Re: Vanilla game doesn't launch after 18 April Apple silicon patch
Yes, I tried all your other tips but nothing worked unfortunately.
Forum Discussion
56 Replies
- @chenshanna
Thanks, really helpful to know. Did the game create a new Sims 4 folder in Documents > Electronic Arts even though it didn't properly launch? - @Bluebellflora Yes, it did. And then it got the little white dot under the icon in the Dock bar, and then some seconds later the white dot disappeared (don't know if that's the word in english, but the little menu with chosen applications in the bottom).
Just to be clear, I also haven't had any CC/mods in my game so that shouldn't be the issue here. - @chenshanna
The Dock 🙂
That's really interesting. If the TS4 folder was created the game had the necessary permission to access the Documents folder.
In the new user account, copy over one of your saves from the existing user account and put it in the saves folder. If you have multiple saves I would add them one at a time, testing the game to see if it will still launch after adding each one. You can either use the Public folder in Finder for this or simply use an external drive or online storage to transfer the save.
Info on the in-built Public folder on your Mac https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/mac-help/mchlp1775/mac - @Bluebellflora Thank you for the support. Now it seems like a workaround is starting the game via Origin, instead of the Sims icon in the Dock bar. Then it seems to be working, if not the first time then after a few clicks. It seems like a better workaround than having to use a completely different account on my computer, even though I appreciate your support and suggestions! Will definitely try if this stops working. 🙂
- @chenshanna
Really? So it won't load at all from the Dock shortcut?
How about if you open Origin, wait for it to load fully, then double click the game app in your Applications folder?
Thanks so much for coming back and giving another workaround for those who read this 🙂 @chenshannahey friend, the opening through origin although finicky was working okay for me (sometimes opening on try 4, sometimes opening on try 12++, a few times it worked on the first try)... I thought about just leaving my game open and I definitely should have. The workaround using origin to open no longer works either. I'm not sure why but I wanted to share in case this happens to you or anyone else.
I did reach out again to EA help and this is the only reply they are willing to give at this time. I am copying and sharing from my chat transcript.
"Vinay (4/21/2023, 3:24:56 PM): Thank you for waiting, I have checked this with the team, please do not worry, I would like to inform you that there is a known issue going around and many players are facing it, also, studio is aware of this situation and is already investigating the issue and it should be resolved as soon as possible. For more updates, you may keep an eye on our official twitter handle and I apologize for the inconvenience caused to you due to this, but do not worry, it's not an issue on your end, and it should be fixed as soon as possible. "
Edited (6:30 pm) finally got it to open again after two hours. There is no rhyme or reason in that honestly.Thank you for the update. It won't work for me at all, either through Origin or the Sims 4 icon in Applications. I repaired the game twice, I tried the folder clean. I cleared the Origin cache and installed the newest version of Origin, I disabled Origin, I tried every troubleshooting option I could find.
Looking at EA Twitter, it seems there's a lot of other problems happening now with the migration to the EA app from Origin. Even though this shouldn't affect me because I have a Mac, I'm hoping the trouble is somehow related and they will get a fix out this week.
- @Bluebellflora This didn't work for me but it looked like it might for a second. The Sims plumbob was showed up in the dock and bounced there like it was going to open but then it disappeared.
I doubt there is any link between Origin and EA App although this latest update has caused some problems for some people. Still struggling to find the common factor though as the majority of users are still able to play fine and there are no specific models affected.
Please can you provide more information about your Mac. Instructions on how to do so and what to provide here - http://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-Mac/READ-FIRST-Sims-4-Mac-Help-Guides-and-Troubleshooting/m-p/4612396/highlight/true#M162
Can you also try setting up a new user account on your Mac and see if you can play in that account?
- Operating System (Version) MacOS Ventura 13.2.1
- Mac model MacBook Pro 13 inch 2018
- Processor 2.7 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
- Memory (RAM) 16 GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3
- Graphics Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 1536 MB
Are you attempting to play the normal version of the game or the Legacy Edition? Digital Deluxe
Are you running any antivirus? This is a work owned computer with their security - no extra antivirus
Have you tried to repair the game in Origin? Right click on the game in My Games and select Repair Game. Yes, twice. After repairing all the game files, I can't restart the game to generate a clean folder because I can't start the game at all.
Do you use CC/Mods? If so, have you tried removing them and seeing if that fixes your problem? Removing my mods was the first thing I did.
How much storage is available on your internal drive? About This Mac > Storage 330.73 GB available of 1TB
I can try to make a new user account, but I hesitate to do that since this is my work computer. I'd rather wait a few days and see if EA comes up with a fix.
