Nothing is worse than a laggy game. Lagging in a game like Sims 4 can really break the immersion.
Here we haves shown how to boost gaming performance and reduce lags on SIMS 4. So, keep reading!
How To Reduce Lag In SIMS 4?
Follow the methods given below to reduce lag in SIMS 4 and improve the gaming experience.
1) Remove any Unnecessary Household
The first thing you can do is remove any unnecessary household. Before you delete a SIM, make sure to save the current game.
In case anything goes wrong, the saved files can be restored.
Now follow the steps given below to delete a SIM:
- Launch the SIMS 4 game.
- Go to Manage Worlds.
- Save the current game.
- Now select the household that you want to delete.
- Locate & select the house where your Sim lives.
- Click on the three dots menu from bottom right corner.
- Next, open the Manage Household screen.
- Click on the three dots icon from the lower right side for additional options.
- Select the Manage Household icon.
- Click on the Edit icon that appears like a pencil in the lower right side of the window.
- When the SIMS editor opens, hover over the icon of the Sim you want to delete.
- When the Delete option appears, click on the Delete button. Click on the Tick button to confirm.
2. Steam And EA AppCache
All your downloads are stored in the download cache. If the cache files get corrupted or missing, the game can lag.
So, clear the cache to fix the issue.
But before that, close all the Steam and EA-related processes from the Task Manager.
Follow the steps below to do so:
- Right-click on the Windows start button and select Task Manager.
- Go to the Process tab and right-click on each Steam and EA-related process.
- Select the End task option.
Now, to clear the Steam cache, here is how you can do it:
- Right-click on the Steam desktop icon and choose to run it as an administrator.
- Go to the Steam tab and choose Settings.
- Next, click on the Downloads tab.
- Select Clear Download cache. Click on OK to confirm.
- Wait till the process is complete.
For those who are using EA here is how to clear the cache:
- Open EA app. Click on the three horizontal lines menu icon.
- Click on Help, then App Recovery.
- Next, click on the Clear Cache button.
This is not going to delete any of the games stored on your PC so you can safely do it.
Restart the EA app and sign in to your account if asked to.
3) Close Unnecessary Apps Running In The Background
Sometimes the apps running in the background can conflict with SIMS 4, which can be why your game is laggy.
Closing these unnecessary apps can boost gaming performance.
To do that, follow the steps as given below:
- Open Task Manager.
- Go to the Processes tab and check for unnecessary processes.
- Right-click on each unnecessary process and select the End Task option.
- Launch Steam and launch SIMS 4. If the game is still laggy, clean up some disk space.
4) Clean Up Some Disk Space
If you are playing on a PC or laptop and do not have enough disk space for SIMS 4, then the game will lag.
So, use Disk Cleanup to free up some disk space quickly and easily.
- To do that, type disk cleanup in the Windows Search bar and select the first option.
- Select the specific drive from where you want to clean the junk files. Click on OK.
- Then click on the Cleanup system files option. This will start the cleanup process.
- Wait till the process is complete. Once done, choose those files you want to delete. Click on OK to confirm.
5) Set SIMS 4 To High Priority
Setting SIMS 4 to high priority will force your system to allocate more resources for running the game.
Follow these steps to do so:
- Launch Task Manager and then go to the Details tab.
- Right-click on SIMS 4 exe process and select Set Priority. Then click on High.
Now, run SIMS 4 and check if it is still lagging. If the game is laggy, troubleshoot your graphics drivers.
6) Troubleshoot The Graphics Driver
If the game still lags, troubleshoot the graphics driver.
Outdated graphics drivers can be the reason for the game lags.
So, always keep your drivers updated to avoid such issues. Updating the graphics driver will surely boost gaming performance.
If you have Nvidia graphics card, use GeForce Experience to update the graphics drivers.
You can download and install it if you do not have it from Nvidia’s official website. Then run the app.
Next click on Drivers and check if any new drivers are available. Download & install it.
For AMD graphics cards, the process is similar but use the Radeon software instead of GeForce Experience.
Run the app and check for any available drivers. Download and install the latest drivers.
Restart our PC. Now launch SIMS 4 and if the game is still laggy, reinstall the graphics drivers.
- Open Device Manager.
- Expand the Display Adapters sections & right-click on the Graphics driver.
- Select Uninstall Device and follow as shown.
After the driver are uninstalled, install it. Use GeForce Experience and the AMD Radeon app to install and update the graphics drivers.
7) Update Windows
You should have an updated Windows version while playing SIMS 4.
The old Windows version can be the reason why the game is lagging. So, update Windows following these steps:
- In the Windows search bar type Check for updates & choose the first option.
- Click on Check for Updates and wait for Windows to check for the latest updates.
- Download & install the latest updates. Once done, restart your PC.
8) Reinstall SIMS 4
If none of the methods help you run SIMS 4 faster, reinstall the game. If there is any problem with the gaming file, then a fresh installation can fix this.
- Press Windows + R buttons to open Run.
- Type appwiz.cpl and press Enter.
- Right-click on SIMS 4 and select Uninstall.
- Follow as shown to finish the uninstallation process. Now reinstall the game.
Frequently Asked Questions [FAQs]
1. Why is my SIMS so laggy?
SIMS 4 can be laggy if your PC is not updated to the latest version or if any program running in the background conflicts with the game.
2. Why is my SIMS build mode so laggy?
The game build mode can lag if you play the game on an older save. So, try playing a new game and see if you still have game lag.
3. Will more RAM make SIMS 4 run better?
As per EA, you will require 4GB of memory to run SIMS 4. Adding more RAM is a good option if you are playing the game on Windows 10.
Wrap Up
After performing the above methods, SIMS 4 should not be laggy anymore.
Make sure to comment on how the methods worked for you. We always look forward to hearing back from you.