The Sims 4 For Rent Corruption Bug Is Widely Reported, But It’s Not Entirely True

The Sims 4 For Rent Corruption has been the topic of conversation on the lips of Simmers for what feels like an eternity, but with the internet being an echochamber of misinformation, the truth of what is going on can be hard to pinpoint. The truth is, there are many factors. Corruption is not new to The Sims franchise. The Sims 2 was infamous for save game corruptions, the causes of which can vary. The case is very much the same with The Sims 4. Let’s take a look at what is happening and how you can best avoid it.

The History Of Save Corruption

As previously mentioned, the concept of save, or game, corruption isn’t new. The Sims 2 has an infamous history with corruption, and its own set of misinformed reasons for corruption alongside it. Players online often touted deleting deceased Sims’ gravestones as a reason for a save file corruption; however, the issue is much deeper than that. The Sims 4 saves all your information into one file; The Sims 2, on the other hand, saves every bit of information about a save into its own file. The Sims populating the world? Their own file. The lots in the neighbourhood? They have their own file too. One corrupted file can cause the entire save to become unplayable over time.

The Sims 3 also had its fair share of corruption issues. The inability to save results in the “Error Code 12” pop-up, being unable to load into households, and not being able to save households to the family bin. There are a lot of things that can go wrong. Being an open-world game, NPC Sims going about their lives at the same time as your active household can cause a number of issues. Modders such as Nraas have created mods that have become a necessity for many players to avoid errors that can lead to corruption.

Corruption In The Sims 4

While not new, the concept of corruption was new to many players after the release of The Sims 4 For Rent Expansion Pack, due to the pack’s features amplifying the issue. The Sims 4 For Rent adds the ‘Residential Rental’ lot type to the game, allowing players to split a single lot into up to 6 individual units (up to 94 units with cheats). Unaided by cheats, this could mean up to 48 Sims living on a single lot. Information saved, such as Sim data, lot information, and object count, can all contribute to the risk of corruption, which is how it has become so synonymous with For Rent.

The issue of corruption isn’t a new one. Save game corruptions have been an issue plaguing the game since launch, and as the game continues to grow and save files need to write more data, the issue persists and amplifies. Players may run into various error codes, such as Error Code 140 caused by outdated mods, or Error Code 111, which is caused by Rabbits from Cottage Living. You can find an exhaustive list of known Error Codes over on Crinrict’s website.

What Does Corruption Look Like?

Save corruption in The Sims 4 isn’t always dramatic at first. In many cases, it begins as small, strange behaviours that build over time. Unlike a simple bug, which might be fixed by resetting a Sim or repairing the game, corruption tends to spread and worsen until the save becomes unplayable.

Many symptoms of corruption can include:

• Lots outside the active lot will appear empty, or as the default lot that shipped with the world.
• The game refuses to load (Error Codes)
• Endless loading screens
• Disappearing households and lots

What Causes Corruption?

Save corruption doesn’t usually stem from one isolated bug; it’s the result of different systems colliding and overwhelming the game’s ability to keep track of everything. The Sims 4 has been expanding for almost a decade, and as more content is added to the base game, the strain on its save system increases.

There are a few identified causes of save corruption, the most notable being too many Residential Rental units with the use of The Sims 4 For Rent. Take a look at some of the possible causes below.

• Long-running saves. As file sizes grow, the likelihood of corruption increases. The more Lots, Sims, relationships, objects, photos, events, milestones, etc, the more data needs to be saved.
• Updates that patch existing bugs may inadvertently cause new issues within the game.
• Running outdated mods on newer saves can cause corruption.
• Similarly, running newer mods on outdated versions of the game can also cause corruption.
• Force-quitting the game or shutting your system down while saving can cause only partial data to be saved.
• Too many Residential Rental lots can inflate a save file size, leading to errors.
• Multiple lots with too many objects/too much use of the Move Objects cheat.

Ultimately, corruption happens when the game’s fragile save structure can’t reconcile all the moving parts. For Rent hasn’t created the issue, but it has amplified it; its new rental and housing systems add even more complexity to already heavy save files.

Is The Sims 4 For Rent To Blame?

After the expansion launched, players began sharing reports of long-running saves suddenly becoming unstable, failing to load, or breaking beyond repair. While For Rent didn’t create the problem, its timing and the scope of its new features have made it the prime suspect.