- @j0celynj0nes38
The problem isn't necessarily EA's which is why we need to troubleshoot. There's no danger in making a new user account, you can simply delete it afterwards. This worked for one person in this thread plus two others that I know of, it's definitely worth trying. @j0celynj0nes38if you are on a mac and can't launch normally, I was told by EA chat that it's a global known problem affecting many mac users and there is nothing I can do to fix it. You can click on the contact us and use the chat option and share your specifics and I bet they'd be able to tell you if you are affected or not. I have reached out twice and this is what is told to me and they said there is no reason to continue troubleshooting it b/c I can't fix it on my end. There are several others posting in FB groups as well. It really is a pain but my issue started immediately after the patch and was obviously patch related which is on EA but they know and are "working on it". This is words directly from them related specifically to my case but I've been trying to help spread the word and urge anyone who has a launch issue that might be related to reach out. If it's not related hopefully they can help you resolve it and if it is, then we are asked just to wait for the fix but there is no turnaround time. I'm sorry, I hate it. I tried every help option but they said it wouldn't matter what I tried b/c it was on their end.
- @mrstank30 Thank you for the extra info. My issue is also patch related. It started when I opened Origin Friday evening - I hadn't used it since 4/16. It said it downloaded the patch but the game would never load after that. When I posted in a discord help server about it they said my version of Sims was outdated, so the patch never fully installed. I have sent an email to EA but I can't find their chat feature. Can you tell me how you found their chat?
- @j0celynj0nes38 I wonder why they thought your sims version would be outdated? I wouldn't have thought that was possible IMO. Unless you had turned off updates/play only offline or something maybe? I don't see a chat option right now so I wonder if they have certain times of the day the chat is offline. I'm central standard time and both times I chatted was mid afternoon. I went to the contact us (https://help.ea.com/en/contact-us/) link and chose sims 4 then it let me put in the issue (game doesn't launch) and mac, etc. When it popped up I had chat or email. I just checked now (10 pm CST) and do not see a chat option. It's worth a try during the day. I don't think I have ever had a patch not fully install properly so while that seems possible maybe not super likely. When my error occurred, I had my game open and it crashed. I reopened and got the patch notice. I hadn't known one was coming. I usually prepare. So I let it update and immediately after my game would not launch properly.
I'm literally talking this through with my husband for any other ideas (he's a software engineer) but as we were talking, it occured to me you are on an intel mac. I am too. (2019 i9 macbook pro with 32 gigs) I wonder if that's the connection or the cause of our launch issues since some mac users are not experiencing the issue?? I'm just brainstorming ideas and thought maybe they are on the M1 or M2. I'm a dork, I have an M1 mac mini, I can test that theory tomorrow. Sorry to ramble. Keep in mind I am no expert, just an average, very long term user with a smarter than the average husband combining knowledge and experience, lol.
Can you get the game to open if you open origin first, then click on play via the game link IN origin? The first time I got it to work it took like 12 tries but it finally opened and I could immediately see the difference in how it opened. Good luck!! My version is outdated because the patch didn't download correctly. My version is: 1.96.397.1220 Per the SIMs4 patch notes, the patch that came out on 4/18 is 1.97.42.1230. Automatic updates is on - but the patch must have failed because my issue arose immediately after the patch looked like it downloaded, but my version history didn't change to that of the patch. The GameVersion.txt file in Docs/EA/Sims4 folder was last modified March 24th with the last patch. I only play the Sims4 on weekends, so my patches usually download on Friday evenings when I open Origin.
Thank you for sending the link. Now that it's day time I got into the chat no problem. Chat had this to say:
"Jocelyn you would be glad to know that everything is fine and no need to worry about it. For you only, I have reported this issue to our concerned team, and as per them, other players are also facing the same issue and our team is working hard to fix this issue as soon as possible. They will investigate for you. So please do not worry, please wait for some time."
Opening through Origin is the normal way I launch the game - and it's not working. I had never tried launching through the Sims4 icon in Applications before the troubleshooting here suggested it. That also isn't working.
I'm in the same boat as you. Just an average user with a fairly decent understanding of computers - and with an IT partner to boot 🙂 So I guess I'll just keep waiting for now. Good luck and thanks for your help/brainstorming!
i have the same problem, I have no problem to load origin but when I click to play nothing happens...
@j0celynj0nes38 Have you had time to try playing in a new admin account yet? It would be really helpful to know whether it worked for you. Perhaps it might even help the Maxis team narrow down the cause of the issue if they haven't already. If you don't want to keep using the new account, just delete it when you're done.
@mrstank30 I'd love to know whether a new account worked for you as well. More data is almost always useful, as anyone with a background in science or engineering would tell you.
@puzzlezaddictI was told by EA none of those solutions would work b/c it's a known problem. @j0celynj0nes38 said she is on a work computer and prefers not to make a new account. I also prefer not to do that but most especially since EA chat agents are saying to me nothing I do will fix it b/c it's on their end. It would be great if they offered some info on the fix though, timeframe, anything.
