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All add-ons "Not available for purchase"
I'm not able to purchase any add-ons for the Sims 4 - I've cleared the cache on my EA App, restarted, tried purchasing on the EA website. I can't get the new Adventure Awaits pack (or anything at all) because of this error. This is a recent occurrence - never had this issue before but I updated my payment methods just in case. I'm on Mac OS Tahoe, have no mods and playing in the UAE. It's been weeks and unfortunately not resolving itself. Could someone help, please? Thanks!Video card error after Mac Tahoe 26 update
Hey! I just updated my Macbook to Tahoe 26 and my Sims 4 game now says 'unrecognised video card' have uninstalled the whole app, deleted all the folders and still no luck. Please can someone tell me how to fix this? I have searched everywhere! Any help much appreciated!!! === Graphics device info === Number: 0 Name (driver): Apple M2 Name (database): [Found: 0, Supported: 1] Vendor: Apple Chipset: Vendor: 106b, Device: 0000, Board: 00000000, Chipset: 0000 Driver: macOS Metal driver, Version: 0.0.0.0
Lagging and stuttering game performance on Macs with M4 chips
This thread is specifically for players using a Mac with M4 chip who have noticed a significant drop in game performance since patching in September 2025 as there has been a small increase in users reporting this recently. Please do not post here if you use any other Mac, look for an existing thread on your issue or start a new one. If you are using a Mac with M4 chip post here if you are experiencing laggy gameplay, stuttering, freezing, low fps. This should be thoroughly tested in a clean game as described here to discount existing user data interference. This is testing specific hardware and operating system. Please post your symptoms and your Mac hardware and operating system. Click on the Apple in the top left corner of your Desktop then About This Mac. Then, click on More Info... which will open System Settings. Scroll down to the bottom and click on System Report. We need the hardware overview and the Graphics/Display overview. All the info required is shown using a red arrow in the below screenshots. are you using an external display? If so what is the size and resolution? does this happen in windowed and fullscreen mode or just one? Models posted so far: M4 Mac mini (waiting for more info) M4 MacBook Air 16GB memory (waiting for more info) M4 MacBook Air macOS Tahoe 26.0 16GB memory 10-core CPU 8-core GPU Using in-built display Windowed and fullscreen
EA Games - Sims 4 Packs Missing/Not Owned
I recently updated my game after not playing in months and when I went to play the only pack it says I own is the free Holiday pack. I play on Mac and the EA app, I tried to fix this my clearing my cache and repairing my game but no luck! Any help is appreciated, thank you.
Updating to macOS Tahoe broke the cursor
There is this issue: Mouse Pointer Freezing | EA Forums - 12602264 But the cursor also doesn't always show tool tips when hovering over objects and sometimes shows tool tips for something entirely different when hovering over menu items. For example: Hovering over the walls items it shows build mode. Windowed is no better than fullscreen. And then there's the cursor with the no symbol. This is a new vanilla TS4 folder and save. Reset and repaired the game. Used the EA app "App Recovery" item. Everything is up to date. M3 MacBook Pro 14" with 16 GB. macOS 26.0.1
My game barely starts (W/ Incident Identifier)
My game takes hours to load and when it does it's usually windowed and won't allow me to click on anything, and whenever I do play the game it is suddenly very laggy (which it usually isn't). Whenever I force quit I get the Incident Identifier: 483F6B76-24C6-4E4D-83D2-AF5020373CB5. If anyone could tell me what this means I will be forever grateful.Game crashing or not loading especially after updating? Post here.
