EA apologizes for yet another buggy Sims 4 update, says it'll have a word with "overly mean Sims" ahead of Lovestruck expansion

The Sims 4 Lovestruck gameplay reveal trailer screenshot showing an adult man with short black hair and a moustache smiling, his hand against his chin as though he's deep in thought
(Image credit: EA)

As The Sims 4 developer gear up to release its spiciest expansion pack yet later today, EA looks to its recent free base game update - and all of the issues that accompanied its arrival.

This week has been a whirlwind for Simmers - Lovestruck is finally almost here, and the free update preceding the expansion pack dropped just a couple of days ago. The patch adds some of the community's most highly requested features to The Sims 4, from curved pool tools to polyamory - but it also comes with a side of game-breaking bugs. Fans are calling the update a "total mess" so far, citing relationship-ruining Sim behavior and crashes galore.

A recent thread on Reddit highlights such issues, with many players expressing annoyance as they feel that "9/10 times when EA puts out a new update it doesn’t go well." One writes how "This happened when For Rent released too" - a debacle I remember myself. "This happens literally every time," another commenter chimes in. Other fans question when EA will work on fixing the bugs, especially those causing Sims to "be rude to each other" randomly.

Thankfully, it looks like EA is well aware of the community's frustration. "We are aware of and are currently testing a fix that resolves the crashing and visual issues with the Simology panel that began after yesterday's base game update," the developer explains in an announcement. "We've prioritized investigating issues with neighborhood stories & overly mean Sims to provide a resolution as soon as possible."

The devs then urge players to send affected save files and reports in for a speedier fix. "We know how frustrating game bugs can be, so we appreciate your patience during this time." There's no telling when EA will resolve the issues but with Lovestruck only a few hours away from its release, "overly mean" Sims may break more hearts than Cupid's Corner, the upcoming fully functional dating app for Sims, can bring together.

Frustrated with the bugs? Here are 10 games like The Sims 4 to play while awaiting fixes.

Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.