The Sims 4 System Requirements

Can I Run The Sims 4?

The first step to figuring out if your PC can handle the demands of The Sims is to find out what hardware components it houses. Next, peruse the minimum and recommended system requirements we’ve compiled below, and then check that they match up. If they do, then you are in good stead, and if they are better, then perfect – you can expect The Sims 4 to run without a hitch.

If you aren’t sure how to about checking your system specifications, we can help with our easy-to-follow guide right here. 

In the not too distant future, we hope to have a useful tool that will do the heavy lifting for you by automatically scanning your computer and retrieving your system specifications at the click of a button. 

It’s currently in development, and we’re working hard to get it fit for purpose as fast as possible. We’ll be sure to make an announcement when it’s ready for use, so check back regularly for updates.

The Sims 4 Game Details

• Release Date: 2nd September 2014 (PC, macOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
• System Requirements: low
• Genre: Life simulation game
• Developer: Maxis Redwood Shores
• Publisher: Electronic Arts

The Sims series really needs no introduction as its carved itself a firm berth in the pantheon of gaming history, but for those who’ve missed the boat, here goes. The Sims 4, the fourth entry in the franchise, is a life simulation where the player takes on the role of a titular sim, controlling virtually all aspects of its existence from bodily functions, nutrition, employment, and socializing, down to building said sim’s abode, deciding who it gets romantically embroiled with, and pretty much anything else you can think to do.

It’s not necessarily the most true-to-life simulation of what it’s like to be human, but it’s the ability to decide whether to lead a sim to greatness or torture them by placing them in increasingly twisted and perverse situations that make the game so fun. In many ways, The Sims 4 is a playground for us to live out our most twisted fantasies or live life through rose-tinted glasses.

Publisher EA regularly updates the game with themed packs brimming with the new activities, building assets, clothing, jobs, and so on to keep the game fresh. There are eight to date and feature zany additions such as a Harry Potter-inspired magical wizarding realm. There’s even one where you can take your sim to actual work. You know, because a real-life job isn’t tedious enough.

The Sims 4 Minimum Requirements

• CPU : Intel Core 2 Duo | AMD Athlon 64 Dual-Core 4000+
• RAM : 2 GB RAM
• HDD : 15 GB available space
• GPU : NVIDIA GeForce 6600 |  ATI Radeon X1300 | Intel GMA X4500
• OS : Windows XP,  Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10
• Screen Resolution : 1024 × 768 or better
• Direct X : DirectX 9.0c Compatible
• Network : Broadband Internet connection

The Sims 4 Recommended Requirements

• CPU : Intel Core i5 |  AMD Athlon X4
• RAM : 4 GB RAM
• HDD : 15 GB available space
• GPU : NVIDIA GTX 650
• OS : 64-bit 64 Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10
• Screen Resolution : 1024 × 768 or better
• Direct X : DirectX 9.0c Compatible
• Network : Broadband Internet connection

The below are the system requirements of the Sims 4 for laptop users, which lay out the best APU setups with integrated graphics to run the Sims 4 on in each instance.

The Sims 4 Laptop Requirements (Minimum)

• CPU : Intel Core i3 G Series | AMD Ryzen Mobile 3
• RAM : 2 GB RAM
• HDD : 15 GB available space
• GPU : Intel UHD onboard graphics | Radeon Vega 6 onboard graphics
• OS : Windows XP,  Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10
• Screen Resolution : 1024 × 768 or better
• Direct X : DirectX 9.0c Compatible
• Network : Broadband Internet connection

The Sims 4 Laptop Requirements (Recommended)

• CPU : Intel Core i5 U Series | AMD Ryzen Mobile 5
• RAM : 4 GB RAM
• HDD : 15 GB available space
• GPU : Intel UHD onboard graphics | Radeon Vega 8 onboard graphics
• OS : 64-bit 64 Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10
• Screen Resolution : 1024 × 768 or better
• Direct X : DirectX 9.0c Compatible
• Network : Broadband Internet connection

Optimal Hardware Suggestions

The minimum specifications are among the lowest for any game currently on the market. We can safely say that any PC shipped in the last decade if not earlier can comfortably run The Sims 4. As always with minimum specifications, don’t expert otherworldly FPS readings or to run the game on ultra settings, but pretty much any office or family PC that isn’t specifically built for gaming can play the game with varying degrees of success. It even runs on most integrated graphics chips broadening the share of PCs that can handle the game’s demented dollhouse antics.

There’s a bit of a jump to the recommended requirements, but they remain positively docile compared to other titles. You will need a dedicated GPU at least as powerful as the NVIDIA GTX 650, which any gaming rig built in the last five years should already have. Expect comfortable frame rates anywhere between 30 and 60 FPS depending on your specific setup and feel free to crank up the graphical settings.

What Gaming PC Do We Recommend?

Given the low demands of The Sims 4, virtually any computer will do even that ten-year-old laptop gathering dust in the garage. Gun to our head, our budget $300 build is more than sufficient to power The Sims 4 with some decent FPS and medium settings, if not higher, without any issues.

If you want to churn up those settings, hit 1440p, and FPS in the hundreds then we’d go for:

• CPU : Intel Core i5 or i7
• RAM : 8 GB
• GPU : NVIDIA GTX 1650

It’s a bit overkill, but The Sims 4 won’t ever look any better than this.