How to Play The Sims 3 in Linux
Wine has come a long way in the last few years, making it fairly simple to install many popular Windows games on Linux. Cedega and PlayOnLinux have made it even easier by providing GUI assistance and management of your games. One game series, however, has proven to be consistently difficult to get working, and that’s The Sims. With its copy protection, hefty system requirements, and extensive dependencies, The Sims 3 is the most difficult of all. If you’ve been struggling to get this game up and running in Linux, look no further.
Note: This is NOT a guide on how to pirate The Sims. You will still need a working install DVD and license key.
PlayOnLinux
Of the multiple approaches to running Windows software on Linux, PlayOnLinux is without a doubt the best choice for Sims 3. This is not because it’s any more “capable’ of running the program, but because PlayOnLinux provides an install script specifically for this game which makes the process FAR simpler than it would be on Cedega or Wine alone.
I recommend that you do not use the PlayOnLinux package provided by your distribution. In testing for this article, I found the pre-packaged versions to be much less functional and reliable than those provided by the PlayOnLinux website. They have up-to-date packages for nearly every major distribution available here.
Beginning Installation
When ready, click the Install button at the top of the PlayOnLinux window. You’ll be given a list of known applications, and you’ll find The Sims 3 near the bottom on the Games section. When selected, you’ll get a bit of additional information about the game and its compatibility.
For the record, I believe they are incorrect about Shop Mode not working, as I had no trouble building and furnishing a house.
When ready to begin, click Apply.
A Note About Prefixes
PlayOnLinux uses prefixes to isolate game installations. When you install a game such as The Sims, you get the equivalent of a new instance of Windows for that game. If you then install a different game such as Spore, PlayOnLinux will create a NEW instance of Windows (a new prefix) for Spore to run. This prevents your files and settings for one game from interfering with another.
Dependencies
This is where PlayOnLinux really shines for Sims 3. On plain Wine or Cedega, you’d have to manually install several packages into your prefix before you can even begin the actual Sims install. Fortunately for us, PlayOnLinux takes care of all that. Before Sims begins, you’ll be prompted to install packages such as Gecko, the Microsoft C++ Runtime Library, and Mono. Allow each of these to complete before moving forward to the next step.
You’ll be given a choice as to whether you’d like to install through the DVD or the downloaded package. Either should work with PlayOnLinux, but the remainder of this guide will be using the DVD edition.
Sims Install
When the dependencies have completed, you’ll be asked to insert your media. CD/DVD drives should be detected automatically, but if you have trouble, you can specify a location by choosing Other. Pick the drive and move to the next step.
STOP. At this point it should have launched the Sims 3 Installer from your DVD. If that didn’t happen, go back and verify that you’ve selected the proper location of your installer.
If you DID get the Sims installer, then proceed exactly as you would in Windows.
If asked about the Download Manager, I’d recommend that you not install it. While it’s possible it may work on your setup, it has caused nothing but trouble on the tests I’ve done. Game patches can be applied manually (discussed in more detail at the end of this guide).
When the Sims 3 Installer window is finished and closed, proceed to the next PlayOnLinux screen. You’ll be asked a little bit of basic information about your video card and if you’d like to create shortcuts.
Important – Before You Play
In the opening paragraph, I hinted that one of the problems with getting Sims 3 to run was because of the copy protection. In order to work around this problem you’ve got to replace the “TS3.exe” file with one that does not contain this copy protection. Unfortunately MakeTechEasier cannot provide such “cracks” or even links to them. You should have no problem obtaining more information from big brother G.
For Sims 3 to run, you’ll have to find a modified TS3.exe on your own, and use it to replace the one in your Sims 3 installation. This will likely be found in “
/.PlayOnLinux/wineprefix/TheSims3/drive_c/Program Files/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/Game/Bin“.
Once that’s done, you’re ready to play!
Extra – Getting Updates
Earlier I recommended that you skip installing the EA Download Manager. This leaves us with no updates to the game, and Sims 3 is certainly not without its glitches. Fortunately PlayOnLinux has a Patches category which includes a script to install Sims 3 updates manually.
Josh Price is a senior MakeTechEasier writer and owner of Rain Dog Software
How to play The Sims 3 on Linux
The Sims 3 is the third entry into Electronic Art’s life simulation video game for PC. In the game, the player is tasked with managing a virtual house, filled with various house-members they’ve created. The game came out in November 2006 and is one of the best games in the series. Here’s how to play The Sims 3 on Linux!
Method 1: Non-Steam retail
The Sims 3 was released when PC games were still sold in boxes at brick-and-mortar stores. So, if you own a physical copy of this game, you’ll be happy to know that it is possible to install it and run it on Linux.
Note: the retail copy of Sims 3 runs pretty well with Wine. However, you may run into issues getting the DVD to launch the game. If this happens, you must install a No-DVD patch to run the game correctly. Check the official WineHQ post on Sims 3 for more help on running the DVD.
Installing Sims 3 on Linux via the physical retail version of the game starts by getting the latest version of Wine working on your system. To get the most recent Wine, open up a terminal window, search for “wine” and install it the way you typically install software on your PC. Alternatively, follow our guide here to learn how to set it up.
Once Wine is up and running on your Linux PC, it’s time to start the installation of the retail version of Sims 3. Follow the step-by-step instructions below to get everything going correctly.
Step 1: Open up the DVD drive on your Linux PC and place a copy of Sims 3 inside the drive. Then, press the “close” button to tell the DVD drive to read the disk.
Step 2: Let your Linux PC process the Sims 3 DVD and load it up. When the loading is done, open up the Linux file manager, and look on the left-hand side for the DVD drive. Click on it to access the content of the Sims 3 DVD.
Step 3: In the file manager, locate the “Sims3Setup.exe” file, and right-click on it. Find “open with” select it and click on “Wine Windows Program Loader” to run the EXE file.
Note: can’t find Sims3Setup.exe? You may need to enable hidden files in your file manager.
Step 4: Follow the Windows installer and install Sims 3 on your Linux PC the way you would on a Windows PC. When the installation is done, close the installer.
After the installation process is complete, open up your application menu, find “Sims 3,” and start it up to enjoy the game!
Method 2: Steam/Proton
Valve’s work with SteamPlay and Proton is a wonder, as it is making most Windows video games work flawlessly on the Linux platform. The Sims 3 is no different, as the game has a high rating on ProtonDB, and is very easy to get running.
Steam has had the Sims 3 available for purchase for a while, and if you’re unable to track down a retail copy of the game, or don’t own a DVD drive to install the retail copy, this is the only way to enjoy Sims 3 on your Linux operating system.
To start the installation process, ensure that the most recent version of Steam for Linux is installed on your computer. If you’re unsure on how to install Steam, head over to Pkgs.org, and click on “Steam” for the Linux OS, you use to get the app installed.
Once you’ve installed the latest version of Steam for Linux, follow the step-by-step instructions below to get The Sims 3 working.
Step 1: Sims 3 is a Windows video game, so you must enable the SteamPlay feature. To do this, follow our guide on how to set up SteamPlay. Be sure to enable it for all titles!
Step 2: Launch Steam on your Linux PC, and log into your account. After logging in, find “Store” in the main UI, and click on it to go to the Steam Storefront.
Step 3: On the Steam Storefront, find the search box, and click on it. Then, type in “The Sims 3” into it, and press Enter to run a search for the game in Steam.
Step 4: Click on “The Sims 3” in the search results to go to its store page. After that, find the “Add to cart” button and purchase it to add it to your library. Currently, the game is 19.99 USD.
Step 5: After purchasing The Sims 3 on Steam, click on “Library” to go back to your game library. Look for “The Sims 3” in your list of games, and select it with the mouse.
Choose the blue “Install” button to download and install The Sims 3 on Linux. When the installation is complete, click “Play” to enjoy the game!
Trouble-shooting
The Sims 3 should work fine through Proton and SteamPlay on Linux. That said, if you run into any issues, be sure to refer to the game’s ProtonDB page.