SimCity 4 Deluxe for Windows 11

[daderic888 216]

Hi all,

Recently, my Windows 7 PC suffered a power surge during a severe storm in Sydney in November. After that, it wasn't working properly anymore.

I brought it to a very good technician who fixed it by installing Windows 11 and now my PC works fine since the installation.

But all aspects of SimCity 4 Deluxe was removed and I went to install the CR-ROM version of the game which i have had for ages into my new system.

After installation, the game did not start at all. I'm trying to uninstall it altogether. Hopefully after I shut down the PC and I start it up later on, it won't be there.

It seems like the case of an old version of SimCity 4 Deluxe from 2003 into the new and current system of Windows 11 which is not likely to work out.

Would I just be better off just buying the digital version from Steam and installing it in whatever way so that hopefully it will start in Windows 11?

Any tips or help is appreciated.

Cheers.

[CorinaMarie 29,857]

8 hours ago, daderic888 said:

It seems like the case of an old version of SimCity 4 Deluxe from 2003 into the new and current system of Windows 11 which is not likely to work out.

Yeah, Windoze disabled their SafeDisc thinger which is what checks first to see if an original game CD is in the drive before it lets the game run. On Win 7 there was a workaround, but versions after that no dice.

 

8 hours ago, daderic888 said:

Would I just be better off just buying the digital version from Steam and installing it in whatever way so that hopefully it will start in Windows 11?

Yep. This is the way to go if you prefer Steam for some reason. However, if you'd like be able to play without being connected to the internet, go with the GOG one and be sure to download the offline version. (Skip their Galaxy launcher as it doesn't play well with SC4.)

[daderic888 216]

Okay thanks for that CorinaMarie 👍🙂

Cheers.

[daderic888 216]

2 hours ago, CorinaMarie said:

Yeah, Windoze disabled their SafeDisc thinger which is what checks first to see if an original game CD is in the drive before it lets the game run. On Win 7 there was a workaround, but versions after that no dice.

 

Yep. This is the way to go if you prefer Steam for some reason. However, if you'd like be able to play without being connected to the internet, go with the GOG one and be sure to download the offline version. (Skip their Galaxy launcher as it doesn't play well with SC4.)

I'll go with GOG.

Thanks again CorinaMarie 👍🙂

Cheers

[rsc204 21,857]

On 06/01/2026 at 4:33 PM, CorinaMarie said:

Yeah, Windoze disabled their SafeDisc thinger which is what checks first to see if an original game CD is in the drive before it lets the game run. On Win 7 there was a workaround, but versions after that no dice.

Actually a solution did materialise a while back, can't vouch for it personally, but see here:
https://github.com/nckstwrt/SafeDiscLoader2

However muddying the waters, using the old discs means you won't be able to run the latest DLL mods, which have all been created to function with the 1.641.0.0 digital versions of the game. So you'd be better off buying the digital copy in any case.

[TogaMasterJohn 711]

On 1/8/2026 at 9:27 AM, rsc204 said:

However muddying the waters, using the old discs means you won't be able to run the latest DLL mods, which have all been created to function with the 1.641.0.0 digital versions of the game. So you'd be better off buying the digital copy in any case.

Indeed. Plus, I couldn't imagine not using the GOG digital version on any system these days... as much as I love and cherish my old SimCity 4 CDs, it's so much more convenient (and a lot faster) to install the game from a single executable.

And if you really wanted to, you could burn it onto a DVD or store it on a flash drive to install on older machines. All of the GOG installers that I have tested so far work all the way back to Windows 2000, which is nice if you have an older "retro" machine for older games and programs.

[daderic888 216]

Thanks everyone.

I just purchased the GOG version and I installed it (unsure whether I skipped their Galaxy launcher. I wasn't able to bypass the Galaxy window which showed when I made the purchase).

I'm trying to download the offline version.

The folder is C/Program Files (x86)/GOG Galaxy/Games and this is what has been downloaded:

GOG_Galaxy_SimCityTM_4_Deluxe_Edition.

Silly question, is that the right one?

Or is this the installation executable where I hope to locate the option of downloading the offline version?.

I haven't clicked on it yet, just in case.

Sorry about this, I'm confused.

Cheers.

[daderic888 216]

3 hours ago, daderic888 said:

Thanks everyone.

I just purchased the GOG version and I installed it (unsure whether I skipped their Galaxy launcher. I wasn't able to bypass the Galaxy window which showed when I made the purchase).

I'm trying to download the offline version.

The folder is C/Program Files (x86)/GOG Galaxy/Games and this is what has been downloaded:

GOG_Galaxy_SimCityTM_4_Deluxe_Edition.

Silly question, is that the right one?

Or is this the installation executable where I hope to locate the option of downloading the offline version?.

I haven't clicked on it yet, just in case.

