Forum Discussion

ChelleBelle716's avatar
ChelleBelle716
New Rookie
4 months ago

Error Code: EC:204 (can't play offline, says "game license has expired")

Whenever EA puts out a game update, I don't update immediately and switch to playing offline for a week or more (depending on how bad it is) while I wait for mods to be updated and for the worst of the new bugs and glitches to be resolved. I've done this since the EA App was released without issue. 

So the EA App updated shortly before the 7/23 game update and when I went to play offline last night, I discovered I suddenly couldn't. I click on "go offline" and it shows Sims 4 as an installed game, but now when I click play, instead of launching the game offline as usual, I'm getting an error message telling me that the game license has expired and that I need to launch the game to renew the license and gives the Error Code: EC:204.

I've never had this issue before. So now I cannot play the game at all as I've seen how lit it is out on the bug  report forum and there's no way I'm updating my game right now with all the issues the patch has created. And I can't go "online" with the game without it automatically pushing the update.

Is anyone else having this issue with playing offline right now? And is anyone aware of a work around? (Note: I have already logged out and back in, uninstalled and reinstalled the EA App, cleared the cache, restarted my PC, and ensured by XBox and EA accounts aren't linked (they never were).) 

ea app
launching
updates
  • SW33TI3's avatar
    SW33TI3
    Seasoned Newcomer
    4 months ago

    WHY WHY WHY Can't I play my Sims 4 Game THAT I PAID FOR OFFLINE I'm not ready to update and my internet is having issues going in and out, so I wanted to wait BUT This is Ridiculous. Im not computer friendly to go into things I don't know what I'm doing. So I need to understand from Ea is this how it is

    • ChelleBelle716's avatar
      ChelleBelle716
      New Rookie
      4 months ago

      I know - beyond frustrating. If I bought a game outright and it's loaded locally on my PC, it shouldn't require a dysfunctional intermediary app that requires me to then then go online to play it. 

      It's definitely NOT supposed to be this way. I think for some people, like it did last July, the update to the EA App caused a bug/glitch for some people - but not all. I'm sorry you're having the same issue as me, but it makes me feel ever so slightly better to know it isn't just me. I but a bug report ticket in on the bug reporting forum as well and it hasn't gotten any traction. I think it just keeps getting buried behind all of the new  issues created by the game update. I can't even find my own report half the time - the search engine on there is just awful. 

  • Moskikat's avatar
    Moskikat
    Seasoned Newcomer
    4 months ago

    I have the same issue since MARCH! Nothing changed! The EC:204 error shows up after a new update is released (usually a couple days after). Then I'm forced to update the game to play it. I tried EVERYTHING, nothing worked. It's ridicolous

    • ChelleBelle716's avatar
      ChelleBelle716
      New Rookie
      4 months ago

      Thank you. Yes, I did see that thread from last year and it's where I got the ideas for the things in my post that I already tried. It does look like the only thing that really fixed it back then was an update to the EA App from EA. Then, it seemed like an issue affecting a number of people so the issue got attention. But so far right now, I haven't seen anyone else posting that this is an issue for them. 

  • taraincognita's avatar
    taraincognita
    Seasoned Newcomer
    3 months ago

    I'm like you, I don't update until everything seems as resolved as these things tend to get and my mods are all updated. So far, I have had little problems with the app until today. It would not accept my password. I did all the usual stuff as you described but still had to reset password. Still getting that error message that my license has expired and I MUST go online?! What is the problem - like you said: I own this game, they got their money, so why insist that I update and play online? Ridiculous. 

    Update: Now that I changed password, seems EA has started this account all over. Claiming I have only two posts and 5 likes, which is not what it was. The threads they do indicate are ones I've never ever been in. I'm so sick of this BS.

    • puzzlezaddict's avatar
      puzzlezaddict
      Hero+
      3 months ago

      taraincognita  It sounds like you might have signed into a different EA account than the one you were using before.  It's easy to do, especially when reseting your password.  So please try to login to an EA site with any other email address you have access to and see whether you can get a password-recovery email there.

      • ChelleBelle716's avatar
        ChelleBelle716
        New Rookie
        3 months ago

        Thanks for the ideas, but that wasn't it. I only have one EA Account. And it happened right after they put out an update to the app. Nothing worked until I finally went online and updated the game. It just seemed like something broke or disconnected on their end when they updated the app, so it couldn't verify my game license again until I went online, which was, unfortunately, exactly what I was trying to avoid doing. So I had no choice but to update my game and then not play for about 3 weeks while EA fixed the new bugs they created and mods/CC were updated. 

  • ChelleBelle716's avatar
    ChelleBelle716
    New Rookie
    4 months ago

    If you can find my bug report on the bug reporting forum - click "Me too" so maybe it starts to get a little attention. 

About The Sims 4 Technical Issues - PC

PC players get help with their technical issues in The Sims 4 here.

622 PostsLatest Activity: 51 seconds ago