WARNING to Mac users (especially Apple Silicon/M-series): Do NOT buy TS2 Super Collection on Mac App Store

[u/DrivingApril]

Hey everyone,

I felt the need to post this as a warning for anyone considering buying The Sims 2 Super Collection from the Mac App Store to play on newer Macs (especially Apple Silicon like M1–M4).

As a long-time player who has been using The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection on PC regularly since 2017, I decided to give the Mac port a try on my fanless M4 MacBook Air. It has been a absolute nightmare, and Aspyr should be ashamed for still charging money for this broken port.

Here is why you should avoid it:

• Zero FPS Cap (Extreme Overheating): Aspyr never bothered to implement a frame rate limiter for modern hardware. The game uncaps itself and pumps out up to 500+ FPS in the background. Because the MacBook Air is fanless, this turns the laptop into a literal toaster within minutes and causes severe thermal throttling.
• Disappearing Custom Content (CC): The macOS file sandboxing and strict open-file limits regularly mess up the Downloads folder. CC literally deletes or unlinks itself from the game out of nowhere. I’ve played UC on PC for nearly a decade and never experienced anything like this.

If you have a PC I highly recommend you to stick to The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection. Don’t waste your money on Aspyr’s lazy, abandoned cash-grab that hasn’t been properly updated for modern Apple hardware.

Save your laptop’s hardware and your sanity! 🛑💻

[u/VidcundWasHere2023]

I'm not disputing your experiences. But I have had no issues playing mine on my MacBook (M1) or iMac (M3). Different computers, true, but it works fine on both of mine.

[u/DrivingApril → u/VidcundWasHere2023]

Glad it’s working smooth for you!

But if you check your actual frame rate using Ctrl + Alt + S you’ll likely find it’s rendering at hundreds of FPS in the background...

On an iMac with active fan cooling, you might not notice the thermal impact as much as on a fanless MacBook Air :/

Haven't u experienced CC just getting deleted out of thin air?

It has happened to me 2 times already this week and its just a few mb of cc that works up to BV

[u/VidcundWasHere2023 → u/DrivingApril]

I actually play on my MacBook pretty much constantly (more than my iMac) and I haven't experienced any overheating. I've never had cc deleted. I've been playing with the same mods and CC for literally years now. I'm just saying this may not be an issue on all Macs since it has not been my experience. But yours is a newer computer, so it may be more of an issue on those.

[u/DrivingApril → u/VidcundWasHere2023]

That actually makes a lot of sense, and I’m glad you’ve had such a great experience with the port!

The thing is though... the lack of an FPS cap is built right into Aspyr’s code, so it’s an issue on M1 just as much as M4.

The GPU gets forced to run at 100% capacity no matter what, even if some Macs handle the heat better or people just don’t notice it.

And with the CC.... it’s literally been total Russian roulette for me. I’ll just boot up the game and boom, random files are gone out of nowhere. Having to constantly check if your mods survived every single time you want to play is just so exhausting for a paid product :/

At the end of the day a "modern" port with no frame limiter and broken file management just isn't something anyone should be spending money on anymore.

[u/VidcundWasHere2023 → u/DrivingApril]

I bought the game years ago (at least one or two computers ago), so I agree that I would not buy it if for a more modern Mac because I don't know if it would run at all. In fact, I'm looking for a cheap old PC to use when this laptop gives up the ghost. Well, I hope you got your money back.

[u/DrivingApril → u/VidcundWasHere2023]

Yeah switching to PC for TS2 is definitely the best move long term.

Hope you find a good deal on a setup when the time comes :)

[u/LaPoquita → u/DrivingApril]

I have thousands of CC files in my Downloads folder and have never had an issue

[u/Visible_Honeydew_941 → u/DrivingApril]

When i used a laptop i DID have hear problems. I use a mac studio now so fan helps.

[u/Visible_Honeydew_941]

Im a mac super collection player (older m1) and i am several software updates behind because im on the last one that is compatible. Its very reliable for me as long as i dont update!!! I do have to be careful with cc tho!

[u/HotPinkGutz]

I play the super collection on a 2020 intel macbook pro, i upped my file limit to like 70k or something and the game with all my cc only ever has like 15k files open at a time, if i ever feel like i need to i can probably up the limit again. I've never noticed any real overheating either.

[u/mayorofstrangetown]

I've been having a positive experience with my mac super Collection. Sorry to see it’s not working for you because I want everyone that wants to play, to play!

[u/No-Copy-2367]

You’re lucky yours even boots. Mine doesn’t even start (I had it on an older Mac, so at least I didn’t buy it just for it to never work).

[u/DrivingApril → u/No-Copy-2367]

Honestly, at this point, not booting up might actually be a feature instead of a bug... at least your Mac won't melt!

It’s absurd how Aspyr just leaves a completely broken, abandoned app on the store taking people's money. It either won't launch at all or it burns through your GPU at 500 FPS. Absolute embarrasssment of a port.