Running SimCity 4 on Windows 8 The Almost Definitive Guide By Indiana Joe, with innumerable contributions by the esteemed community  September 8, 2015 -- Microsoft ends support for some CD programs including SimCity 4. Latest Windows updates will prevent the CD from working.    Disclaimer: This guide should be applicable to most PCs with modern hardware running Windows 8.
Much of the information is also applicable to Windows Vista & 7. For further help or clarification, please be encouraged to start a new topic!   SimCity 4 was built to run on the 32 bit Windows XP operating system from 2001. Over a decade later, Windows 8 and 64 bit computers can have some trouble cooperating with this old software. This guide will take you through the proper setup of installing SimCity 4 on a modern PC and addresses some common technical problems. By the end, your game should run smoothly.   Installing SimCity 4   Patching the Game   Important Setup Steps   Graphics   Plugins (Mods) and Fixes   Resources