The Sims 4 won’t open, how to fix it?

The Sims 4 is one of the most popular life simulation games in the world. Just like in real life, players can involve their Sims in different activities and can build relationships with other Sims.

The Sims 4 is a very stable game, but players report  that various glitches can occur from time to time, limiting their gaming experience.

Every time I click the Sims 4 icon it takes me to Origin, but when I click the Plau button in Origin it thinks about it for a moment and then does nothing. The Sims 4 won’t load, it works fine with my other game but not the Sims 4. I tried restarting my computer but had the same problem, Origin won’t load the Sims 4 even though it did earlier in the day.

If you can’t start the game, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll show you how to fix startup issues in The Sims 4.

Contents index

• The Sims 4 won’t open, how to fix it?
  • Solution 1 – Repair the game
  • Solution 2 – Cleanly boot your computer
  • Solution 3 – Clean your registry
  • Solution 4: delete the source cache files
  • Solution 5 – Check your antivirus / firewall software
  • Solution 6 – Disable Origin in the game
  • Solution 7: update your Windows operating system, as well as your graphics and game drivers
  • Solution 8: reset your user files
  • Solution 9 – Delete recently installed apps

The Sims 4 won’t open, how to fix it?

The Sims 4 is a popular game, but many users reported that The Sims 4 will not launch on their PC. Speaking of issues with The Sims, here are some other issues that users reported:

• The Sims 4 won’t open Windows 10 after update – According to users, the game won’t open at all. This can happen due to third-party applications, so you may need to perform a clean boot and find the problem applications.
• The Sims 4 Can’t Start, Won’t Run, Won’t Load, Won’t Play, Won’t Start – Users reported various issues with The Sims 4, but you should be able to fix most of these issues using one of our solutions.

White screen in The Sims 4? Don’t panic! We have the best tips to fix the problem!

Solution 1 – Repair the game

According to users, sometimes The Sims 4 won’t open if its installation is corrupted. To fix the problem, you just need to repair your The Sims 4 installation.

This is quite simple and you can do it by following these steps:

1. Open source .
2. Now go to your Library , right click on The Sims 4 and choose the Repair Game option .

Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the repair process. Please note that the repair may take a while, so you will need to be patient.

Once the game is repaired, try starting it again and see if the problem is still there.

Solution 2 – Cleanly boot your computer

Sometimes third-party applications and services can interfere with your game and cause this and other similar problems.

If The Sims 4 won’t start on your PC, you can try a clean boot.

In the clean boot state, all third party applications and services will be disabled, so there will be nothing to interfere with your game. To perform a clean boot, you just need to do the following:

1. Press Windows Key + R and enter msconfig . Now press Enter or right click on OK .
2. On the Services tab , click to select the Hide all Microsoft services check box > select  Disable all .
3. On the Startup tab , click Open Task Manager .
4. Select each startup item> click Disable .
5. Close Task Manager> click click on OK >  restart the computer.

If clean boot solves your problem, you need to enable disabled apps and services one by one or in groups until you find the cause of the problem.

Once you do that, delete the app and the problem will be permanently resolved.

Windows won’t start? Check out our guide to solving the problem like a true technician!

Solution 3 – Clean your registry

In some cases, its registration can cause problems with the game. If The Sims 4 won’t start on your PC, it might be a good time to clean your registry.

Cleaning the registry manually can be a difficult and tedious task, therefore it is better to use a tool like CCleaner .

In case you are unfamiliar, CCleaner can remove old and unnecessary files from your PC, but it can also clean your registry and remove old and unnecessary entries.

After cleaning your registry with CCleaner, try launching The Sims 4 again and check if the problem persists.

Solution 4: delete the source cache files

Over time, these files accumulate outdated or corrupted data causing various problems. Here you can find the Origin cache files:

• Source folder in C: Users <user name> AppDataLocal
• Source folder in C: Users <user name> AppDataRoaming

If you can’t see any files in these locations, show them. Go to the search menu, type the folder, and then select Show hidden files and folders in search results.

You can also access these directories through the Run dialog box. To do that, simply press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog. Now enter one of the following lines:

• To enter the roaming directory, type % appdata% and press Enter or click OK .
• To access the directory locally , enter % localappdata% and press Enter or right click on OK .

Don’t waste your time with all these technicalities and choose a tool from our list to delete cache files automatically!

Solution 5 – Check your antivirus / firewall software

In some cases, your antivirus can interfere with the game and prevent you from running it. However, you may be able to fix the problem simply by disabling certain antivirus features.

Alternatively, you can try adding TS4.exe , Origin.exe files and authorization interface user to the list of exclusions in your antivirus and see if that helps.

If the problem persists, try disabling your antivirus and check if the game is running. In the worst case, you may need to remove your antivirus and check if that helps.

If removing the antivirus solves the problem, you should consider switching to new antivirus software.

Many antivirus tools have a special feature called Game Mode that ensures that your antivirus does not interfere with your gaming sessions in any way.

If you want complete system protection that won’t interfere with your system, we suggest you consider BullGuard  (free download) .

Solution 6 – Disable Origin in the game

Several users reported that disabling Origin In Game fixed the problem for them. According to users, this feature can sometimes prevent The Sims 4 from starting, and one way to fix the problem is to disable Origin In Game.

This is pretty simple, and you can do it by following these steps:

1. Open source .
2. Now go to Application Settings> In-game Origin .
3. Uncheck Origin in game .

After doing that, try starting The Sims 4 again and check if the problem is still there.

Solution 7: update your Windows operating system, as well as your graphics and game drivers

According to users, This Sims 4 will not start sometimes if your PC is not up to date. Windows 10 is a solid operating system, but certain errors can cause problems like this.

To keep your system bug-free, it is important to install the latest updates, and you can do this by following these steps:

1. Press Windows key + I to open the Settings app .
2. When the Settings app opens , go to the Update & Security section .
3. Now click the Check for updates button on the right panel.

If updates are available, they will download in the background. Once the updates are installed, check if the problem is still there.

After updating your system, make sure you have the latest patches installed for The Sims 4. To do that, right-click The Sims 4 in Origin> select  Check for Updates .

In addition to updating your system, it is important to update your graphics card drivers. You can download the latest graphics units from the following links:

• NVIDIA
• AMD

Automatically download drivers to make your task easier! These tools are the best in the world for that!

Solution 8: reset your user files

Sometimes you can fix the problem with The Sims 4 simply by resetting your user files. This is relatively simple, and you can do it by following these steps:

1. Go to My Documents > open the Electronic Arts folder .
2. Find The Sims 4 folder > right click on it> select  Copy .
3. Go to your Desktop> right click on a free space> select  Paste .
4. Right click on the copied folder> select  Rename .
5. Rename the folder> start a new game.

Solution 9 – Delete recently installed apps

Some applications and programs can cause conflicts with The Sims 4 and even crash the startup process. Delete the latest programs you have installed on your computer and start the game again.

If you want to make sure that the problematic application is completely removed, we suggest that you use an uninstaller software.

This type of software will remove all files and registry entries associated with the application you are trying to remove.

If you are looking for good uninstaller software, be sure to give IOBit Uninstaller a try  (free download) .

There you go, we hope these quick fixes helped you launch the game. If you’ve found other solutions to troubleshoot startup issues in The Sims 4, please list the troubleshooting steps in the comment section below.