FIX: Sims 2 custom videos not showing (black screen) – Linux Mint / Lutris
ok I need to document this because I’ve just fixed something that refused to work on the SAME machine under Windows 11 😭
Sims 2 custom videos (black screen / not showing) on Linux Mint – FIX
I was having the classic issue:
custom AVIs not showing on computer screens / TVs
black screen or nothing happens
files work fine in VLC so it makes no sense
this is NOT a mod issue. it’s a codec problem.
Sims 2 uses an old video system (DirectShow + VP6 codec)
Linux doesn’t include that properly in Wine by default, so the game literally can’t read the video even though the file exists.
how I fixed it (Lutris method)
select The Sims 2 in your library
at the bottom of the window, next to the Play button, click the small arrow (▲)
you’ll get a window asking what to do:
👉 choose “Select the default wineprefix” → OK
next screen:
👉 choose “Install a Windows DLL or component”
let everything install, close Winetricks, then launch the game
custom computer screen videos → WORKING
custom TV videos → WORKING
if you copied your Sims 2 install from another OS before, don’t overwrite the VP6 folders inside the game files. those are OS-specific and can break video playback.
this worked better on Linux Mint than it EVER did on my Windows 11 setup 💀
if your Sims 2 videos are broken and you’re on Linux, try this before doing anything else.
Update (June 2026): If this suddenly stops working after it previously worked, check which Wine runner you're using in Lutris. I accidentally changed mine while setting up SimPE, and switching back to wine-staging-11.2-x86_64 immediately restored custom AVI playback. In my case, the codecs weren't the problem.
