Are you a Sims 4 enthusiast who’s encountered the frustrating ‘Unable to Start: Video Card’ error? This issue can be a real buzzkill, preventing you from immersing yourself in the virtual world of The Sims. But fear not, because in this guide, we’ll help you troubleshoot and fix the ‘Sims 4 Unable to Start: Video Card’ problem. Whether you’re a seasoned player or just starting your Sim journey, we’ll provide you with the steps and solutions to get your game up and running smoothly again. Say goodbye to technical glitches and hello to uninterrupted Sims 4 adventures!
9 Ways to Fix Sims 4 Unable to Start Video Card
Several methods can help you out in launching Sims 4 without any issues. But before we start with them make sure that you have a strong internet connection to run the game and that you are logged in as an administrator on your system. Once the mentioned requirements are met, you can start with the fixes given below:
System Requirements to Play Sims 4
The first thing to keep in mind is to check if your system meets the minimum requirements that are needed to run Sims 4:
- The minimum requirements needed for the CPU to run Sims 4 are Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 or AMD Athlon 64 X 2 4000+ (2.0 GHz Dual Core required if using integrated graphics) whereas Intel Core i5-750 or AMD Athlon X4 are the recommended requirements.
- RAM needed for minimum requirements is 2 GB while recommended is 4 GB.
- Next comes the operating system which is Windows XP for minimum requirements and 64-Bit Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 as per recommended requirements.
- The next one is video card requirements which are NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or ATI Radeon X1300 or Intel GMA X4500 for minimum and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 or better for recommended.
- Pixel shader for minimum requirements is 3.0 and recommended is 5.0.
- Vertex shader 3.0 is required for minimum and 5.0 for recommended.
- A sound card is required.
- The Free disk space needed is 10 GB.
- Dedicated video RAM 128 MB is the minimum requirement while 1024 MB is a recommended requirement.
Method 1: Restart Router
The next thing to do to make sure you don’t have to face the video card error again while launching Sims 4 is to power cycle your system and check the internet connection. Power cycling helps in shutting the system down which results in getting rid of temporary configurations. So, in case there is an issue with the configurations, this method helps in resolving it. Also, don’t forget to check your internet connection and how strong it is.
1. Remove the power cable of the router and the system. Now press and hold the power button for about 5 seconds.
2. Now, wait for 2-3 minutes and drain the power completely.
3. After some time, plug the wires again into the router and system to reboot the PC.
4. Once the system is on, launch the game and see if the error Sims 4 unable to start video card is resolved.
Method 2: Update Graphics Driver
The next important method to fix Sims 4 video card error is to make sure all the graphics drivers of the system are up to date. Updating the graphics driver will help with the smooth running of the game and most importantly, no video card error. Therefore, start with the update on your device with the help of our guide 4 Ways to Update Graphics Drivers in Windows 10.
Also Read: How to Fix Origin Error 9:0 in Windows 10
Method 3: Repair Game
Sims 4 on your device may have corrupt game files that are causing the video game error. In such a case, you need to repair the game in Origin for it to launch smoothly. You can repair it in the Origin software itself using the steps mentioned below:
1. Press the Windows key, type Origin and click on Open.
2. Now, click on My Game Library from the side panel.
3. Next, right-click on Sims 4 to open a menu.
4. Select Repair Game from the menu.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the repair process.
6. Finally, restart your PC and launch the game again to check if the error Sims 4 unable to start video card has been resolved.
Method 4: Disable In-Game Origin
As discussed in the causes above, the feature where you can enable Origin in the game can be a prominent cause of Sims 4 unable to start video card error. As Origin is one of the main platforms where Sims 4 is played, this feature is quite handy to access various Origin services within the game but it can also be a troublemaker and cause the game to lag or interfere with the game launch. Therefore, it becomes vital to disable this feature which can be achieved using the steps below:
1. Launch the Origin application on your system.
2. Then, click on the Origin menu at the top left corner as depicted.
3. Now, select the Application Settings option from the drop-down menu as shown.
4. In the ORIGIN IN-GAME tab, switch on the toggle for Enable Origin In Game.
5. Finally, click on Save to apply the changes.
Also Read: How to Fix Origin Won’t Open on Windows 10
Method 5. Modify Compatibility Settings
A simple method to ensure that you don’t encounter video card error or any other trouble while launching and playing the Sims 4 game is to run it in compatibility mode. This method is a quick fix for all the lagging and freezing issues too.
