Game Help:Installing TS3 Sims

Sim files for The Sims 3 work a little bit differently than those for The Sims 2. Read below on how to get them into your game.

Summary

• Download the sim file.
• File in zip or rar format?
  • Extract from the zip or rar.
  • Place the .sim file in your My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\SavedSims\ folder.
• File in sims3pack format?
  • Double-click .sims3pack file to install.
  • If you have multiple .sims3pack files to install, place them in My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Downloads\, and then start Launcher. You'll find them in the Downloads tab.

Detailed Instructions

Don't understand based on the summary? Here's the "for dummies" steps:

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Step 1 - Get a ZIP/RAR Extractor

First, you will need a program that can extract from both ZIP and RAR files.

Windows

We recommend WinRAR, which is "nagware". That means that you can use it for free for a period of 45 days, and after that you can continue using it free - it just nags you to pay for it, but you don't have to pay anything to use it. Download the installer and run it.

OS X

Zip/unzip functionality is already built into OS X (right-click and select "Open"). The free utilities StuffIt Expander and The Unarchiver handle most any archive type. For .rar files in particular, you can also use UnRarX, a simple and efficient freeware tool.

Then, once your preferred de-archiving application is installed...

Step 2 - Download the Sim File

• Click on the sim file link. Save the file to somewhere you can locate it easily - your computer's Desktop is the easiest.

Step 3 - Extract the Sim File

Once the file has finished downloading...

• Go to where you saved it (like your computer's Desktop).

Windows

If you got WinRAR, you should be able to just right-click on the file and choose Extract Here. Then you should have a new file below the RAR.

OS X

On OS X, double-clicking on an archive will extract its contents in the same location.

Step 4 - Identify File Type

Now, you need to know what type of file you have. The easiest way to do this in Windows is to right-click on the file and choose Properties. On the window that pops up, it will say "Type of file:" and then some text after that. For sims, there are two options on file types they might be: SIM files or SIMS3PACK files.

Step 5 - Install the Sim File

If you have a SIM file

If the file you got in step 4 is a SIM file type...

• Right-click on the SIM file and choose Cut.
• Then click on Start - My Computer.
• Navigate to My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\SavedSims
• Right-click in an empty space in the SavedSims folder and choose Paste. The SIM file should appear there.
• If you do not have a SavedSims folder, make one in the above directory.

If you have a SIMS3PACK file

• Double-click on the SIMS3PACK file. The game's launcher will load, and you will be able to install the sim to your game.
• After installing, you can safely delete the sims3pack file.

Step 6 - Play!

Hopefully, the above steps should have worked just fine, and you can go ahead and play with your new sim in-game! You will find your sim in Create a Sim, in the premade sims bin.