The Sims 4 Trojan Horse Reports: New Update Causes False Virus Warnings

Game failing to launch. Windows flagging TS4_Launcher_x64.exe as Trojan

Hey everyone!

I was wondering if anyone else has the same issue as me since the newest sims update (21-7-2026). Basically what is happening for me is that I can no longer launch the game. I played the day before the update and had no issue whatsoever. 

Whenever I try to launch the game, I get a notification in the EA app, saying: "Failed to launch game. An error on our end caused the launch to fail. Try again a little later." With that I also get a notification from Windows Security saying: "Part of this app has been blocked. Some features of EA may not work because we can't confirm who published TS4_Launcher_x64.exe that the app tried to load."

I looked at the properties of the sims, and the digital signature is gone. I tried repairing the game, which didn't work, and reinstalling both EA and the Sims in its entirety. Both did not fix my problem. I went on to check in powershell to see if the game truly wasn't signed, and indeed it wasn't. 

I could turn off my smart app control, to see if that would allow me to launch the game, but I'd rather not do that for obvious reasons. 

If there is anyone else who also has this issue, or may knows how to fix it, please let me know!

Edit By crinrict: Adjusted Title

Forum User Gardenmakers

I am also having the same issue. Tried uninstalling and reinstalling. clearing the cache, and repairing. Nothing works. The threat is from the launcher it seems, but it's not reasonable to ask players to open themselves up to risk by disabling antivirus for this game. Hopefully EA will sort this out quickly because this is ridiculous.

Forum User PokkiC

Re: Game failing to launch. Windows flagging TS4_Launcher_x64.exe as Trojan

After updating The Sims 4 to version 1.126.58.1030 through Steam, I can no longer launch 
the game. 
System Platform: Steam 
EA App linked to Steam 
Windows Defender (Microsoft Defender) as the antivirus 
No third-party antivirus installed 

Plataforma del sistema: La aplicación EA de Steam
Windows Defender (Microsoft Defender) como antivirus
No hay antivirus de terceros instalado

When I launch the game from Steam, the EA App opens but the game never starts. 
Microsoft Defender immediately detects: Trojan/Phonzy.A!ml 
The affected file is: 
C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\The Sims 4\Game\Bin\TS4_Launcher_x64.exe 
Defender quarantines the file. When I verify the game files through Steam, Steam reports 
that 1 file could not be validated and will be reacquired. Steam downloads 
TS4_Launcher_x64.exe again, but Defender immediately detects it again, creating an 
endless loop. 
File information 
File name: TS4_Launcher_x64.exe 
Product: The Sims 4 
Copyright: ©2014 Electronic Arts Inc. 
File version: 1.126.58.1030 
Original filename: TS4_Launcher_x64.exe 
File size: approximately 1.02 MB 
Created after the latest game update 
The main game executable (TS4_x64.exe) appears normal. 

The game worked normally before the July 21 update. 
The issue started immediately after installing the latest patch. 

Troubleshooting already performed 
Verified game files multiple times through Steam. 
Removed and restored the quarantined file. 
Restarted the PC. 
Ran Microsoft Defender full scan. 
Removed unrelated old malware detections found elsewhere on the system. 
The issue persists only with TS4_Launcher_x64.exe. 
Has anyone else experienced the same issue after updating to version 1.126.58.1030? Can 
EA confirm whether this is a known false positive or whether a new launcher build is being 
investigated? 

Forum User Tikis57

Hey Simmers, we're aware of a digital signature issue preventing The Sims 4 launching for some PC players, and our team is currently working hard to turn around a fix in the coming days. As this fix will only update the launcher, the game version won't change and will have no impact on any installed mods. Additionally, we're investigating a issue where manual saves can inadvertently override each other during a very specific flow. If you open a save file, make changes, and exit to the main menu without saving, and then load an autosave - choosing "Save and exit" from that autosave will override your latest save instead of the original one. We are actively working on a fix for this specific issue and plan to get it rolled out as soon as possible.

To avoid losing your progress in the meantime:

• Please make sure to do a standard manual save before exiting a save file and loading an autosave, particularly if you are planning to load a different save file next.

We appreciate your patience while we work on getting this sorted out!

The Sims Official Discord Admin Mindy Plorbs