Note: Add a Sims 4 shortcut on your desktop.
1. Right-click on the Sims 4 shortcut on your desktop and click on Properties.
2. Navigate to the Compatibility tab and check the Run this program in compatibility mode for box.
3. Now, select your operating system from the drop-down menu, in this case, it is Windows 8.
4. Then, click on Apply to save the changes made.
5. Finally, select OK to exit.
Method 6: Run Game in Windowed Mode
The next method in the list is running the game in windowed mode. It is possible to face the issue in Sims 4 where it can’t be run in full-screen mode, either due to internal settings or due to some external factor. Windowed mode thus helps the game players to run it without the Sims 4 video card error. Use the following steps to run Sims 4 in windowed mode:
1. Right-click on the Sims 4 shortcut on your desktop and click on Properties.
2. Now, open the Shortcut tab and add a –w in the Target bar.
3. Next, select Apply and click on OK.
4. Now, launch Sims 4 again to see if the Sims 4 video card error has been resolved or not.
Also Read: How to Fix Origin Error 327683:0
Method 7: Disable Mods
Mods help to enhance the gaming experience in Sims 4 by adding great content. Mods help the user to access the features of the game that are usually not available. But sometimes mods can create issues for the game, one of which is video card error, therefore, disabling the mods is the best choice in such a case.
1. Open File Explorer on your system by pressing Windows + E keys together.
2. Locate the Sims 4 installation folder.
3. Open it and search for the Sims 4 Mods folder.
4. Select the Mods folder and click the Move to button.
5. Select Desktop inside the Move to drop-down menu.
6. Now, reboot the PC and check for the error by launching the game. If you still happen to face the issue, try out the next method.
Method 8: Modify Graphics Card Settings
The last method that we have come across is to create a gaming profile for your graphics card to resolve the video card issue. You need to make sure that your game runs on the graphics card to enhance your gaming experience and to run the game without any errors. This is subjected to PC users who have a graphics chip along with a graphics card that has a dedicated memory. The following steps will help you to create a high-performance gaming profile for your GPU:
1. Hit the Windows key, type NVIDIA Control Panel and click on Open.
2. Now, click on Manage 3D settings from the side menu.
3. Click on the Program Settings tab.
4. Next, click on Add and select the executable for The Sims 4.
5. Now, under Specify the settings for this program section, locate and click on Power management mode.
6. Set it to Prefer maximum performance option.
7. Click on Apply to save the changes made.
Also Read: Fix NVIDIA Control Panel Missing in Windows 10
Method 9: Reinstall Origin
If nothing seems to fit you and you are still struggling with Sims 4 unable to start video card issue then reinstalling Origin can be of help. Sometimes, corrupt Origin installation can interfere with the working and launching of the games. So, save your log-in details, copy the Sims 4 folder to some other location, and uninstall the application to reinstall it freshly. Once the app is uninstalled, follow the steps given below:
1. Hit the Windows key, type Control Panel and click on Open.
2. Set View by > Category, then click on Uninstall a program under the Programs menu as shown.
3. Now, select Origin from the list and click on Uninstall as shown.
4. Again, click on Uninstall to confirm.
5. Now, click on Uninstall button in the Origin Uninstall wizard.
6. Wait for the Origin Uninstallation process to be completed.
7. Finally, click on Finish to remove the app from your device and then restart your computer.
8. Download Origin from its official website by clicking on Download for Windows button, as shown.
9. Wait for the download to be completed and run the downloaded file by double-clicking on it.
10. Here, click on Install Origin as depicted.
11. Select the Install location… and modify other options as per your requirement.
12. Next, check the End User Licence Agreement to accept it and click on Continue as illustrated below.
13. The latest version of Origin will be installed as shown.
Now, refresh the application, and once it has detected the game, launch it to check if the error issue has been resolved.
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We hope that our guide helped you thoroughly in resolving Sims 4 unable to start video card error. Let us know in the comments section below which one of the methods helped you the most. You can also send in your queries or valuable suggestions for us to read.
