Forum Discussion

1 year ago

Solved

Laptop Shuts Down During Sims 4 Gameplay

My laptop will shut down at random while playing the Sims 4. I used to play the game on an older Mac on Origin and I never had any issues. However, when I switched to windows and the EA app, I have been having so many issues, starting with the game going into a white screen and I'd have to force my laptop to shut down. I'm currently playing on an MSI Windows 11 and I just don't understand why the game will just close, resulting to my laptop turning off as well. It could have something to do with my windows specs but, I'm also wondering if it's to do with anything else and if other people are having the same issue.

puzzlezaddict
1 year ago
@PalaminoHorsie As a test, please try playing in a clean user folder. Move the entire Sims 4 folder out of Documents > Electronic Arts and onto your desktop, and when you launch the game, a clean folder will spawn with no content. (Your saves and other content will be intact in the folder you moved but temporarily not read by the game.) Don't add anything to the new folder yet; just start a new save and see how long it runs before it crashes or the laptop shuts down.

If that doesn't help, please run a dxdiag and attach it to a post.

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/

6 Replies

Colette_73
1 year ago
I'm having the same issue. Ever since the latest update, I'm not able to play for more than 5 minutes before my computer overheats and shuts itself off.
PalaminoHorsie
1 year ago
Glad I'm not the only one and so maybe it could be happening due to the latest update. My laptop will also shut down in less than 5 mins. The other day, I literally just logged in and I was about to start playing and then my laptop just turned off. I hope we can get answers soon.
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
1 year ago
@PalaminoHorsie As a test, please try playing in a clean user folder. Move the entire Sims 4 folder out of Documents > Electronic Arts and onto your desktop, and when you launch the game, a clean folder will spawn with no content. (Your saves and other content will be intact in the folder you moved but temporarily not read by the game.) Don't add anything to the new folder yet; just start a new save and see how long it runs before it crashes or the laptop shuts down.

If that doesn't help, please run a dxdiag and attach it to a post.

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/
PalaminoHorsie
1 year ago
Thank you for your suggestion. I pulled out my Sims 4 folder onto my desktop like you said. Good thing is I managed to play for 2 hours on and off without the game closing. The game did freeze though but I managed to save it. Is there anything else I should do? Do you think the problem should be fixed now?
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
1 year ago
@PalaminoHorsie The next step is testing your existing content in the new folder, a little at a time. If you use mods or custom content, start there. Test the files in batches, or use the 50/50 method if you have a lot of files to sort through:

https://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:Finding_Problem_Custom_Content#The_50.25_Method

Once you've done that, add one save to the new folder and see how it runs. If you get another crash, I'd still like to see a dxdiag just to make sure nothing is amiss. If not, you can transfer your other saves, plus the contents of Tray (saved households and builds) and the UserSettings.ini file (login rewards) to the new folder too. You may want to preserve Screenshots and Recorded Videos as well, but the rest can be discarded.
PalaminoHorsie
1 year ago
@puzzlezaddict Ok, thank you. I will give this a go. Thank you for your help. and I'll probably post again if I encounter any issues with testing the new folder and run a dxdiag for any crashes.