Sorry about this, I'm confused.

Cheers.

I just received an email from GOG.com which says that the SimCity 4 Deluxe is already yours. DRM-free without restrictions, ready to launch whenever you want.

The email contains a choice whether to install offline or install easy via Galaxy. I'll be installing offline directly from my GOG library tomorrow Sydney time.

Will see how it goes.

Cheers.

[CorinaMarie 29,857]

7 hours ago, daderic888 said:

I'll be installing offline directly from my GOG library

Yay!

And I hope this means you have the installer file on your computer somewhere. Mine is setup_simcity4_deluxe_2.1.0.9.exe (1,104,703,920 bytes) and yours will prolly be named similar. This is the file to also backup to other media (such as a flash drive) and/or the cloud.

[daderic888 216]

12 hours ago, CorinaMarie said:

Yay!

And I hope this means you have the installer file on your computer somewhere. Mine is setup_simcity4_deluxe_2.1.0.9.exe (1,104,703,920 bytes) and yours will prolly be named similar. This is the file to also backup to other media (such as a flash drive) and/or the cloud.

Hi CorinaMarie,

Installed successfully offline directly from my GOG library!

I don't have that file name. It installed directly into C/Program Files (x86)/GOG Galaxy/Games/SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition/Apps.

It opens without any hassles. So far so good 😊

Now to install NAM 49 (I see NAM 50 is about to be released), CAM v3.0, and to copy all the DLL's and a million more wonderful things over to the Plugins folder.

I decided to start all over again as I could encounter compatibility issues with my old cities which I was working on with the old CD-ROM version of the game.

I hope I'll be uploading what I'm working on,  etc, to the Forums/SC4 Showcase.

Thanks again 😊

Cheers

[Cyclone Boom 17,031]

Hi @daderic888

It sounds like you might be set.

One thing to note, if ever still needing to download the standalone executable installer, I made a quick video explaining where to find this:

 

[daderic888 216]

1 minute ago, Cyclone Boom said:

Hi @daderic888

It sounds like you might be set.

One thing to note, if ever still needing to download the standalone executable installer, I made a quick video explaining where to find this:

 

Hi Cyclone Boom,

Thanks mate 😊

Already done and copied onto my external hard drive and into my folder on my PC.

Cheers.

[daderic888 216]

Pretty good for $7.00 😊😉

[daderic888 216]

Thank you so much! 😊😊

[daderic888 216]

Oh, one more thing.

I wish to change from right to left hand drive.

I'm reading up on how to do so for the old CD-ROM version, but so far I'm now able to find how to do so for the GOG digital version.

I've done the first step by renaming the folder to UKEnglish.

I'll keep looking.

Cheers.

[daderic888 216]

There is already a folder named UKEnglsh, so I renamed the other folder back to English.

[Cyclone Boom 17,031]

Glad to hear you got the game running!

For switching the driving sides, the best tutorial I know is this one that @rsc204 made:

There's a section about the GOG Game specifically, so that will likely help.

Otherwise it might need a command line option adding to the game's shortcut, so then it can start with a language override.

[daderic888 216]

Thanks Cyclone Boom,

This is where I went (I wasn't able to copy and paste the image) 👇

GoG Version:

Locate the installation directory for SC4 and run the file Language Setup.exe

Choose between English (US) or UK English, as above, then click Save and Close

GoG_LanguageSetup.jpg.49d711400d45dd09380f0479c60551cf.jpg

 

Gee that was straight forward! It worked 😃

Thanks mate 😊

Cheers.

[daderic888 216]

Hi again,

Everything works except the Network Addon Mod 49 rev.

I installed it with the 4GB controller, but when I load a blank city tile of any size from any of the regions which came with the game, there's a CTD issue. The NAM is the culprit.

After I deleted the NAM from the Plugins folder, the game works fine with all of the other stuff including the DLL files and the Simfox Day Night Mod all in the Plugins folder. The game has been set to hardware mode.

I'll have to re-install the Newtork Addon Mod 49 rev instead of copying the files and folders back into the Plugins folder.

I remember doing this before on my old Windows 7 system where I had the CTD issue with NAM.

I was thinking of re-installing it without the 4GB controller (?).

Any tips please while I'm at work?

Cheers.

[Ulisse Wolf 4,444]

28 minutes ago, daderic888 said:

Hi again,

Everything works except the Network Addon Mod 49 rev.

I installed it with the 4GB controller, but when I load a blank city tile of any size from any of the regions which came with the game, there's a CTD issue. The NAM is the culprit.

After I deleted the NAM from the Plugins folder, the game works fine with all of the other stuff including the DLL files and the Simfox Day Night Mod all in the Plugins folder. The game has been set to hardware mode.