If your game is crashing or not launching after recently updating it please try the two most basic and fundamental steps to resolve it before posting: Repair the game in EA App Test a new clean game. Don't just cherry pick a few files and folders you think you should remove, such as just the Mods folder, or a few random Mods, or any old cache file, or a couple of screenshots, test a completely new, clean, vanilla game. Full instructions here - [INSTRUCTIONS] How to troubleshoot and test a broken game | EA Forums - 11864548 If your game successfully launches with a new Sims 4 folder you then need to figure out what is causing the crashing/failure to load. Again, instructions are in this link - [INSTRUCTIONS] How to troubleshoot and test a broken game | EA Forums - 11864548 . Only you can do that and it can take some time. if the cause is Mods head over to the Mods forum for further help - The Sims 4 Mods & Custom Content | EA Forums if the cause is one or more particular save files, upload them to a file sharing site and post the link here (tag me) or PM me and I can test in my game If your game will not load after repairing it AND testing a completely clean Sims 4 folder please uninstall and reinstall the game through EA App then test, still using the clean Sims 4 folder the game created from the previous step. If you're still having an issue post here with the specs of your Mac. You can find these in Apple > About This Mac: model, e.g. M4 MacBook Pro year, e.g. 2024 macOS version, e.g. Sequoia 15.3.2 (yes, the FULL version is important, with all numbers) memory, e.g. 64GB storage available, e.g. 1.5 TB of 2TB. This info can be found in System Settings > General > About or More Info... in the About This Mac window. Please also post a screenshot showing the contents of the new Sims 4 folder in Finder: make sure the files are in list order in Finder with Dates and Size clearly visible. make sure all files and folders in the TS4 folder are showing, don't cut off the screenshot have the path bar clearly showing in the screenshot: with the Finder window open and selected click on View > Show Path Bar in the menu bar at the top of your desktop. The screenshot should look something like this: Make sure to add a full description of what exactly is happening and what you have tried to fix it in your post. Be constructive to help us help you 🙂 The following are a few examples of short replies that are not constructive: "my game won't work" "my game has broken and I hate EA" "my game only works without Mods and I'm refusing to remove my Mods" "fix it" "my sister's friend's brother's aunty has the same computer and her game works" "I've tried EVERYTHING and NOTHING works"sims 4 black and blue screen
when i go to play the sims the menu screen is black and blue, its frozen and i cant tap on anything, i have to force quit to leave. i deleted all my mods, i deleted all my Sims files, i uninstalled Sims 4, i uninstalled EA and reinstalled it and it still did the same thing. i dont have any mods added currently.Can't Go to Manage Worlds or Travel -Loading Screen - No Mods
For the past week or more, ever since I got the new update and the new pack, I have not been able to access manage worlds, travel, or load a save through the load game option. I can play my last played family and everything seems normal, except I can't travel or go to manage worlds without an endless loading screen that forces me to force quit my game. I do not have any mods so the fixes related to that I haven't tried. I have tried repairing the games through the EA app but that has not worked. What else can I try?🛠️ Creating a symlink in macOS to store the Sims 4 folder on an external drive
➡️ This is not to be confused with installing the actual Sims 4 game on an external drive. The game installation location is determined in EA App and there is no need to use a symlink for this. As internal storage gets smaller we're forced to use cloud based solutions to store files and folders or resort to a trusty external drive. Cloud based only storage is not an option for the Sims 4 folder that contains all your saves, Mods, Library items and other user data because the game only looks in one place for your data: Macintosh HD > Users > [your user account] > Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 If there is no Sims 4 folder in that location the game will create a new one. There is no way around this default Sims 4 folder location unfortunately, it is hard coded into the game. Because of this the only option to store the Sims 4 folder on an external drive is to create a symbolic link, otherwise known as a symlink. Creating the symlink is relatively easy provided you understand the concept of what a symlink is and why you are creating it. You should also be familiar with Terminal on your Mac and the security and permission systems in place in whichever version of macOS you are running as these dictate the ability for the game to access the external drive and whether your Mac user account has permission to grant the necessary access. You should also make sure you are using a good quality, fast external drive. You get what you pay for and if you bought a cheap drive, with low quality cables, you will most likely struggle to get the symlink to work because it will be too slow. For help buying an external drive and what to look out for read this guide. I am not going to write step by step instructions here, the post will be far too long. Instead, you can read the detailed and comprehensive guide I wrote several years ago here https://bluebellflora.com/saving-your-sims-4-folder-to-an-external-drive/ If your symlink is not working it is down to user error. It really is that simple. macOS is a Unix based operating system and as such uses Unix commands which are all provided in the above linked guide. This thread is for consolidating all posts related to the Mac symlink process here at Answers HQ. If