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[BUG/ISSUE] Game only loads when Island Living is disabled (Mac)
Hi everyone, I’m playing The Sims 4 on Mac, fully updated with the latest patch, and recently ran into a major issue: My game won’t load into households or worlds unless I disable the Island Living expansion pack (EP07). Whenever Island Living is enabled, the game: Gets stuck on the loading screen Won’t load any households Occasionally freezes or crashes before gameplay starts As soon as I disable Island Living using the -disablepacks: launch option, the game works fine again. What I’ve tried: Repaired the game via EA App Removed all Mods and CC (tested with completely empty Mods folder) Cleared the game cache Still the issue only goes away if Island Living is disabled. System info: Platform: Mac Game version: Latest (all updates installed as of July 2025) EA App version: Latest Has anyone else had this issue recently? Would love to know if there’s a workaround or permanent solution—Island Living is one of my favorite packs and I’d really like to use it again. Thanks in advance for any help!
Game is Crashing and Glitches randomly during game play
I updated my Sims game today and updated my Mods and I first started getting the error code ec:105 on my EA App and then when i was playing the game, it glitches where i can't click anything anymore or interact with my sims. I don't know what to do and it's really frustrating 😩. I attached screenshots of the issues as well.
Unable to start: The Sims 4 is already running - Mac only
If you're experiencing this error message it doesn't mean your game is already running, the actual message itself is incorrect. It means The Sims 4 cannot access the Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 folder to load your user data when you attempt to launch the game. This is essentially a permissions issue which can be resolved based on your setup: - If you have just installed or reinstalled the game - If you have iCloud Drive enabled and it is syncing your Desktop & Documents folders - If you have recently updated your Mac or the game - If you have moved your Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 folder to an external drive and created a symlink in your Documents folder ______________________________________________________________ If you have just installed or reinstalled the game: You would have been prompted to allow The Sims 4 permission to access the Documents folder, this is security built into macOS. This is so it can access the Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 folder in your Documents folder, if one already exists, or create a new one if it doesn't exist. If you clicked Don't Allow when prompted the game cannot read and write to the Documents folder, resulting in the error message. Fix - Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Files and Folders (you will need to use an Mac Administrator account to access this) and enable access to the Documents folder by clicking the toggle on: If you do not see this option open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access (you will need to use a Mac Administrator account to access this). Click the + in the bottom left corner, below the list of apps. A Finder window will open to the Applications folder. Navigate to where your game is installed, by default this is Applications > EA Games, click on it and then click Open. It will now be added to the Full Disk Access list. Make sure it is toggled on. Whilst giving the game Full Disk Access isn't ideal, and shouldn't be necessary, it is a quick and easy solution to fixing the error message and the game is signed and notarised by Apple. ______________________________________________________________ If you have iCloud Drive enabled and it is syncing your Desktop & Documents folders: This is a really common cause of this error message and is as a result of your Mac storage being full resulting in iCloud pushing the entire Documents folder to the cloud. The game cannot see the Documents folder and its contents because it is not local on your machine, therefore it cannot access the Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 folder to load user data at launch. Fix - Open System Settings > Apple Account > iCloud > Drive and disable the Desktop & Documents folders syncing. Be aware of the effect this will have if you use multiple Apple devices to access these folders: ______________________________________________________________ If you have recently updated your Mac or the game: Sometimes permissions can go awry after updating the OS or you have been prompted to change settings after updating and inadvertently clicked the wrong thing. Fix - check all of the applicable settings in the instructions above ______________________________________________________________ If you have moved your Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 folder to an external drive and created a symlink in your Documents folder: There can be multiple reasons for the error message when a symlink has been set up but they are all caused by the game not being able to access the Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 folder: your external drive is not plugged in and properly mounted. Check the drive is plugged in and showing in Finder/on your Desktop. your symlink is broken. This can be checked by looking at the symlinked folder in your Documents folder. If the icon is a white file and not a folder it is broken. Trash it and recreate the symlink in Terminal. If you have further issues refer to the dedicated symlink thread opening post. the game does not have access to Removable Volumes (external drives) in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Files and Folders. You would have been prompted to give permission when launching the game for the first time after successfully creating the symlink and maybe denied it. Give the game access: you have iCloud Drive syncing your Desktop & Documents folders to the cloud which does not work well with the symlink. Disable it (see above for further instruction). your external drive has not been ejected properly multiple times resulting in the OS changing the mount point. Check Disk Utility and rectify, see the dedicated symlink thread opening post for further instruction. ______________________________________________________________ If you're still stuck a really quick and easy way to resolve this is to create a new Administrator account on your Mac and play the game in that account. When you first launch the game in that account you will be prompted to give all the necessary permissions for the game to access the Documents folder - make sure you allow it 😊
Cursor not moving or letting me play Sims 4 at all and it keeps freezing
Does anyone know how to fix this? I've been having this issue for a while now where whenever I try to open the sims it will freeze, and then I'll press windows and it'll repeat when I re-click on it. Sometimes I'm able to get far enough that I can hear the music but my screen is frozen and my cursor isn't moving even though I'm moving my mouse. I've uninstalled, and reinstalled both EA and The Sims 4. I have no mods currently and it's not working. What's weird to me is that a couple of months ago I played with a ton of mods no problem. I'd really appreciate some help if anyone knows what's going on?
