sims 3 - game won't launch

[mayaaaaaaaaaaa1]

I am trying to play the sims 3, but when I click the game button on origin it says "unknown error occurred" is it a problem with my computer or does this happen to other people?? 🤔

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@mayaaaaaaaaaaa1  I'm not sure how you did everything listed.  There's no way you would have been able to launch the game without the .sgr edits, and you still haven't given us the requested information about your computer.  Once we have that information, we can give you the lines of text to add to the game's .sgr files.  That's the final step necessary to give you a chance of running the game.

Finding this information is simple and would take you less than a minute; I've already posted the relevant link twice.  But if you really don't want to tell us what kind of macbook air you have—your processor, RAM, graphics card, and the card's device ID—then yes, you're out of options here.  Each specific make of card has its own ID by which the game would recognize it, and without adding that ID to the files, TS3 will never be able to run on this computer.

[Tremayne4260]

@mayaaaaaaaaaaa1, we need more information. For instance, what kind of Mac are you playing on? What steps have you taken to try to correct the problem? Did you read through the post at the top of this forum to see if your problem was covered? We need this information so we can help you better.

Here is the Sims 3 Troubleshooting thread.

https://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-Mac/READ-FIRST-Sims-3-Mac-Help-Guides-and-Troubleshooting/m-p/749...

[mayaaaaaaaaaaa1]

yeah, so I'm playing on MacBook Air and for now I have deleted my sims 3 folder and ill download it again.

[puzzlezaddict]

@mayaaaaaaaaaaa1  There are several causes for the unknown error in mac OS and therefore several fixes you'll need to apply.  Bluebellflora wrote up an excellent guide to installing TS3 on a mac, listing all the steps necessary to get the game running.

https://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-Mac/READ-FIRST-Sims-3-Mac-Help-Guides-and-Troubleshooting/m-p/698...

If you've uninstalled the game or any packs, you'll need to start with a manual uninstall, as the uninstaller that comes with TS3 will miss some files.  If not deleted, the hidden library files can interfere with later attempts to launch the game.

https://bluebellflora.com/how-to-do-a-clean-uninstall-and-reinstall-on-a-mac/

On a macbook air in particular, you'll likely need to edit the game's .sgr files to get your graphics card recognized (step 2 in the guide).  If you're not comfortable with the process, please provide your mac's specs and the graphics card's device ID, and Bluebellflora will help you with the edits.  You can post the details either here or on her website.  These are the relevant details:

https://bluebellflora.com/2018/07/24/sims-3-mac-players-i-need-your-help/#Information

Just a note:  Most macbook airs don't run TS3 very well.  The older ones can struggle with even the base game, while the newer ones may be able to run a few of the older packs without issue.  Airs are not gaming computers and lack both the hardware and cooling to handle the most demanding packs—Pets, Seasons, then IP and ITF.  It might not be a good idea to try to run those packs, although how well your computer can perform with the rest of the game will depend on its specs.

[mayaaaaaaaaaaa1]

I tried deleting the sims 3 folder but it didn't help, do you have any other ideas?

[mayaaaaaaaaaaa1]

heres a picture

[puzzlezaddict]

@mayaaaaaaaaaaa1  This isn't about deleting your sims folder.  You need to uninstall the entire game and start from scratch.  This means removing the program files from Applications and the hidden library files that the uninstaller won't reach.  I linked the guide to a clean uninstall already, but here it is again:

https://bluebellflora.com/how-to-do-a-clean-uninstall-and-reinstall-on-a-mac/

Once you've cleaned everything TS3-related off of your computer (please don't skip any steps, or you probably won't be able to launch the game going forward), reinstall the base game only.  Then run the Super Patch (digital download version) to patch to 1.67.

https://bluebellflora.com/sims-3-manual-super-patch-for-mac-1-67/

At this point, you'll still face the unknown error.  This is usually fixable by editing the game's .sgr files.  We can walk you through that, but only if we know your computer's specs and the device ID of your graphics card.  Again, here is Bluebellflora's post with the information needed to help you:

https://bluebellflora.com/2018/07/24/sims-3-mac-players-i-need-your-help/#Information

[mayaaaaaaaaaaa1]

I followed every thing and nothing happens I am so sad, but thanks <3

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@mayaaaaaaaaaaa1  I'm not sure how you did everything listed.  There's no way you would have been able to launch the game without the .sgr edits, and you still haven't given us the requested information about your computer.  Once we have that information, we can give you the lines of text to add to the game's .sgr files.  That's the final step necessary to give you a chance of running the game.

Finding this information is simple and would take you less than a minute; I've already posted the relevant link twice.  But if you really don't want to tell us what kind of macbook air you have—your processor, RAM, graphics card, and the card's device ID—then yes, you're out of options here.  Each specific make of card has its own ID by which the game would recognize it, and without adding that ID to the files, TS3 will never be able to run on this computer.

[mayaaaaaaaaaaa1]

it worked! thanks <3 <3 <3