Recently created Sims are usually saved to the library. You may need to check Include Custom Content regardless if you use it or not. As sometimes the game thinks the Sims or household created has CC on them. To do this, Click Advanced in the left column and select Include Custom Content.
Another way to see Households is to click Manage Households (up in the right corner of the map screen to look at your My Household tab, which should automatically be selected, to see what families are in-game and what town they are in. Then go find them in the town they are in and select them to play, if you'd like.
The My Household tab has player created, played or unplayed households. Sims in the Other Households tab may loose progress information such as skill levels, relationships, etc.
If you don't want this to happen to any of the households, click the heart to the right under the household's photo to move them to the My Households tab.
If that doesn't help, click Load Game to see what other saves you have to see if you can find any of your missing families.
Please Note: Sim families from another game save cannot interact with another Sim family from a different game save. To get them to interact with each other they need to be in the same game save.
To get the families all into one game save, go to the main menu and click Load Game for each of the families you want to save. Save the family and their house to the library and place them into one game save.
>>If you don't want this to happen to any of the households, click the heart to the right under the household's photo to move them to the My Households tab.<<
Quoting your post, this has helped. But each time I play a Sim that went missing, I have the same issue. If I move them from My Households to "all" they're playable again (or there and back). Having to do that every time is exhausting and not the way it should be (not finding fault with your help AT ALL). It's just frustrating as this just started over this last weekend. Every Sim I've played over the weekend is in this state of just being 'gone'. ☹️
I've searched the internet for this issue for two days, visited forums and FB Sims 4 fan pages. This is the best advice I've gotten. At least my Sim ins't permenantly gone. I just have to find a way to make her not disappear EVER again! *sigh*
And, FWIW my 'enable CC' was on, though I don't use any. Thanks for this tip. It helps ease my mind somewhat until I find a permanent fix.
