Ideas
List of Possible Fixes for “Failure to Launch” Error that I have collected :)
Hello hello! Please remember that I have complied this from several different sources and that ANY one of these COULD work for you, but none are guaranteed! Before you do ANY of these steps, COPY YOUR SIMS 4 FOLDER TO A SAFE LOCATION. If you cannot copy the ENTIRE file, please COPY your Save, Tray, and Mods folders to a safe location! I recommend your desktop. This will ensure you always have your current starting point to go back to if you need, it feels a lot better when you know you have it, I promise. Before you do any of these steps, please try to Run as Administrator at least ONCE while having your mods folder disabled; this seems to work in some cases to restore the correct file pathing and get everything going. Good luck, and I hope you’re back to Simming soon!
1: Disable your Mods Folder (just rename it Mods - Disable) → Run as Administrator → Exit → Renable Mods folder → Run as Administrator again
2: Ctrl + Alt + Delete to open task manager and End Task on ‘EA Background Service”. ‘Run As Administrator’ on your Sims 4 game by right clicking on the Desktop Icon. ((Thank you Maxis Match CC World for this one!))
3: Clear your EA App Cache Data via the app. Help Menu (Top left hamburger bar) → App Recovery → Clear Cache → Sign Back in → Repair the game → Run as Administrator ((Thank you Twisted Mexi for this one!))
4: Clear your EA App Data Manually. Windows Task Bar → Type %AppData%\Electronic Arts → Delete this file → Run as Administrator
5: Repair the Game with all Mods Removed.
6: Delete the resource.cfg file in your mods folder. Mods Folder → Search resource.cfg → Delete → Restart the EA App and then Launch the Game via it This creates a new resource.cfg file.
7: Uninstall and Reinstall ONLY the EA App. That’s it, that’s the method.
8: Start the game with everything (save, mods, tray) removed completely from your Sims 4 App. Please make sure you have those backups for this step! The point of this one is to have a completely vanilla game while not creating a full reinstall, allowing the game to read only its own files to determine if there is an issue. Create one new save file with one new Sim -> Add in your Mods Folder ONLY → Try to restart the game → This will narrow down if it was an issue with your mods, or a conflict in one of your saves.
9: Update your Graphics Driver. Either your computer’s system can do this, or if you know your graphic driver brand you can go to their website and check for an update. Even if you don’t think you need one, you might.
10: This is a Windows OS ONLY Fix! EA App → Manage → Advanced Launch Properties → Type -dx9 - Save ((Thank you Alex, @atraxatrocity on X for this one!))
I hope one of these helps you! If I find any more, I will update! - AJ Out :)
PS, this looks MUCH better formatted in the google drive document, I'm just afraid to share it here as an outside link!
- jarfr1 day agoSeasoned Scout
I'm sorry but why the hell should we have to jump through all of these hoops to play a game that worked completely normal 3 days ago
- ajwsydnor1 day agoSeasoned Newcomer
You're right we shouldn't have to! But knowing there are options out there can sometimes give people a peace of mind, because once you've tried all these, you've kind of proved to yourself that it isn't something on your end. I hope that they help someone!
- SparkleMuffinz211 day agoSeasoned Rookie
None of these worked for me :(
- ajwsydnor1 day agoSeasoned Newcomer
Sorry to hear that! Unfortunately, none are for sure fixes right now, just ones that have worked for others :/ There seems to be a variety of different potential issues, but there is for sure something deeper going on!
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