The Sims 4 is a popular game that many players say lags too much. For example, this is what a player said about that lagging: “Basically, for a few weeks now, my game randomly starts lagging when clicking stuff on the UI. I just have to open anything on the UI, and fps drops from 60 to 15 with no way to fix it.” When Sims 4 lags, it slows down, and its gameplay becomes increasingly unresponsive. This is how you can fix Sims 4 lagging on a Windows PC.
Disable Online Features
First, try disabling online features to fix Sims 4 lagging. Applying this potential resolution will minimize network demands. This is how you can disable online features in Sims 4:
- Start the Sims 4 game.
- Click on the Options button.
- Select Game Options from the menu.
- Next, select the Other tab.
- Unselect the Online Features Access option.
- Disable the In-Game Surveys setting.
- Unselect the Online Notifications setting.
The Online Features Access setting
- Click on Apply Changes.
Disable Eco Footprint Gameplay
Disabling the Eco Footprint Gameplay setting has fixed The Sims 4 lagging for some players. Doing that will disable some of the more complex environment visual effects and calculations. These are the steps for disabling that Eco Footprint Gameplay setting:
- Start a Sims 4 game.
- Press the Esc key to access the menu.
- Select Game Options within the menu.
- Next, select Pack Settings.
- Unselect the Enable Eco Footprints Gameplay checkbox.
- Click on the Apply Changes button.
Select DirectX 9
Although not a universal potential solution, some players say that selecting DirectX 9 has fixed their Sims 4 lagging. Sims 4 was originally designed for the DirectX 9 API rendering. You can select the DX9 setting within Sims 4 like this:
- Run the Sims 4.
- Click the UI menu button to select Game Options.
- Select the Graphics tab.
- Click on DirectX 9 to select that checkbox.
The Graphics tab
- Press the Apply Changes button.
Clear the Sims 4 and EA App Caches
Clearing caches can fix Sims 4 lagging because doing so might erase outdated and corrupted data. The EA app includes an option for clearing cached data, which you can select as instructed within this support page. You’ll need to manually delete cache files for Sims 4 as follows:
- Open File Explorer and the Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4.
- Right-click the localthumbcache.package file to select Delete.
- Erase the localsimtexturecache.package and avatarcache.package files if present.
The cache files for The Sims 4
Free Up Drive Space
If the drive on which Sims 4 is installed is too full, try freeing up some drive space. To check if that’s the case, click This PC in File Explorer to view the drive storage bar. If that bar is red, then free up drive space by uninstalling unnecessary software and superfluous files. This Microsoft guide page provides further details about the various ways you can free up drive space.
This PC in File Explorer
Reduce Graphics Settings
Reducing graphics settings is one of the more reliable ways to fix lagging (or stuttering) in games. Sure, applying this potential also diminishes graphical quality, but the most important thing is the gameplay. So, bring up the graphics settings in Sims 4 as covered for resolution two. Then, try setting the graphical options like this:
- Graphics Quality: Low Medium
- Sims: Medium
- Edge Smoothing: Low
- 3D Scene Resolution: Medium
- View Distance: Low
- Laptop Mode: Enable for low-end desktop PC or laptop
Click Apply changes to save the options as selected. Then, restart Sims 4 and try playing the game to see the difference. The game will look graphically poorer, but will hopefully be less laggy.
The Graphics Quality setting
Close Background Programs
Finally, try maximizing system resources for the Sims 4. You can do so by closing unnecessary third-party programs and disabling startup items. Go through these steps to close background apps and disable startup items:
- Activate the Task Manager window using the Ctrl + Shift + Esc key combination.
- Right-click third-party programs shown on the Processes tab and select End task.
The Processes tab
- Next, click the Startup apps tab.
- Right-click on superfluous third-party startup items to select Disable.
The Startup apps tab
Other Possible Ways to Fix The Sims 4 Lagging
There are quite a few potential remedies for Sims 4 lagging beyond those covered above. If the game still lags, try applying these extra potential fixes:
- Turn on the Game Mode feature in Windows Settings.
- Set Sims 4 to run with a higher priority by right-clicking the TS4_x64.exe process in Task Manager’s Details tab and selecting Set priority > High.
- Read this KeenGamer guide to update your PC’s graphics card.
- Turn off overlay features in software like Steam, Discord, and the NVIDIA App.
The troubleshooting methods here are some of the more widely confirmed ways to fix Sims 4 lagging on PCs. That doesn’t mean they’ll work for everybody, but applying them might reduce the lag for some players. Players who’ve found other good ways to fix lag in Sims 4 are most welcome to share them in the comments below.
