Sims 3 Not Launching
I have spent this entire week reading through these forums and watching YouTube videos to try to get my Sims 3 game working. None of the fixes have worked. I am on the brink of giving up. I literall...
Forum Discussion
@divaisdancing What happens when you try to play? Even if you don't see an error, it matters what you do see on-screen, for example whether the Sims 3 launcher opens, whether pressing its Play button results in a black screen or nothing, etc. And did Sims 3 ever work on this computer? If so, did you install any updates or new software (including moving from Origin to the EA App) between when it worked and when it didn't?
Finally, please run a dxdiag and attach it to a post.
https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/
@puzzlezaddict This computer is like straight out the box, as is. I don't modify any of the drives, etc. It worked with origin and.never worked when ea apps took over and I am just now trying to fix.it.
I attached the dxdiag.
I was using origin before we were forced to switch and now that I am using ea apps I can click the play button all I want but the launcher never loads so it's not playable. Then TS3W method doesnt work either
The launcher.either doesn't even try to load or will attempt to load but not fully load and basically go into error state and ea apps doesn't pop up with any error message.
I have uninstalled/reinstalled, factory reset, etc. a dozen times. I tried steam to launch through that and that doesn't even work (I know.it.still uses ea apps).
I'm so so so so so defeated. Hopefully you can help
@divaisdancing Your dxdiag lists a number of Sims 3 errors that could be related to the game itself or your computer. So please start with a couple of basic checks of your Windows system files:
- Hit Windows key-X
- Choose either “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Windows Terminal (Administrator),” whichever option is offered
- Inside the window that appears, copy and paste “DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth” without quotes, and enter
- The system will start validating soon. If it throws an error, please list it here
- After it reaches 100%, hit Windows key-X again
- Again, choose “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Windows Terminal (Administrator)”
- Inside the window, copy and paste “sfc /scannow” without quotes, and enter
- Post the message you receive here
Restart your computer, hit Windows key-i, select Update & Security, and click the box to check for updates. If any install, restart again afterwards.
If you use a third-party antivirus, please set exceptions for TS3.exe, Sims3Launcher.exe, and EADesktop.exe. If you don't think you have an antivirus program installed, check the Task Manager (including background processes) anyway—many computers come with one pre-installed. If you are in fact only using Windows Defender, and Controlled Folder Access is enabled, set the same exceptions. Don't enable it if it's not already running.
Next, clear the EA App's cache:
https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/faq/clear-cache-to-fix-problems-with-your-games/
Restart your computer, and repair the game: open your game library, click Sims 3, and select Manage > Repair.
If you have a Sims 3 folder in Documents > Electronic Arts, move it to the desktop. If you get an error when trying to move the folder, or it copies rather than moving, let me know. Otherwise, try again to play.
- @puzzlezaddict I have 2 questions too: I use mods and cc which I am confident are not corrupted. Does this matter?
Also, is it better to play using the game download from steam or directly from ea apps ? Or is there no difference?
Hi Hero,
I've been reading your posts and you seem the most helpful/knowledgeable person on this matter.
I've been handed down a computer of which I was looking forward to playing the Sims3. BEST GAME EVER. I have most of the expansion disks, but it wouldn't launch from the launcher. I thought maybe it was my external disc reader being the issue, so I copied and pasted the games from the disc but same not launching...So I bought the base game from Steam as it was £18 instead of £30, but It was the same thing again.
I read thoroughly into these forums and have downloaded DIRECT X Patch and this ALDERLAKE Patch.... I restarted aswell... Am I doing something wrong? As it still isn't working... perhaps I am putting the files into the wrong places (I am not the best as computers. )
For context here is my computer specifications:
WINDOWS 11 PRO
Corsair one
Processor: 12th Gen Intel R Core tm i9-12900k 3.19GHZ
Memory: 32 GB
System type: 64-Bit operating X64 Based processor
If anyone can help.. this game has been my happy place for years I've been waiting for the day I can play it again.. I would send a gift/ chocs whatever to anyone that can get this game launching...
I don't know what else to do ...
@wevcpctytupm Your processor is from the Alder Lake family and definitely needs the patch. But there are a few potential hangups here. One is that the patch needs to be run, not just downloaded. You don't put the files anywhere; you double-click the AlderLakePatch.exe you've downloaded and point it at the correct game executable. For a Steam install, or a disc install that doesn't require the EA App, that's TS3W.exe, with the W; for an install that requires the EA App, whether you initially used discs or not, that's TS3.exe, without the W.
Additionally, having two copies of Sims 3 installed can prevent both from launching. It's not always a problem, so please do try running the Alder Lake patch again, making sure you choose the correct .exe when prompted. But if that doesn't help, please uninstall the game with Revo Uninstaller (the free version is fine), and make sure you've removed both copies. Then choose one type of install or the other, and stick with that.
If this doesn't help either, please run a dxdiag and attach it to a post.
https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/
I tried to open the Sims 3 on my PC so I can have some fun with my British-African Family I created. But today, for some odd reason, when I try to load a saved game and going through a loading screen, it keeps saying, "An error has occurred while loading Sunset Valley.sims 3. It is highly recommended that you restart the application." It also happens when I try and make a new game. If I should restart the application, what does this all mean?