you're a Windows user read Crinrict's excellent guide here https://crinrict.com/blog/2020/02/moving-windows-documents-folder-to-external-drive-via-symbolic-link.html. What I have provided below are a few of the common issues people face as a result of not entering the commands correctly or having the correct permissions in place. Common issues reported and the solution: Always check your external drive has the correct name in Disk Utility: open Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities) change View to Show All Devices then click on the drive in the left sidebar the Mount Point shows the name of your drive. If there is a number added to the drive name it means the drive has not been properly ejected multiple times Close Disk Utility and eject the drive In Finder click on Go in the menu bar then Go To Folder. Enter /Volumes in the input field and hit return in the /Volumes location, trash the folder(s) that has the same name as the external drive Close Finder, plug the drive back in, open Disk Utility again to check the drive name in the Mount Point. If it matches try to create the symlink In addition to checking the external drive mount point above, the following may also be helpful: Terminal states my access/permission is denied check your Mac user account is an Administrator account and not a Standard account. check that Terminal has access to external drives, also known as Removable Volumes, and your Documents folder. I'm constantly getting "Unable to start... Cannot start because the below file appears to be corrupted" error message make sure the external drive is correctly formatted as either APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled). If it isn't, reverse the symlink, reformat the drive in Disk Utility and start again. check your Mods actually aren't corrupted by downloading a compatible version from the creator. I keep getting the error message "Unable to start... The Sims 4 is already running" make sure the external drive is correctly plugged in and mounted. check EA App has access to the external drive in System Settings > Privacy & Security. Give it Full Disk Access if necessary. disable iCloud Drive if the symlink folder in Documents is a white page instead of a folder with the little arrow the symlink has broken. Trash it and attempt to recreate the symlink. Check the Mount Point in Disk Utility shows your exact external drive name and doesn’t have a number added to the drive name. If it does this means your drive has not been properly ejected multiple times. To fix it: eject the drive in Finder click on Go in the menu bar then Go To Folder enter /Volumes in the text field and hit Enter/Return in the Finder window that appears you should see a folder, not a drive icon, with the same name as your external drive. Trash it. plug the drive back in, check the mount point in Disk Utility is the exact drive name with no appended numbers, then try to create the symlink again. if the mount point is still showing a number you have problems with your drive. Consider reformatting it, trying different connector cables, or getting a better drive. Terminal tells me No such file or directory did you copy and paste the command from the guide and correctly substitute the name of your external drive? If you didn't copy and paste you may have used the wrong letters in the command. Copy and paste from the guide. Does the folder you are trying to move or create a symlink to exist in the location you are stipulating in the command? Terminal tells me Directory not empty in Step 1 Is there already a folder on the external with the same name as the folder you're moving? i.e. have you already copied over the Electronic Arts folder? If there is already a folder with the same name as the folder you're moving, Terminal will return this result. Terminal tells me File already exists in Step 2 of the guide Did you correctly complete step 1 or is there still an Electronic Arts or Sims 4 folder in your Documents folder? If the folder is still there you have not correctly moved it in Step 1. If you have iCloud Drive enabled to store your Documents folder in the cloud and Optimise Storage enabled, it will cause issues with the symlink. I strongly advise to disable this iCloud feature otherwise you will have issues, especially if you use Mods. As a reminder, creating this symlink is aimed at people storing their Electronic Arts/Sims 4 folder locally. Using iCloud Drive stores your folder in the cloud and locally. For help with iCloud see this thread https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-Mac/READ-FIRST-Saves-CC-Mods-or-Library-items-disappeared/m-p/10242133
Help in reading Terminal
Hi. First time asking for help or using a Forum. I am playing Sims 4 on a MacBook Air, 16GB memory, Apple M3 chip, Tahoe 26.0.1. A week or so ago, I added multiple new packs, etc. I spent days playing mostly in build mode. Several days ago, I rejoined a game I had spent hours playing already. The Sims family was there, but their lot was empty. I was unable to pull up the dwelling and all its revisions anywhere. It had taken many hours and many successful saves to almost finish the build. I left the game to restart hoping to find an older saved version. The screen opened on the EA launch page. Sims 4 would not launch no matter how often I tried. I repaired everything over and over. No launch. I spent 2 complete days freeing up space on my laptop thinking there was not enough to launch the game. No game. Tahoe was uploaded yesterday. Not the issue. I have never installed or used mods. I looked at some of the issues others have for one similar to mine. There were several helpful suggestions. I checked my terminal, added a recommended line at the prompt, and saw something odd in what came up. My problem now is: what does it mean, is this possibly the problem, and what do I do to fix it? See the attached screenshot.All my saved games are gone.
