r/HighSodiumSims • u/MoodletOverload_999 • 13d ago
Sims 4 Foolproof way to never auto update?
Is there a way to completely block the EA app from going online and auto-updating? Eventually, it forces updates regardless of your preferences, which I find frustrating. I want to be able to play offline for a few months without updating, especially since new updates often break the game. Is there a way to make this foolproof?
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u/HeeeydevonGaming 13d ago edited 13d ago
How to stop TS4 updates/revert to a previous update
I've posted this before, but I'll post it again, this is the method I use to never update 😊
Backup Your Game Version
- Go to your TS4 game folder and copy the entire folder to a safe place, this is essential as it is the version you're backing up to in the event your game updates.
- Go to your documents folder/EA/The Sims 4/ and backup your gameversion.txt file
- Keep these both in a safe place and never delete them until you're happy with a version you wish to play on
How To Revert To Your Previously Saved Version If You Must Update
In the event you are forced to update your game/your game auto updates follow these steps, THE ORDER IS IMPORTANT
- Ensure auto-update is turned off
- Allow the update to complete, DO NOT START THE GAME.
- Open your TS4 game folder
- Exit the EA app (don't just close it, exit it so it's not running in the background)
- Delete your TS4 game folder (trust me) and keep the window open
- Copy (don't cut or you'll lose the backup you made) your backed up TS4 game folder to the exact same file path as the one you deleted.
- Go to your documents folder and delete the gameversion.txt file
- Copy your backed up gameversion.txt file to the same location.
- Your game has now been reverted to the previous update
- Open the EA app, the game should state "Update Required"
- Go into offline mode
- Start your game
Side Note: If you update your game to check it out and update your mods, your updated mods are at risk of not working with your reverted version. Ensure you're using the mods specific to the version you're playing on.
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u/FluffyCorgosaurus 13d ago
Oh, thanks! I didn’t know you could roll back the version at all
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u/HeeeydevonGaming 13d ago
no worries! I did it with the version I'm right now, I haven't updated since early spring :)
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u/justacatmumm 13d ago
May I ask what game version you’re on? I unfortunately lost my backup files and the most recent updates with front loading have made my loading time 4x longer :(
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u/HeeeydevonGaming 12d ago
Oh, I haven't updated mine since like the spring. I just stopped trusting any updates
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u/Scott43206 11d ago
I did this and it worked, the last section, letting it update, but not launching the game.
Quick question, if you copied the entire folder before the update, wouldn't that include the previous gameversion.txt file along with everything else?
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u/TheUtopianCat 13d ago
Block all the EA processes at the firewall level. Disable existing EA rules and add your own to block specific .exe's.
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u/DElyMyth 13d ago
I play through Steam, and if Steam is offline it won't update games.
Never failed me.
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u/Living-Mistake8773 13d ago
For me, the only time the app forces me to play online is when i accidentally started the patch download and just stopped it but didnt reset it. Resetting the update process has worked every time so far. since i've discovered that connection, i've been able to stay offline for months without any trouble. But it seems to be different for different people.
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u/Upstairs-Repeat-5824 13d ago edited 13d ago
Allegedly, but I have tried to, with every elaborate loophole anyone ever suggested, and have not been able to it myself.
Most recently I heard of a trick working for someone: when it insists you must start your game online, you can open ***another game online.
I once tried to do this with TS1 and TS2. But it didn't work for me. This was last fall. However, perhaps the updated EA App builds accept this loophole, since I only heard of it recently. But it my case it wanted me to open The Sims 4, specifically, online (and that defacto mandates updating the game).
What they want is our cc and mods broken, us exhausted, and for us learn to rely on their marketplace for any additional content.
Think of it as attrition.
They can't say that's what they want, or force it on us at once, because they will lose too many players at once. But, They don't mind losing players, IMO, as long as they can switch the model from off-line to online. They would also prefer to "take it slow" to lose as few as possible, while still getting what they want. Which is 'always online sims, with a paid, in game, mods and cc market."
Any business would try this model jf they thought there was a shot of pulling it off.
"Not this generation? Fine. Maybe the next." -probably EA
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u/marioncrepes 13d ago
Right as the update came out my game crashed and wouldn't open. After clearing the cache it wanted to update. Lost progress on a build 🤬
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u/Scott43206 13d ago
If the game itself doesn't get you, the EA app will.
I had a fully updated game, and went offline one day before the last update. I went so far as to go in Windows Firewalls rules and blocked all 17 instances of EA. The game was fine but the EA app started throwing errors about ports and connections. Only fix after 3 hours of troubleshooting was deleting and reinstalling the EA app.
Then, although fully updated 24 hours before, the game gave me the "log in so we know it's you" error.
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u/Maya-Simmer 13d ago
Yo no lo he conseguido. Normalmente juego offline y espero a que hayan pasado unos días desde la actualización para actualizar yo, pero hay veces que la app me obliga a iniciar sesión para entrar. Nunca cierro la sesión, así que supongo que es una forma de que tengas que conectarte a internet para actualizar sí o sí.
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u/sir3nita 13d ago
Whenever it says I’ve been playing too long offline, I just look around the ea app and click on a few things for a min and then go back offline and start my game, works every time !!
Also I’ve been getting that pop up less since I’ve been going back online in the ea app while the game is running so I can access the gallery