EA is giving The Sims 2 away for free, until 31 July 2014 10h00 PDT (that’s 19h00 for us GMT+2 people), to drum up anticipation for the impending launch of The Sims 4 (I/we/the internet/everyone figures, but EA says it’s “because you’re a passionate The Sims 2 player”). Even better, the edition being given away is the Ultimate Collection, which is The Sims 2 base game plus ALL THE THINGS (eight expansions, ten stuff packs, the whole shebang). So if it’s still before the cut-off time and you haven’t already done so and you like free things, you’d best open Origin up (app or website), keep reading to take advantage.

All you’ll need to do to bloat your library with another game is redeem the code I-LOVE-THE-SIMS in Origin and you’ll have that there Ultimate Collection added to your library. Want more instructions? Find them here. When I did it I got the little message below, but a quick refresh of my games list and The Sims 2 popped right up.

This comes after EA announced that they’re ending support for The Sims 2 (their tech support will still help you with issues, but there’ll be no more patches released), and existing owners of The Sims 2 were offered a free upgrade to this newly-created Ultimate Collection.

Thanks, NAG Online.
Also, there’s more info, like a list of the included expansions and stuff packs, over here.