EA set to withdraw support for The Sims 4 on older machines

Today, a statement from EA announced that The Sims 4 will no longer be supported on non-Metal Mac OS machines or PC 32-bit operating systems from June 2019 onward.

The withdrawal of support on Mac OS systems isn’t without reason. Apple are planning on phasing out support for their current graphics processing technology, OpenGL, and switching over to a new system known as Metal.

EA have made the decision to upgrade The Sims 4 to work with Metal instead, thus dropping support for OpenGL.

Their reasoning for withdrawing support for 32-bit operating systems is a little less clear, with EA simply stating that in order to ‘continue growing, improving, and optimizing’ the game, they’ve made the decision to retire 32-bit support.

However, this doesn’t mean that it’s the end of The Sims 4 for Sims players on those systems.

For Mac OS users who can’t upgrade to an OS that supports Metal or for PC players who can’t update to a 64-bit OS, never fear! EA have an alternative in the form of The Sims 4: Legacy Edition.

The Sims 4 Legacy Edition is essentially what it says on the tin. It’s a version of The Sims 4 that will work with non-Metal Mac OS systems and 32-bit OS PCs. Unlike the original game, it will not be updated after its release.

The Legacy Edition should be available in June 2019, around the same time as the planned drop in support. It will only be available for existing owners of the game and will not be available to new players.

Players on older operating systems will have to download The Sims 4 Legacy Edition themselves, as the game will not automatically update. Save files should still be compatible.

Traditional online features such as the in-game Gallery, game banners, and social integrations will be disabled in the Legacy Edition. Players will also be unable to purchase any game-related content released after February 2019.

For more information on the planned withdrawal of support, The Sims 4 Legacy Edition, and which Packs will be compatible with The Legacy Edition, check out EA’s statement here.

Source: EA.