Re: Sims 3 won't open: Alder Lake (Intel 12th-gen) CPU

@Makanar56  I've merged your post with the master thread for this issue.  It's a known problem with Intel 12th-gen (Alder Lake) processors and has nothing to do with how you installed the game: the same problem happens with both Steam and Origin installs.  There's likely nothing you can do on your own either; it's a problem that either EA or Intel needs to address.

Thanks for doing so much troubleshooting on your own though.  One outstanding question was whether disabling certain CPU cores would make a difference, but I didn't want to suggest it to people who might not be tech savvy enough to understand the process.  Since you clearly are, that suggestion can be crossed off without jeopardizing anyone's system.