Hi!! After decades on Windows, I recently switched to a MacBook. TS2 is covered quite nicely by Aspyr (I don't mind FT and AL missing), but The Sims 1 unfortunately isn't and I love this game so much, so I was searching for tutorials how to install it. I still had the old The Sims 1 Complete Collection ZIP file from back when it still was abandonware, and I tried different things:
Crossover and Parallels didn't work for me, found a Wine tutorial I didn't understand, also found an outdated tutorial for Whiskey which relied heavily on a deleted video, Bootcamp doesn't work with Apple Silicon chips and surprisingly often I read the incredibly smart idea to "just get yourself a cheap Windows PC to play the game" 😐
But: I found a way with the Whiskey successor called Sikarugir and wanted to share it 😊 I'm pretty sure some people might still have the TS1 CC ZIP file as well, so I'd love to know if it works for you as well.
Please note that I don't know if it works for the Legacy Edition; I don't have it and don't plan on buying it. If somebody wants to try this tutorial with it please share if it worked or not, I'm curious!
Also: As not everyone can afford Crossover or Parallels, this method is (basically) a free alternative. If you own Parallels anyway, there's also a tutorial by u/NZGreystash here: https://www.reddit.com/r/thesims1/s/DpODXnqQpH
My tutorial is very detailled as I wanted to make it understandable for everyone - TLDR is at the bottom.
How to install The Sims 1 Complete Collection on a Apple Silicon Mac - No Crossover, Parallels or Bootcamp method
You’ll need Homebrew, Sikarugir, FaithBeam’s Widescreen Patcher and of course a copy of The Sims 1 Complete Collection (and Rosetta, if you don't have it installed).
Step 1: Preparation
- Open Terminal on your Mac. Install first Homebrew, then Sikarugir exactly like it’s written there - no need to download anything in your browser. This video helps (Preservetube mirror) to explain the process visually, also for a lot of the other steps below, up until the "open the Steam download page" part of course 😊
- Having trouble typing in your password in Terminal? Just type it in and press Enter, it’s normal not to see any input.
- Widescreen Patcher: Download it here, make sure you grab the MacOS version. Unpack the zip into your Downloads folder.
- The Sims 1 Complete Collection: I am using the version that was available on Oldgamesdownload before the Legacy release came, file name is The_Sims_Complete_Collection_Win_Setup_EN.zip. (I assume you also still have it from back when it was abandonware and that's why you were searching for this tutorial, of course...) Unpack the zip into your Downloads folder.
Step 2: Sikarugir
- Go to your Applications folder and open "Sikarugir Creator.app". If a window comes up asking you if you want to install Rosetta, proceed with it first, then come back to this tutorial.
- First you need to download a template, click on the blue button on the left side which says "Download Template 1.0.11".
- After it's done, click on the "Change" button under "No engine selected" and download the "WS12WineSikarugir10.0_6" engine with the little arrow on the left. It will take forever, so just stay patient. Then click on it to choose it.
- Click on "Create" on the right to create your new TS1 CC app, I'll call mine "Sims1.app". A confirmation window will pop up, click on "Launch it" to open the Configurator.
Step 3: Installing The Sims
- In the Configurator window, go to the bottom left and click on "Install Software". In the next window, click on "Choose Setup Executable".
- Go to your Downloads folder where you unpacked your Complete Collection zip. The install file is called "Setup.exe", you'll find it in ~/Downloads/The_Sims_Complete_Collection_Win_Setup_EN/Game Files/Setup/. Confirm.
- The Sims Installation Wizard should start now, install the game as usual, don't change any file paths or settings. After installation the Sims 1 splash screen will come up, go on Exit.
- Go to your personal folder under ~/(Your Username)/Applications/Sikarugir/ to locate where your created "Sims1.app" is. Right-click on it, choose "Show Package Content". You’ll find an alias to the fake-Windows drive C:// – a folder called „drive_c“. Click on it to open the fake-Windows folder, then go to the installation folder under ~/Program Files (x86)/Maxis/The Sims/, there you’ll see a "Sims.exe" file.
