The best Chromebooks and ChromeOS tablets are now more useful for gaming. Thanks to Google's new partnership with Steam, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and services like Nvidia GeForce now, you can now enjoy games on your Chromebook like never before. Some games you can play locally, like through Steam, but the other services require an internet connection.
So what does that mean for a game like The Sims 4 that isn't available on Steam? You'll have to use Xbox Game Pass on a Chromebook to enjoy the game, but thankfully, that's easy to do.
What you need to know about playing The Sims 4 on a Chromebook
Since The Sims 4 isn't available on the Google Play Store or Steam, you'll have to stream the game to your Chromebook through the internet. You can do this through EA Play, which EA's dedicated game subscription service that is also an included add-on through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
There are also two standalone versions of EA Play that you can buy: either EA Play, which is $5 per month or $30 per year, and EA Play Pro, which is $15 per month and $100 per year. The EA Play app is available on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate comes with the standard version of EA Play, and it's not compatible with EA Play Pro. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is $15 per month, although it'll be going up to $17 per month starting on July 7, but this is what you need to play The Sims 4 on your Chromebook since it comes with access to Xbox Cloud Gaming. You can't access EA Play otherwise.
When you stream The Sims 4 through EA Play on Xbox Cloud Gaming, you'll be getting access to the EA Play Edition, which comes with The Sims 4: Get to Work expansion pack, along with the base game. That's not to be confused with The Sims 4 EA Play Pro Edition, which comes with the bonus Kids Room Stuff.
How to cloud stream The Sims 4
To play The Sims 4 on your Chromebook using Xbox Cloud Gaming, you'll need to have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. You also will need to be connected to the internet. You can learn more about subscription costs and signing up on Microsoft's website. Once you subscribe, follow the steps below.
- Open the Google Chrome Browser.
- Head to Xbox.com/Play
- In the search games bar at the top, search for Sims 4.
- Click on the top result, The Sims 4 EA Play Edition.
- Connect a controller to your Chromebooks via the USB-A or USB-C port or a dongle.
- Click the Play button
The game will then boot up. It should perform just as if it was installed locally depending on your internet connectivity.
This is currently the best way to enjoy The Sims 4 on your Chromebook, though there are also the Sims mobile games if you want an Android-based alternative. We get that all of this is less than ideal, especially since your saves won't carry over if you already own the PC version. There's also the inconvenience of having to play this game over the internet all the time. Still, it's a workaround if you don't have a great laptop to play Sims on and are stuck with a Chromebook instead.