8/16 Update: Not loading from neighboordhood or into lot
Hey all!! I managed to figure out how to get the game to work again. BAD NEWS is I had to rename the file- losing all of my previous saves, lots, mods etc. However I will slowly be adding mods etc to narrow down the culprit. May take some time but if I manage to figure it out, I will post in here!
If you get desperate enough like me it'll probably work for you too!! Good luck friends!
If you’ve already:
- Removed all mods to a desktop folder,
- Cleared caches,
- Repaired the game,
- Tested with a fresh save… then go to this next step:
Rename the Sims 4 Folder
Go to your Documents → Electronic Arts.
Inside you’ll see a folder called The Sims 4.
Rename it to something like:
The Sims 4_old
(or whatever you like, as long as it’s different).
Launch the game.
The Sims 4 will automatically create a fresh, brand-new “The Sims 4” folder with clean saves, no mods, and default settings.
👉This forces the game to start completely fresh, without touching any of your old saves, caches, or configs.
☝️If the game runs normally this way, you know something in your old folder (like a corrupted save, tray item, or leftover mod data) was causing issues.
If it still won’t load lots even with the brand-new folder, then it confirms it’s 100% the August patch bug , not your files and you will have to wait for a hotfix
I checked all of my mods- it still did it without them so I have definitely chalked it up to a bug introduced by the August 19, 2025 patch.
The game is stalling at world selection even in a vanilla state...definitely not something you did wrong.
EA is aware, and the community is actively discussing it.. still haven't gotten a fix to my knowledge.
My fix was the new folder name! It is not ideal but hey I can play the sims until the get us a hotfix.
