For reasons I'm about to detail in a YouTube Community post, I'm taking a break from my New Sims 2 Mods video & web post series. I'm sorry to disappoint those of you who enjoyed and looked forward to my videos and posts, I hate to let you down. As a small consolation, I thought I'd dump all of the mods I've found and noted down that were released Jan-May this year. Thank you for your support💚
Rugs with “Go Here” (for Rug Fix)
Mesh-only default replacements for afbodysporty, afbodysportyep8 & tfbodysporty
Everyone Can Conjure Grilled Cheese + No Ate Grilled Cheese Memories
Café Mod 2.0
ATS Kids Bedroom Stuff and Toddler Skill Toys
Vegan Kaktus’ Book Defaults
Bohemian Outfit [FT] + preg morph
Campfire Cooking
Adventurer Career Default Replacement
Less Tiring Jogging
Jogging In Memories Fix
Elevator Stuff
Aurelia Pedal Harp
Dressers Require Laundry - Now for both laundry systems! + Addon
Wabbit Tablet with Fitted Case for Toddlers
Compatibility Patches for Meduza’s School Project
4t2 Classic Upright Piano for Toddler
Playable Moonlit Guqin
Cleaning Autonomy Tweaks + Less Roach Obsession
Modular Attraction Traits
Better Employment Turn Ons/Offs
No Smell Related Turn Ons/Offs
unhidden maxis objects
ATS Kids Bedroom Stuff PART 2
Geyser Coffee Maker with Tray - Functional
Confectionomicon Functional
Helpers: Public Testing + Compatibility Patch for Cafe Mod
Playable Starlight Ukulele
Modified Fall Skill/Badge Bonuses
“5 o’ Clock” Tea Set Functional
Better Bon Voyage Part 2: Digging
Door Locking Overhaul + Lockable Garage Doors Patch + Update
Smaller AL Ponds + Bonus
Interest Mod - Fixed Starting Points & Enthusiasm-based Redistribution
Better Bon Voyage Part 3: Shrine and Garden
Petals to the Metal The Mobile Flower Traylah
Dina's Residential Care - Underage Module
ACR Jealousy Fix
SimSima Toddler Cars Functional
Toddler Walker Functional Toy Cars
Edits/Tweaks for Jacky93Sims’ 4t2 Campervan Projector TV
(yes, PURPLE, because I always saw it as purple and the shader name is literally called the purple error shader. Sue me!!)
Just in case anyone missed it, "pink flashing" in The Sims 2 has finally been busted wide open by a lovely chap named Will Nixon, see here.
I thoroughly recommend reading through the entire dissertation pdf, it's a good read! Even if your eyes glaze over and you skim past the super technical computer engineering jargon, you'll pick up some interesting tidbits from it.
Just wanted to share that
1) the patch is fully compatible with Linux and works to improve Linux performance even further, as testing by myself and my dear friend @niamh-sims
2) Some screenshots from testing my medieval hood on Windows 11:
No patch:
With patch:
I also stress-tested the hood by loading into the main Castle lot and having a sim travel between 4-5 different lots with my settings on max. (This is how I play on Linux now so I've gotten used to it, no more turning neighbours and hood deco off for me!!)
Without the patch in, the game crashed and wouldn't load the castle lot for me at ALL, so that was a great start.
Ooft, lol.
With the patch in, I could load into the castle and travel freely around the hood. I noted that that game also generally felt smoother.
This is an absolute breakthrough, people. Linux is no longer absolutely required if you want to play TS2 without pink flashing! Get excited!!
I will personally continue to play on Linux because I honestly enjoy the OS and prefer it over Windows, and my game still loads faster and runs smoother on Linux, but I recommend every simmer download Will's patch (V1 or V2, but V2 is likely safer) and keep it in your essential mods list forever.
Hi guys! I made a post on Reddit comparing some of the most popular lighting mods for The Sims 3, and I thought I’d share it here on Tumblr for my first post.
I mainly did this for myself to see how each mod affects the Sims and the environment.
