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kbwtlt's avatar
kbwtlt
Seasoned Newcomer
1 month ago

PC: Cannot click Sims or objects after Feb 3rd

Platform: PC (Windows 11)

Game version: Latest version after February 3rd, 2026 update

Mods/CC: None (clean game, Mods folder removed)

Reinstall: Yes (issue persists)

 

Issue:

After the February 3rd 2026 update, the game becomes unresponsive very quickly.

I cannot click on Sims or objects to give commands.

UI still works (needs panel, time controls, build mode button), but interactions do not appear.

 

This happens:

- in Live Mode

- sometimes also affects Build Mode (cannot move or rotate objects)

- usually within minutes after loading a household

 

What I tried:

- removing Mods and cache

- full reinstall

- repair game

- new save

- different mouse / touchpad

- windowed & fullscreen modes

- overlays disabled

 

Other games work fine on this PC.

 

The issue started after December update and became worse after February 3rd update.

Multiple players report the same behavior.

 

Expected result:

Normal interaction with Sims and objects.

 

Actual result:

No response to clicks, game becomes unplayable.

 

updates

15 Replies

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  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    1 month ago

    sbradley5​  What time of day does this happen?  Is there anything in particular you do every time between when you recover a backup save and when it stops working again (add a new build, give a sim a different career, etc.)?  If you use mods or custom content, does it help to remove the Mods folder?  You wouldn't need to save your progress; this is just for testing.

  • sbradley5's avatar
    sbradley5
    Seasoned Novice
    1 month ago

    Thank you for following up. I removed all of my mods, then have slowly added a few back. I have discovered if I let the game sit for a bit, it unfreezes. It seems when the game clock hits midnight, everything freezes except animations continue on pause. Rain continues to fall, my sim shifts back and forth, but I can't click on anything. It does this in live and build mode. It doesn't happen every day at midnight, just every few days. I was on another lot besides my home lot and it still froze. The clock eventually looks like it catches up after a few hours, then it rolls back to 12:03 and starts being playable again. 

  • kbwtlt's avatar
    kbwtlt
    Seasoned Newcomer
    1 month ago

    After trying everything, I still have the same problem. Now with the latest update, it's even worse, as the game takes 2 minutes to load...

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    1 month ago

    kbwtlt​  Does that happen in a clean user folder?  Please test with another clean one, just in case there's an issue with some of your recent content.

    If the clean folder doesn't help, try playing while your computer is offline.  You can sign into the EA App and put the game in offline mode, then disable wifi and/or disconnect the ethernet cable before pressing Play.

    If that doesn't help either, open GameConfig.ini, in Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4, and let me know whether you have an entry that looks like this:

    useappdataforscratch = 1

    If it's missing or has a value of zero, that's fine; if it's set to 1, set it to 0 (zero) and see whether it helps.

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