sims 3 crashes on load screen when using the EA APP

@DestinysEcho  Since it's been a while, let's start fresh.  Please create a new admin Windows account, a local one, as in, not tied to a Microsoft account.  Don't download any mods or store or custom content; just launch the game and see whether you can get far enough to start a new save.  If not, please post a new dxdiag.

This is not a commonly-reported issue with the EA App; the usual problem is that the launcher won't appear in the first place.

With the newest update of the EA APP, I generated a whole new fresh sims 3 folder. The launcher finally appeared.  I can see the launcher.  It just won't let me log in.  I can hit play on a fresh sims 3 folder and I can get it to the splash screen.  

But nothing past that works. No saves, no expansion packs, no stuff packs, no sims 3 store content.  

The launcher refuses to work. 

I am trying to get my packs and my store content and saves to work.

EA Cade said we have to redownload our store items.  I try to do that. But the EA launcher does not allow me to log in.   I have tried going to the sims 3 store page and going to purchase history.  They will not allow me to log in.  The websites keep saying ( as many other's have said as well )  BAD GATEWAY.  It won't allow anyone to log in.

There is no way to enable the packs and There is no way to redownload store items if the launcher does not allow us to log in. The store won't work if the website won't allow people to log in.    A few people on twitter said that last week, the store worked for a few moments- it said to download, it required them to use Internet explorer.  Well IE is not an option any longer.

So if people can't log into the launcher, can't log into the website and their purchase history- how do they get their store items? 

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@DestinysEcho wrote:

There is no way to enable the packs and There is no way to redownload store items if the launcher does not allow us to log in. The store won't work if the website won't allow people to log in.    A few people on twitter said that last week, the store worked for a few moments- it said to download, it required them to use Internet explorer.  Well IE is not an option any longer.

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Neither of these is true.  You can in fact download your store items without signing into the launcher; I do it all the time, in macOS and in Windows, with a Steam install and an EA App install.  And you can also access the Expansions & Stuff tab without signing in.  I last tested this a few nights ago.

When I get the Bad Gateway message on the store site, I reload the page, which takes me to the main Sims 3 site.  I click Login there, which works, and then I click the Store category and that works too.  I've been doing this for months.

I understand you want to get your store stuff installed and get back to your saves.  But the first step here is to get the game running at all, and that means a clean folder with absolutely nothing added to it: no saves, no mods, no store stuff.  Please let me know whether the game launches this way, and if not, post a dxdiag.  Leave everything else alone for now.

As I stated above, once I downloaded the new version of the EA APP, I created a new sims 3 folder.  The launcher starts up. So yay, at least EA fixed something!

So I can get to the create a new save screen. I can make a new save.

But it is only my base game.  The launcher will not allow me to log in. It will not let me use all of my expansion packs, stuff packs, and store items. It says I do not own any of them.  Even though I purchased and have played them all since their release days. 

So yes, I can get the BASE GAME only to load.

I have tried reloading the store page in chrome and microsoft edge.  I have gone to the EA home page and logged in and then gone to the sims 3 page and gone to my purchase history. Every time it says bad gateway.  Both browsers.  I have cleared caches, cookies, and history.  I have even tried to load the pages in  Internet explorer compatibility mode. Still bad gateway.  The launcher still shows an error message and refuses to let me log in there.

Many other people have been reporting the same thing on twitter for the past month. So I know it isn't just me. 

If you have a way or know of a way that we can all download our sims 3 store items without the launcher, please let us know.  Hundreds of people will be thrilled.  If you can explain how to download and get our expansion and stuff packs installed with the launcher not allowing us to sign in- again.... the info would be most welcome to a lot of us.

Thanks!

@DestinysEcho  What do you see if you click the Expansions & Stuff tab in the launcher?  If no packs are listed, you need to download them through the EA App.  Open your game library, click the Sims 3 icon, select Manage > Manage Add-ons and find your packs on the list.  Each pack should either show a Download button or say it's already installed.  I'm looking at the App right now, and this is exactly what I see: Download buttons for four stuff packs I haven't installed, and everything else listed as Installed.

When I press Play in the App and the launcher appears, I can click the Expansions & Stuff tab without signing in.  All my packs are listed there, and I select whichever of them I want.