At the heart of the issue is how much For Rent adds to the game’s already fragile framework. The expansion introduced multi-unit Residential Rental lot types, allowing players to have up to 99 units per save file, adding to the amount of save data that needs to be written. For players who have been running the same legacy family or long-running save for years, this extra weight often becomes the tipping point.

This isn’t without precedent. Other expansions have destabilised saves in the past, including The Sims 4 Get To Work, in which players experienced crashes and errors caused by the Scientist career lot, as well as retail progress not being made and sold items reappearing without the need to restock. Where past packs tended to break one or two aspects of gameplay, For Rent interacts with almost every household and lot in a world. That makes any instability far more likely to snowball into full-blown corruption.

How Can I Prevent Corruption?

While there is no guaranteed way to prevent corruption in The Sims 4, players can take some steps to reduce the risk and protect their progress. The key is to not rely on a single save file, but create backups, manage mods and CC, and play wisely.

Quick tips on how to protect your saves:

• Create new saves – Don’t overwrite saves. Go to Menu (…) > ‘Save as’ > then click ‘Add New Save’. This way, you have backups and can play rotationally.
• Create backups – Copy your Sims 4 saves folder (Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > saves) and save it either locally on your PC/Mac, or on cloud storage.
• Update mods and CC – Before installing a new update, make sure to back up all mods, saves, and tray files. Once the game has updated, re-enable your mods and check the mod authors’ page to see if it has been updated for the latest game version, or if any conflicts are known.
• Update the game – Some players choose not to update their game; however, you must make sure not to install mods intended for the latest version, as this can cause corruption.
• Build/Download wisely – Some builders on the gallery don’t optimise their builds with the intent of it being playable. This can lead to a large object count, all of which the game has to save. Try playing with lots that are optimised for gameplay and that are routable for Sims.

When Will Corruption Be Fixed?

As previously established, there is no one reason for a save being corrupted, only reasons for its acceleration. The save bloating caused by Residential Rentals is currently under investigation by the dedicated bug-fixing team over at Maxis; however, it is tricky for them to pinpoint due to the sandbox nature of the game, with players choosing to play their games in a variety of ways.

On August 26th 2025, The Sims Direct Communications has shared a statement on the status of bug-fixes. It is clear that these issues need more upvotes and save files provided for investigation.

We’ve received questions from players with concerns about the For Rent Expansion Pack and save file issues in The Sims 4. Today we’re sharing a detailed update on this, but here’s a quick TLDR;

1. We’ve fixed 29 community-reported issues on For Rent, and have 37 currently under investigation, with 11 requiring more info from players. 2 of those issues are related to save file concerns, with a combined total of 222 votes from players. We have a partial fix currently identified for the issue with the most votes, and will share updates as we have them.
   
2. For save file issues more broadly, we’re currently aware of 6 issues that players correlate with save corruption. Our investigations show this is a complex situation; it’s not a single bug and given the huge variance in devices, setups, packs, and other factors, will continue to require thorough investigation by our team. We’re committed to tackling this, and any detailed reports players can share will really help us progress.

If you’re experiencing a serious issue with your game, please use this post as an easy way to report the issue by answering the questions outlined: https://forums.ea.com/blog/the-sims-game-info-hub-en/investigating-game-launch–save-file-issues/12500161

▶️You can read the full update here:https://forums.ea.com/blog/the-sims-game-info-hub-en/community-concerns-with-save-file-issues/12487619

The Sims Direct Communictaions – Twitter

Corruption in The Sims 4 has long been a constant threat, but the release of The Sims 4 For Rent has highlighted just how fragile the game’s structure can be. For players with long-running families and saves full of builds, the risk is real, and the consequences can be devastating. While the expansion itself isn’t solely to blame, its multi-unit residential rentals that have pushed many saves to the breaking point.

The good news is that with careful habits such as rotating saves, regular backups, updated mods, and cautious play, players can significantly reduce their risk of losing years of progress. In the end, corruption serves as a reminder of how much players invest in their stories and worlds, and why protecting those creations should remain a priority. For now, awareness, preparation, and caution are the best tools we as Simmers have to keep our saves safe.

Have you run into save corruption? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned to Sims Community for all the latest on The Sims 4.