Re: The Sims 4 - cannot start as game data missing or damaged

@EA_Darko Hi I have repaired twice, I have no mods loaded as it is a new laptop since last playing and I have also reinstalled the whole lot of my Sims 4 packages. Still giving me that error.

@EA_Darko If there was any hidden mods that I don't know about, can you tell me how to find them in my laptop? Many Thanks Kat

@katrinablyth  Does your computer run Windows or macOS?  Do you use a third-party antivirus, and if so, which one?

There is no such thing as a hidden mod: either you've downloaded mods or you haven't.  If all you've done is download the game itself from Origin, without adding any content from any other source, then you don't have mods.

@puzzlezaddict My computer is Windows, and I use AVG as an antivirus. All good about the mods, definitely none loaded on this computer. Regards Kat

@katrinablyth  AVG may well be the issue here.  First, please disable it temporarily; your computer will be safe as long as you don't do anything online other than use Origin.  Next, go into the Bin folder in location where you've installed Sims 4.  By default it's here:

Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 4\Game\Bin

Delete TS4_x64.exe, if you see it.  Run Origin as an admin: right-click on its shortcut and select "Run as administrator"—and repair Sims 4 again.  Then try to play.

If the game launches, you can reenable AVG, but you'll need to change a couple of its settings.  You can find a description here:

https://crinrict.com/blog/2020/10/add-exceptions-to-anti-virus-programs.html#avast

If the game doesn't work even after the repair, with AVG still disabled, please create a new admin Windows account on your computer and try to play in that.  Make it a local account, as in, don't sign into Microsoft; the username should contain only letters and numbers, no special characters or accents.