Re: The Sims 4 (Steam) will not launch, only opens EA app (SOLVED)

@stephenlewis2012  What antivirus do you use?  Did you try the suggestion in the original post?

I just restart my computer. Eventually the game loads after restarting. I have had to restart once or twice to get it to work.

I noticed a few days ago that Windows 10 was doing an update, which could explain this occurrence at that time, but it happened today as well with no updates happening. I have automatic Windows updates paused for 7 days at the moment.

I use Express VPN, so that could be the cause. Or some other app on my computer checking for updates or logging in. However, when I ctrl+alt+del and check in Task Manager, there does not seem to be any obvious cause. I do not use a virus protection except for the standard Windows firewalls and protections. I find a virus scan protection slows down my potato too much.

My best guess is that the problem is at the EA end of things, on their server. The reason I think this is that sometimes I get a message saying that "things are taking a little bit longer", and this happens when I first open the EA app.

Lately EA has released their newest expansion, Growing Together, with game updates as well, and Steam has recently had a Spring Sale, where many packs were on sale at 50% off. I think this may have caused a greater than usual surge of gamers accessing the EA servers, and things may settle down a little after the initial excitement wears off.

@stephenlewis2012  If things don't settle down, I'd test without your VPN.  The EA App doesn't always get along with VPNs, and neither did Origin.  Why that is, I don't know, but I've read enough reports.

Yep. My VPN was the problem.

Or it would be more accurate to say that EA has the problem with VPN, since all my other Steam games work just fine with VPN on in the background.

I turned VPN off in the Windows srartup options, and also in the VPN app options, and now the game launches first attempt, and more smoothly as well.

Nope.

My VPN was not the problem.

After uninstalling my VPN entirely, the problem still remains. Sometimes launching the game from Steam works first time, and sometimes it won't load at all, no matter how many attempts to launch the game.

Only restarting the computer works.

@stephenlewis2012  Do you fully exit out of the EA App each time you're done playing?  Merely Xing out the window doesn't close it; you'd need to open the dropdown menu and quit from there.

If that doesn't help, the next time this happens, close the App, open the Task Manager and kill the EABackgroundService, which will be under background processes.  Then open the App again and see whether you can play without restarting your computer.

I, too, am curious as to the cause of this problem,

so YES, I have tried completely closing Steam and EA App in the Task Manager,

and then waiting a few minutes and re-launching as you described.

But it didn't work, as I recall.

Why restarting the computer works, that is the thing I would like to understand.

But it doesn't matter in the long run, as long as I can get it working eventually.

Mine also does this issue, with game purchased through steam and running through EA. 

I've noticed i have to "Verify integrity of the game files", through steam on Sims 4 - THEN go to the EA app and clear the cache there.

Sometimes the game will open doing this, but i've run into a new error of the game saying it's already running..

I do not use a VPN and this issue just happened recently as I never had issues before. Only other thing to fix this issue is to completely RESTART the computer each time..

I've run into multiple people now who have had this issue and i'm convinced this is some Steam / EA compatibility issue, as people who just run the game through EA do not encounter this issue.

People who have contacted EA about this issue are told to get a new PC, but that is clearly not the issue.

@milkypopp  Rather than restarting your computer, try force-closing the EA App and the EABackgroundService in the Task Manager.  The latter is under background processes.

If that doesn't help, there's a suggestion here that might be relevant:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/PC/CURRENT-ISSUE-Sims-4-already-running/m-p/13785451#M277450