Fresh Install and Missing Worlds in Manage Worlds
I recently purchased a new MacBook Air M3 and download EA and all my Sims 4 games and add-ons. Every add-on (EP) shows as installed but when I load into the game, I am missing worlds from my manage worlds (specifically I am missing Snowy Escape world and Island Living world). Both EPs show in CAS, such as their traits, but the worlds are missing. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the entire game multiple times (including completely deleting their folders and even restarting my Mac from scratch and downloading EA and the games again). I have no mods currently installed. I've tried repairing my game in Origin multiple times. I've cleared EA's cache multiple times. I've deleted my localthumbnailcache and I've moved the entire Sims 4 folder to desktop to load fresh and still nothing. I can occasionally get the worlds to pop-up if I install those 2 packs first, but as soon as I install the rest of my packs they are gone again. I just want to enjoy my new laptop and I am so frustrated and upset, I can't find anyone having the same issues as me. I've attached an image to show my file folders for the add-ons.
[SOLVED] (Self solved) Stuck verifying Sims 4, cannot open the game
Product: The Sims 4, EA App Platform: MacOS Which language are you playing the game in? English How often does the bug occur? Every time (100%) What is your current game version number? I don't know, I cannot open the app What expansions, game packs, and stuff packs do you have installed? None What happens when the bug occurs? Cannot open the Sims 4 app What do you expect to see? Sims 4 app opening Have you installed any customization with the game, e.g. Custom Content or Mods? Yes Did this issue appear after a specific patch or change you made to your system? Yes Please describe the patch or change you made. Getting EA app (Don't know if this caused it though) Yesterday I opened Origin after a long time, and updated it to the EA app. I updated Sims 4, as the last time I played was 2023, and opened the game to the " Verifying 'The Sims 4' " popup. This normally comes, but this time it is much slower than usual, and when the bar gets to the end it stays there and never opens (if you leave it on long enough it eventually goes away and the app stops responding). I don't know what caused this or how to fix it. Find attached a screen recording of this happening in real time. EDIT: I have solved it myself, it seems the issue lied with where the Sims 4 application was located, which it had to be in the normal applications drawer, not in the library application folder with root privileges.
game crashing and not saving
i updated my game and downloaded the new fairy pack on 7/10 and had no gameplay issues (except for the pregnancy bug). today, my game crashed while I was in CAS. I reloaded my game and nothing was saved, so I went back into CAS, made the changes I wanted and saved my game after I exited CAS. I continued to play, and began to save my game every couple of minutes. then my game lagged and crashed AGAIN and nothing was saved. I was back at square 1, even though I saved my game several times. very frustrating how none of my progress actually saved. (playing on Mac)Game crashing or not loading especially after updating? Post here.
