Re: sims 4 won't launch

@adancingirl  Please do all of this, together, before playing again:

• Clear Origin's cache
• Repair the game: open your Origin game library, right-click on the Sims 4 icon, and select Repair
• Move the Sims 4 folder out of Documents\Electronic Arts and onto your desktop (again)
• Restart your computer

Let me know whether the game launches.  If it doesn't, create a new admin Windows account and try to play in that.  Make it a local account, as in, don't sign into Microsoft, and don't sync with any other services you normally use.  You'll be able to sign into Origin and won't need to redownload anything, but your saves and other content won't be available.  That can be addressed later; for now, just see whether you can get far enough to start a new save.

hello 

so I can't open my game from ea app

like I click on the sims 4 icon and it opens the ea and then I click on play and I also open my task manager to see if the game opens or not and it opens like it shows me that it opened but the thing is that the ea opens again and my game won't appear on the task manager

I'm using windows  10 and my game is not opening at all 

I hope you can help me with my problem

ps: I've tried using the trikes from youtube but nothing help 

thank you for your time 

@g9ifsqe1w7k5  As a test, please try playing in a clean user folder.  Move the entire Sims 4 folder out of Documents > Electronic Arts and onto your desktop, and when you launch the game, if it launches, a clean folder will spawn with no content.  (Your saves and other content will be intact in the folder you moved but temporarily not read by the game.)  Don't add anything to the new folder yet; just let me know whether you can get far enough to start a new save and play in live mode for a bit.

If you still can't play, please run a dxdiag and attach it to a post.

https://help.ea.com/en/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/

Hey, I've been having the issue that I get an error message saying "game already running", when it's definitely not. I tried that folder moving thing, but then when I open the EA app it looks as though the game is not even downloaded. When I try to launch the game outside the EA app, I get the error message that I don't own the game. Any other ides? (I've tried: Windows Defender settings, clearing cache, deleting temp files, re-downloading the game, repairing the game.) I do not use any mods or cc. I tried to run a dxdiag, but I'm not sure it actually captured me trying to launch the game. Thank you!

@YourMerigold  What folder did you move that made the game appear to be uninstalled?  Please post a screenshot of its contents, including the address bar above the list of files and folders.  It sounds like you moved the game's program files, not the user folder, but I want to confirm that and see where the game is installed in the first place.

Hi @puzzlezaddict, Thanks for looking into it! I attached the screenshot. I'm not sure where else I'd find that user folder, sorry!

@YourMerigold  Right, the folder in your screenshot contains the game's program files, not the user files.  Leave that folder alone.

The Sims 4 user folder would be in one of these locations:

C:\Users\[your username]\Documents\Electronic Arts

C:\Users\[your username]\OneDrive\Documents\Electronic Arts

However, this folder only appears if you've started the game at least once.  So don't be surprised if you don't see the folder in either location.  Just have a look and let me know whether you do see that folder.

To make sure you're looking in the correct location, open a File Explorer window, click This PC in the left panel, double-click the C drive, then open Users > your username etc.

Hi @puzzleaddict, sorry for the late response, the app app didn't allow me to log in again for the past 1.5 weeks (but that's a whole other can of worms). I was able to log in now. I had found the folder you described in the username - Documents location and moved it to my desktop. I am still seeing this error though. Do you have any ideas left?

@YourMerigold  I have plenty of ideas left, starting with a simple test.  Create a new admin Windows account, and make it a local one, as in, don't sign into Microsoft.  Don't sync with any other services you normally use either.  Try to play in that account.  You won't need to reinstall anything, but your saves and other content won't be available.  That can be addressed later; the point here is to see whether the game starts at all.

If you can in fact play in the new account, that means the issue is something in your main account, and the question is what.  In that case, I'd like to know whether OneDrive is running, even if you never use it, and how full it is.  And whether you can play or not, please let me know what antivirus you use.

Hi @puzzlezaddict, I did create the other account and was able to play on that yesterday. I wanted to do a quick test today, but am getting the game already running error in that account now as well. I moved the Sims folder to the desktop there and tried again, but no change. 

