sims 3 won't launch macOS Ventura

[flubber3m]

I just got a new mac and updated to Ventura.  I have reinstalled Origin, and reinstalled Sims 3.  However, I open the game and after getting through the initial loading screen, I just get "Connecting" with a plumbomb and a spinning ring.  

MacBook Pro

14-inch, 2021

Chip: Apple M1 Pro

Memory: 16GB

macOS: Ventura 13.1

Total Cores: 8

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@flubber3m  To get rid of the endless connecting, open Applications > Utilities, launch Keychain Access, search for sims, and delete any entries that include sims3.  Then when you get back to the Main Menu, don't try to login.  Or go ahead and try again, but if the game still gets stuck trying to connect, repeat the above and don't sign in going forward.  It's not necessary to sign into your account in-game unless you want to use one of the few online features.  The rest of the game plays the same without the connection.

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@flubber3m  To get rid of the endless connecting, open Applications > Utilities, launch Keychain Access, search for sims, and delete any entries that include sims3.  Then when you get back to the Main Menu, don't try to login.  Or go ahead and try again, but if the game still gets stuck trying to connect, repeat the above and don't sign in going forward.  It's not necessary to sign into your account in-game unless you want to use one of the few online features.  The rest of the game plays the same without the connection.

[flubber3m]

That worked. However, then I select. Game and it crashes during loading. 

[puzzlezaddict]

@flubber3m  Try playing in a clean user folder.  Move the entire Sims 3 folder out of Documents > Electronic Arts and onto your desktop, and when you open the launcher, a clean folder will spawn with no content.  (Your saves and other content will be intact in the folder you've moved but temporarily not read by the game.)  Don't add anything to the new folder yet; just see whether you can start a new save in Sunset Valley, and we'll go from there.

[flubber3m]

Brand new Sunset Valley with my files moved to Desktop appears to work.  It did not crash on startup. 

[puzzlezaddict]

@flubber3m  Okay, try copying your save to the new user folder, but don't move over anything else yet.  (The one exception is that if the save takes place in a store or custom world, you'll of course need to reinstall that world.)  Since you're copying the save rather than moving it, you don't need to worry about missing content—the original save will be intact while you experiment on the new copy.