The Sims 2 with DXVK: the right TSBin and what it sets

Which TSBin? Find the exe you actually launch

The Sims 2 installs the base game and each expansion or stuff pack in its own folder, and every one has a TSBin folder with its own program. The game starts the newest one you have installed, so that is the folder that matters. Right-click the shortcut you use, choose Open file location, and note the folder: that is where the DLL goes. Copying into every TSBin folder is harmless in principle, but only the one that is launched counts.

We have not installed any edition of the game, so we do not list exe names for individual packs. DXVK’s profile matches any program whose name starts with Sims2 (see below), which is why the exact pack name does not change what DXVK does.

Install DXVK (and Body Shop too)

To undo it, delete the DLLs you copied (F12): see the uninstall guide. The general steps, with the checklist and warnings, are on the Windows install page.

Body Shop has its own program, TS2BodyShop.exe, and DXVK’s profile covers it. Copy the DLL next to it too if you use it. The same profile also names the Life, Pet and Castaway Stories programs, the Content Manager and HomeCrafter Plus.

What DXVK’s Sims 2 profile already does

DXVK applies this profile automatically when the exe name matches (the pattern is Sims2.*, TS2BodyShop, SimsLS, SimsPS, SimsCS, The Sims 2 Content Manager or TS2HomeCrafterPlus):

In plain words: the game is told it is running on a GeForce 7800 GTX, a card from its own era that it recognises, and that about 2 GB of texture memory is available. The other lines adjust how DXVK handles a few texture formats and buffer uploads. We proved the memory option only on a test program: it made a Direct3D 9 app see 2,038 MB (F25). We did not run the game, so we do not know what these lines change on screen.

Many guides tell you to set d3d9.maxAvailableMemory or a fake vendor yourself. DXVK’s release notes list Sims 2 fixes from 2.3 on (2.3, 2.4, 2.4.1 and, for mod tools, 2.5.2), so with a recent version the profile already does it when the exe name matches. When it does not match (a renamed exe, some launchers), a dxvk.conf can hold the same values under a section named for the exe. We proved per-exe sections work: a section named for the exe applied its option, and the same option under another name was ignored (F24).

[Sims2EP9.exe]
d3d9.maxAvailableMemory = 2048

The exe name above is an example, not a verified name for any pack. See the dxvk.conf page for the syntax and VRAM and memory for what the option does and does not do.

Purple soup, pink flashing and other graphics problems

Players describe “purple soup” or pink flashing textures on modern graphics cards. The community explanation, on the r/sims2help wiki and in guides, is that the game misreads the card or its memory. That would match what the profile sets, but we could not reproduce purple soup, so we cannot show that DXVK removes it, and we do not show a before-and-after. Community guides also mention a tool that edits the game’s graphics rules file; whether it is still needed with DXVK is untested by us.

Crashes and the 4 GB limit

The Sims 2 is a 32-bit game, so it can run out of address space with heavy custom content. DXVK cannot add address space. The Game Checker reads the Large Address Aware flag from your exe and tells you if it is missing; see VRAM and memory for what the flag does. Patching an exe is a separate decision and we did not test any patch here.

Mod tools (SimPE, Body Shop, CEP)

The 2.5.2 release notes list Sims 2 mod-tool fixes. Whether SimPE needs DXVK we have not verified, so we give no advice on it.

Remove DXVK

Delete the DLL from every TSBin folder you copied it into (F12). Nothing else was changed by DXVK.

What we have not tested

• Any run of the game: FPS, stutter and crashes are unmeasured, so we make no speed claim.
• Whether purple soup or pink flashing goes away: we could not reproduce it.
• Which exe name each edition and pack uses, and the current product names.
• Whether DXVK is better or worse than the game’s normal Direct3D on your GPU.
• Whether a graphics rules tool is still needed with DXVK, and mods such as SimPE.

Check your own copy

The Game Checker reads your .exe on your device and tells you its bitness and Direct3D version. Our checker also flags files in the game folder that use the same name as DXVK’s DLLs.