The Sims 4 is unplayable for me right now. Creating a new household runs smoothly without any problems, but when I place them on a lot and then click to play that household, the game crashes without any pop-ups. It simply closes. This has been happening for two days, and I've tried everything: removing all mods, repairing the game, updating, creating a new save file, lowering the graphics, and nothing has worked. Notably, when I started a new save and placed the household on a lot, I was taken straight to live mode and the game ran smoothly. But when I went to manage world and created a household to move into another lot, trying to enter that household crashed my game. I don't understand what's happening and am quite upset about this. I haven't played in months and wanted to get back into playing since finals are over, but it's literally unplayable.

@luthienrising Thank you for your time and help! The batch fix seems to have solved a large part of the problem. I was now able to use most of my CC files to get back into all 18 of the houses I played. 3-67 files (mostly chairs) are still being deleted and/or replaced by the game, but that's not a big deal. I hope I can now slowly start playing the game properly again. Thank you very much again!

@Romisto Does it work if you remove mods/CC? Please do a "vanilla" test: Drag the Mods folder to the desktop, delete the file called localthumbcache, open the game to test, and exit without saving.

@Romisto Redo these steps in this order, please: Drag your whole Sims 4 folder from Document > Electronic Arts to your desktop. Run a Game Repair Launch Sims 4 and reset your Options. Start with New to test if your issue recurs in a new game. Please let me know if "New" was your only option and if this works, including for loading Build mode. If that works, start putting old content back: Exit and copy files out of your old Saves folder into the new Saves folder. Important: Don't just copy the old folder! You want to use the newly created folders. Don't copy anything else back Launch Sims 4 and use Load to select an older save to test. Let me know if that works now, for build mode and for live mode. Please test in both households you've played and ones you never played. As another test, please move a household to a new house that you never loaded before and then see if you can load them.

@Romisto You can put Tray files back. There's no known current issue with having the Library files accessible in-game. Same with Screenshots and Videos. Don't put Options.ini back. Reset Game Options instead.

@Romisto For the CC, there's a chance your issue is something not compatible with DX11. You can switch to DX9 in Game Options to test that out. Sims 4 Studio has a batch fix.

Continuous Crashing during household loading

16 Replies

luthienrising
Hero+
8 months ago
@LittleMissVirgo Do you have mods or CC in your Mods folder? If so, do a "vanilla" test to see if a mod/CC is your problem: Move (not copy) the Mods folder to the desktop (or rename it), delete the file called localthumbcache, open the game to test, and exit without saving.
LittleMissVirgo
8 months ago
This didn't work. I loaded into the main household fine, but when I went to manage worlds, placed another household, and then clicked play on that household, the game crashed.
luthienrising
Hero+
8 months ago
@LittleMissVirgo Please try this deeper test:

Drag your whole Sims 4 folder from Document > Electronic Arts to your desktop.

Launch Sims 4 and reset your Options.

Start with New to test if your issue recurs in a new game. If you have any option other than New for starting a game, please let me know!

If that works, start putting old content back: Exit and copy files out of your old Saves folder into the new Saves folder. Important: Don't just copy the old folder! You want to use the newly created folders.

Launch Sims 4 and use Load to select an older save to test.
Romisto
8 months ago
I don't want to take over this thread, but I've been having very similar problems for weeks. I've tried so many things, but 8 of my 18 houses/households are no longer playable. The loading screen doesn't stop when I want to go into live or build mode.
PS: I created my own post about my problem here about 30 minutes ago and it was marked as spam. It only has one post so far, mine. I don't understand it, that's why I'm writing here now. Sorry. My post said everything I've already tried. I'm really desperate. :/
luthienrising
Hero+
8 months ago
@Romisto Does it work if you remove mods/CC? Please do a "vanilla" test: Drag the Mods folder to the desktop, delete the file called localthumbcache, open the game to test, and exit without saving.
Romisto
8 months ago
@luthienrising Thanks for responding... And yes, I tried that and so much more...

What I have tried so far:

- repair the game using the EA app
- rename my entire Sims folder and copy it somewhere else to generate a new folder after starting the game
- created a new save file in the game
- vanilla test (my 3-4 mods were never the problem, - without CC, but with mods in, everything worked)
- batch fixes through Sims 4 Studio
- tests with the mod: Better Exceptions (no problems with mods, a few CC duplicates (I solved them) and a single defective package file from Cicada ("Hout-Huis Master Bedroom Mattress Solids") which I deleted
- test with the mod: Lumpinou Milestone Fixes (FixForCCObjects & LoadOnPlayedButNotActiveSim) where I could not find any changes
- 50/50 method for mods and CC, but this is extremely detailed and has already cost me over 30 hours (my 3-4 mods worked without any problems, I was able to exclude many of my over 3000 CC files, but I haven't been able to conclusively find the errors yet)
- I checked the lists of Broken CC here in the forum, but found no matches

The error, if it is the CC, is probably in files from these creators/downloads: [novvvas] and "PC-TS4-BowedLiving"
Despite many hours of using the 50/50 method, I haven't been able to find the specific problematic files here.
And I haven't read anywhere about other simmers having problems with these creators/downloads. I've tried downloading the files again, but the problems are still there.

I really don't know what to do next.
luthienrising
Hero+
8 months ago
@Romisto Redo these steps in this order, please:

Drag your whole Sims 4 folder from Document > Electronic Arts to your desktop.

Run a Game Repair

Launch Sims 4 and reset your Options.

Start with New to test if your issue recurs in a new game. Please let me know if "New" was your only option and if this works, including for loading Build mode.

If that works, start putting old content back:

Exit and copy files out of your old Saves folder into the new Saves folder. Important: Don't just copy the old folder! You want to use the newly created folders. Don't copy anything else back

Launch Sims 4 and use Load to select an older save to test. Let me know if that works now, for build mode and for live mode. Please test in both households you've played and ones you never played.

As another test, please move a household to a new house that you never loaded before and then see if you can load them.
Romisto
8 months ago
@luthienrising Okay, I did all these steps you said.

"New" was the only option after I did the first steps from your list above.

Now I copied my old saves files back to the new folder and the game worked with that in live and build mode. Number 4 of your second list was also fine.

Should I now go on with putting my old files into the new folders?
luthienrising
Hero+
8 months ago
@Romisto Yep! Add mods back in in batches. Check them as you go for updates and installation instructions. If your Mods folder has an overcomplicated organization system, this is a good time to fix it. I find that a single folder per creator is good for finding duplicates.
Romisto
8 months ago
@luthienrising Okay, thanks... But should/can I put other old files back in the new one from my old Sims folder like "Tray" and the Options.ini-file or not?

I think my mods won't be a problem, because I just have 2-3 in use and I checked updates for them today, but my CC stuff are on a different level :/ I have over 3000 files. But okay, I will reorganize the folders now by creator and bring them back one after one...