Encountering bugs while playing The Sims 4 can be incredibly frustrating, especially when you run into unusual issues that are hard to search for online. However, glitches are an inevitable part of the game. The Sims 4 was released over a decade ago, making it an older title, so it`s natural to expect some instability and occasional problems.
Fortunately, given The Sims 4`s immense popularity, it`s highly unlikely you`ll encounter a bug that no one else has experienced. By now, the community has identified a clear set of steps you can take to diagnose and fix issues when your game starts behaving strangely. Read on for the best troubleshooting options.
Reset Your Sim(s)
Sometimes, your Sims may suddenly stop responding to commands or freeze completely. This is the most frequent issue in The Sims 4, and the first thing to try is resetting the affected Sim. To do this, open the cheat console by pressing Ctrl+Shift+C on PC, or by holding down all four shoulder buttons on Xbox or PlayStation. Then, type ResetSim followed by the Sim`s full name, for example: ResetSim Dina Caliente. If you have activated cheats (using the command testingcheats true), PC and Mac users have a quicker option: Shift-click the Sim and select “Reset Sim (Debug).”
Resetting a Sim clears their action queue and any pending impulses. Sims can sometimes become overloaded when trying to process too many interactions or tasks simultaneously, causing them to freeze as their game “brains” struggle to prioritize. Resetting effectively frees up their processing, so to speak.
Clear the Cache
Similar to how individual Sims can get overloaded, the entire game cache for The Sims 4 can become burdened. This can often be resolved by simply clearing the game cache. Clearing the cache on PC or Mac is straightforward, requiring you to delete just two files. First, navigate to your game files typically located at Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4. Inside this folder, you will need to delete the files named localthumbcache.package and avatarcache.package.
If you play The Sims 4 on Xbox or PlayStation, clearing the cache is even simpler. Completely shut down your system – ensure it`s a full power off, not rest mode – and then unplug it from the power outlet for about 60 seconds. This process clears the cache for the entire console system.
Check Your Mods
For many PC players, using mods is an essential part of the Sims 4 experience. However, these same mods are frequently the source of problems, particularly if they haven`t been updated by their creators. Over the game`s long lifespan, there are countless old and abandoned mods circulating. Unfortunately, it`s not always easy to determine which specific mod is causing an issue, or even if a mod is responsible at all. Here are a couple of steps to help you pinpoint if a mod is the culprit and narrow down which one it might be.
First, test if any mod is causing the problem by disabling them entirely. You can do this within the game settings. Go to the “Other” section of the game options and uncheck the box labeled “Enable Custom Content and Mods.”
Save your settings, restart the game, and see if the bug still occurs. If the issue is gone, then a mod was most likely the cause. Now, you need to identify which specific mod is problematic. A relatively easy method is the “half-and-half” test: move approximately half of your mods out of the Mods folder (found in your Documents folder), clear the game cache, and then load your game again. If the bug is still present, the problematic mod is in the half you left in the folder. If the bug is gone, the issue is with one of the mods you moved out. You can continue narrowing it down by repeating this process with the group of mods that seems to contain the problem, or if you have a suspicion, you might start removing specific mods you think could be causing the trouble.
Repair Installation
You might have essential game files that are missing or corrupted. This can sometimes happen, particularly when using outdated mods. In such situations, you can use the EA app to scan your game installation and replace any critical files that may be corrupt or missing. Simply navigate to The Sims 4 page within the EA app, click on the “Manage” button next to the “Play” button, and select “Repair” from the dropdown menu. The EA app will then scan all your base game and DLC files for any inconsistencies or issues. Please note, this repair process does not check your mods; it only verifies and repairs the official game files.
Consider Culling Sims
There is a practical limit to the number of Sims The Sims 4 can effectively support running at once. By default, the game limits the total population in a save to 200, although this cap can be removed in the game settings. Regardless of how powerful your computer is, The Sims 4 will eventually experience significant slowdowns if the number of Sims becomes excessively large. Even on modern, high-performance gaming setups, the game tends to become noticeably sluggish when the world population exceeds around 750 Sims.
The Sims 4 has a built-in mechanism to help prevent this performance degradation: it periodically “culls” (removes) unplayed Sim families from the game world. You can protect specific households from being culled by adding them to your list of played households. If your game is suffering from performance issues and you have a very large number of Sims, the overall population might be the cause. Moving less essential households into the “unplayed” category allows the game to remove them if necessary. This step is generally only relevant for players who have several hundred Sims or more in their game.
Consult the Community
Finally, if the troubleshooting steps above do not resolve your issues, there are two major community resources you can utilize: the official EA forums dedicated to The Sims 4 and The Sims 4 subreddits on Reddit. These have been the primary discussion hubs for the game since its release. Assuming your problem isn`t unique to your specific computer setup, there`s a very high probability that you`ll find someone else who has encountered the exact same issue in the past, along with potential solutions or workarounds shared by other players.