@puzzlezaddict Hi,
Thank you so much for your patience and for providing such clear steps in your previous response. I followed your instructions carefully, but I am still experiencing consistent crashes and black screens when running The Sims 4 in DirectX 11 mode. Interestingly, the game runs without any issues in DirectX 9 mode.
To troubleshoot further, I performed the following tests:
3DMark Time Spy benchmark test: My hardware performed very well with a Time Spy score of 15,991. This indicates that my GPU (RTX 3080) and CPU (i7-12700) are functioning optimally.
Windows system health checks (DISM & SFC): I ran a DISM image restore and an SFC scan, both of which returned no issues with the system integrity.
Despite this, the game crashes within seconds when using DirectX 11, while it runs normally in DirectX 9. Based on this, I suspect the issue may be related to a software or compatibility conflict specifically when using DX11.
I have attached all the relevant test result screenshots for your reference.
Could you provide any additional guidance or potential fixes for this? I have tried updating my drivers and repairing the game, but the issue persists.
I truly appreciate your continued assistance and look forward to any suggestions you may have.
@SulSulDUCK Your Time Spy results look fine, as you already know, and I think you're right that the next thing to look for is conflicting software. ReShade and GShade currently have issues with DirectX 11 mode, at least some of the time. (I believe there's an update for each one, but it doesn't install automatically.) The associated errors are pretty specific and not what you're seeing, but still, if you use either one, please remove it and repair the game again.
I would also check that your antivirus isn't objecting to Sims 4. The DX9 and 11 modes use different executables, so you'd need to set an exception for TS4_x64 specifically.
If that doesn't help, please try playing in a clean boot:
The one service to leave enabled is the EABackgroundService, which the EA App needs in order to run. Disable the rest as described.
When you reboot your computer, go through the Task Manager's background processes list shutting down any service that doesn't absolutely need to be running, for example anything from MSI Afterburner to RGB software might still be enabled. If you accidentally kill a critical process and it doesn't restart on its own, just reboot your computer again.
Don't open anything other than Sims 4 and the EA App while testing, not even a browser window. If you get another crash, repeat the test except with your computer offline. You can sign into Steam and the EA App and put them in offline mode, then disable wifi and/or disconnect the ethernet cable before pressing Play.
If this helps, selectively reenable services until you find the problem, and you'll know what to leave disabled or uninstall or update.
Community Manager
