Will I be able to transfer all my Sims 4 DLCs to Steam from Origin??? [ Edited ]

[lihhital]

@puzzlezaddict   Hello! I bought the Sims 4 on Steam at first and with the Steam version I can only play the game on Windows. Now I wanna play the game on Mac but since the Mac version is only available on Origin, what should I do now? I tried to buy the game again on Origin but it keeps saying that I already own it in my Origin library but it is the Steam Windows-only version that is on there.

Also if I did manage to get a Mac version, will my previous data and DLCs on Steam be erased? Will I have to start over with my game? 

[puzzlezaddict]

@lihhital  You won't be able to use any of your Steam-owned content in macOS.  So it's probably easiest to just create a new Origin account and buying whatever you'd like to play on your Mac.  I mean, you could also buy codes for all the Sims 4 content you want elsewhere and register everything in Origin, but that could be more expensive than buying directly from Origin.

If this Mac has an Intel processor, you could instead partition the drive and install Windows on one side.  This is known as Bootcamping, and the idea is that you boot into the OS you want to use and run it natively either way, with no performance hit from virtualization.  A standalone Windows 10 license is probably cheaper than rebuying all your Sims 4 content anyway, especially if you find an older version on Amazon—since you only need the product key, you don't care if the install medium is from c. 2017.  Bootcamp is not available on M1 Macs though.

Your saves and other user data can be transferred between installs, accounts, or computers, so all of that should be fine no matter what you do as long as you use the same packs for the saves.  Trying to load a save without a pack present that the save formerly used could corrupt the save, or it might not load at all.

By the way, is there a reason you want to play on a Mac now?  Depending on the hardware of the Mac and Windows PC in question, you might be better off, in terms of performance, just sticking with Windows.

[lihhital]

@puzzlezaddict     Thank you so much for your answer!

The reason why I want to play it on a Mac is that my main computer is a Mac, and this whole time I've been just playing the game on another computer that is not 100% mine. I didn't know that you can play the Sims 4 on a Mac when I bought the game on Steam (should've just done some research first and bought it on Origin in the first place lol), but luckily, I only bought the digital deluxe (kind of like base game) and haven't bought any extra stuff yet, and it was on sale, so it was not too expensive. And also, there's a sale in Origin for now as well, so I thought it would be a good chance to switch over. 

I also thought about unlinking my Steam account from my EA account, buying another copy on Origin and then linking the Steam account back. Hopefully in that way I will have the game on both platforms. Would that work? Would the content be in sync (since I'm only buying the digital deluxe as well)? 

[puzzlezaddict]

@lihhital  Unlinking and relinking your Steam account probably wouldn't work.  There's apparently a long waiting period (maybe six months?) to link another account, and I would guess it would apply to linking the same one again.  So you'll need another approach.

It's possible you'll find the game on sale from some other digital retailer, in which case you could simply buy the product code and register it within Origin.  Here's a list of authorized vendors:

https://help.ea.com/en/help/faq/where-to-buy-ea-games-v2/

Or you could create a new Origin account, buy Sims 4 in it, and then have it merged with your current account.  This is a bit of a pain, as you need to go through EA customer support, but you'd get a copy of the game right now at the current sale price.

Or, I guess, you could ask EA customer support to remove Sims 4 from your Origin account so you can buy a new copy.  This might be the easiest approach of all, but it also requires explaining the situation to a support rep.

Regardless of how you approach this, you'll be able to use your saves and other user content on your Mac.  You do need to transfer the files manually—they aren't stored on EA servers—but that's as simple as moving any other files from one computer to another.

[meryemyavuz]

@puzzlezaddict Will I be able to play my already existing game on Origin or will I have to install Sims 4 and all the DLC packs all over again through Steam? Also, can I add my Origin DLC's to my Steam Sims 4 game?

[puzzlezaddict]

@meryemyavuz  If you want to play the Steam version of Sims 4 or use any Steam-bought packs, you'll need to uninstall the Origin version and install from Steam.  Once you do that, you can login to Origin and download your Origin-owned packs.

If you're uninstalling, be sure to put aside the Sims 4 folder in Documents > Electronic Arts first.  This folder shouldn't get deleted during an uninstall, but it does happen sometimes.  And since it contains all your saves and other user content, you won't want to lose it.

[littlemerg]

Do you know if this works if you only bought the game and DLC packs in Origin, and want to buy more DLC in Steam? Will they still run together, or will I have to buy the Sims 4 again, but on Steam this time?

Also- how do you link your Origin account to your Steam account?

[puzzlezaddict]

@littlemerg  You need to buy the Sims 4 base game in Steam before you can buy any packs in Steam.  At $5 U.S., this isn't a big deal, but it doesn't seem worth the hassle given that packs are on sale for the same price in Origin as in Steam.  Plus, you'd still need to run Origin in the background while you played.

The first time you launch an EA game in Steam, or at least one that requires Origin to also be running, you'll be prompted to link your accounts.  You can also go to most EA sites, for example ea.com (but not origin.com), click the login button, and click the Steam logo below the password field.  After entering your Steam credentials, you should be prompted to link to an Origin account.

[KristinB_0407]

i have my game on steam and some packs, could i buy packs on origin and have them work with steam?

[puzzlezaddict]

@KristinB_0407  Yes, if you buy packs through Origin, you'll be able to install them into your current Steam-installed game without doing anything special.