8 Tested Ways to Fix Sims 4 Lagging on PC

Is your Sims 4 freezing, stuttering, or loading at a snail’s pace? You’re not alone.

The cause is usually simple: too much custom content, outdated mods, corrupted save files, weak hardware, or background programs hogging memory.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through what’s causing the lag and show you exactly how to fix Sims 4 when it is laggy.

How to stop Sims 4 lag

First, try pausing and resuming the game, switching to Windowed mode, playing offline, freeing up drive space, and checking that your PC meets Sims 4’s system requirements. If the game is still laggy, try the more advanced fixes below.

1. Update the graphics drivers

1. Press Windows + X to open the Power User menu, and choose Device Manager from the list of options.

   

2. Now, expand Display adapters, right-click on the graphics adapter, and choose Update driver from the context menu.

   

3. Next, select Search automatically for drivers and wait for Windows to install the best one.

   

An outdated, corrupt, or incorrect graphics driver is likely to wreak havoc and lead to lagging when playing games. We recommend you update the graphics driver regularly.

To speed up the process, you can also try an automated tool that does the heavy lifting for you. You don’t have to do check ups or manual installs.

A good option we tested extensively on Windows is PC Helpsoft Driver Updater. It automatically scans your PC for outdated or problematic drivers and fixes them within minutes.

2. Repair the game

2.1 In the EA App

1. Launch the EA App, head to Library from the navigation pane.
2. Click the 3 dots next to The Sims 4 and choose Repair.
3. Now, wait for the repair process to complete. Though it shouldn’t usually take long, the process may take some time in rare cases where there are several issues.

2.2 On Steam

1. Launch Steam, navigate the Library tab, right-click on The Sims 4, and choose Properties.

   

2. Now, head to Local Files from the navigation pane, and click on Verify integrity of game files.

   

3. Wait for the process to complete.

   

If there were issues with the game files or a few were missing, which led to lagging in The Sims 4, things should now be up and running like before.

Read more about this topic

• FIX: Sims 4 not working / responding on Windows 10/11
• The Sims 4 VC++ Runtime Redistributable error on Windows 10 [GAMER’S GUIDE]
• How to Install Sims 4 Mods on Windows PC & Mac

3. Set the game priority to high

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager, and head to the Details tab.

   

2. Now, locate The Sims 4 process, right-click on it, hover the cursor over Set priority, and choose High.

   

4. Lower Graphics Settings

1. Go to Game Options > Graphics.
2. Set quality to Low or Medium.
3. Lower Sims/Lighting/Object details.
4. Turn off Uncompressed Sim Textures.
5. Apply changes and restart the game.

5. Close Background Programs

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
2. End non-critical tasks (browsers, updates, etc.).

6. Move Sims 4 to an SSD

1. Backup your saves.
2. Uninstall Sims 4.
3. Reinstall on your SSD via the EA app.
4. Restore saves to:
   Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > Saves

7. Clean Up Mods & Custom Content

1. Move the Mods folder to desktop.
2. Launch Sims 4 — if lag stops, mods are the issue.
3. Delete outdated CC and update essential ones.
4. Use Sims 4 Tray Importer to check for broken or duplicate files.

8. Clear Cache & Keep Files Clean

1. Delete localthumbcache.package in your Sims 4 folder regularly.
2. Avoid huge households or oversized lots that strain performance.
3. Keep Windows/macOS and GPU drivers up to date.

If Sims 4 is still laggy after these fixes, check for related issues like when Sims 4 won’t start, households won’t load, or mods stop working.

You can also follow guides on update problems or changing the game language for better performance.