We have received numerous reports regarding the issue where Sims 4 mods fail to work. Either the game doesn’t pick up the mod files which you have pasted in the directory or the mod fails to initialize. We looked at several user reports and use cases to come to the conclusion that this issue occurred due to several different reasons.
What causes Sims 4 mods not to Work?
We analyzed several cases as to why the mods were not working problem in the user’s computers. Here are some of the reasons as to why you might face a similar situation. In this article, we will go through all the possible causes of the issue and what you can do to fix it. If you face a similar problem, start from the first solution and work your way down accordingly. The solutions are written in terms of simplicity and the usefulness of the actions. Make sure that you are logged in as an administrator before proceeding.
Solution 1: Checking Downloaded Mod Files
Before we start with any other solution, we will check whether the mod files which you have placed in the mods folder are in the correct format. Normally, the format in which the mod files are when you download them from the creator’s website is .zip. The reason why the game cannot view and operate the contents of the .zip file is that the game engine is not designed to unzip the package each and every time as this will consume a lot of time and CPU energy. Here the mod files should be in the following format: Note: You can also try another workaround where you place the entire mods folder in another folder and place it in the main mod directory. This is a long shot but it worked for several people due to unknown reasons.
Solution 2: Checking whether Mods are enabled in-game
Like mentioned before, Sims 4 rolled out an update where users were given an option in-game which allowed them to enable/disable the mods. Previously, this wasn’t the case and the game would automatically load all the mods as long as they were in the mods folder. In this solution, we will navigate to the in-game options and make sure that the option is enabled.
Solution 3: Checking Mod Type and Compatibility
Sims 1, 2, and 3 also had the support for mod files and allowed users to customize their gameplay according to their will. However, it should be noted that older version mods are not supported by the newer versions of the game. For example, if you downloaded a mod for Sims 3, it will not be supported and played with Sims 4. Hence you should navigate to the mod’s website and make sure that the mod which you downloaded is indeed that of Sims 4 and not of the earlier versions. You can easily check this by seeing the changelog or the category in which they are placed. Identify the incompatible mods and remove them. Another thing to check is the mod compatibility with your current Sims 4 game. We came across several different cases where the mod author didn’t update the existing version of the mod to be compatible with the latest version of Sims which caused the mod to conflict and not work as expected. Navigate to the official mod website and check if the current version of the mod which you have been using is working properly in Sims 4. You can also take a look at different forums.
Solution 4: Installing the latest Sims 4
There was a universal issue in Sims 4 where at a point, the game stopped supporting mods altogether whether they were enabled or not. This caused a global outrage to players regarding the mod’s functionality and they were unable to customize their game in any way. Electronic Arts were fast to release an update that circumvented the issue. If you have an older version of Sims 4 installed, it is recommended that you follow the method below to update it to the latest build. Launch the Origin game engine and check for any updates available. If there are, don’t delay and update Sims 4 immediately. After updating, restart the game and check if the issue is resolved.
Solution 5: Deleting Cache Files
Every game has a cache folder which it uses for its operations and the running of the game. Since the cache files are created at runtime and may be leftover, there are chances that some of them get corrupt. When this occurs, the game causes unexpected behavior including the mods not working as required. In this solution, we will navigate to the cache folder and clear it. Note: You can navigate to some other directory if you haven’t installed Sims 4 in the default location. Note: Some of the files might not be present in the later versions of Sims 4 so don’t worry if you have some of them missing.
Solution 6: Creating a new Household
We came across a bizarre situation where current households used by users were not able to load any of the mods while the newer ones were. The only logical explanation which follows this behavior is that the current household has some corrupt files/modules in it which are conflicting with the external mods and not letting them load as expected. You should navigate to the main menu of the game and then create a new household. Now create a Sim or two and then check whether the mods work as expected. If they do, it will be sure that there is a household problem.
Solution 7: Detecting problematic mods
If all the above methods don’t work, it is possible that your mod list contains a problematic mod that is causing issues. In this solution, we will try to create a new user settings folder in your computer and after copying the major old configurations, test each mod one by one. If there is any problematic mod, we will be able to detect it and remove it. This method will require that you analyze each case very carefully and will cause it to be tedious so make sure you have plenty of time. Note: You can navigate to some other directory if you haven’t installed Sims 4 in the default location. Note: This method is also valid in cases where the Sims 4 game causes bizarre behavior and doesn’t work as expected.
Solution 8: Reinstalling/Repairing Sims 4
If all the above methods don’t work, there is a chance that your Sims 4 copy have corrupt/incomplete installation files which are causing the game to malfunction. Games constantly update every once in a while to improve bugs or to add new features. It is possible that while updating the game modules, some of them didn’t get installed correctly or have missing files. We will try repairing the game so all of this can be fixed by the client itself.
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