Sims 3 won't open: Alder Lake (Intel 12th-gen) CPU
Hi,
I recently built a new computer . All my games are working correctly, except the SIms 3... When I click on play in Origin or Steam, the launcher opens correctly, but then when I click on play to launch the game, nothing happens. I can't even see the Sims in the tasks manager.
I'm running on Windows 11 + the new Alder Lake processor. So the issue may comes from that... What I don't understand, is that the Sims 2 & Sims 4 are working correctly...
Could you help?
Here is what I already tried, without any success:
- Installing Direct X9
- Removing the Sims 3 folder in my documents (the folder is being recreated automatically, but I only see the crash logs, the rest is empty)
- Activating the legacy mode in the Bios
- Launching the game on Origin & on Steam.
I have no cc.
You will find attached my Dxdiag report.
Thanks for your support!
edited title for visibility. -puzzlezaddict
This post is being marked as the solution for visibility. This is still considered an open issue by EA.
Update Jan 13, 2025: This problem is fixed for the EA App version of Sims 3. It is NOT fixed for the disc or Steam versions; the workarounds below are still necessary.
Edited to add links to PowerShell script and Task Manager method here. Try these if the patch doesn't help you.
Lazy Duchess has created a patch that can be applied to the game .exe to fix the issue of Sims 3 not loading on computers with 12th-gen (Alder Lake) Intel processors. Please understand that this is NOT an official fix. EA had no part in the creation of this tool and does not vouch for its safety or efficacy.
If you would like to revert your game to its previous state, you can restore the backup of the .exe that the patch creates. Or you can repair the game files:
- EA App/1.69: Open My Collection, hover over the Sims 3 icon, click the three dots, and select Repair.
- Origin/1.69: Open your Origin game library, right-click on the Sims 3 icon, and select Repair.
- Steam/1.67: Open your Steam library, right-click on the Sims 3 tile, and select Properties > Local files > Verify integrity of the game files.
- disc/1.67: Run EA's "Cumulative Base Game Super Patcher," which can be downloaded here.
The text below was quoted from this post by LazyDuchess:
https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-PC/Sims-3-won-t-open-Alder-Lake-Intel-12th-gen-CPU/m-p/11524785#M250970
@LazyDuchess wrote:
Hey there!
I hope it's okay for me to share this here.
I've been trying to find a good solution for this, and I came up with a little patcher that should work around the issue without you having to use a Powershell or third party apps to run the game (Click on "AlderLakePatch.zip" to download):
https://github.com/LazyDuchess/AlderLakePatcher/releases
It's completely open source.
I'm hoping this method actually solves the issue with the added benefit of not needing a custom launcher or third party app, but I'm not able to test it as I don't own affected hardware. All you have to do is extract the .zip, launch the patcher and locate your [edit from puzzlezaddict 1/13/25] TS3W.exe if you're on 1.67, it should then patch the game and make a backup for you.
As puzzlezaddict mentioned earlier, you can find your game's executables on the program files folder:
Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Game\Bin
Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\The Sims 3\Game\Bin
Let me know if this actually works, the issue is complicated to get around due to how early in the game's execution it happens.
If you're not sure which patch level you have and therefore which .exe to patch, check the game version in the lower-left corner of the launcher.Edit: Patch TS3W.exe, with the W, as TS3.exe is now patched with the update from 1/13/25, and patching is unnecessary with an EA App install. -puzzlezaddict
An alternative is to use this PowerShell script, created by another player, to force Sims 3 to use one CPU core in the first few seconds it's loading. This script is self-limiting; you don't need to do anything to restore the game's full access to the CPU.
If you get an error when trying this method, you may need to manually update PowerShell, as described here:
For anyone who can't get the above to work, try limiting the game to one CPU core in the Task Manager, as described in this post:
