Guide: How to stop auto-updates & install/play multiple game versions of TS4

[smjm81]

Meant to do this a couple of weeks but never got around to it.

 

Hey everyone, as some of you may or may not know, whenever Maxis releases a new Sims update or patch, most of the mods that you use are sometimes temporarily broken until the respective author of that mod updates them which can leave your game unplayable for sometimes up to 2 weeks or more (remember, they have lives too). To counter this, I'm gonna show you how you can avoid this in the future by actually having two or more versions of the game installed on your PC at the same time giving you the option of choosing whichever version you want to run at any given time.

 

For example, I am still running version 1.50.67 because I know that all of my mods work flawlessly with this version. But I also like to test new updates as well WITHOUT having to commit to them. So this gives me the ability to test mods on the newer versions to be sure every mod I use has been updated and/or still working properly before completely making the jump to the latest version. If I find out that one or more mods that I use does not work and the author has not yet updated them, it's no big deal,  I can easily revert back to playing the game on a previous version just by simply renaming a folder. And YES, it really is that easy folks after you get everything set up properly. 

 

I figure this might also be useful for creators as well in order to test/debug mods prior to releasing them. But, that's just a thought. I do have coding experience but not with the Sims, as I don't make mods, so I'll stay in my lane in that regard.

 

***IMPORTANT NOTES***
 THIS WILL NOT WORK IF YOU HAVE ALREADY UPDATED YOUR GAME TO THE LATEST VERSION WHICH IS CURRENTLY 1.51.77 AT THE TIME OF THIS POST! 

You can, however, use it in the future for the next Sims patch/update and beyond. 

 

That said, feel free to try this anyways even if you have the latest version if you just want to get an idea of how it works for future reference.

====================================================
First, it's important to understand how the update process works through Origin. Specifically, what files and folders on your system are actually altered whenever you update Sims 4. The answer is simple....only 1 main folder in your entire computer that truly matters and that's it--the installation folder. There are a few registry files that get changed but none of them are important for this tutorial.

 

The installation folder location is always going to be same unless you have changed this via the Origin options. 
If you have a x64 bit system, the default location is: C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 4
If you have a x32 bit system, the default location is: C:\Program Files\Origin Games\The Sims 4
 

 

Quick FAQ: 
 

Spoiler

 

Q: How do I tell if I have a x32 or x64 bit system?
A: Windows 7 and 8 users -- refer to this link: 
A: Windows 10 users-- refer to this link:  
A: Apple MacOS users-- Refer to this link:  

 

Q: Will this break my game or mess up my computer? 
A: This will in no way harm your system or break your game in any way, shape or form. I would not post this if it did. Follow the instructions carefully and you will be fine. I have been doing it this way for 3 years now since I started playing Sims 4 with mods and I have never had any issues and neither should you.

 

Q: I followed the instructions but the game version is still the same?
A: You did one of the following things wrong. Possible more than one. 
1) Did not read the IMPORTANT NOTES listed above. 
2) Did not disable Automatic game updates in Origin as stated in Part 1. 
3) You forgot to rename your "The Sims 4" folder BEFORE updating/reinstalling
4) You renamed the wrong "The Sims 4" folder-- Most likely the one located in /Documents/Electronic Arts.

 

Q: When I start the game using a older version Origin keeps telling me I have to update or cancel?

A: See part 4.4 of the guide. This has to be done.

 

Q: When I start the game using a older version,

I got an error saying the contents of my user data directory were created by a newer version, and I would have to update to play anyway.

A: Navigate to \Documents\The Sims 4 and delete the text file named GameVersion -- Thank you @Chester81 for mentioning this problem.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Quote

   

  • A LEGITIMATE copy of the game on Origin! (Pirated versions are not supported and I will not help you with this as per the forum rules -- besides this has only been tested using a Origin copy of the game).

   

  • Hard drive space (How much hard drive space is dependent on how many expansion packs and stuff packs that you have bought and installed -- You will essentially be installing the game twice, so take the amount of space that your Sims 4 folder consist of and double that amount).

   

  • Ability to follow simple instructions.

   

   

Simple enough? Alright, let's begin. 

====================================================
Creating a backup of previous/current version of TS4 before updating to latest version.

