Unable to Save a Game Since 2025 Update

OvR8d1  Try getting rid of OneDrive entirely, or at least moving the Documents directory out of the OneDrive folder.  (You could still let it sync some content, but you'd need to move that content to the appropriate folder manually.)  If you're fine with no OneDrive at all, please see the "I want to get rid of OneDrive" section of this guide:

[CURRENT ISSUE] Sims 4 saves/user content disappearing (PC) | EA Forums - 11838402

You'll need to ctrl-F to search and jump down to "I want to get rid of OneDrive."

If you want to keep it in general but stop it from syncing your Sims 3 data, you could simply use the registry edit to move Documents back to C:\Users\your username\Documents, leaving OneDrive intact, and allowing it to sync anything in Users\your username\OneDrive\Documents.  I wouldn't recommend this unless you know your way around computers, as it's easy to get lost.  But it's a viable approach.

Everything listed I also tried with no luck. I don't know why EA released this update first of all, second, it wouldn't surprise me if they just ruined it to get more sales on TS4 or with the "new" releases of TS1 and TS2. I don't know why every game this company touches breaks and it's absurd. Also! Tried to reset to a previous version on steam and they delete previous versions when they update so! :) yay!!!!!

LynxKitty66613  Are you getting the Error Code 16 or something else?  Are all your saves affected or only one?  Is your computer's Documents directory currently in the OneDrive folder or not?  Even if you think not, please double-check with the reg query command in the thread I linked.

If that isn't the issue (and you are getting an Error 16 with any save), try creating a new admin Windows account and playing there.  Make it local, as in, don't link it to your Microsoft account or any email address.  You'll be able to play without reinstalling anything, but your saves and other content won't be available.  That's fine for testing purposes, and if the new account works, it's simple enough to transfer your Sims 3 data there.  Or we can try to fix the main account now that we'd know the issue was only there.

I use OneDrive as my backup for all picture and document files, so getting rid of it isn't an option. I did try temporarily un-linking my PC through OneDrive settings ... just so I could see if the game would play ... and it did work fine for one day, but the next time I tried, it was back to it's old tricks. 

It's just so frustrating that immediately before the patch, it was working fine, but immediately afterwards, it's totally stuffed ... and the support member I chatted with had absolutely no interest in helping, beyond directing me here. 😥 Is there any chance you could explain how to safely move anything Sims-related away from OneDrive?

OvR8d1  I have a few suggestions in this master thread, which I wrote for Sims 4, but the OneDrive-related settings are the same:

[CURRENT ISSUE] Sims 4 saves/user content disappearing (PC) | EA Forums - 11838402

I've heard from some users that some options aren't the same on their devices, so if you don't see one option, just move on to the next one.

There are two other approaches I didn't list in that thread as well.  One is to create a separate admin Windows account for playing Sims 3.  Make the account local (no link to your Microsoft account or any email address), and you won't have any link to OneDrive.  So you won't have to change any settings about your main account, just switch accounts when you want to play.

The other approach is one I can't promise will work because I don't have this issue myself.  It could work in theory, the principle is fine, but I would need someone affected to test.  That is to create a symbolic link to move your Sims 3 user folder, or the Electronic Arts folder, elsewhere.  This guide is also for Sims 4, but the process is exactly the same other than the folder name:

https://crinrict.com/blog/2020/02/moving-windows-documents-folder-to-external-drive-via-symbolic-link.html

You'd want to tell OneDrive to always keep the symlink on the device, as in the first link.  You could direct the folder anywhere on any drive that isn't within a OneDrive folder, and the content itself should be intact.  What I don't know is whether when Sims 3 can't write to the OneDrive folder, it can still jump through a symlink to write elsewhere.

I really appreciate that you've tried to help me, thanks so much for your time. I looked at all the options you presented and decided that the one I was least likely to eff up was the creation of a new Windows account, purely for playing Sims 3. While it would have been nice for an EA tech to address this problem directly with a solution rather than a workaround, it's gotten to the point where I'm grateful just to be able to play my game without issues. Thanks again.