EA’s Legacy Collections bring the original The Sims and The Sims 2, along with their listed add-ons, to modern Windows PCs. They are separate purchases, or you can get both in the 25th Birthday Bundle. Before choosing, check the included content, your PC’s graphics compatibility, and whether you need to move old saves or use mods.
What’s included in each Legacy Collection?
The collections package the original games with different sets of expansion and stuff packs. EA also lists a The Sims 4 kit bonus for each; those kits are separate from the older games’ included content.
The Sims: Legacy Collection
EA lists the original The Sims and seven packs:
- Livin’ Large
- House Party
- Hot Date
- Vacation
- Unleashed
- Superstar
- Makin’ Magic
EA Help also lists The Sims 4: Throwback Fit Kit as a bonus. See EA’s The Sims: Legacy Collection store page and requirements and compatibility help.
The Sims 2: Legacy Collection
This collection includes The Sims 2, eight expansion packs and nine stuff or holiday packs.
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- Expansion packs: University, Nightlife, Open for Business, Pets, Bon Voyage, Seasons, FreeTime and Apartment Life.
- Stuff and holiday packs: Holiday Party Pack, Family Fun Stuff, Glamour Life Stuff, Happy Holiday Stuff, Celebration! Stuff, H&M Fashion Stuff, Teen Style Stuff, Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff and Mansion & Garden Stuff.
EA Help additionally lists The Sims 4: Grunge Revival Kit as a bonus. Check EA’s The Sims 2: Legacy Collection store page and requirements and compatibility help for details.
Where can you buy them, and what do they cost?
EA announced worldwide availability through the EA app, Epic Games Store and Steam beginning January 31, 2025. The EA store pages link to those storefronts. EA’s Sims 1 page also specifies an internet connection, EA Account, EA app installation and registration; check the requirements for the storefront you choose.
At launch, Electronic Arts announced US prices of $19.99 for The Sims: Legacy Collection, $29.99 for The Sims 2: Legacy Collection and $39.99 for the 25th Birthday Bundle. Those are launch-era prices announced in 2025, not a statement of today’s prices. The bundle contains both collections; compare your regional storefront’s current price and sale status, and account for any collection you already own. See EA’s 25th birthday announcement.
Will your PC run the Legacy Collections?
EA’s Help pages list the same minimum requirements for both collections. These are published minimums, not a performance benchmark or a guarantee that every PC configuration will work without issues.
| Requirement | Both collections |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 10 |
| Processor | Intel i3 3220, AMD Ryzen 3 1200 or AMD FX6300 |
| Memory | 4 GB RAM |
| Storage | 16 GB available disk space |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GTX 600-series, AMD Radeon HD 7000-series or Intel HD Graphics 620-series |
EA describes the rereleases as intended for Windows 10/11, while its Help pages specify Windows 10 as the minimum OS. Check the current requirements and your GPU model and driver before buying, especially if your hardware is near the listed minimum.
The Sims 1 requires Vulkan support
In its February 27, 2025 patch notes, EA stated that The Sims requires a Vulkan-compatible GPU. A GPU that appears to meet the listed graphics family is not enough to establish Vulkan compatibility for a particular PC; confirm support for your exact graphics hardware and driver. EA’s February 27, 2025 patch notes provide the dated compatibility notice.
EA reported Intel Arc concerns for The Sims 2
The same February 2025 notes describe recurring reported issues with The Sims 2 on Intel Arc systems, relating them to the DirectX 9 support path. This is a dated EA-reported concern, not proof that every Intel Arc configuration is currently incompatible. Check EA’s current support guidance and your driver situation before relying on that hardware.
What changed for modern PCs—and what did not?
EA says the rereleases preserve the original games’ gameplay and graphics while adding changes for modern computers. For The Sims, EA lists Vulkan graphics support, widescreen support and higher-quality textures. For The Sims 2, EA lists DirectX 9.c and says selected legacy and community-reported bugs were fixed, including black shadow boxes and pink-rendering problems.
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These are modernized releases, not full remakes. EA notes that bugs posing a major risk when fixed were not necessarily addressed, so the listed improvements should not be read as a promise that every old issue is gone or that every system will run flawlessly.
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Will old Sims 1 or Sims 2 saves work?
EA says uncorrupted saves from both original games can be imported into the corresponding Legacy Collection. The save locations have changed, so migration requires copying the files to the new locations; simply installing the rerelease does not put them there automatically. Back up the original save folders before moving anything.
EA warns that corrupted saves can lead to missing content, malfunction or crashes. If you encounter problems, start troubleshooting with a clean backup rather than overwriting the only copy of a save. See EA’s Sims save-file guidance and Sims 2 save-file guidance.
Do mods work with the Legacy Collections?
Maxis has not tested or supported mods for either rerelease. That does not establish that all mods fail; it means compatibility is not guaranteed by the developer. Mod creators are responsible for confirming whether their work functions with the Legacy Collection version. If you use mods, keep separate backups of saves and mod files so you can remove them when diagnosing a problem.
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How to choose between the editions
Choose based on the game you want to revisit and the practical constraints that matter on your PC:
- Pick The Sims: Legacy Collection for the original game and its seven listed packs, after verifying Vulkan support for your GPU.
- Pick The Sims 2: Legacy Collection for its base game, eight expansions and nine stuff or holiday packs; check EA’s dated Intel Arc notice if that applies to your system.
- Choose the 25th Birthday Bundle if you want both collections and its current price makes sense compared with buying either one separately.
- Check your saves and mods first if you are returning to an existing installation; migration takes a manual file copy, and mod compatibility is not officially supported.
- Compare your storefront’s live regional price rather than relying on the 2025 launch prices.
For installation errors or other Sims 2 problems, EA recommends checking requirements, updating graphics and audio drivers, confirming available storage and, during troubleshooting, removing old Sims files. Its help page also documents resolution, windowed-mode, sound and language launch options; these are support suggestions, not guaranteed fixes for every computer. See EA’s Sims 2 troubleshooting guide.
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