 

Part 1) Disable Auto-updates in Origin. 
(If you use mods, this should be something every Sims player should already do anyhow for the reasons said above, IMO. Even if you don't want to follow this guide.)

 

1.1) Open Origin.
1.2) Click on Origin on the top-left side menu and select "Application Settings".
1.3) Under the "Client Update" section, disable "Automatic game updates" using the slider option.
See GIF for reference: https://imgur.com/lKNPtFt

 

Part 2) Rename the Sims 4 installation folder. 
2.1) Close Origin
2.2) Navigate to the Sims 4 installation destination folder and rename "The Sims 4" folder to "The Sims 4 - Older version" -- I rename it to the actual game version just so I know.
See GIF for reference: https://imgur.com/8vUp8Zm

 

Congrats! You now have a backup of a previous version of the Sims 4. Now if you start Origin you will see that it thinks Sims 4 is not even installed. This is a good thing. 

 

Part 3) Installing the latest version. 
3.1) Open Origin and simply download and install the game as you normally would. By default, this will install the latest game version available. 

 

You will notice that it recreates another "The Sims 4" folder inside the installation folder without overwriting your previous version. 
See GIF for reference: https://imgur.com/S4KORFq

 

Congrats! You now have two working versions of the game installed on your computer;  a previous version and another with the latest update.    
=========================================

Part 4) Switching to a previous version
4.1) Close Origin
4.2) After installing the latest version, rename the newly created "The Sims 4" folder to "The Sims 4 - latest version". This is to avoid having to download and install the game again when you want to use it.
4.3) Find the folder you renamed in Part 2 -- "The Sims 4 - Older version" -- and rename it back to "The Sims 4".

See GIF for reference: https://imgur.com/m7v5GmD

4.4) Open Origin.
4.5) Click on Origin on the top-left side menu and select "Go Offline".
4.6) Play the game.
See GIF for reference: https://imgur.com/ujle3Yh

 

DONE!

 

To go back and play the latest version without losing your older version, simply repeat Part 2 above and then rename "The Sims 4 - latest version" to "The Sims 4" and that's it!

 

You see how this works yet? Whichever version you want to play, simply rename that folder to "The Sims 4".

 

Origin will only recognize a folder that is named "The Sims 4" exactly, no matter which version of the game you wish to use. Additionally, S4 really only requires this one folder to actually run properly. This is what allows you switch between versions.

 

Hope this helps. Enjoy. 

[erplederp]

Huh, maybe it is a time for me to stop using a two years old version of the game without the fear of irreversibly breaking everything.... ?

Thanks for the detailed guide, smjm81! ?

[erplederp]

Can confirm this method works. ?

I've updated the game (and all the mods) over the course of a few days. Thanks again!

[smjm81]

On 5/8/2019 at 5:36 PM, erplederp said:

Can confirm this method works. ?

I've updated the game (and all the mods) over the course of a few days. Thanks again!

Glad to hear it worked for you.  I also live by the old adage "if it ain't broke...." but 2 years of not updating is much worst than I am haha. Not that's it's bad thing at all. Cheers.

[smjm81]

With the new patch update coming up this week I thought I would bump this for anyone who doesn't want to wait until all of their favorite mods to be updated before they can play again without any errors.

[Michel889]

It worked thanks. I have 2 mods broken, will be using this until they are updated

[mle]

If I want to play the old version with mods and run the latest version without mods, do I need to rename the sims 4 folder in .../Documents/Electronic Arts/... as well? Or do I need to physically remove/replace the mods folder (and saves folder, for that matter) when switching from one to the other?

 

And thanks for this thread, by the way. Much appreciated.

[smjm81]

5 hours ago, mle said:

If I want to play the old version with mods and run the latest version without mods, do I need to rename the sims 4 folder in .../Documents/Electronic Arts/... as well?

Yeah, just rename the older version to something like the version # so you know what it is and then start the game. Starting the game will generate a brand new "The SIms 4" folder with no mods or nothing....just vanilla. 

 

You don't even have to move the older version out of /DOcuments/EA folder -- you can see what mine looks like right now in the ss below. 

 

 

[kortjakje]

Really interesting, but I fear I don't have enough disk space left. I will look into that tomorrow.