@itsissabel Just to be clear, this happens when you try to start a new save with no mods or custom content present? If you haven't tested exactly that, please do so now.
If that doesn't or didn't help, please run a dxdiag and attach it to a post.
https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/
Hello! The infinite loading screen happens when I try and resume my game as well as start a new game. And yes, I have tried to open my game without mods and cc and I still have the loading screen problem.
@itsissabel Your dxdiag lists two generic Windows update errors, so please run a couple of basic checks of your Windows system files:
Restart your computer, hit Windows key-i, select Update & Security, and click the box to check for updates. If any install, restart again afterwards.
The dxdiag also lists a couple of serious crashes of the graphics driver, so the next step would be to update the driver. However, I can't tell you whether HP offers a newer driver for your exact laptop because the dxdiag doesn't list the exact model number. So you'll need to find the support page yourself. Go here:
https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/laptops
Enter your serial number, choose your OS (just Windows 11 is fine) if prompted, and you'll land on the driver download page. Don't use the auto-update option; instead, click All Drivers, expand Driver-Graphics, and look for an Intel driver that's newer than yours, which has a version number of 26.20.0100.7926. Anything numbered 27 or newer would be more recent, as would be 26-something that ends with a number higher than 7926.
If you don't know what you're looking at, please link the driver download page. This page doesn't contain any information about your own computer, just the overall model.
If you do find a newer driver, download it and run it as an admin: right-click the download and select "Run as administrator." Restart your computer after installing and before trying to play.
@DarkxArtemis @moffnat and @Ineedspace It sounds like your issues are all different from the original poster's, and different from each other, despite all being under the umbrella of infinite loading. The issue is that infinite loading can have many causes—everything from a game bug to a hardware failure—so each instance should be handled on its own, at least at first. On that note, please each create a new thread in Game Issues describing what you see. You can copy and paste what you've written here if it's easier.
https://answers.ea.com/t5/Game-Issues/bd-p/the-sims-4-game-issues-en
@Outdated_Garlic If your main lot has a lot challenge applied, for example Off the Grid, that's probably the issue. Please use this bug report for OtG:
Otherwise, please post in Game Issues too. The fact that other households and new saves work fine indicate that this isn't a tech issue but rather a problem with your main households, and as I mentioned in your thread on the EA forums, there's nothing problematic in your dxdiag.
@puzzlezaddict I did everything you said to do but I still get an infinite loading screen when I try and play the game unfortunately.
The only thing that I did that was different than you said was when it game to downloading the Intel driver. For some reason it wouldn't let me put the OS as Windows 11, only Windows 10, so that was what I picked, but I was able to find one that started with 27 so I downloaded that. I'm not sure if that was wrong.
This was the message I got when I did the "sfc/scannow" thing: Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them. For online repairs, details are included in the CBS log file located at windir\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. For example C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. For offline repairs, details are included in the log file provided by the /OFFLOGFILE flag. PS C:\Users\isabe>
@itsissabel When you tried a new save, did you choose a lot with any traits or challenges, for example Off the Grid? If so, please remove those, or start another new save on a lot that has none.
If that's not relevant, 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, 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 that doesn't help either, please post a new dxdiag so I can compare it to the old one.
@puzzlezaddictI haven't been able to make a new save since the update as my game won't let me play at all due to the infinite loading screen, and I haven't ever used the Off the Grid trait. I have however used the traits that come with Cottage Living such as "dog training ground", but I won't be able to take those out since I can't load into my game unfortunately.
I tried what you said and took out my sims 4 folder and I was able to play in live mode and make a new save, however, my graphics were very low, but I'm not sure if that's just because my options menu was changed. Should I put everything back into the new folder or is there something wrong with my old folder that I need to change?
@itsissabel Since the new save in the new folder works fine, try copying over one of your old saves, but only that for now. Since you're copying rather than moving the save, you can experiment freely on it while the original remains intact in the old folder. Try to load different households, including unplayed ones, in that save, and let me know how it goes.
The graphics are likely low because of your new Options.ini file. Feel free to adjust as you like.
@puzzlezaddict I copied over an older save which worked perfectly, but when I copied over my most recent save which is the one I actually play with, I still am only getting the infinite loading screen. Sometimes I would be able to get to the manage worlds screen with this household but every time I would press the play button to actually get into the household and play it, it would be an infinite loading screen, and other times I wouldn't be able to get past the main menu with this save at all.
@itsissabel Okay, but can you load a different household, one you've never played, in this save? Can you load the lot in Build mode? Can you load the sims if you move them to a different lot?
Please also delete any lastexceptions in your new Sims 4 folder, and if you get another one, upload it here. You can copy and paste it into a reply (please use a spoiler tag), or create a .rar file, or create a .txt file after deleting the first line.
@puzzlezaddict Unfortunately I haven't been able to load into the game at all since yesterday. Every time I try to press resume I get stuck with an infinite loading screen. I deleted all last exceptions from my new folder and I got this one after (I'm not sure if you meant you wanted me to send it this way but if not I can do it another way).
The last exception didn't post for some reason so I'm going to put it here as text
@itsissabel That works fine, and try adding the mod listed here:
If you don't want to play with it going forward, you can remove it once you've loaded your household successfully and saved.
I have seen one person say that this mod resolved this particular issue but only in DirectX 9 mode, so please do test DX9 if you're playing in DX11 and the household still won't load.
@puzzlezaddict I downloaded everything and put my mods folder back as well as put my game on directx 9 mode, and I was able to finally get into the household as well as build mode with my legacy save, but then I had to close the game, and now whenever I try and open it again and press resume I get stuck on a loading screen and am not able to get back into the household anymore.
@itsissabel Did you save your progress after adding the mod? And at the moment, does this particular house have any lot traits or challenges? What happens if you remove all mods except the one I linked?
The fact that this worked once means it should work again. If you can't get anywhere, please post a new LastException, as in, delete your current ones and let the game create a new one.
Hello! Sorry, I haven't been able to play the game for a while because of school. I opened the game for the first time yesterday and I was able to open it and even play with my legacy family as well as other people in the world for hours. However, when I went to open the game again today I am again getting only the infinite loading screen and am not able to successfully resume the game. I saved my progress yesterday and deleted all my Last Exceptions and have not gotten any new ones. The only thing that I got was a lastCrash which I am going to put down below although I don't know if it means anything. I still don't have any script mods in my game and I moved out my household into a new lot yesterday which has no lot traits at all. I'm just not sure why my game worked perfectly yesterday and not at all today when nothing has changed.
@itsissabel This lastcrash is from a modded game, so perhaps it's older. And I wouldn't expect a lastcrash from an infinite loading screen anyway.
If you choose Load Game rather than Resume, can you load a different household? If so, can those sims visit the main household, or can you invite those sims over and then switch to them?
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