I downloaded the update for The Sims 4 and a pack I just bought. Which was Business and Hobbies. When I loaded into the game, it acted like it was a brand-new game. I only have the option to start a new game. There isn't a load game or anything else. My Sims are not on my starting page, just random ones. It does say I am logged into my account. I went to the gallery, and all my stuff is gone from there, too. No saved Sims or properties. I had multiple hours in this game with a family of multiple generations that are gone. I searched everywhere for the files, but they are gone. I searched for tricks to get my files back, but I either tried them or I couldn't do them at all. Is there any way to get my save back? Or get compensated for this major letdown and inconvenience? And I bought that pack, Business and Hobbies, to play with that family. I am super mad about this! Does anyone know what's going on and can help?😭
Mouse Pointer Freezing
While playing as a sim in The Sims 4, I cannot move my overhead game view forward via my mouse pointer. I can only adjust my "sky" pov to the left, right, and down via my mouse. And, often when I try to move to the left, my mouse gets "stuck" and glitches, then appearing at the bottom of my screen. However, using the arrow keys does work. I think this may be related to upgrading to macOS 26.0, as I had played The Sims right before I updated and was not experiencing this problem.
issues with time and long saves
Is it just me, or is anyone else having issues with the in game time and long saves? I don’t use any mods to speed up time, but the in-game clock can stop for a long period, sometimes 10 to 20 minutes, which forces me to quit the game manually. When I go to the map, the saving process takes a very long time, and I have to force quit again. When I try to exit the game, it’s also impossible to save because the process takes forever. I can’t play for more than 10 minutes before time stops, it’s practically impossible to enjoy the game. It’s really frustrating. I’m using a Mac.
MAC; Game Refuses to Launch and folders are empty
I haven't played the Sims since April (life got a little busy). I finally had time to sit and play a game, but when I got on my computer, the EA app was uninstalled. I reinstalled it and logged in, and had to download my game again (all the folders were gone from my computer since the game was uninstalled, so I couldn't remove the mods folder before downloading the game, and it downloaded the updated version). Once the game was downloaded, everything looked different. Instead of the Electronic Arts folder I was used to, it says EA Games and has the Sims game icon and a folder full of pack information inside. There is no cache, mods, saves, or anything. When I try to launch the game, the icon bounces a couple of times before disappearing, and the EA app opens again. So far I have cleared the EA cache, repaired the game through the EA app, cleared up space in my ICloud and made sure downloads/applications weren't being auto-moved to the cloud, uninstalled the game and reinstalled it again, moved the sims folder to my desktop and tried to run the game again to made it populate a new folder, and started from scratch again by removing the EA app and the game and reinstalling both again. No matter what I do, the game won't launch, and the folder stays the same. Is this a new thing I missed out on while I wasn't playing the game? I had my wife look at it too (she works in a video game tech-heavy field), and she couldn't figure it out either. Please help, this game is the closest thing to therapy I can afford.
EA App won't launch any games
I have deleted and reinstalled everything multiple times. The only things in my Electronic Arts folder the the Sims 4 game and Sims 4 Game packs that hold all my expansions. I tried to start the game, and every time it immediately crashes. I've cleared cache and restarted the app and redownloaded the EA App entirely. I am at a lossMy game keeps spontaneously quitting
Since the last update my game has started spontanouesly quitting every few hours. I don't know what is causing it, but it's giving me insane amounts of rage. I'm saving as often as I remember but I don't know how to fix it. I've removed all of my mods and it's still happening. Anybody else having this issue. It's driving me insane. I don't know how I can keep playing the game like this.
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