My Origin isn't allowing me to play Sims 4

[SnxwPine]

Hi! I've had the Sims 4 game for a very long time and suddenly Origin isn't allowing me to press play for the game since the new Seasons patch from June 19, 2018. I removed my custom content, i've restarted origin, logged in and out multiple times, uninstalled and reinstalled Origin, uninstalled and reinstalled Sims 4, i've even tried Repair. I did find a way to click the Sims 4 game itself, but it leads me to a message: "To play, you must first activate your EA account." So I did press: "Activate game" But it kept going back to the message over and over. The second option it gave me was to log out and back in, I did do that, but still didn't work. Could you please tell me whats happening?

[puzzlezaddict]

@SnxwPine  Are you on a mac or PC?  And do you have Origin Access or a standalone copy of TS4?

The best troubleshooting steps are somewhat different for each operating system.  But you can start by removing your mods folder from your TS4 folder in Documents (if you haven't done so already) and trying again.  You may have mods that haven't been updated for the new patch, in which case you'll need to replace them with updated versions.

If removing your mods folder doesn't work, you can drag your entire TS4 folder out of Documents and onto your desktop.  If you do successfully launch the game, it will generate a clean folder with no content.  Try playing in that folder for a bit, and then you can move your saves and other content (perhaps minus the mods) into it from your old folder.

If the clean folder test doesn't fix your issue, you can try running the Origin reset tool (mac) or clearing Origin's cache (PC).

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/origin/origin/how-to-reset-origin-on-mac/

https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues/Don-t-know-how-to-clear-origin-cache-View-this/td-p/54997...

It might be necessary to uninstall and reinstall Origin itself; this would not affect your installed games.  Keep in mind that there are a few extra files that need to be removed.

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/origin/origin/manually-uninstalling-origin/

If you're still having trouble, you might have to resort to uninstalling and reinstalling TS4 entirely, but hopefully that won't be necessary.  If you're still having trouble, you can post your computer's specs here for some more specific advice.

gather mac specs:  https://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-Mac/READ-FIRST-Sims-3-Mac-Help-Guides-and-Troubleshooting/m-p/475...

[SnxwPine]

Sorry to say this, but none of the options available seemed to work (I have a Mac by the way)

[Bluebellflora]

@SnxwPine

When you reset Origin did the exact same error message come up or something different?

Try this:

1. In your Applications folder right click on the Sims 4 app and select Show Package Contents.
2. Navigate to Contents > Mac OS.
3. Right click on The Sims 4 and select Move to Trash. Don't drag the file as it will only move an alias and leave the original in place. If there is another file in the folder, The Sims 4.par, leave it alone.
4. Now open Origin, click on The Sims 4 in your Games Library and click on Download.

[SnxwPine]

Yes, when I reset origin the same message did come up. It seems that it's not letting me download it now--I have plenty of storage, I have only used 12%. I'm not sure what is going on now. It's saying that I have a windows version of the game? It telling me to buy it again

[SnxwPine]

The game worked perfectly fine for about a year, keep in mind

[SnxwPine]

If I were to buy it again- will my expansion packs still be there?

[EA_Mai]

Hi @SnxwPine,

Welcome to the community!

Please, don't buy the game again because of this, let's try to find out why it's giving you that error message.

Could you answer some questions to try to understand what could be happening?
1. Have you played the game on a Windows computer recently?
2. Are you subscribed to Origin Access? Did you subscribe recently?
3. Do you remember if you upgraded your The Sims 4 game to a digital deluxe edition with Origin Access recently?

Thanks!
-Mai

PS. You can edit your own posts using the ... menu on the top right corner of your messages

[Bluebellflora]

@SnxwPine

Did you try the steps in my previous post? And no need to buy it again if you have already purchased it through Origin, we'll try to get it worked out for you