It’s not 100% accurate, since the position of your Sims can have a big effect on the lighting and many of these mods have unique colours/weather transitions over the course of each day.
All of my testing was done during Summer! Unfortunately, I was only able to add the EA lighting into my second comparison, which was strictly on Sims only.
The lighting mods I used to do my comparisons are linked below:
Uranesia by @nilxis
St. Claires by @brntwaffles
Pudding's Lighting by @pudding-parade
Perfect Day by @brntwaffles
Monte Vista by @dystopianam
Fresh Cut Day by @brntwaffles
Clear & Bright by @potato-ballad-sims
Blue Skies & Sunshine by @brntwaffles
Beta V1 by @boringbones
Hopefully this helps anyone trying to decide which lighting mod to use in their game. Also, a big thank you to these amazing creators who keep this game looking awesome! Have a great day. :-)
I feel like being a "retro simmer" has made the more obsessive parts of my personality to always be seeking to optimize my game. The amount of time I have organize and compressed cc.... the limit doesn't exist. I waste too much time not actually playing the game.
Tutorial: How to Install TS3 with DXVK, Sims3SettingsSetter (S3SS), and ReShade in 2026
This is a long-overdue update of my previous, now obsolete tutorial on how to use DXVK and ReShade (d3d9). If you do not use ReShade, you can still follow this guide up until where it is to be installed.
At the time of writing (April 2026), this guide is compatible with and corresponds to Step 1 to 3 of The Sims 3 Performance & Bug Fix Guide 2026, featuring an extra step on how to install ReShade.
If you followed any other guide (including my own) on how to install DXVK and/or ReShade, it is strongly recommended that you start from scratch, meaning you should uninstall DXVK AND Reshade completely. Believe me when I say this: it will save you a lot of time, frustration, and make your life so much easier.
For the purpose of this tutorial, I am on Steam version 1.67.2.024037 on Windows 11, but it should work for discs 1.67 and EA App 1.69 versions, too. This guide does not cover GShade.
Without further ado, let's begin!
Backup your files, even the entire folder (EA Games\The Sims 3\Game\Bin or steamapps\common\The Sims 3\Game\Bin) if you want to be extra safe; you will thank yourself later. If you do not wish to backup the entire folder, at the very least backup the following:
Keep them somewhere secure, for your peace of mind (and sanity).
Firstly, to fully uninstall DXVK, you should remove the following files:
d3d9.dll (if you hover your cursor over the file, it will read: Company: DXVK)
dxvk.conf
TS3.dxvk-cache (or TS3W.dxvk-cache)
Secondly, remove remnant files of previously installed ReShade (you did create a backup, right?):
d3d9.dll (located at the Bin folder, if you hover your cursor over the file, it will read: Company: crosire)
ReShade.ini
ReShade.log
⚠️There are a couple more steps. Please follow the instructions here.
Get the latest version here on GitHub:
Click on the version that has the 'Latest' tag next to it (2.7.1 as of now), scroll down to 'Assets', and click on dxvk-x.x.x.tar.gz to download DXVK.
Open dxvk-x.x.x.tar.gz, click on x32, and locate d3d9.dll from within.
Download a copy of dxvk.conf from this page by clicking on the tiny icon on the right.
Drag both d3d9.dll AND dxvk.conf to the Bin folder (EA Games\The Sims 3\Game\Bin or steamapps\common\The Sims 3\Game\Bin); that is where TS3.exe and TS3W.exe are located.
Open dxvk.conf with Notepad or Notepad++, 'Ctrl + A' to select all, and hit delete. Yes, delete everything inside. Once you've emptied the file, enter the following:
Copy your Options.ini from your backup folder (you did make a backup, right?) into your Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 folder.
Because we have 'tricked' the game into recognising our modern GPU as a GTX 580, we must edit one single line within the Options.ini to keep our preferred in-game settings intact.
Hit 'Ctrl + G', type in '150' to go to that line, and replace it with:
lastdevice = 0;10de;1080;65535
'Ctrl + S' to save.
