Forum Discussion

simlene's avatar
simlene
2 years ago
Solved

Sims 4 Won't Launch

I am experiencing difficulties launching Sims 4 on my computer. I have already tried uninstalling both the EA app and Sims 4, and reinstalled them multiple times, but the game still refuses to launch. I purchased Sims 4 through Steam, and when I attempt to open it from there, a pop-up message appears saying that the game is launching and running, but then it automatically closes without the game ever popping up. I am in need of assistance in resolving this issue. Can anyone help me fix this problem?

pc
  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    2 years ago

    @simlene  Your dxdiag lists a number of generic Windows update errors, nothing to do with Sims 4.  That could mean that the game is blocked from starting rather than trying to start and crashing.  Or it could mean that the update errors have crowded out everything else.  Either way, please start with a couple of basic checks of your Windows system files:

    • Hit Windows key-X
    • Choose either “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Windows Terminal (Administrator),” whichever option is offered
    • Inside the window that appears, copy and paste “DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth” without quotes, and enter
    • The system will start validating soon. If it throws an error, please list it here
    • After it reaches 100%, hit Windows key-X again
    • Again, choose “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Windows Terminal (Administrator)”
    • Inside the window, copy and paste “sfc /scannow” without quotes, and enter
    • Post the message you receive here

    Restart your computer, hit Windows key-i, select Update & Security, and click the box to check for updates.  If any install, restart again afterwards.

    For Sims 4 itself, please try pausing OneDrive syncing, that is if OneDrive is running at all on this computer.  Right-click the cloud icon in the lower-right corner of the screen to see the option.

    If that doesn't help, please create a new admin Windows account and try playing in that.  Make it local, as in, don't sync it with your Microsoft account.  You'll be able to (try to) launch Sims 4 without reinstalling anything, but your saves and other user data won't be available.  That's fine since this is just for testing.

3 Replies

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    2 years ago

    @simlene  If you have a Sims 4 folder in Documents > Electronic Arts, please move it to the desktop.  If the folder copies instead of moving, or you get an error when trying to move it, stop here and let me know.

    Otherwise, when you launch the game, if it launches, 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 let me know whether you can get far enough to start a new save and play in live mode for a bit.

    If this doesn't help, or you don't find a Sims 4 folder in Documents > Electronic Arts, please try running both Steam and the EA App as an admin: right-click each one's desktop shortcut and select "Run as administrator."

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

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

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    2 years ago

    @simlene  Your dxdiag lists a number of generic Windows update errors, nothing to do with Sims 4.  That could mean that the game is blocked from starting rather than trying to start and crashing.  Or it could mean that the update errors have crowded out everything else.  Either way, please start with a couple of basic checks of your Windows system files:

    • Hit Windows key-X
    • Choose either “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Windows Terminal (Administrator),” whichever option is offered
    • Inside the window that appears, copy and paste “DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth” without quotes, and enter
    • The system will start validating soon. If it throws an error, please list it here
    • After it reaches 100%, hit Windows key-X again
    • Again, choose “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Windows Terminal (Administrator)”
    • Inside the window, copy and paste “sfc /scannow” without quotes, and enter
    • Post the message you receive here

    Restart your computer, hit Windows key-i, select Update & Security, and click the box to check for updates.  If any install, restart again afterwards.

    For Sims 4 itself, please try pausing OneDrive syncing, that is if OneDrive is running at all on this computer.  Right-click the cloud icon in the lower-right corner of the screen to see the option.

    If that doesn't help, please create a new admin Windows account and try playing in that.  Make it local, as in, don't sync it with your Microsoft account.  You'll be able to (try to) launch Sims 4 without reinstalling anything, but your saves and other user data won't be available.  That's fine since this is just for testing.

Recent Discussions