How to Make Sims 4 Run Faster (5 Easy Fixes)

How to Make Sims 4 Run Faster (5 Easy Fixes)

If you ask us, an afternoon playing The Sims 4 is the perfect way to relax and unwind. It is one of the most popular games on Steam and there are always thousands of people playing The Sims 4 at any one time.

However, there are times when playing our favorite game becomes stressful. Yep, it’s when the Sims 4 becomes frustratingly laggy.

Just like all video games, the Sims 4 has specific system requirements to run smoothly on your PC. Aside from that, you need to make sure that your system is updated and free from junk files. Otherwise, you can try repairing your game or resetting the Sims 4 folder.

In this article, we’ll lay out the system requirements for Sims 4. We’ll also give you 5 step-by-step instructions on how to make Sims 4 run smoother.

Table of Contents

Why is The Sims 4 so slow/laggy?

Like all simulation games, the Sims 4 can be demanding on your computer. Depending on the  expansion packs you have installed, the Sims 4 base game plus assets can use up to 25GB+ of your available storage space.

Imagine the toll these resources will have on your PC. 

Especially if you have a lot of background applications running, Sims 4 will undoubtedly lag. This is because your computer is struggling to process all resources simultaneously. 

What Are the Sims 4 System Requirements?

If you want to ensure that Sims 4 runs smoothly without lags, check if your computer meets all these minimum system requirements:

 

Processor
1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E4300, 

AMD Athlon 64 Dual-Core 4000+

Or equivalent
Graphics card
NVIDIA GeForce 6600

ATI Radeon X1300

Intel GMA X4500

Or better
RAM
At least 4GB
Hard Drive Space
15GB free
Dedicated VIDEO RAM
128 MB
Operating System
64-Bit

Windows 7 (SP1), Windows 8, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10

 

If you’re not sure where to find your system information, follow these steps:

  1. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard. This will open the Run box. 
  2. Type dxdiag, then click OK. You should see a window containing information about your Processor, Operating system, and Memory.
  3. Click the Display tab to check your graphics card information.

5 Methods: How to Speed Up Sims 4

As you probably know, there’s no one size fits all solution to making your computer run faster. To help you out, try our top tips for making Sims 4 run smoothly on Windows 10.

 

Method 1: Remove junk files and clean your computer.

Remember that playing video games takes a toll on your PC, especially if it’s a resource-demanding game like the Sims 4. 

To ensure that your PC can run the Sims 4 and all your other applications, make it a habit to clean your computer regularly by deleting unnecessary files and programs.

  1. Press the Windows + I simultaneously to open Settings.
  2. Choose System > Storage. Then, click the drive you want to clean on the right panel. 
  3. You will see how much space the files occupy on the hard drive. Choose the files you want to remove, then click Remove files.
  4. Reboot your computer then check if Sims 4 runs faster

 

Method 2: Update your Graphics Drivers

If you’re a fan of playing PC games, then this is the first thing you should do: update your graphics drivers.

 Updating your PC graphics drivers ensure that you get the best gameplay without lags and bottlenecks. Basically, updating your drivers will ensure that gaming performance runs significantly smoother and faster.

  1. Press the Windows + R key simultaneously to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type devmgmt.msc and click OK. A pop up window should open.
  3. Click Display, then right-click on Graphics card. Select Update Driver.
  4. Click Search automatically for updated driver software to continue.
  5. Follow the wizard instructions, then click Finish to complete the process.
  6. Reboot your computer then check if Sims 4 runs faster

Updating your drivers may also fix Call of Duty Vanguard Dev Error 5573.

 

Method 3: Lower the In-game Graphics Settings.

Your PC settings isn’t the only thing you should check! You should also update the graphics settings in-game to ensure that Sims 4 will run smoothly.

Switch these Game Options to either Medium or Low to make your game run faster:

  1. Launch the Sims 4 application.
  2. Navigate to the Menu icon > Game Options.
  3. Click Sims, then change the settings to Medium or Low.
  4. Click Lighting, then change the settings to Medium or Low.
  5. Click Objects, then change the settings to Medium or Low.
  6. Click Visual Effects, then change the settings to Medium or Low.
  7. Click Reflections, then change the settings to Medium or Low.
  8. Click Edge Smoothing, then change the settings to Medium or Low.
  9.  Click 3D Scene Resolution, then change the settings to Medium or Low.
  10. Click Display Type, then change the settings to Medium or Low.
  11. Click View Distance,  then change the settings to Medium or Low.
  12. Apply the changes, then reboot your computer to check if Sims 4 runs faster.

 

Method 4: Repair Sims 4 on Origin or Steam

If updating your drivers, cleaning your computer, and changing the game’s graphics settings don’t work, it’s time to repair the game due to corrupted files.

Game repairs are easy with built-in tools on these gaming platforms: Origin and Steam.

Origin

  1. Launch Origin, then click Game Library.
  2. Right-click on Sims 4, then select Repair.

Steam

  1. Launch Steam, then click Library.
  2. Right-click on Sims 4, then click Properties.
  3. Under the Local Files tab, click Verify integrity of game files.

 

Method 5: Reset the Sims 4 Folder

If none of the above methods worked for you, it’s time to reset your Sims 4 folder.

  1. Press the Windows + E key simultaneously to launch File Explorer.
  2. Under the Documents folder, find Electronic Arts > The Sims 4.
  3. Copy all the contents under the Mods folder.
  4. Make a New Folder on your Desktop, rename it to ‘Mods backup.’ Then paste the contents of Mod in the folder.
  5. Repeat steps 3 to 4 for the files under the Saves and Tray folder.
  6. Go back to Documents, then delete the Sims 4 folder under Electronic Arts.
  7. Launch the Sims 4 –– a new Sims 4 folder will be created. Exit the game.
  8. Copy all your backup files, then paste them into their corresponding folders in the new Sims 4 folder.

 

Conclusion

If Sims 4 is laggy, the first thing you should do is check that your PC meets the minimum system requirements to run the game.

You should also update your graphics drivers, clean your PC, and change your in-game graphics settings. If none of these methods work, you can repair the Sims 4 on Origin or Steam.

As a last resort, you can reset the Sims 4 folder if none of the first 4 methods speed up your game.