The Sims 4 fans call long-awaited free update a “total mess” as bugs ironically see Sims “ruining all of their relationships” ahead of Lovestruck expansion

The Sims 4 is officially getting its spiciest expansion pack yet tomorrow, but its long-awaited free base game update came first – and fans’ impressions aren’t too great so far.

Ahead of the Lovestruck expansion, fans got an update containing many of the things they have long dreamed for. From curved pools to polyamory, this free patch preceding the romance-themed expansion boasted countless hotly anticipated features – so much so that even I was looking forward to it more than I was the paid DLC itself.

Sadly, the massive update is off to a rocky start. Players are reporting bugs, crashes, and ironically, broken Sim relationships – an issue I experienced myself ahead of the pack that centers entirely around love and romance. A recent thread on Reddit highlights these issues, with the poster exclaiming that the “new update really messed up my game.” Comments are filled with fans sharing the same sentiment, describing how the patch is destroying hours of gameplay and in-game relationships.

“The update is making my Sims be rude to each other and randomly lose relationship points even when they aren’t interacting with anyone,” one player writes. “I noticed this when I played tonight,” another chimes in. “People just randomly being mean.” A further response showcases how serious the virtual home-wrecking bug is: “My Sims are continually being mean to one another for no reason and ruining all of their relationships.”

“No matter how much I try to get ahead of it and build the relationship back up,” the reply continues, “they just keep insulting one another and yelling and ruining my hard work.” Fans suggest using cheats or Sims 4 mods – a method unfortunately accessible to PC players only. EA hasn’t responded to the reports yet, but with features underway like Cupid’s Corner, the upcoming fully functional dating app for Sims, a fix will hopefully roll out soon and mend broken Sims’ hearts.

Want to escape the bugs until they’re fixed? Here are 10 games like The Sims 4 to check out.