City completely dark – lighting/rendering bug

If an iPad only crashes with a specific app or game (SimCity BuildIt for example) it is almost certainly a software issue, likely a bug within the app, incompatible data, or insufficient RAM/storage, rather than a hardware defect. Troubleshooting steps like updating the app, reinstalling it, and restarting your iPad usually resolve this.
 
Key Reasons for Specific App Crashes:

App Software Bug: The app itself needs an update to fix bugs or improve stability.

Corrupted Data: The app’s data or cache is corrupted, requiring deletion and reinstallation.

Insufficient Memory/RAM: High-performance games may overload older iPads, causing them to freeze or crash.

iPadOS Incompatibility: The app is not fully optimized for your current iPadOS version. 

Troubleshooting Steps (Software):

Update the app: Check the App Store for updates.

Force quit the app: Close the app and open it again.

Restart the iPad: Clear temporary files and memory.

Delete and Reinstall: Remove the app and download it again.

Free up Storage: Ensure your iPad has enough free space. 

What To Do Next:

If the app continues to crash after these steps, it is likely that the app developer needs to release a patch. If all apps or the system itself crashes, then it might be a broader system or hardware issue.

If you use an Apple device you can report this issue directly to Apple.  Call their customer support line and explain to them that a game you downloaded from the App Store is incompatible with your device. Once they receive enough reports they can take action to make sure EA optimizes the game.

If you have an Android device you can report the game in the Google Play Community forum.