If the EA App says you don't own any packs, that's a separate issue.  If the packs are installed but the launcher doesn't list them in Expansions & Stuff, that's yet another separate issue.  Both have to do with your account itself; neither has anything to do with signing into the launcher.

I haven't had any issues with the store lately, other than needing to refresh the page after the initial Bad Gateway message, but I tried it again anyway just now.  It worked fine in Firefox the first time.  I also downloaded an item from my purchase history (which did take a while to load, but then I have a lot of stuff), and it worked fine, again without my being signed into the launcher.  So I'd suggest trying Firefox, and if the store site itself doesn't want to let you login, going to www.thesims3.com first and signing in there.

Once again, thank you for your replies and willingness to help people here. I have read a lot of posts where you have gotten people's games working through your tips and knowledge. So thank you for your efforts. 

According to EA's twitter, they are telling sims 3 and sims 4 players to uninstall and reinstall the EA APP.  That there is a glitch where sims 3 and sims 4 players both are not able to see their owned packs or download them. That the sims 3 and 4 aren't even appearing in their libraries.  

They said they put out an update to the app, but some people can't get the  update to work.  That we must uninstall and reinstall the app.

After doing that just now, my sims 4 is actually showing up in my library and my sims 3 is actually showing that I own all the expansion and stuff packs. So yay sims team for that.

The launcher is letting me sign in as well finally. I can now load my game with all expansion packs. I just can't get my store items or saves to work. 

The sims 3 website still is not working for me.  I tried chrome, firefox, Microsoft edge, and Internet explorer on compatibility mode. I tried my mom's account on her pc. My grandmother tried it on her pc at her place.  They can't get it to work either.  My aunt it let her get to purchase history but when she clicked download, it says she didn't own the items.

  Edge let me log in just now, but when I hit purchase history.... it says bad gateway.  If I refresh a few times, I get logged out and can't log back in. I have to delete the cache and the cookies and try again. I can log in at EA's site ( EA.com ) then go to the sims 3 page, I am logged in. I hit purchase history and get logged out instantly. It just keeps repeating. 

  According to the EA sims 3 store forum, at lot of people are having issues logging in and have for months. The browser doesn't seem to matter. It is hit or miss. Sometimes it says under maintenance. Other times  It just keeps asking people to log in time after time or giving a bad gateway when they hit purchase history. Other times it tells people they can't download their items and that they don't own them. 

 EA Cade has posted in several of the threads that they are aware of the log in issues. 

My brother's discord community has been posting all their issues too. Many have finally got their games to load with the newest EA APP update ( uninstalling and reinstalling ).  Sadly they are like me and just can't get the sims 3 store or purchase history to work. At least sim gurus have said they are aware people are having issues.  So maybe that means something will finally get fixed.   

Again, thanks for spending your time trying to help people.  I have MS and my doctors told me I needed to de- stress.  That I needed to play some games and relax. Stress will kill me faster.  Since December and the EA APP - it has been anything but relaxing.  

Hi @DestinysEcho,

It sounds like there may be some issues happening with your account and game entitlements that the live support team would need to look into with you- here on the forums, we don't have access to your specific account details to investigate this further and see what's causing these issues. 

Please reach out to the live support team from the help site here so they can take a look with you and see what's happening- I'd also recommend you attach this AHQ conversation when you contact live support so that team does have something to reference. If you have any issues contacting live support, be sure to let me know. 

Thank you so much for reply! I will definitely do that.

Just wanted to post a quick update.

A few friends who are having the same issues as I am, posted in a discord channel this morning.  They said the sims 3 store was working for the moment.  I quickly hopped onto the site. I was able to log in and get to my purchase history.  

I was able to download about a third of my store items before the site crashed again.  I have tried multiple times today to waiting to see if it comes back up. But I keep getting bad gateway or under maintenance again.

I did install what I was able to download.  A few worlds and some outfits.  They did work and my game did load up.

* fingers crossed that EA keeps working on stuff and I can get the rest of my items. 

But at least now I have hope.  

Hey, did you ever find a fix to this? I'm having a similar problem rn and i'm stunned. My Sims 3 seemed to work fine until I tried it earlier this week. ☹️ I'm really sad, I don't love the Sims 4 nearly as much and idk what to do. I feel like EA just doesn't care as much anymore for poeple having difficulties with their older games.