Installation through Digital Download
Introduction
Sims 4 can be installed from DVD or as digital download. If you bought the DVD, you can do either.
You will need an active Internet connection to register the game, activate it on the computer and download it.
Activation
Activation works a little different, depending on whether you bought the game on Origin or through some other source.
The game is automatically activated on the account you bought it with. After buying you can find it in My Game Library and you don’t have anything further to do.
For awhile now, Origin also offers to gift the game to someone else but that can only be done with people living in the same country.
The seller should send you a key which you can register on Origin (the DVD version should have such a key in the box, see Installing from DVD).
This key can be either registered on the Origin.com website or through the Origin-Client. Make sure to login with the account you want the game on. This cannot be changed later.
Always make sure to buy key from authorized sellers only. Keys from other keysellers have been known to be removed from accounts in the past, since they come from shady sources. It’s better to wait for an Origin sale instead of buying a cheap key.
Download and Installation
The pictures are from when the game first came out. The process should be still the same.
In addition you can now choose which packs you want to install.
Downloading and installing is one step. It does not matter if you install the game for the first time or if you’re reinstalling, The steps are always the same.
Instructions
After activating your game (this only needs to be done ONCE), you will find the game in my Game library on the Origin client.
Click on the game and click on the orange download button.
In the appearing window you can choose if you want a short cut and a entry in your start menu or not and then click on Continue
Wait until the game has finished downloading and installing. This can take a few hours depending on your connection since Origin is downloading almost 9 GB.
After installation the game is automatically patched even if you have automatic updates turned off.
Now you can click on the icon on your desktop or simply press play in Origin to start the game.
The license allows you to install the game on up to 5 computers in the same household. You can only register the game on one Origin account though since it’s a one-user license and only one person can play the game at any given time.