I'll have to re-install the Newtork Addon Mod 49 rev instead of copying the files and folders back into the Plugins folder.

I remember doing this before on my old Windows 7 system where I had the CTD issue with NAM.

I was thinking of re-installing it without the 4GB controller (?).

Any tips please while I'm at work?

Cheers.

Follow this tutorial

 

[Kel9509 1,476]

1 hour ago, daderic888 said:

Any tips please while I'm at work?

You are very likely not applying the 4GB patch properly, if everything else works except for the NAM.  Are you sure the DLL mods are working properly?  They should generate log files in your plugins folder that say they're working.

I'd go over the instructions for applying the 4GB patch again and make sure you do it.  Do it outside of any Programs Files folder, if that's where your Simcity4 executable is located, since Windows 11 may protect that location.  Copy the file outside to a different location, apply the patch, and copy it back inside (overwriting the original so long as a backup is made elsewhere).  The NAM should work with the 4GB patch properly applied.

[daderic888 216]

Thanks Ulisse Wolf, I'll check it out.

Cheers.

[daderic888 216]

3 hours ago, Kel9509 said:

You are very likely not applying the 4GB patch properly, if everything else works except for the NAM.  Are you sure the DLL mods are working properly?  They should generate log files in your plugins folder that say they're working.

I'd go over the instructions for applying the 4GB patch again and make sure you do it.  Do it outside of any Programs Files folder, if that's where your Simcity4 executable is located, since Windows 11 may protect that location.  Copy the file outside to a different location, apply the patch, and copy it back inside (overwriting the original so long as a backup is made elsewhere).  The NAM should work with the 4GB patch properly applied.

Thanks Kel9509.

I'll try that.

Cheers.

[daderic888 216]

4 hours ago, Ulisse Wolf said:

Follow this tutorial

 

Thanks Ulisse Wolf, I'll check it out.

Cheers.

[daderic888 216]

Thanks everyone, 

I decided to go with Kel9509 and what CorinaMarie said some time ago (I forgot to get the date) 👇

"The only difference will be where the SimCity 4.exe file is located. The default for the GoG version is the C:\GOG Games\SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition\Apps folder.

That is the Install Dir for GoG. (Dir being short for Directory and that's what Folders used to be called in ye olden dayes.) Peeps who have their game from Steam will find the SimCity 4.exe somewhere else as will peeps who have the disc based version. In all cases, wherever that file is located is its Install Dir.

Ideally, before applying the 4 GB Patch, find the SimCity 4.exe file via File Explorer and make note of its date and time. This should be when you actually installed the game.

When you apply the 4 GB patch to it, you will navigate there to select it from within the patcher program. Once the 4 GB Patch has reported success, find the file again via File Explorer and check that it now has the current date and time for the Date Modified.

Additionally, you will find a file named SimCity 4.exe.Backup in that Install Dir folder.

The key part is seeing the modified date of the SimCity 4.exe file to know that patch was truly applied."

The patch has been installed properly this time and I re-installed the NAM 49 with the 4GB Patch included.

I'll start the game shortly to re-test everything including the NAM. Will see how it goes.

Cheers.

[daderic888 216]

Success! 👍👏🥳🍻🎉🎊🎇🎆🏆

Now to create regions using SC4Mapper and to change the Maxisnite buildings to Darknite (if they don't have the Darknite version) using GoFSH.

Thanks everyone.

Cheers.

[Kel9509 1,476]

2 hours ago, daderic888 said:

and to change the Maxisnite buildings to Darknite (if they don't have the Darknite version) using GoFSH.

Woah.... if you do this, will you upload your results?  That sounds like a very promising project!

[daderic888 216]

8 hours ago, Kel9509 said:

Woah.... if you do this, will you upload your results?  That sounds like a very promising project!

I'll certainly be giving this a serious go.

I found a tutorial to follow.

If successful, the Darknite versions will go into my Plugins. I have copied and backed-up all the Maxisnite versions.

I'll see how it all goes and I'll let you all know.

Cheers.

[daderic888 216]

Oh well,

I haven't been successful yet.

I'm using GoFSH v4.8.6.62DS by van Tilburg (rivit).

I think there's one by Matias93?

It looks complicated.

I'll keep trying.

Are there any other tutorials other than the one I have Googled?

Cheers.

[daderic888 216]

13 hours ago, daderic888 said:

Oh well,

I haven't been successful yet.

I'm using GoFSH v4.8.6.62DS by van Tilburg (rivit).

I think there's one by Matias93?

It looks complicated.

I'll keep trying.

Are there any other tutorials other than the one I have Googled?

Cheers.

Hi again,

I might have found some answers to shed some light (pardon the pun) on converting custom buildings from Maxisnight which don't have Darknight files to Darknight buildings 👇

I'll be sussing this out further.

Cheers.