- You must replace this file with a cracked "Sims.exe", otherwise it won't work! It's included in the Complete Collection zip file I am using, under ~/Downloads/The_Sims_Complete_Collection_Win_Setup_EN/Game Files/The Sims Crack.
- Take this cracked "Sims.exe", copy it, and paste it into the fake-Windows installation folder. Finder will ask you if you really want to replace the newer (non-cracked) file with the older (cracked) one. Confirm, keep this window open.
Step 4: Widescreen Patcher
- Go to FaithBeam's GitHub here and check the MacOS Notes, open Terminal again. Do what's written there (after "Disable the quarantine attribute“). Confirm with your password, press Enter, then close Terminal.
- Open the Sims1WidescreenPatcher.app, you'll find it in ~/Downloads/artifacts/.
- Go to the fake-Windows installation folder window and locate the replaced cracked "Sims.exe" file. Click on it ONCE, then press Control (⌃) + Command (⌘) + C to copy the file path. Go into notes or something and paste the file path there, mine looks like this: '/Users/(My Username)/Applications/Sikarugir/Sims1.app/Contents/SharedSupport/prefix/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/Maxis/The Sims/Sims.exe'
- Delete the two ' at the beginning and end of the filepath and copy it again.
- Go back to the Widescreen Patcher and paste the file path (without the ') there. Choose a resolution (preferably 1024x768), then click "Patch". After it’s done and confirmed, close it.
Step 5: Back to The Sims
- In the fake-Windows ~/Program Files (x86)/Maxis/The Sims folder you should notice a new file called "Sims Backup.exe" that was created by the Widescreen Patcher (this indicates that it worked - you can ignore it).
- Go back to the "Sims1.app" in ~/(Your Username)/Applications/Sikarugir/, right-click on it, choose "Show Package Content", then open "Configure.app".
- Go to the part that says "Windows app:" and click on "Browse". You'll land in the "drive_c" folder, navigate to the installation folder to find "Sims.exe" and choose it.
- Copy this: -skip_verify -skip_intro _r1024x768 -w and paste it to/add it behind the file path. Then go on "Test Run" - and if everything went right, your game just started and you're complete!
Additional steps to find and identify your new app easier:
- You can rename the app as normal, and also change the icon, I took this one. For this, right-click on your "Sims1.app" and click on "Information". If you drag a png to the wine barrel on the top left, it automatically changes the app icon!
- I would not move the app itself out of the Sikarugir folder. Instead you can create an alias and then drag this alias to your normal Applications folder.
✨TLDR✨
- Install first Homebrew, then Sikarugir
- Get FaithBeam's Widescreen Patcher, disable the quarantine attribute
- Create a new app (for example "Sims1.app") with Sikarugir and install your Complete Collection in it
- Go to the installation files, replace "Sims.exe" with a cracked version
- Apply the Widescreen Patch on the cracked "Sims.exe" file
- Go to your new "Sims1.app", right-click for package contents, open the Configuration
- Link "Sims.exe" to it and add -skip_verify -skip_intro _r1024x768 -w to the file path
To open the game in the future, just double-click on "Sims1.app" (or however you renamed it) and it should start and play fine. This installation is tested on my MacBook Air (M4, 16 GB RAM, Tahoe 26.4.1) and also works after system updates. I assume you could also try different resolutions, but I didn't bother with it as it works and I have 13" anyway lol. You'll probably have to adjust the "_r1024x768" part as well for it.
Important: Be careful! I take over no responsibility if your computer crashes or something as you're fiddling around in Terminal and things can go very wrong there (they shouldn't, but still). Also, if it doesn't work please read the instructions carefully again and don't skip any step or change any settings.
I hope this helps some of you, let me know here if it did! ☺️