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Sims 3 Disc vs Origin digital download
BluebellFlora
Posts: 7,110 Member
The physical disc version of the Sims 3, plus all its Expansion and Stuff Packs, cannot be used on any Mac running macOS 10.11 El Capitan or later due to authentication issues. The error messages produced will be along the lines of:
Disc Authorization Failure – no game disc found! Please insert The Sims 3 disc before proceeding.
Disc Authorization Failure – we are unable to verify that your disc is a valid copy of The Sims 3. Please contact customer service.
The only way to play will be to download and install the digital version of the game through Origin:
If you already have the base game and add-on packs installed you do not need to uninstall them all in order to play, you just need to uninstall the most recent pack by release date, download the digital version from Origin and install it. Packs need to be uninstalled manually as the uninstaller does not get rid of all necessary files, full instructions here on how to successfully uninstall an Expansion/Stuff Pack.
Bear in mind that once downloaded, you do not need Origin to play the game. You don't even need it to install the game as the installer is separate from Origin. Just make sure to copy the product code because you will need to enter it during the installation process. The product code can be found by right clicking on the game in your Origin Games Library and selecting Game Properties.
Disc Authorization Failure – no game disc found! Please insert The Sims 3 disc before proceeding.
Disc Authorization Failure – we are unable to verify that your disc is a valid copy of The Sims 3. Please contact customer service.
The only way to play will be to download and install the digital version of the game through Origin:
- Download and install Origin, EA's online gaming platform. If you previously registered your games on the old Sims 3 site make sure you log into Origin using those account details.
- If you logged into Origin using the account you have previously registered the games to, navigate to your Games Library and your Sims 3 base game should be listed (add-on packs will show up under Expansion and Stuff Packs after you've clicked on the base game). If the base game isn't showing up make sure that you have All Platforms selected in the filter, top-right corner.
- If your disc copies have never been registered online follow these instructions to register the product codes so the digital version shows in your Origin Games Library. If you get a message stating that the code has already been used you will need to contact EA customer support to check your account and the codes.
- Once the base game and add-on packs are successfully showing in your Origin Games Library you can now move on to downloading and installing them.
If you already have the base game and add-on packs installed you do not need to uninstall them all in order to play, you just need to uninstall the most recent pack by release date, download the digital version from Origin and install it. Packs need to be uninstalled manually as the uninstaller does not get rid of all necessary files, full instructions here on how to successfully uninstall an Expansion/Stuff Pack.
Bear in mind that once downloaded, you do not need Origin to play the game. You don't even need it to install the game as the installer is separate from Origin. Just make sure to copy the product code because you will need to enter it during the installation process. The product code can be found by right clicking on the game in your Origin Games Library and selecting Game Properties.
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