Sims 4 Gallery Not Loading and Infinite Spinning Fix (February 2026)

What is the Sims 4 Gallery Not Loading Issue?

After the February 3, 2026 patch (version 1.121.342.1030), The Sims 4 Gallery fails to load content for many players. The gallery displays an infinite spinning plumbob, returns "No Results Found" across all categories (Most Popular, Newest, and search), or shows a "Server Error. We cannot process this Gallery request. Please try again later" message. Hashtags and filters stop working, and downloaded lots may freeze the game on an endless loading screen when placed.

This is primarily a server-side issue triggered by the February patch, which changed the Gallery upload flow. Neither the February 12 hotfix (1.121.361.1020) nor the February 19 hotfix (1.121.372.1020) addressed the gallery browsing bug. EA tagged the issue as [CURRENT ISSUE] on their bug report forums, acknowledging it as a known active problem.

When does it occur?

• When browsing the Gallery in-game after the February 2026 patch
• When searching for lots, households, or rooms using any filter or hashtag
• When placing a lot downloaded from the Gallery (infinite plumbob loading)
• When the EA App main menu shows a blank white screen (indicates stale session)
• On systems with a large Tray folder containing many saved items
• After installing mods that were not updated for patch 1.121

Common causes

• Server-side changes in the February 3, 2026 patch broke Gallery content delivery
• Corrupted local thumbnail cache (localthumbcache.package) blocking gallery rendering
• Stale EA App session token preventing Gallery authentication
• Overloaded Tray folder (Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Tray) causing local processing bottlenecks
• Outdated mods — especially UI mods, Color Sliders, and 15 Clubs Per Sim — conflicting with Gallery
• DNS or firewall settings blocking communication with EA's Gallery servers
• Corrupted Options.ini settings file

Step-by-step fixes

1. Clear all cache files — Navigate to Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\ and delete the following: localthumbcache.package, all contents inside the cache\ folder, all contents inside cachestr\, the onlinethumbnailcache\ folder contents, avatarcache.package, and localsimtexturecache.package. Do not delete the folders themselves, only their contents. This is the most commonly effective fix.

1. Flush DNS and reset network — Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run these commands in order: ipconfig /flushdns, ipconfig /registerdns, ipconfig /release, ipconfig /renew, netsh winsock reset. Restart your computer afterward. This resolves DNS resolution failures connecting to EA's Gallery servers.

1. Clear EA App cache — Open the EA App, click the three-dash menu > Help > App recovery > Clear Cache. Alternatively, press Win+R, type %appdata%, delete the Origin folder. Then press Win+R, type %programdata%, open the Origin folder and delete everything except LocalContent. Restart the EA App — you will need to log in again.

1. Remove mods temporarily — Move the entire Mods folder from Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\ to your desktop. Also delete Resource.cfg inside the Mods folder. Launch the game and test the Gallery. If it works, reintroduce mods one at a time. Color Sliders and UI mods are known to break Gallery functionality after patch 1.121.

1. Reduce Tray folder size — Move the Tray folder from Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\ to your desktop. Launch the game and test the Gallery. If it loads, your Tray is overloaded. Gradually move content back in smaller batches.

1. Reset Options.ini — Delete or rename Options.ini in Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\. The game will regenerate it on next launch with default settings. Corrupted settings can block Gallery connections.

1. Add Sims 4 to firewall exceptions — Press Win+R, type firewall.cpl. Click "Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall" > Change Settings > Allow Another App. Add The Sims 4 executable and the EA App to both Public and Private network permissions.

1. Repair the game — Open the EA App > My Games Library > The Sims 4 > click the three dots > Repair. This verifies the installation and re-downloads any corrupted files from the February patch.

If it still doesn't work

Use the "Following" filter as a workaround — it is the most reliable way to load Gallery content when other filters fail. If you follow any creators, their content will usually display even when "Most Popular" and "Newest" return nothing. You can also try running the game as Administrator (right-click shortcut > Properties > Compatibility > Run as administrator).

If the EA App main menu shows a blank white screen, fully restart the app and log in again — a stale session token prevents Gallery authentication. Since this is partly a server-side issue, EA may deploy a silent fix without a client patch. Check the EA Forums bug report thread and SimsCommunity.info for updates on server-side resolution.