How to Fix Sims 4 Lagging on PC – Pro Tips 2024

The Sims 4 is one of the best games to kill time and relax. However, many players complain that the Sims 4 lagging issue has ruined their gameplay. If you’re facing the same predicament, don’t worry. Try these pro tips to solve the problem right away.

Try these fixes:

You may not try them all; simply work from the top down until you find the one that does the trick.

1. Check the minimum requirements for The Sims 4
2. Close other background applications
3. Update your graphics driver
4. Verify the integrity of game files
5. Lower the in-game graphics settings
6. Launch The Sims 4 with the dedicated graphics card
7. Reset the Sims 4 folder

Fix 1 – Check the minimum requirements for The Sims 4

It’s not surprising to bump into the lagging issue if your computer is underpowered to play The Sims 4. Before we jump into more complicated steps, let’s check the game’s minimum requirements first.

Here are the minimum specs for The Sims 4:

If you’re not sure how to check your PC specs, follow the steps below. If you’re clear about your PC specs and confirm it’s good enough to run The Sims 4, you can directly proceed to Fix 2.

1. On your keyboard, press the Window logo key and R at the same time to open the Run box. Then, type dxdiag and click OK.
   
2. Check the information about your Operating System, Processor, and Memory.
   
3. Click the Display tab, and check your graphics card’s information.
   

Now you know whether you have the right gear for the game. If not, you’ll need to upgrade your PC or play the game on another computer. If yes, the lagging issue may be caused by something else, and you can head towards the fixes below.

Fix 2 – Close other background applications

When there’re multiple applications running in the background and they consume too much resource, The Sims 4 will begin to lag. Therefore, it’s recommended that you close all other background applications before you play the game.

1. Right-click any empty place on the taskbar and click Task Manager.
   
2. Right-click the resource-consuming applications and click End task.
   

Play The Sims 4 and see if the lagging issue goes away. If not, turn to the next solution.

Fix 3 – Update your graphics driver

The graphics card driver matters a lot to your gaming performance. If you have an awesome graphics card but the graphics driver is incompatible, faulty, or outdated, you will run into constant lagging in Sims 4. A simple graphics driver update could very well tackle the issue. To update the drivers safely, there are two options: manually or automatically.

Option 1 – Download and install the driver manually

Graphics card manufacturers keep updating drivers. To get them, you can go to their websites:

• NVIDIA
• AMD
• Intel

You need to find and download the right graphics driver corresponding with your specific flavor of Windows version (for example, Windows 32 bit). Then, double-click the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions to install the driver manually.

Option 2 – Automatically update your graphics driver

If you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update the graphics driver manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy.

Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing.

You can update your drivers automatically with either the 7 days free trial or the Pro version of Driver Easy. It takes just 2 clicks, and you get full support and a 30-day money-back guarantee with the Pro version:

1. Download and install Driver Easy.
2. Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
   
3. Click the Activate & Update button next to the flagged device to automatically download and install the correct version of this driver.
   
   Or click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system (You’ll need the Pro version for this – when you select Update All, you’ll get a prompt to upgrade. If you’re not prepared to purchase the Pro version yet, Driver Easy provides a 7-day trial at no cost, granting access to all Pro features like fast downloads and easy installation. No charges will occur until after your 7-day trial period ends.)
   
4. After updating, restart your computer to take effect.

Check how The Sims 4 works with the updated graphics driver. The game runs a lot better, or still lags badly? If the latter, please check out the next fix below.

Fix 4 – Verify the integrity of game files

Corrupted game file is known to be the main culprit of gaming issues and may also cause your Sims 4 to lag, but you can easily get it repaired by using the built-in tool of your gaming platforms.

• Epic Games Launcher
• EA app
• Steam

Epic Games Launcher

To verify the game’s files on Epic Games Launcher:

1. On Epic Game Launcher, find The Sims 4 in your Library. Click the three dots on the right side of the game line and select Manage.
   
2. Click Verify to start verifying the game files.
   
3. Wait for validation to complete. (It may take a while to verify all your files.)
4. When the validation is done, run The Sims 4 again to see if it still lags.

EA app

To verify the game’s files on EA app:

1. Open the EA app, and find The Sims 4 in the Installed games list, then click MANAGE.
   
2. Click Repair and wait for the process to finish.
   

Steam

1. Launch Steam.
2. In the LIBRARY, right-click The Sims 4 and select Properties from the drop-down menu.
   
   
3. Select the Installed Files tab and click on the Verified integrity of game files button.
   
   
4. Steam will verify the game’s files – this process may take several minutes.

After the process completes, relaunch The Sims 4 and see if the lagging problem persists. If yes, move on to Fix 5 then.

Fix 5 – Lower the in-game graphics settings

A high or ultra graphics setting could put stress off your machine and result in the lagging issue. To improve the game’s performance, try lowering your setup in the Sims 4.

1. Launch The Sims 4. Then, click the […] icon on the top right corner to enter the menu.
2. Click Game Options.
   
3. Select the Graphics tab. Then, under the Display section, change the display type to Windowed.
   
4. Navigate to the Graphics section below and set graphics quality to Low or Medium. Then, click Apply Changes.
   

Check whether the issue is resolved or not. If The Sims 4 is still laggy, you can continue to the next fix below.

Fix 6 – Launch The Sims 4 with the dedicated graphics card

If you have a discrete graphics card, you can set it as the primary so The Sims 4 can run more smoothly with a more powerful hardware device. To do so:

• I have an Nvidia display card
• I have an AMD display card

I have an Nvidia display card

1. Right-click on your desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel.
   
2. Select Manage 3D settings on the left menu, and select Program Settings on the right panel. Then click the Add button.
3. Navigate to the folder where you install The Sims 4. (It’ll most likely be C:\Program Files (x86)\EA Games). Then select the executable file for The Sims 4.
4. Select High-performance NVIDIA processor for the Select the preferred graphics processor for this program option.
   
5. In the Specify the settings for this program: section, scroll down to find the Power management mode, then select Prefer maximum performance.
6. Click Apply to save the changes.

Then run The Sims 4 again to see if the lags still remain. If so, please move on to the next fix below.

2. I have an AMD display card

1. Right click on your desktop and select AMD Radeon Settings
   
2. Select System.
   
3. Select Switchable Graphics.
   
4. Click Installed Profile Applications if The Sims 4 is shown in Running Applications. Click the .exe for The Sims 4 and select High Performance.
   

Open The Sims 4 and check whether this fix does the trick. If the game still acts up, try the next method.

Fix 7 – Reset the Sims 4 folder

Resetting the Sims 4 folder works like a charm for many players plagued by the lagging issue. If you’ve attempted all the solutions above with no result, be sure to give this fix a try.

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and E at the same time to open the File Explorer.
2. Navigate to Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4.
3. Open the Mods folder, and copy all the files.
   
4. Go to your desktop, right-click on any free space and click New > Folder. Then, you can rename it as mods backup or anything else you like.
   
5. Open the new folder and Paste your mods folder.
6. Repeat the steps above to back up your files in the saves folder and tray folder.
7. Go back to the Documents > Electronic Arts, and then delete The Sims 4 folder.
8. Launch The Sims 4, and a new Sims 4 folder will be created. Then, exit the game.
9. Copy all the files in your backup folders respectively and paste them back to the corresponding places in the Sims 4 folder.

Check if the game runs properly now.

Hopefully you can now enjoy The Sims 4 without lags anymore. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to share them in the comment area below.

• Origin
• Steam
• The Sims 4