Sims 4 Saved Games Deleted After Origin Update (2021)

@jholong2k8  Sims 4 does not support cloud saving; all your saves are stored locally rather than on EA servers.  But your saves could have been uploaded to OneDrive, if you have it active.  (This would be an issue with your computer, not with Sims 4 or Origin.)  So please check in OneDrive for any Sims 4-related files, and if you find some, put them back in their respective locations in Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4.

If you don't see anything in OneDrive, try searching your computer for saves.  Open a File Explorer window, click This PC in the left panel, and enter Slot_ in the search field in the upper right corner of the window.  If there are any saves on your computer, this will find them.  And here again, you can simply move them back to the proper location.

I don't think this issue is with my computer, because I didn't do anything on my computer but I just updated sims4 since I was asked by origin when I logged in, which I did...then after updating I played sims4, but to my surprise,  it seems that I haven't played it ever since, no load game option. So, I checked my local files and found out that my "saves" folder was empty. Too bad I didn't sign in to my OneDrive, because I didn't expect this to happen...Also, tried searching "slot_" already to my computer or any save files, but unfortunately can't find anything. This is so frustrating...I've updated other games before but I haven't experienced this issue before...just this SIMS4. I'm still hoping I can recover those save files though... ☹️

@jholong2k8  If your saves are not anywhere on your computer, and you never backed them up anywhere (external drive or USB, cloud storage), then unfortunately, they're gone.  Origin doesn't save your progress anywhere.

I don't know why this happened, but the problem does seem to show up for a few players after certain patches.  I know it doesn't help now, but in the future, it's always a good idea to periodically back up your saves and anything else you'd be sad to lose.  You can keep one or two backups and delete older copies when you're sure you won't need them.

I have the same problem. In my case my save files ARE there where they are supposed to be, it just boots up as if never played. Game also isn't reading ANY mods or CC and I have all of that set and allowed in my settings. 

It's more like they changed where the game saves it's files and even where the Mods folder is. Does this mean we can't mod or customize our games anymore? 

@aidans1985  The location the game uses by default hasn't changed, but sometimes it can start reading a different location on a particular player's computer due to changes on that system.  So please double-check that it's reading the correct folder:

https://sims4.crinrict.com/eng/2018/07/how-to-find-your-user-folder/

If your saves are in the correct folder but not being read, please post a screenshot or two of the saves folder.

I think the problem is this....

I'm playing on an HP cloud computer that heavily relies on One Drive for storing your files and very little stored on your actual on board drive as it's a tiny 64gb flash drive. I have a 500gb external hard drive that when I first installed the game I had to manually set up a folder in the external hard drive for Sims4 core files to be installed in as it's WAY TOO SMALL to install in the normal file you would put it when installing on a normal Windows computer. My save games/mods folder is on One Drive and basically I had to custom rig the game to work.

What happened is when the patch update hit the idiot installer just AUTOMATICALLY reinstalled the entire game on the 64 gb TINY flash drive and complained about there not being enough space. 

Kinda annoyed the UPDATE just could not leave my installation settings as they were. Now I uninstalled and wasting more time waiting to redownload and reinstall WHERE ITS SUPPOSED TO BE and clean up the files in the wrong spot hogging up the tiny on board flash drive so the computer actually runs.... 😒

No S*** Sherlock! 😒 That's WHY I HAD IT INSTALLED ON THE EXTERNAL DRIVE! Why did you even change it silly computer!!!! 👀🤣

I need a better laptop 🤣🤣🤣

@aidans1985  Sorry for the late reply.  Did Origin change the default install location before the update?  Normally it should just update the game in place regardless of where it's installed, even on an external drive.  But if it thinks the game belongs on your internal drive, that's where it'll download everything.

Another possibility is if you connected the external drive out of order, so to speak, Origin wouldn't have recognized the install.  Windows assigns drive letters in the order that the drives appear each session, so if you'd connected something else before the external, it could have been assigned for example E rather than D.  Origin however would search by drive letter, and not finding the game, it might try to reinstall the whole thing.

The saame thing has happend to me and my friend. The game isnt even anywhere to be seen in my library of the new launcher app. And origin wont open it anymore.

@neebaby93 

EA Desktop is in beta and still don't work too well with the Sims 4.

What exactly do you mean by Origin wont open it?