Hi Anne,
Thanks for the detailed breakdown, that helps a lot. Since you’ve already covered the standard steps, this looks less like a basic reinstall/cache issue and more like something blocking the game at the user folder/background process/system level.
A few targeted things to try next:
- Test with a completely fresh Sims 4 user folder (very important)
- Go to: Documents → Electronic Arts
- Move the entire “The Sims 4” folder to your desktop
- Launch the game again
This forces the game to generate a clean set of files. If it launches, the issue is in your old user data (even without mods).
- Check for a stuck background process
- Open Task Manager
- Look for TS4_x64.exe or anything EA-related
- End those tasks, then relaunch
Sometimes the app thinks the game is already running and silently fails.
- Delete core cache files manually
Even after clearing cache via the app, some files persist:
- Documents → Electronic Arts → The Sims 4
- Delete: localthumbcache.package
- Delete contents of the cache folder (not the folder itself)
Corrupted cache can block launch entirely.
- Check OneDrive / cloud sync (common but overlooked)
If your Documents folder is synced:
- Pause or disable OneDrive sync temporarily
- Then try launching again
Cloud sync can lock the Sims 4 folder, preventing the game from starting.
- Rule out external interference
Temporarily disable or close:
- Antivirus/firewall
- Overlay apps (Discord, OBS, etc.)
These can silently block the launch process.
- Update GPU drivers (even if nothing “changed”)
This specific symptom (launch → nothing) is often driver-related after background updates.
If none of the above changes the behaviour, the next step would be checking a DxDiag to look for system-level conflicts.
Let us know what happens after step 1, specifically, that result usually narrows this down very quickly.
Community Manager
