[Workaround] Game Freezing, Missing Event Tracks, Trains & Unclosable Ads
Hi fellow Mayors,
If you've been struggling with the game freezing during ads, getting a "Missing Data/Content" error, or suddenly losing your Event Track, I wanted to share a solution that worked for me after some network testing. This also applies if your Mass Transit / Train stations are freezing up.
The Cause:
The current bugs are heavily tied to active Adblockers. If you are using a network-wide adblocker (like Pi-hole on your home WiFi), AdGuard, or a private DNS setting on your device, itblocks the game fro m reaching external ad servers (like AppLovin) and EA's personalization servers.
Because the game currently lacks a proper timeout protocol, it doesn't just skip the blocked ad. Instead, it waits endlessly for a response, causing the UI to completely freeze. The blockedI connection to EA's servers is also the reason why the game fails to load your personalized Event Track or Train Shop data upon startup.
The Fix:
- Temporarily disable your adblocker or turn off your WiFi and switch to mobile data.
- Force close SimCity completely and clear the game cache.
- Restart the game.
Your game will now be able to download the missing profile data. The Event Track will reappear, the train system will sync properly, and ads will play and close without freezing the game. It's a shame EA hasn't put out a simple warning about adblockers causing these critical freezes, so I hope this helps some of you get back to building your cities without the frustration!
