All saved games are gone

[aborigenobernetica]

This is not the first time this has happened. Just one fine day everything in The Sims disappeared. Add-on purchases remain, but families do not. The only thing I noticed was that my families were apparently transferred to my boyfriend’s Steam. We play from one device. How could this happen?
The developers, naturally, do not respond) It is impossible to write to them at all.
This is not the first time I have encountered this problem and no one can help me...

[Lady Aeleanor]

So you have separate accounts - but only one installation of the game? You will likely keep running into this sort of thing when you have the game installed on one computer and have 2 separate Steam and EA accounts. I've seen it happen many times with this sort of setup.

But, the other thing you can do is to make a backup of your Saves, Tray and Mods folders. Use a USB stick, and regularly copy those folders from your "Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4" to the USB. If this happens again (and it most likely will), then you will have those folders to fall back on, and simply copy them back again, overwriting the existing folders with the missing data.

If you and/or your boyfriend have OneDrive, or some type of cloud service backup, disconnect the game from it on both computers. OneDrive is particularly problematic, as it keeps re-downloading files and folders when you have deleted them, or overwriting them with what it deems the "correct" ones.

[aborigenobernetica]

Originally posted by Lady Aeleanor:

So you have separate accounts - but only one installation of the game? You will likely keep running into this sort of thing when you have the game installed on one computer and have 2 separate Steam and EA accounts. I've seen it happen many times with this sort of setup.

But, the other thing you can do is to make a backup of your Saves, Tray and Mods folders. Use a USB stick, and regularly copy those folders from your "Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4" to the USB. If this happens again (and it most likely will), then you will have those folders to fall back on, and simply copy them back again, overwriting the existing folders with the missing data.

If you and/or your boyfriend have OneDrive, or some type of cloud service backup, disconnect the game from it on both computers. OneDrive is particularly problematic, as it keeps re-downloading files and folders when you have deleted them, or overwriting them with what it deems the "correct" ones.

As I understand it, there is no way to restore them. Only save them in the future using your method =(
Thank you so much!!

[Lady Aeleanor]

Originally posted by aborigenobernetica:

As I understand it, there is no way to restore them. Only save them in the future using your method =(
Thank you so much!!

You're welcome. If indeed, the save files that appeared on your boyfriends computer are the same ones as you are missing, you may be able to copy those over to your own computer (in particular, the Tray folder (which contains all the Sims Families you have created in the past).

[Xeriath]

I wonder if it has something to do how Steam handle their cloud service. Steam creates since a while a steam_autocloud.vdf for Sims 4/saves but you CAN’T disable in the Sims 4 properties. Have you tried to disable cloud service from Steam if you don’t need it? I would guess this has something to do with this issue.

[whsk3y3n3ma]

this happens to me on my steam deck once a month at least.