To install mods in The Sims 2 Legacy Collection, drop the .package files into Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2 Legacy\Downloads (create the Downloads folder if it is missing), then turn on custom content in the game’s options and restart. That is the whole mechanism, and it is the same one the game has used since 2004; only the folder name changed with the January 2025 relaunch. This guide covers the folder for each edition, the in-game switch, file types, which mods are edition-specific, and how to troubleshoot content that does not show up.
Where the Downloads Folder Lives
The Legacy Collection writes its saves, neighborhoods and custom content to a new user folder. Per EA’s own help article, “the save paths for The Sims 2 have changed,” and the folder is called The Sims 2 Legacy. On a standard Windows install that is:
Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2 Legacy\Downloads
EA’s article names the parent folder as Electronic Arts rather than EA Games; if one does not exist on your machine, look for the other. The Sims 2 Legacy folder is only created once the game has been launched to the main menu at least once, so run it first, then quit, then go looking. Inside it you will find Neighborhoods, SavedSims and the rest; Downloads is not there by default, so create it yourself, spelled exactly like that with a capital D.
The older Ultimate Collection (the 2014 Origin giveaway) and the disc releases use Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Downloads instead. If you migrate from one to the other, your Downloads folder does not move on its own; copy it across. EA says old saves work in Legacy as long as they are not corrupted, and the same help article walks through moving the save folder.
The Legacy Collection is Windows only, so the old macOS Aspyr path no longer applies to a current purchase. Steam and EA App copies use the same Documents folder; only the game’s install directory differs.
Turn On Custom Content
Mods are ignored until the game is told to load them. The first time the game finds files in Downloads it shows a dialog asking whether to enable custom content; choose yes. If you dismissed it, or want to check, open Game Options from the main menu or from the in-game options button, find the Enable Custom Content checkbox, tick it and restart the game. Content is only scanned at launch, so every new batch of files needs a restart to appear.
The game also shows a warning on launch when custom objects are present; that is normal. Maxis’s position on mods in the Legacy Collection is stated in the same help article: “Mod capabilities for The Sims 2 remain the same. Maxis hasn’t tested Mods, and doesn’t support Mods.” In other words, they still work but you are on your own, which has always been true.
File Types and Organizing the Folder
Most mods and custom content are .package files, and those go straight into Downloads, in subfolders if you like; the game scans nested folders. Zip, rar and 7z archives must be extracted first, since the game does not read inside them. Sims2Pack files (.sims2pack) are the old installer format for lots and Sims; the Legacy Collection does not always register the file association that lets you double-click them, and community tools that unpack a Sims2Pack into ordinary .package files are the usual workaround.
Load order can matter for mods that alter the same game behavior: subfolders load alphabetically, so a fix that must win a conflict usually goes in a folder whose name sorts last. Keep a list of what you installed and when.
Mods That Are Edition-Specific
Ordinary .package mods, custom objects, clothing and hair are edition-agnostic: what worked in the Ultimate Collection works in Legacy, because the game data they hook into is the same. Some behavior mods are written per expansion level, and since Legacy includes every expansion (everything except IKEA Home Stuff, which was dropped for licensing), you always want the version labelled for Apartment Life or Mansion and Garden Stuff, the top of the pack ladder.
The exception is anything that patches or replaces the game executable: launchers, resolution or graphics fixers, large-address patches, and loaders that inject into the .exe. Those were written against the Ultimate Collection’s binary and the Legacy Collection ships a different one that Maxis has continued to update (eight patches between February and April 2025 per the Steam patch notes). Most of what those tools did is now built in, including widescreen and high-resolution support, a borderless fullscreen window, and the uintProp uiScaleFactor cheat for UI size. Do not install an executable patch unless its author states it targets the Legacy Collection build you have.
Mods that add cheats are fine, but remember Maxis’s note from the first Legacy patch that boolProp testingCheatsEnabled true makes the game pop debug dialogs on its own; our Sims 2 cheats guide covers the console itself.
Troubleshooting
If nothing appears: confirm the folder path (a Downloads folder inside Documents rather than inside The Sims 2 Legacy is the classic mistake), confirm Enable Custom Content is ticked, and confirm you restarted after adding files. If the game now crashes or a Sim freezes, remove the most recent additions and try again; resetting a stuck Sim fixes the symptom but not the cause. And before any large batch, copy The Sims 2 Legacy folder somewhere safe, because per Maxis’s patch notes, saves corrupted by a bad state cannot be repaired afterwards. Our save guide covers making that backup a habit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do mods go in The Sims 2 Legacy Collection? Into Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2 Legacy\Downloads. Create the Downloads folder if it is not there.
Do my Ultimate Collection mods work in Legacy? Ordinary .package mods and custom content do. Anything that patches the executable does not carry over unless its author has updated it for Legacy.
Why are my mods not showing up? Usually the folder is in the wrong place, custom content is not enabled in Game Options, or the game was not restarted after the files were added.
Are mods allowed on the Steam and EA App versions? Yes. EA says mod capabilities are unchanged; they are unsupported rather than forbidden.
Does the Legacy Collection include every pack? Every expansion and stuff pack except IKEA Home Stuff, which was left out for licensing reasons, so install the highest expansion version of any pack-specific mod.
For the rest of the franchise, the Sims 4 mod installation guide covers the newer game’s folder, and our Sims hub lists every guide we have.