Unable to start: The contents of your user data directory were created by a newer version of the sims 4. [SOLVED]

i have had this before until i deleted the ultimate fix. how do i fix it now?
"Unable to start: The contents of your user data directory were created by a newer version of the sims 4 and cannot be loaded. please update your game via Origin to play" i have all of the DLC's available at this time on G4TW.

Try deleting the gameversion.txt file in Documents - The Sims 4.

Do you have any saves that you want to keep or do you mind resetting all your game data (you keep expansions etc)
Delete the The Sims 4 folder in documents if you want it to work. The game will make it again.

Kanji wrote:Do you have any saves that you want to keep or do you mind resetting all your game data (you keep expansions etc)
Delete the The Sims 4 folder in documents if you want it to work. The game will make it again.

Removing GameVersion is enough to solve the problem.

It might be the saves themselves if he had the ultimate fix before. I don't know though you can try Dandelion's fix.

Kanji wrote:It might be the saves themselves if he had the ultimate fix before. I don't know though you can try Dandelion's fix.

The Saves are safely stored in Documents\Electronic Arts\ The Sims 4 whatever you might change in Program Files\The Sims 4
Even removing all of The Sims 4 in your installation folder, your Saves still exist.

It is the directory  that's corrupted. The documents folder. Delete that and the game runs. The game version if deleted causes the game not to boot.

carolinesimmerxx wrote:Try deleting the gameversion.txt file in Documents - The Sims 4.

Hi @vieracankillyou 

Does deleting the above file helps you run the game? Usually that is enough to make the error disappear. If, and I'm just going to pacify the (presume) adults here, that is not enough, do rename your Sims 4 folder in Documents say, sims4backup, and then run the game again. There's no need to delete the folder. 

Do keep in mind, that if your replies are for the sake of arguing, not to post them here. I do not think it's nice that the OP had to go through such things when he/she is only asking for help, don't you?

Thanx Ageha! sometimes a friendly reminder does the trick

Kanji wrote:Do you have any saves that you want to keep or do you mind resetting all your game data (you keep expansions etc)
Delete the The Sims 4 folder in documents if you want it to work. The game will make it again.

Dandelion wrote:Removing GameVersion is enough to solve the problem.

You're both right (or wrong, depending on which perspective one assumes). @Dandelion is right in the sense that in the majority of cases, the error comes up with people who purchased The Sims 4 on Origin, and then switched to cracked DLC. In these cases, the GameVersion.txt will display the version of the Origin-game, which is typically "higher" than the cracked ones, resulting in the error that the OP gets. Deleting the file is mostly enough, but deleting the entire "The Sims 4" folder under Documents/Electronic Arts can also do the trick, provided that you don't care about any savefiles you may have had previously.

However, @Kanji is also right in the sense that in (relatively rare) cases, the error can have other causes as well. Some of those are outlined here:
https://games4theworld.forumotion.com/t20396-unable-to-start-the-contents-of-your-user-data-directory-were-created-by-a-newer-version-of-the-sims-4-updated-on-29-12-2015

In general though, and I'll only speak in the context of the Forum here, we always prefer trying the easy solutions first before suggesting more aggressive ones. So in that case we would suggest deleting just the .txt file first, and if that does not work, progressively "tighten the screws".

Ageha wrote:(...) and I'm just going to pacify the (presume) adults here

Hey, that was my line @Ageha !!!11111      (no I'm just kidding of course, you can pacify too).

The error can also be caused when people have updated via (ZL)Origin and try to play the game off-line with an "old"  (G4TW) crack.
So I can add a 3rd solution here:
Copy the file Default.ini from your (ZL)Origin-version Game\Bin to your cracked Game\Bin folder.

When we follow the suggestions of @Kanji there are even more, drastic but effective, solutions:
Delete the folder Electronic Arts from Documents.
Delete the complete folder Documents.
Perform a clean install of Windows.

Dandelion wrote:When we follow the suggestions of @Kanji there are even more, drastic but effective, solutions:
(...)

Nobody even remotely indicated those drastic measures, so I'm not entirely sure why you are making such a scene about these foregoing posts from @Kanji. I suppose you are entitled to your sarcasm though, nonetheless.

To ease tensions in the thread here, everybody now enjoy some candy from one of the Pez dispensers here:





(^I prefer the Pez from the middle dispenser     )

All this over a simple question?   @vieracankillyou , I hope your problem is solved!! x

You can lock this now, everyone higher in rank.




Mod edit: problem solved, topic closed.

- The_gh0stm4n