Game Crashing and Going Back to Desktop

[Superbad55]

Okay, I had bought Sims 3 for PC from Steam. After it downloaded and everything I started playing it. A little while into the game (5 minutes) it brought me back to the desktop and said that Sims 3 had stopped working. After I re-launched the game, I put all of the graphic settings to the lowest settings. It let me play for 10 minutes then it did the Sims 3 had stopped working.

I need help with this because I spent money on this game. I was going to buy an Xbox 360 game but I remembered I had a Steam account and bought Sims 3. Please help me!

Thank you,
Superbad55

[Pam]

Hi Superbad.

Would you mind changing the subject of this topic to something more specific, please.  It will help others know what the topic is about and you'll get better help quicker.

My first thought is that you need to check the game specifications on the box and compare them to your computer's specifications.  Make sure your computer can run the game properly.

[Superbad55]

There is no box. I bought it off of Steam and downloaded it.

P.S. I changed the topic to something more narrow.

[Wai]

This may or may not be your problem.  However, my game has twice had the same problem  So, here is my take on this. 

The first time I had this problem someone here suggested I buy a new graphics card.  Problem solved but I was about £50 poorer.  Check that your graphics card is of a sufficient spec. 

The second time it happened I had installed a new EP using a physical disk.  The disk appeared to install correctly.  Eventually I uninstalled and then reinstalled the game.  On reinstalling my new EP the process hung.  I returned the disk to EA who confirmed it was faulty and replaced it.  Problem solved.  Now, I note you say you downloaded the game, is it posible that the download may have been slightly corrupted?  You could try removing and then re-downloading the game.

[Twinmum]

There is no box. I bought it off of Steam and downloaded it.

The system requirements are listed on the Steam page (scroll down) http://store.steampowered.com/app/47890/

[Flynn Arrowstarr]

Hi, Superbad55.

Can you post your computer specs? Specifically your graphics card, operating system and amount of memory? You can find most of this information (in Windows 7 and Windows on the Computer Properties page in the Control Panel. Let us know if you need any help finding the correct spot and we'll point you in the right direction.

Also, since you bought the game through Steam, remember that Steam always runs in the background while you're playing a Steam-based game. Make sure your computer has enough memory to run Steam, Sims 3 and your operating system (4 GB recommended for Windows 7 and Windows .

I would hazard a guess that either your system is low on memory or that your graphics card is inadequate to play the game. These are the usual culprits, especially if your system is using an on-chip graphics card like some AMD Radeon and all Intel HD chips.

Hope this helps.

Flynn