I do not use OneDrive, and am not signed in there. According to the properties it is empty. Regarding the antivirus I just use whatever came with Windows and keep that updated, as I mostly just use this PC for gaming. I have re-checked the Windows Defender settings and am wondering whether the "public" boxes should also be ticked. Thank you so much for your support!

@YourMerigold  The Public setting in Windows Firewall is actually more restrictive: it means you're setting your system as on a public network, and additional protections come into play.  So leave that as it is.

For the issue itself, do you have Controlled Folder Access running?  If so, please either disable it or set these exceptions for Sims 4:

https://crinrict.com/blog/2019/03/windows-10-defender-controlled-folder-access.html

If you see anything that mentions the EA App, be sure to give it access as well.  I know you checked Windows Defender's settings already, but I want to make sure everything gets covered.

If changing the settings doesn't help, try disabling Controlled Folder Access entirely, at least long enough to test.

And please double-check that you do not in fact have an antivirus running in the background.  Many computers come with one pre-installed even if the user hasn't paid for any particular service.

Hi

i seem to be having the same issue with the EA App 

i usually play on the Origin App but today when i went to play Sims 4 it made me download EA App and now when i try to start the game it comes up as game already running but wont start i have no idea what to do and have looked everywhere but nothing.

Hi @puzzlezaddict, so I disabled the controlled Folder Access (still same error). I noticed that apparently there are now 6 entries for the Sims in Windows Defender. Is that weird?

I did a bit of digging through my event viewer and came across the attached warning. The warning appears to coincide with my attempts to start the Sims. I went through the steps described here to try and fix this. But it didn't seem to take.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1-performance/error-event-id-10016-distributedcom/130522d2-beac-4495-980a-65e1e3279901

@YourMerigold  The Event Viewer error is common and might not be relevant at all here.  Almost any Windows machine will get some of these just for running at all.

The Sims 4 Legacy Edition entries would be unsurprising if you had tried to launch the LE, or if it had tried on its own.

For the error itself, please try running the takeown command, as described in this post:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-PC/new-install-windows-11-can-t-start-damaged-or-missing-game-files/m-p/12115824#M241041

I'd like to know whether you can play after using it, even if it's only once.  If it doesn't work in the main account, try it in the new user account just to be thorough.  I'm curious whether something is messing with the permissions on your system after the fact.

Hi @puzzlezaddict, I tried the takeown command in both accounts, but still got the game already running error. 

However, I also manually updated my graphics card driver, and right now the game is working. I was able to launch and exit a couple of times in a row. If it does not work again tomorrow, I will be back.

If it keeps working, I would like to thank you very very much for taking the time to help me with this issue!!! I really appreciate it. Now I can go and build my silly little houses again in my silly little free time. 🙂

Yea…. I simply don’t have that right click & select repair option… the options are Play, Show game details, game properties, & uninstall…. 

@Agg_J11  Again, if you want help with a Mac issue, please post in the dedicated Mac tech forum:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-Mac/bd-p/The-Sims-Mac

If you've switched to a Windows PC, please let me know what happens when you try to play.

DOWNVOTE!

If I did not have a back up file, I would have lost all my saves & mods doing this. Delete this asap! And no one else follow these instructions

@15tpsg3j0r90  There's no downvoting here, and no one is going to delete my post because you didn't read carefully.  At no point did I say delete anything; I said move the files, which would of course leave them intact.  So if you deleted the originals, you weren't following the instructions.

@puzzlezaddicthi! i tried moving the sims 4 folder but it wont let me, saying that an unexpected error is keeping me from copying the file.

@ZeyaKae  Restart your computer and try again.  If you still can't move the folder, rename it.  This has the same effect: the game won't be able to find the folder if it's not called "The Sims 4."

Please also make sure you're working with the Sims 4 folder in Documents > Electronic Arts, not the one in Program Files.

so the same thing happened to me and I took a folder out and it's working thank you

Hi all,

As this thread has gotten a bit older now, it's been locked to prevent necro-posting.

If you're needing further help on this topic, please feel free to create a new thread instead and we'd be happy to take a look with you 🙂

Don't "necropost." Reviving, updating or bumping old, outdated and irrelevant threads is not helpful for our community. It's best to check when the thread was created before you hit post, just to make sure it's not 2 years old for example.