⚠️Thanks to DXVK, from now on whenever there's a GPU driver update, we no longer need to keep the 'lastdevice' line up-to-date to prevent your in-game settings from being reset. You can leave it alone forever, once and for all. The last digit of '65535' is a placeholder value for driver versions and remains constant as long as you are using DXVK.
Launch the game to confirm that DXVK is working. By default, the debug HUD should show up in the top left corner of your screen. What's more, your graphics settings should not have reset.
If you're still not convinced that DXVK is working, go to your Bin folder and look for a file called: TS3_d3d9.log or TS3W_d3d9.log and inspect its content:
If you see these correctly documented in your log file, DXVK is working as intended.
⚠️ NB: This newer version of DXVK no longer generates a cache file by default, meaning that there will not be a TS3.dxvk-cache or TS3W.dxvk-cache any more.
Get the latest version here on GitHub:
Click on the version that has the 'Latest' tag next to it (1.5.0 as of now), scroll down to 'Assets', and click on Sims3SettingsSetter.asi to download S3SS.
An ASI Loader is required for S3SS to function properly, and now so we need to install it.
However, if you use any of the listed LazyDuchess mods:
Mono Patcher Library;
Pixel Shader Modding Framework;
Shadow Extender (TS3);
or Split Level Light Fix,
you should already have an ASI loader (in the form of wininet.dll) located inside your Bin folder, and you can use that instead.
As you can see in the screenshot below, LD's Shader Framework came shipped with an ASI loader, as the other 3 mods do.
If you do not use any of the mods listed above, or that you wish to get a newer version of ASI loader for the game, you can get it from here (Ultimate ASI Loader by ThirteenAG):
To install, drag Sims3SettingsSetter.asi AND wininet.dll to your Bin folder.
And that is S3SS and its prerequisite successfully installed, now we should launch the game (again) and check if it's working.
Once the game has launched, hit 'Insert' key to toggle on S3SS interface.
⚠️ If nothing happens after pressing ' Insert', remove a folder called 'S3SS' (located at: Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3) and reinstall from Step 2 again.
From S3SS interface, select 'Patches' on the top.
Here I recommend enabling all performances patches, but choose only one flavour for the Smooth Patch: Original or Precise.
Next, click on 'Other/QoL' tab, tick the box next to 'Enable Memory Warning', and increase the warning threshold to 3.8 GB.
Navigate downwards to 'Borderless Window' and choose 'Fullscreen' in the drop-down menu. This will allow you to play in borderless windowed mode.
⚠️ Please note that I do not play TS3 in exclusive fullscreen mode, nor do I recommend doing so; therefore, I cannot provide support for that.
Lastly, don't forget to click on 'File' on the top left corner to save any changes you've made.
Exit the game, it's time to install ReShade.
Download the latest version (with full add-on support) from the official site; it is 6.7.3 at the time of writing.
If you do not download the version with full add-on support, DoF (depth of field) shaders will not work properly upon internet detection.
Select TS3.exe (EA App) or TS3W.exe (disc, Steam), and then choose Vulkan as rendering API, click 'Next'.
If you would prefer not to install any shaders/effects (i.e, you want to keep using your existing ones), click 'Skip'.
On the following page, you'll get to choose to install add-ons. Hit 'Skip', unless you know what you are doing.
Click 'Finish' to complete installation.
At this stage, a new, vanilla ReShade.ini file will be placed in the Bin folder; you may now replace it with the one from your backup folder to recover all preferred settings (such as hotkeys for taking screenshots, directory for shaders etc.). Same thing goes for your reshade-presets and reshade-shaders folder.
Launch the game (for the final time) to check that ReShade has been properly installed.
To toggle S3SS interface, press 'Insert' (or whatever hotkey you've set it to).
⚠️ NB: under ReShade's 'Settings' tab you may need to change 'Input processing' to either 'Pass on all input' or 'Block input when cursor is on overlay' to tweak S3SS settings whilst ReShade's GUI is visible. Otherwise, you'll need to toggle ReShade's menu off first.
That is the end of this tutorial.
Congratulations, you have successfully installed DXVK, S3SS, and ReShade! You may now open dxvk.conf and remove line dxvk.HUD from it.
