EA Giving The Sims 2 Away for Free on Origin, Along With All 18 Expansions

A decade after its release, Electronic Arts is giving away The Sims 2 for free through Origin--along with every single expansion and stuff pack ever released.

EA recently announced it would end support for The Sims 2, meaning it will no longer release content or technical fixes for the game. It will continue to offer for support to those who contact the company for help, but the game as it exists today will remain unchanged going forward (barring any efforts made by the modding community). EA contacted Sims 2 owners recently, informing them of the news and offering a free upgrade to the newly created The Sims 2: Ultimate Collection.

That same collection is now being offered to all Origin users for free for a limited time. To get it, simply open Origin, select the "Redeem Product Code" option from the menu, and enter the code I-LOVE-THE-SIMS. You have until July 31 at 10AM Pacific to redeem the code to your Origin account. If you don't already have one, you can sign up for free.

Ultimate Collection includes the base Sims 2 game along with "every single The Sims 2 expansion pack and stuff pack." The list of content that entails, as a result, is comically long: There have been eight expansion packs (which add new functionality and major features) and ten stuff packs (which, as you might guess, contain various stuff--primarily clothing and furniture) released since The Sims 2's launch in 2004.

The full list of eight expansions:

• Apartment Life
• Bon Voyage
• FreeTime
• Nightlife
• Open for Business
• Pets
• Seasons
• University

And all ten stuff packs:

• Celebration Stuff
• Family Fun Stuff
• Glamour Life Stuff
• H&M Fashion Stuff
• Happy Holiday Stuff
• Holiday Party Pack
• IKEA Home Stuff
• Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff
• Mansion & Garden Stuff
• Teen Style Stuff

The Sims 4, the newest game in the series, is scheduled for launch on PC on September 2. EA released a lengthy gameplay video recently which may have inadvertently revealed its plans for a Battlefield Premium-esque service for the game.