Sims 4 Not Launching on M2 MacBook Pro-Rainbow Wheel-App Not Responding

Hi everyone, I’m hoping someone can help because I’ve tried everything I know how to do and I’m stuck.

I’m playing The Sims 4 on a Mac, and the EA app itself opens and runs normally. However, whenever I try to launch the game, it never actually loads. Instead I just get the spinning rainbow wheel, and the game becomes completely unresponsive. When I try to quit, macOS says “Application Not Responding” and the only way to close it is to Force Quit.

My Mac specs:

• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2022)
• Apple M2 chip
• 8 GB memory
• macOS 26.3 (build 25D125)
• Startup disk: Macintosh HD

Recent updates:
The last macOS update I installed was the one released Feb 6, 2026, which fixed the earlier update from Feb 3, 2026.

Troubleshooting steps I’ve already tried:

• Deleted the localthumbcache.package file
• Repaired the game through the EA app
• Removed all CC and mods from the Mods folder
• Tested with an empty Mods folder
• Used EA App Recovery
• Restarted my Mac

Unfortunately none of these worked. The EA app behaves normally — the issue only happens when launching The Sims 4.

Has anyone experienced this on an M2 Mac or after the recent macOS update? If anyone knows something else I could try, I’d really appreciate the help because I’m out of ideas.

Thanks in advance!