Whew, what a long tutorial. If you've made it this far, great job. 🎉
Hope you've found this helpful; comment down below, or send me an ask/DM if you've any questions. I'll try my best to troubleshoot with you. Happy simming! ⭐
Credits:
doitsujin for DXVK
ThirteenAG for Ultimate-ASI-Loader
@sims3fiend, just-harry, @lazyduchess, and swiffyjk for Sims3SettingsSetter
crosire for ReShade
@nectar-cellar @desiree-uk and @kevinvoncrastenburg for their help.
"Unofficial Game Modification" Notification + Black Screen Fix
If you've dabbled with core mods or recently approved of a new Windows update, it's likely you'll run into this notification while launching the game.
The good news? The notification is innocuous and easily fixable following the steps below.
Just press "Continue".
Yup, that easy! Pressing "Continue" will make the game launch normally. If you're unable to see this notification from a black screen, hold ALT + TAB at the same time to find it.
2. Fix your core mods.
Core mods such as NRAAS ErrorTrap and simler90's Gameplay Core Mod are known to cause this pop-up. The mods' platform version can be mismatched to your platform's version, prompting this notification.
ErrorTrap offers a download for different platforms: EA App, 64bit Mac version, Steam version and Retail Disk version.
Gameplay Core Mod version on MTS causes this pop-up when used on Steam, EA App and Mac versions of the game. You can download a fix here (SimFileShare link).
I've put together a playlist of tutorials/resources for The Sims 2 by various creators including myself and I thought I'd share it with everyone.
This has given me a place I can easily refer to when I'm looking for something specific, rather than things being indefinitely sat lost in my Watch Later. This doesn't really cover much of the very basics, its more intermediate to advanced. I'm personally interested in all of these videos - I've either already watched them and would re-watch when tackling the relevant thing again or need a reminder, or they're ones I intend to watch in the future when I'm ready to try take on more advanced projects, learning more about mod and CC creation.
I hope others can find this useful too. Please let me know if you think I'm missing a good video and I'll consider adding it 🙂
A collection of useful tutorials for The Sims 2 by myself and other creators. These range from intermediate resources the average simmer may
Thanks for the videos @teaaddictyt, @anibats, @sissysims, @kayleigh-83, @marticoresims, @enelea, @heathensimmer, @picknmixsims, @platinumaspiration, @julietoon-ts2, @kashmiresims and many more💚
So the antivirus blew up my s3 files to death and Ive reinstalledm, deciding to do a clean mod list. For that purpose, I've made a list to track and view through the default replacements available for the sims 3.
Not all packs are covered yet. But Ive done the first 2 expansion packs and more will be coming. You are free to coment, and if you find any hair message me or leave a comment!
To use it: Make a copy! Check the ones you download to keep track.
The sims 3 is an old game, nearing to be abandonware, if not already. The modding community is supported that modders do. Personally these files are precious to me and I see the need for making small archives of them, or directories even.
Also, please support modders. Happy Simming <3
My new Immersive Opportunities mod is now available for everyone! Download it now and discover all the ways your game will become even more fun and addictive. Many of the best stories I've experienced lately while playing are thanks to this mod! Let me know what you think afterwards <3
I've updated my Expanded Active Households mod to a new edition, adding in lots of new features such as stayovers, a new interactive daycare system, custom babysitters and separated bills!
More info in the download link 😊
The initial purpose of this project was to list different replacements using the same Ifcasims texture made by various creators, so I could compare them and choose the ones I liked most while rebuilding my Mods folder. Later, I decided to include other textures as well and share this spreadsheet with the community.
Information about the spreadsheet and how to use it is in the first tab. If you find any errors or dead links, or if you’d like to suggest replacements that aren’t included for any reason, feel free to DM me here at @eternalccfinds or on my main account @aurora-eternal.
I included every in-game hairstyle from the Base Game, all EPs and SPs, even career and hat-hair ones. In most cases, ppl hide them, but sometimes creators have made replacements for them as well. Also maybe it will be more common in the future to replace hats with random CC hairstyles, like many do in TS2.
