For those unaware, The Sims 1 and The Sims 2 were re-released on Steam at the start of this year with all of their DLC included, and both games are a joy to play on the Steam Deck. The new versions are titled The Sims Legacy Collection and The Sims 2 Legacy Collection, respectively, and while there isn't much new content added, it's still a great way for handheld users to dive back into these classics. That said, The Sims 2 Legacy Collection just received an update to address two in-game issues.

The new Sims 2 patch is for players who've noticed weird UI issues in the Create-A-Sim (CAS) section. With this update, the CAS UI should now display correctly at 1280×800 resolution, and you can finally enter text into fields that were previously unresponsive. While the Steam Deck isn't mentioned directly, 1280×800 is its native resolution, and given how uncommon that is, it's likely this fix was made with Deck users in mind.

Runs miles better than inZOI, as you’d expect

Despite The Sims 2 Legacy Collection being rated as “Playable” on the Steam Deck due to issues like incorrect controller icons, small in-game text, and the need to manually bring up the virtual keyboard, the game runs flawlessly on the handheld. You'll get a stable 60 FPS experience at the highest visual quality with under 10W battery drain. Unfortunately, it doesn’t support controllers, which is a shame, but it's still fully playable using the trackpad as a mouse.

Fixed Issues:

• CAS UI is incorrectly laid out on 1280×800 resolutions
• Unable to enter text into fields (e.g. when naming a family)

Source: Steam

When compared to its newest rival, InZOI, it's clear that The Sims 2 easily takes the crown for being the more optimized option. In fact, we saw the InZOI developers quickly change their stance on Steam Deck support from “runs fine” to “not supported” after disappointing performance reviews started surfacing. However, InZOI does aim to offer a more “realistic” simulation experience than a 2004 title. The Sims 2 Legacy Collection is available on Steam for $29.99.

About the Author

Hassam Nasir

Hassam boasts over seven years of professional experience as a dedicated PC hardware reviewer and writer.