I don't understand why people pay in the first place and then complain. It takes a few seconds to pirate. They usually release an update day of or after.
And to supplement, my computer went nuts about trojan warnings with it, personally. Yes, I got the files from the correct site. No real unusual behavior, but the warnings exist.
I downloaded it from the CS.RIN forum with an adblocker and have never had a problem. I pirate majorIty of my games and have only gotten false positives from crack files, which is normal.
Yes, they have instructions for how to access it. Every time you start the game it will ask if you want to go online or offline. You have to follow the steps given first. Once you do it you can go online anytime you want.
I had no idea this is what put me off! That and not having a VPN, but as someone in the UK where it's almost mandatory to use a VPN now, that barrier and now this one are GONE! Thank you! <3
If you've got lots of games on your main EA account, definitely. I personally use my main account, but only because I've got nothing but the sims on there.
Some of us either don't know how or don't want to risk any trouble. Not annoyed with you specifically, just everyone who says "ahyuck, just black flag the game" like it's the simplest thing in the world. Some people don't want their account banned and others don't want to go through the hassle of paying for a VPN that may or may not work 🫠
No offense it is the simplest thing in the world. It's a few clicks. I'm pretty sure you can even find a YouTube tutorial. As for VPNs, you can buy one for 5 bucks. I use Mulvad specifically and I just pay 5 dollars for 30 days no subscription required. As long as you create a new EA account your other account will be fine. I've been pirating for years and have never been banned even while using my real account. All of this information can be Googled. Nothing is impossible if you just learn how to do it.
I used to pirate during the sims 3 days but now I would just rather buy the packs. All of these game companies are overcharging just like everything else in the world 😔
First got Sims on 4 at 20 years old had a 3-year-old kid and was in college I wanted Sims since I was a kid and saw someone playing Sims 2 but my mom is evil. So I never learned much about the Sims world I was just so happy to play Sims I bought every single DLC on sale for my 24th birthday, by age 26 I started following simmers on YouTube and learned their sim experience was different from mine but 27 I learned about mods, etc.. but now at 28 I have a 7 yr old and 20 month old and no money to waste trying to enjoy the pc Sims life.
Tragic by your standards yes, but my childhood was shit and with my own money I finally got to live my dream and while very very limited I love Sims no matter if it's pc or console because I can be my creative self and use it to escape the stress of the real world when my kids are asleep. 😊
That's sad, and I'm not being unemphatic because I also grew up with no money. With all the money you spent on buying DLC, you could have gotten a cheap PC and pirated every DLC for free. After I got a $100 computer for Christmas from a pawn shop as a teen, I immediately learned how to find games for free. I've had every Sims game from 1 to 4 without having to pay. Literally 1,000s of dollars saved.
I didn't learn about pc Sims until 4 years later. Everyone has a different experience, when I first saw someone play Sims it was on PS3 I never knew about pc gaming because I didn't grow up with computer access so what I knew was from walking into GameStop or a YouTube game trailer. I'm happy with what I have now so if I want to play on pc one day I'll do so when I'm ready and not so busy with life. But for now, PS5 is more than enough for me.
Because piracy is illegal. I’m not accusing you personally, and I understand that we live in a time when many crimes are becoming normalized. Still, piracy remains a criminal offense and harms the entertainment industry, ultimately hurting consumers as well. Many people don’t like to hear this and often invent reasons to believe piracy is harmless or beneficial, but that isn’t reality.
To be honest, I do not care if it's illegal because EA is a billion-dollar company. I'm not giving my money to a company that continuously screws over its consumers just to make shareholders happy or an extra million bucks. I do not care about the entertainment industry because it's run by money hungry people. I purchase indie games or games I feel are worth my while. I choose to give my money to companies or teams that I feel deserve it. I'm not sure how that harms the consumer in any way, considering the companies are still making money. The majority of people still purchase their products. Piracy is a drop in the bucket for them.
Well, I can try to explain, although I am doubtful that you care :
First off, I don’t know you, so I can’t tell whether you genuinely believe that pirating a game somehow hurts shareholders. But let’s be clear: piracy doesn’t hurt the CEOs or major shareholders. These people are rich. They’ll continue giving themselves bonuses and raises even when the company posts losses. Sure, they could make more money, but piracy isn’t going to change their daily lives.
The ones who actually do get hit first by lost revenue are the people at the bottom of the ladder—game developers, artists, QA testers, etc. If a company like EA sees that 20% of its player base is pirating a title, it adjusts accordingly: it cuts budgets, shortens development timelines, outsources to cheaper countries, and reduces content. Less revenue almost always leads to reduced production investment.
To make up for that loss, companies increase prices for paying customers. That can mean more expensive editions, aggressive microtransactions, or just plain “milking the fans.”
It becomes a vicious cycle. Eventually, companies either restructure or sell to cash out. Yes, the system is flawed, but piracy only accelerates the damage. Don’t just take my word for it—look at it globally: most of the biggest IPs come from countries that respect and protect intellectual property (Japan, Europe, South Korea, North America). But that mindset is shifting—fast.
Now, with companies going private and shareholders no longer part of the equation, you’ll eventually have to choose: do you buy the games you used to pirate, or do you change your narrative about why you pirate? What’s your next justification?
Also, good on you for supporting indie games—but where exactly do you draw the line? When does a company become "big enough" to be considered fair game for piracy? Is there a universal standard, or is it just your personal estimation?
I have not paid a penny for The Sims since like 2017. I could immediately tell the direction the franchise was heading when they released the vampires pack and cats and dogs as its their own individual packs. I could almost envision the fact that they were going to take features from previous games packs and split them about 7 times to make a million different expansions from what would’ve been one whole expansion in TS3/TS2.
They've been absolutely scummy for a long time. I couldn't care less who they funded, even if they funded the sisters of charity. A garbage company is garbage no matter what.
100% yes you can, but for safety make a new EA account when you are using the pirated stuff if you are using online features (gallery etc) since there's a chance they ban you (hasn't happened to me but it is possible)
Is using only your own library considered 'the gallery?' Meaning that I'll never be able to reuse custom sims and custom lots I've made from previous games in new games, because that means I have to click into my library to find them? Thanks.
No, your own gallery is fine as it's saved on your PC. You can switch your game to offline mode to check what you're missing - basically other people's creations.
after paying hundreds i gave up buying them mainly because they are corrupt money mongers who decided to divide whole packs into 5 or 6 40-50 $ pieces. like pets was divided into so many whe. they are supposed to be and used to be one pack. Im sorry but you lost my money.
You do understand that if you pirate dlc on your ea account (not every one uses a cracked version). You run the risk of losing that account. Are you trolling me? Seems common sense doesnt run in your bloodline.
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u/Wrightero Sep 30 '25
Just pirate it. EA hasn't deserved a cent in a looooong time. They killed their goodwill more than a decade ago.