For now featured mesh default replacements by:
@maryjanesims3
@angelsimoleon
@firefoxsims3
@agnelid
@carversims
@hanalinori (TS4 clay hair)
@sdmsims (hairs for anime head mod, but works without it)
@azzazz03 (TS4 clay hair)
@nectar-cellar (EA mesh edits)
@simtanico (EA mesh edits)
For now featured default retextures by:
@ifcasims and @angelsimoleon (both use Ifca's textures)
@oneeuromutt
@sweetdevil-sims
Aikea-Guinea (archived by @club-crimsyn)
DRPEPPERGRL (MTS)
@chazybazzy
@faerielandsims
@carversims (deshined EA hairs, part of the CAS Overhaul)
Main sources of inspiration are sims2defaults, 4t3 Build/Buy Database and @ts3casconversioncatalog.
Used mods and tools: @simborg's hiders which include EA hair names and thumbnails in the archives, @tekri's recolors of TS4 EA hairs used to identify meshes included in some replacements; and @ktarsims's son geom_tri_count tool for viewing polycount when they weren’t listed in the creator’s posts.
With DXVK and S3SS living their high days, older Sims 3 installment guides are rapidly starting to become outdated. So here's a brand new and up-to-date step-by-step guide to go through when you do a fresh install of your game that will help you get the best performance you could possibly imagine for this old and laggy gem of a game.
Have Sims 3 installed, but is it performing abhorrently? I highly recommend a fresh install. You don't have to delete your saves or mods. Just get yourself a fresh bin to work with by uninstalling, going into your program files The Sims 3 folder and deleting any remnant files still in there. Then follow my guide!
All of the steps to follow are below the line ->
Step 1: install your game through your respected platform.
Just follow the regular steps and install the game without adding any other stuff yet whatsoever.
(I personally have a legit copy of the Sims 3 on Steam. If you use another app and have any questions, I'll probably not be able to help you.)
Step 2: run the game once through the official launcher. Once you get to the main menu, you can quit again.
It is very important you run your game through the original launcher at least once after installing it. Not doing so can cause problems with programs like CC magic. You only need to do it the first time. After that, we'll be skipping the launcher entirely.
Step 3: Create a short cut of TS3W.exe on your desktop.
You'll be skipping the launcher from now on. This helps with performance and it starts up your game much faster. It is also important to do this because of DXVK.
You can find TS3W.exe in your bin folder. For me (Steam version) it's in this location:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\The Sims 3\Game\Bin
Right click TS3W.exe, click 'show more options' and choose 'create a shortcut'. Place this shortcut on your desktop and Run Sims 3 from there from now on.
Step 4: Run the GPU Add-on Support patcher
You can find this patcher here. It is essential to run this because Sims will otherwise not recognize your graphics card unless it's over 10 years old. This patcher helps to get your GPU recognized.
The patcher will create a new Graphicsrules.sgr and new Graphicscards.sgr for you in your bin folder. After installing this, you can move the ones that have _old behind them somewhere else (or delete them).
P.S.: if you pirate your game you'll have to do this manually, there's guides online for it but since I have a legit copy I can't help you here.
Step 5: Install DXVK
Make sure you follow this guide by Nornite and do every single step. Don't skip anything!
I'd say DXVK is pretty essential nowadays, especially if you have a modern graphics card with 6GB of VRAM or higher. It'll greatly help to keep your game stable and can prevent a lot of crashes. The way Dxvk works, is that it loads textures through your VRAM instead of your RAM. Especially when you use a lot of CC or HD textures, this will make a huge difference for your RAM usage. Sims 3 can only use 4GB of RAM at once and will start crashing once you hit the 3GB mark in your task manager. With DXVK, you will use a lot less RAM and it'll take much longer for your game to reach this hard cap.
When not to install DXVK: if you have a shitty GPU (like an integrated graphics card on a laptop, or one with 4GB of VRAM or less).
Step 5: Start up the game
Use your new desktop shortcut that also has 'run as administrator' permissions now if you followed the DXVK guide properly.