If your game is crashing 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 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"
Full CC Folder not loading on MacBook Air M2
Hi there! I recently got a MacBook Air M2 and downloaded the sims 4 on it (I used to have it on a Dell PC.) I also transferred all of my save files and cc from the Dell to the Mac by thumb drive. Upon starting the game, I noticed that not all of my save files, nor my cc, were loading. I made sure that I put everything into its correct folders, troubleshooted the game, repaired it, followed the posted procedure for cc (disabling iCloud document sync, etc.), but nothing has really worked so far. How can I fix this issue?Using mods!
I have recently downloaded the sims 4 on my new Mac and have been having issues using mods. I've tried to uninstall the mods, using only one mod, and turning mods on and off inside the game and nothings worked yet. This is not the first time I've downloaded mods for the sims and have no idea what's happening. Please help!!!
I really don't have a mods folder
I have gone through finder and searched "mods" and nothing pops up anywhere. I have an Electronic Arts folder but inside is a folder called EA app which just contains random EA stuff. I have triple checked, repaired the game, removed then re-added the mod option in game, played some sims and still nothing. Also, the Electronic Arts folder I do have, was just floating loose previously and was not in the documents folder, so I had to move it there. Maybe that messed it up? I can try deleting and re-installing the game, but I'd like other options first.Glitching whenever I add a mirrors to my game.
i can’t find if this has been happening to someone else, i’ve deleted all my mods and cc, and it still keeps happening so it’s not that, i’ve cleared cache in EA, and have repaired, even deleted and reinstalled the game. this has been happening even before the recent update and even the one before that. i want to know if this is happening to anyone else, or if it was and how you managed to fix it. and yes, it is every mirror, and it happens regardless of the size or amount of mirrors. i am on a macbook if that matters. it doesn’t really show up in photos so here is a video i uploaded to youtube of what’s happening
Moved my game to an external drive and now I need some help
I followed this tutorial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYX--bbaLvs&ab_channel=Grace%7CSimmer - and moved my game and EA app/folder onto my hard drive and set up the symbolic link and everything. It took some trial and error, but I figured things out and moved everything properly, so now my game and the EA app, and its folder are on my hard drive, and my mods/cc/saves appear in my game. But I feel like I'm playing a terrible game of whack-a-mole, where I solve one problem and another pops up. My game takes forever to load now that it's on my hard drive compared to when it was just on my Mac, and when the game does load, I can't click anything. I can't save and exit either, so I keep having to force quit the game. I updated whatever was cleared, but that didn't seem to help much, so I even deleted the majority of my script mods. Right now, I mostly have just CC installed, but I feel like something is broken anyway and messing with my game. I want to report what's going on to the BE Discord so I can get help, but the support channel is closed rn, so I'm waiting until it reopens or if someone here can help me. I'll attach a screenshot of the exception alert I got if that can be any help because I don't understand it or what I need to do to improve my situation. If anyone can help me, it would be very much appreciated. I just want to run my game as normal.I can't install any custom content PLEASE
I have been struggling with this for about a year now. At some point, my Documents folder somehow made it into the cloud. I redownloaded it from the cloud along with everything in it, but it's been weird ever since. No matter what I do, including repairing the game, the files from my saves, cc, and all of that are disconnected from the game. I could go to my Documents folder, then to the Sims, and then to mods and see my files, but the files won't show up in my game. After a lot of research, trial, and error, I ended up uninstalling the Sims 4 and deleting all of the related files, including the Sims 4 file from my Electronic Arts folder. I've reinstalled it now, and there is no Sims 4 to be found in my Electronic Arts folder or anywhere, for that matter. I can open and play the game from Finder. I just see the game file and cannot access anything else. When I first downloaded The Sims 4, it was on Origin. I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but I just want MCCC and UI Cheats back please!!!!!!! (my other cc would be nice too)Repeated Freezing
Hi, my Sims 4 was working just fine up until yesterday, when it froze. I could still move the mouse around but was unable to interact with or click on anything on screen, keyboard also wasn’t having any effect. So, I closed the MacBook Air down, but left the frozen page and EA App open. Then, around 4 hours later, I open it again to find it had unfrozen. So, i start playing, and after 20 minutes it does it again. This process repeats itself a few times, with the time in between freezes getting shorter and shorter and the time it takes to recover getting longer. Other than this, I haven’t noticed any patterns when it freezes. I have no mods or add-ons and only one saved game. Thank you and please help!
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