"A Serious Error Has Occured Loading [Name].world" Error Fix
One of the most common errors in the recent times on newer devices has been the dreaded Load Game Error - "A serious error has occured while loading (Save Name).world. It is strongly recommended that you restart the application." There are multiple simple fixes to make it go away and make the game playable.
Restart your device. Sometimes simply restarting your device closes files unnecessarily open in other applications.
Check your save file name. Head over to your The Sims 3 folder, and find your Saves folder within. DriveLetter:\[User Name]\Administrator\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Saves Find the save file you're trying to open. All valid save files end in .sims3, example Sunset Valley.sims3. If you have a file ending in .bad, you're dealing with a corrupted save. That means you should revert to the very last back-up file created by the game. Locate the last .sims3.backup file, and delete the "backup" extension. Clear your cache and try running the game again.
OneDrive sync. The most common culprit of this error has been OneDrive syncing items behind the scenes. What it does is moving your content away from Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 folder, to where your game cannot see them anymore. Before doing anything, check your OneDrive for The Sims 3 folder content it had moved. Copy it back to DriveLetter:\[User Name]\Administrator\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3.
Then, turn off your OneDrive. Open OneDrive > Settings > Accounts > Choose Folder > uncheck Documents folder (as that's where your Sims 3 folder is located) > press OK.
OneDrive guide: Choose which OneDrive folders you want to sync on Windows or macOS - Microsoft Support