Step 6: set up all your settings through the ingame options menu
The best graphics settings for you will highly depend on what computer you're using. But there are some things you should always turn off because they negatively affect performance. I will share my (relevant) settings with you (I use a custom UI so your screen style will look a little different from mine). Click on the images to enlarge them so you can read them:
Things of note about these settings:
I recommend you play in windowed mode, especially if you plan to use ReShade. Playing fullscreen is possible, but it does make Reshade presets behave differently in your game. I will include a step in this guide that you can follow to play windowed borderless. So, when you plan to do this: make sure you set the resolution to your display resolution.
Enable object hiding helps with performance. Advanced rendering is essential because otherwise your game looks like absolute shit.
Set your High Detail Lots to any value between 2 and 4. Don't go lower or higher, because you'll get rendering issues that lag out your game.
All other graphics settings can be set to your heart's desire. I'd say start with the highest settings and only go down if you notice your frames per second are bad.
Disable shop mode and lessons and fully disable memories or use this mod to severly limit them. Disable interactive loading screens as well. These are all performance eaters. Interactive loading screen also causes crashes. Memories also don't do anything for your sim, it's just a scrap book with no in-game effects.
Disable any online mode feature. This also lags out your game. Unless you really want to use these features it's best to just play fully offline.
Save your settings, close the game again.
Step 7: Install Sims 3 Settings Setter
This is the most recent magic genie that Sims 3 was blessed with. Especially combined with DXVK it is a life changer. Installing it is simple. You download the most recent version here and drop the .asi file in your bin. Also grab 'wininet.dll' from here and drop that one in your bin too.
Start up your game and load up a save. Once you're inside your save, you press 'insert' to open up the menu for Sims 3 Settings Setter. Go to the 'patches' tab and enable what you like. These are my enabled patches and they all work really well for me, but feel free to experiment with them to find your own performance sweet spot:
Only enable uncompressed textures if you have a GPU with at least 8gb of VRAM. My game will use over 6gb of VRAM easily with this enabled, so you've been warned.
Once you have everything you desire enabled, press 'file' in the top left corner and click 'save settings'.
Step 7.5: if you're playing windowed mode: go into the Other/QoL tab and enable 'Borderless Window'. Set it to 'Full Screen'.
Save your settings and close your game again. No need to save the game you entered for this unless you want to.
Step 8: Install Nraas Errortrap, MasterController and Overwatch
These 3 mods by Nraas are pretty much essential to keep your game from breaking down in the long run. You can download the mods here. Have you never installed a mod for Sims 3 before? Here's a guide (skip the part about Sims3pack and go straight to the part where it explains how to install .package mods).
That's it! You can now play The Sims 3 and it'll be as smooth and stable as it'll ever be. From here on, you can stock your game with more mods and CC (check out my mods masterlist!), or you can install Reshade (here's a guide).
Some important things to keep in mind while playing:
Clean up your game regularly. You can easily do this by using Regul Save Cleaner.
When you install a new mod or update/change Sims 3 Settings Setter, always restart and clear your caches.
Use CC Magic for installing CC, because it merges your files and this really helps with performance. Here's a handy guide on how to use it. Don't put your script mods in here, just your CC.
If you plan to travel to vacation destinations in the EP World Adventures, Nraas Traveler is a must to prevent most of the bugs and crashes that happen in this expansion.
Always keep in mind: mods and corrupt CC can still break your game, make it laggy or unplayable. Always be mindful of the mods you add, so you can always trace any issues you're having back to the mod causing it. I highly recommend not downloading a ton of mods in one session, but adding them step by step and see what they do to your games performance.
Use 'Reset the entire town' from Nraas MasterController at least every other sim week. It'll help clear up any lag that happens because of NPC sims getting themselves stuck routing or annoying stuff like that.
Got a slow CAS? Use Nraas MasterController Compact mode! (Make sure you have the Nraas MasterController Integration module installed).
Navigate to NRaas > MasterController > Settings > CAS.
Set the following to True:
Show in Compact Form: Accessories
Show in Compact Form: Clothing
Show in Compact Form: Hats
