The Sims 4 community is grappling with a persistent save file corruption issue linked to the For Rent expansion pack, released over a year ago.  Developers at Maxis are actively investigating the problem and have requested player assistance in identifying the root cause.

Launched in December 2023 as the 15th expansion pack, For Rent introduced features like apartment building and landlord careers. However, its release was marred by numerous bugs, negatively impacting its reception among players on platforms like Steam.

The most severe bug resulted in irreparable save file corruption for many players after installing the expansion. This devastating issue wiped out years of progress for dedicated players who had meticulously crafted their in-game neighborhoods.

Recently, the development team, communicating through The Sims Direct Communications Twitter account, reassured players that they are diligently working on resolving the save file corruption.  They've requested affected players to contribute to the investigation by providing information and uploading corrupted save files to the official EA Forums.

While the developers' plea for assistance was well-intentioned, the community response has largely focused on other unresolved bugs plaguing The Sims 4.  A prominent complaint concerns a weather bug that causes rain and snow to fall indoors, leading to Sims becoming ill.  Other persistent issues include lag associated with the Social Bunny, disappearing skin and eye textures in Create-a-Sim mode, and various infant-related bugs.

Growing impatient with the lingering bugs, some players have suggested that EA and Maxis shift their focus to developing The Sims 5.  The excitement generated by last year's announcement of Project Rene was dampened when it was revealed that the project is not The Sims 5, and there are currently no plans for a sequel. Instead, the team remains committed to expanding the existing Sims 4 universe.