Sims 3 content not syncing with Origin

[Valnatron]

I currently own a lot of Sims 3 content, including the base game, all of the expansion packs, most of the stuff packs and a ton of content only offered for purchase on the Sims 3 website.  My Sims 3 account is linked to my Origin account, however for some reason some of the expansion packs are not showing in Origin as being owned but rather available for purchase.  How do I resync my Sims 3 account with Origin so it knows I all ready have those games?

Additionally, will the content I bought on the Sims 3 website, which is still listed as "downloadable" be included when I install the game through Origin?  Or would it be better to simply install the game with the disks, as I have hard copies of all of the purchased content?

~ Valnatron

[puzzlezaddict]

@Valnatron  Store content works, or should work, with any kind of (legit) Sims 3 install, so discs, Steam, Origin, and Windows or macOS.  But anything available through the store needs to be downloaded separately from the store, not from Origin.

Normally, I'd say go ahead and contact EA customer support to get your accounts merged.  However, there are a few reasons to hold off.  First is that the account that disappears in the merge will likely not transfer its store content to the new account; this kind of content isn't included in merges.  Second is that the wait time for EA customer support is extremely long right now, given the combination of reduced hours and all the people stuck at home with nothing to do.

The other issue is that account merges occasionally result in a game that won't open from Origin.  The cause is that the base game code is blocked or doesn't properly transfer.  This only happens to a minority of people, but it does happen, and then the only recourse is to have support fix it.  So that would mean waiting in line again... and to make things worse, not all support reps will acknowledge that this is even possibly an issue.  You might end up having to try a number of times over the course of several days.

If you do still want your accounts merged, EA support is currently available for live chat and email only, from 9 am to midnight UTC.

https://help.ea.com/en/contact-us/

In your position though, I'd go with a disc-only install if at all possible.  If you'd like instructions on how to do this, let me know, but the short answer is install while offline, and don't accept the EA Download Manager's offer to manage the install process—it will try to patch itself to a full version of Origin, which will then try to patch your Sims 3 install to the Origin-controlled version.

[Valnatron]

Thanks.  Most of the content show up with the "download" option in Origin but there are a few packs and two expansions that show "buy for 19.99"   My Sims 3 account is still up and available, so I think I will look at my Origin settings and see what I can do before calling EA.  Thanks again!