Hi folks, so I have the opportunity to buy the Sims 3 plus 7 expansion packs (all except Island Paradise, Into The Future, and Generations). They are all in disc form, and only the Pets expansion has the Origin logo on the back. Does this mean that the base game has no serial code that can be registered with Origin?

If on the other hand, if the game has been registered with Origin, will I still be able to play from the discs? If so, what exactly will the install process need to be? I have an external DVD/CD player that should work with games as far as I'm aware, but does the base game disc need to be in it the whole time for it to work on my laptop? If so, how will I be able to install and play with the expansion packs if my only slot is occupied by the base game?

I hope this is clear, let me know if there's something you don't understand. Thanks a lot for the help!

Even if they have the Origin logo, expansion packs can be installed from the disk without Origin.

However, the base game is where it can get tricky. If it’s the 2009 release, it will work without Origin. But if it’s the 2012 refresh, you will need to register it on Origin to install it. The year should be on the disk. If you can’t see it, check if the disk is white with 3-4 Sims on it; that is the 2012 refresh that requires Origin. If it’s green with a bunch of Sims in small plumbobs, it’s the 2009, non-Origin version.

If these are brand new copies, then it shouldn’t matter much because the codes should work on Origin for you, as their first owner. If not, check the base game carefully.

As for which disk is used to play, I believe it requires the latest EP disk to run, but you can also use an Nraas mod to skip the disk check.

Thanks for the reply! The disc is the 2009 version, but I am not the first owner as these are second hand. The seller told me she doesn't remember whether she created an Origin account so I will check that this evening before completing the transaction.

Will the game run all the expansions at once even if only one of the discs is inside the player?

You should definitely try to redeem the codes on your Origin account, just in case they are not used.

After you install all the packs, you will ONLY need the disk for the latest released pack to play. You mentioned not having Into the Future and Island Paradise, so you will probably need to use the University Life disk. Either way, Nraas’ No CD mod will let you play without needing the disk in the drive.

Everything worked except Showtime, which was no big deal-I installed it on my computer instead. Thanks a lot for your help, I can't wait to buy the missing EPs too!

May I ask why Showtime didn’t work?

Apparently the code had already been used. I got two base game discs, so I assume the seller's daughter had only registered one + the Showtime disc.