How to Fix Sims 4 Not Opening

It’s an incredibly relatable scenario: you are overwhelmed by the urge to control the lives of digital people who rely on you for most basic necessities. Heck; you could even throw them in the pool and remove the stepladder. They wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. But, as you go to sit down and open The Sims 4, as one does, it … refuses to open? I’ll admit, that sounds like a rather frightening circumstance.

But, it happens to real people each and every day. In fact, it’d seem to be happening especially badly now. That said, if you’re looking for a surefire means of getting The Sims 4 to open if it’s being obstinate, then we may have just what you need. Read on to discover how to fix The Sims 4 if it’s not opening!

How to Fix Sims 4 Not Opening

So, let’s start with the simplest and most easy to replicate fix. If you’re enduring this problem, try restarting your PC. I know — it sounds like something you may have tried, but if you haven’t … give it a shot. You can never tell; when your PC is back up and running … perhaps The Sims 4 will open once again!

But, if that doesn’t solve it, let’s try something else. You might want to try uninstalling the game and then reinstalling it. It’s very possible that something in your version of the game is preventing it from opening. So, ideally, recycling the install will ensure that you don’t run into this problem again.

OK — so, if neither of those fixes the problem, there are two more options and they vary in difficulty. The first of these is to repair your game files, which can be done from within Origin. To do this, you’ll need to locate the game in your library, right-click it, and click the option to repair. In doing this, if one of the files the game needs to run correctly is malfunctioning or has been corrupted, then it’ll be fixed … hopefully. If you’re playing on Steam, the process is somewhat different, but not by much:

• Find The Sims 4 in your Steam Library.
• Right-click it, then click PROPERTIES. Go to LOCAL FILES, then click VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES. Ideally, that’ll do the trick. But, if not …

… now, it’s time to get serious. If none of the previous methods fixed your problem, there’s one more thing you can try. Check your installed graphics card to see if it has any updates pending. If it does, then run those through and see if that solves the issue for you.

For more content just like this, and to engage with other like-minded fans, consider liking Gamer Journalist on Facebook! And, in the meantime, check out our other content, such as How To Change Your Gender in The Sims 4 and Best Sims 4 Home Builds for Growing Together Pack!