is not optimised for my Mac and when I click on learn more it takes me to a page from apple that advises me to check to see if the developer has a 64 bit version available. I can't update my MacBook any further than High Sierra due to the age of it - do you know of any way I can get on either of the versions? (I attached photos incase you needed them)

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@Alicewilks1992  Your OS won't authenticate Sims 3 discs, so you'll at least need to install your newest pack through Origin, whichever that happens to be at the time.  I think you may still be able to install through discs, it's just that you'd get a disc authentication failure at the Main Menu.  Installing the newest pack through Origin and running the digital download version of the Super Patch fixes that however.

Anyway, the best approach would be to uninstall the 64-bit version (right-click on the game icon in your Origin library and select Uninstall), run the Origin reset tool for macOS, and restart your computer.

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/origin/origin/how-to-reset-origin-on-mac/

Please also make sure you don't have any leftover files from the 32-bit version.  You can check with this guide to doing a clean uninstall:

https://bluebellflora.com/how-to-do-a-clean-uninstall-and-reinstall-on-a-mac/

In your position, I'd just go straight to installing through Origin, but you don't necessarily need to do that.  It's still better to install the base game through Origin though, so you can make sure it's working.  Once you've installed it, run the Super Patch (again, the digital download version, not the version for one of the regions) to manually patch to 1.67.

https://bluebellflora.com/sims-3-manual-super-patch-for-mac-1-67/

Launch the game to make sure it works.  Then install Late Night, and create an alias (icon) for it in Applications > The Sims 3:

https://bluebellflora.com/sims-3-packs-not-showing-as-installed/

Launch Late Night, so it patches.  At least it should patch, but it's not a huge deal if it doesn't.  Please do make sure the game still works though.  Then install Into the Future, and apply the workaround in this video to copy a folder from Late Night into a folder for ITF:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-Mac/CURRENT-ISSUE-Sims-3-Unknown-Error-in-El-Capitan-and-...

Launch Sims 3 again to test, and if everything works, you can start installing the rest of your packs.  I'd still go one at a time, testing after each one, so you find out right away if there's a problem.  If you do get an unknown error or something else, please let me know.

[Alicewilks1992]

@puzzlezaddict - Thank you so much! it all seems to load up fine and I don't get any error messages, I haven't done any game play yet as it took quite a while to get them all re-installed, but i'll have a go tomorrow and pop back if I have any further issues. Thank you again! 

[Sakinana]

Hi,i downloaded the sims 3 64 but version on my mac and after only playing for a day the game no longer wants to launch it just keeps not responding and then i have to force quit? 

[Sakinana]

okay so apparently it was my custom content? but i took out the mods folder so i guess it’s a world or a sim affecting my game but i don’t wanna have to take my saved sim out because she’s one of my sims 😭

[Sakinana]

figured out it was my saved sims folder? 😭😭😭😬😬because it manually i guess not sure?

[puzzlezaddict]

@Sakinana  You can try adding one file at a time back into SavedSims and see whether you can narrow things down.