I did troubleshoot intel vs M1 and found the exact error to be duplicated on both machines. My Mac Mini is a 16 gig M1 2020 with a 1 TB hard drive. It has played sims normally with no problem but I was required to update before testing it. It worked fine last time I was on that machine but immediately after being patched the error recreated in an nearly identical fashion to my Intel i9 macbook pro 2019 machine with 32 gigs and 2 tb. This helps me confirm the issue is EA related and nothing to do with my machine(s) itself but it's a bummer. I really hope they are prioritizing the fix.
My engineer husband would gladly talk with EA help engineers to assist and give all the data we have collected.I have done a new account on my Mac, and the same thing happened with it also, I can login on origin but when I click on the “play” icon nothing happens, i could play until today! So I don’t really know what to do
- @mrstank30
It doesn't confirm the problem is EA related when you haven't exhausted all basic troubleshooting steps. It doesn't even confirm the problem is EA's if you never get the game running again on your machine. Setting up a new user account and seeing if the game works in that account is one of the basic troubleshooting steps. A new user account is clean of any Library and Preference files, amongst a myriad of other files, that can cause problems in the existing users account. It is a proven fix in the past and has helped some users since the 18 April patch. In fact, getting the game working again is a great way to figure out the issue because you can then try and figure out where the problem may be.
Maybe it is EA's problem but it is not affecting all Macs. I too have multiple Macs, Apple silicon and Intel. Three of them have the game installed and all are working absolutely fine.
Just because a random EA chat person said the issue is known and will be fixed doesn't actually mean it is. Us helpers see it all the time on these forums unfortunately. Support tell them their issue is a known problem and EA will fix it, only for it to end up being an outdated Mod problem or their game simply wasn't updated, or their OS wasn't supported, or their hardware wasn't supported or some other problem that is easy to fix or a workaround is known.
Sorry to burst your optimistic bubble. You're better off trying to help yourself and try our troubleshooting steps in the vain hope that something might work. I don't understand why, if you want to play your game, you wouldn't be willing to try everything suggested to get it working again. - @mrstank30
Quick add, no need to talk to EA engineers, you can pass on your files and collected data to EA using these instructions https://answers.ea.com/t5/Bug-Reports/INFORMATION-How-to-Send-User-Files-to-The-Sims-4-Team/m-p/6065302#M38008 Thanks and that's annoying. Could you try manually resetting Origin - https://bluebellflora.com/how-to-uninstall-origin-on-a-mac/ in your normal user account.
- @Bluebellflora I do plan to try the new user account, but I don't have time to do so until next weekend. Yesterday, I copied my The Sims 4 folder onto a network drive so I could access it on the new profile and add the saves in gradually as you recommended to someone else. That took 6 hours to complete, so I didn't get around to making the new profile and now I have to work all week.
I truly appreciate all your help and troubleshooting suggestions and am not ignoring them. At the same time, it's frustrating to keep going down long, involved rabbit holes that don't end up fixing the problem. Especially when the troubleshooting steps seem to ignore the symptoms of the problem. Like clearing Origin cache/reinstalling Origin - this will help if Origin is the problem but Origin is not the problem in my case, it's the Sims4 game itself. - @j0celynj0nes38
Thanks! Hoping it helps you 🙂 Origin has been horribly buggy since the latest patch and causing an increase in issues. There does seem to be a link between some people’s games and Origin being the problem but no common factor yet. Doesn’t seem to matter what model Mac, version of macOS, DLC installed, it’s affecting people randomly.
It’s important to discount the usual Mod related issues which make up the biggest proportion of “game will not open after patch” issues by testing a new clean TS4 folder. Creating a new Mac user account helps eliminate corrupted Library/Preference/Cache etc. files, maybe antivirus or other software that overrides certain OS behaviour could have corrupted the User account. Then there’s the possibility the game install is corrupted during the patching process so an uninstall and reinstall may help.
If all else fails a complete uninstall of the game and Origin, including trashing all the Origin hidden files and folders, may kick it back into working.
Finally, and this has worked for some in the past but is a last resort, reinstall the OS. This fixes broken links and corrupted files. It also prompts the user to allow permissions again for various apps and OS behaviour which they may have skipped over previously and couldn’t fix in System Preferences/Settings.
You could open Console and see if anything interesting is happening when Origin is trying to launch the game. It may flag a process that cannot run or a command that cannot complete. Hi! Now I have resetting origin, and I did also reinstall everything, and it still doesn’t work, i come in on origin with no problem and everything works, but when I click on the “play” icon, the sims icon pops up like it uses to but then disappears and I’m back on the origin page again, it’s like the sims and the origin doesn’t seems to connect with one another.
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