The Sims 3

79%
Game Brain Score Based on 17,117 reviews
  • graphics
  • gameplay
  • stability
The Sims 3 Game Cover
This is the best Sims game yet, but with some of the old stuff we love. Kudos to Maxis on developing this brilliant game.
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"The Sims 3" is a life simulation game that allows players to create and control virtual people, known as Sims, in a dynamic world. The game offers expanded customization options, a new seamless open world neighborhood, and the ability to follow your Sims through various life stages and experiences. Players can build and design houses, pursue careers, develop relationships, and fulfill the wants and needs of their Sims.

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Windows
  • Android
  • Cloud
  • Ea Origin
  • Mobile Platform
  • Nintendo Ds
  • NVIDIA GeForce NOW
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
  • Tablet
  • Wii
  • Xbox
  • Xbox 360
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

79%
Audience ScoreBased on 17,117 reviews
graphics177 positive mentions
stability382 negative mentions
  • graphics641 mentions

    The graphics of "The Sims 3" are often described as dated and inferior compared to "The Sims 4," with many users noting issues such as muddy textures, pixelation, and a lack of detail. However, despite these shortcomings, players appreciate the nostalgic charm and gameplay depth that the graphics do not overshadow. While some find the graphics acceptable for a game of its age, others emphasize the need for mods to enhance visual quality and performance, particularly on modern hardware.

    • “The graphics were also far ahead of its time, and it still looks solid to this day.”
    • “This is a very beautiful game, with great graphics and fun little quirks.”
    • “Despite the lower-quality graphics, it just has such higher replay value--hopefully the sims 5 will feature sims 4 style graphics with sims 3/sims 2 gameplay features, because sims 4 just can't compete.”
    • “If you're playing with hardware that's even remotely modern, you'll need to manually reach into the game's guts to force it to recognize your graphics card, or else it'll act like you don't have one at all.”
    • “The lighting is a lot worse than 4 and is a bit hard to properly light everything, and the overall graphics are... muddy.”
    • “The graphics are terrible; I wish I could get my money back.”
  • gameplay567 mentions

    The gameplay in The Sims 3 is widely praised for its depth, open-world mechanics, and extensive customization options, significantly surpassing that of The Sims 4. Players appreciate the ability to manage multiple households simultaneously, the engaging story progression, and the variety of activities available, although some note that the game can suffer from performance issues and bugs, especially with numerous expansions. Overall, the gameplay experience is described as immersive and addictive, offering countless hours of entertainment despite some technical drawbacks.

    • “Gameplay is much better than Sims 4; CAS and build/buy are limited compared, but it makes up for it with an open world. It's so much more fun to really play.”
    • “The gameplay is leagues better than Sims 4, with much fewer game-breaking errors and glitches, and all-around a more fulfilling experience for the price tag.”
    • “The open world, the create-a-style tool, and the townie's story progression are all leaps and bounds over both Sims 2 and 4 in what they add to the gameplay experience.”
    • “The gameplay is massively overhyped and the mechanics are outdated.”
    • “There are a lot of bugs and glitches that can make gameplay outright aggravating.”
    • “The gameplay itself is not great and gets boring quickly.”
  • stability392 mentions

    The stability of The Sims 3 is frequently criticized, with many players reporting a high frequency of bugs, glitches, and crashes that can significantly disrupt gameplay. While some users find the game enjoyable despite these issues, the overall consensus is that it remains a buggy experience, particularly with certain expansion packs, leading to frustration and the need for community mods to mitigate problems. Despite its charm and depth, the game's stability issues are a major drawback, making it less reliable for extended play sessions.

    • “I've played 40 hours so far and no glitches, crashes, freezing, or having to restart because of an unexplained corrupted save.”
    • “Absolute favorite Sims game to date now that it's fully updated, released, and almost exclusively bug free :)”
    • “Runs great on modern hardware.”
    • “This game is so glitch-prone, it's impossible to play without having the cheats on to fix whatever the glitches cause.”
    • “The game tends to crash, freezes, and bugs.”
    • “It's frustrating to see glitches from 2012 still breaking the game while a million DLCs are being added since that time.”
  • optimization272 mentions

    The optimization of the game has been widely criticized, with many users reporting severe performance issues, including stuttering, long loading times, and crashes, even on high-end systems. While some players have found temporary relief through mods and tweaks, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized for modern hardware, making it difficult to enjoy without significant effort to improve performance. Despite its engaging gameplay, the lack of proper optimization detracts from the overall experience, leading many to recommend caution before purchasing.

    • “If you're willing to look past the unoptimization and bugs, though, you'll find what is truly a worthwhile gaming experience that few other life sim games have ever or will ever achieve, and that is what earns this game a positive review.”
    • “The only complaint I have is the abysmal game performance, but that's a nonissue because you can install mods to drastically increase game performance and slightly modify the game files so it utilizes more of your computer's hardware.”
    • “The nraas mods like Master Controller, Story Progression, and Overwatch are imperative because the game is honestly not very well optimized and without those mods you'll run into problems all the time.”
    • “As much as I love this game, and I really, really do, I simply can't recommend it due to horrible performance issues that have been consistently getting worse since release.”
    • “The game itself is great fun, but the piss poor optimization of it and crashes makes it unplayable.”
    • “It's an unoptimized, unstable mess, and it's been ripped to shreds with DLC.”
  • story256 mentions

    The story aspect of "The Sims 3" is highly praised for its open-world design and the freedom it offers players to create their own narratives, allowing for endless customization and storytelling possibilities. Many players appreciate the depth of character backstories and the dynamic story progression, which can be enhanced with mods for a more immersive experience. While some critiques mention a lack of a structured storyline, the game's sandbox nature encourages creativity and personal investment in the characters' lives.

    • “The content and storytelling of Sims 3 is amazing.”
    • “The open world, the Create a Style tool, and the townie's story progression all add leaps and bounds to the gameplay experience.”
    • “You can create your own story because the Sims speak gibberish, allowing for endless creativity and imagination.”
    • “When I actually started playing with my characters, I quickly realized this game's storytelling is really shallow and is not engaging at all.”
    • “Although The Sims 3's story progression leaves much to be desired, mods and mod suites, such as NRAAS, help fill the void that was left behind.”
    • “For me, this game isn't as much about living the life I wish I had as it is about creating stories, although seeing as this is an EA published game, so much of this game is locked behind overpriced expansion packs.”
  • humor182 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised, with players finding joy in the quirky situations, funny glitches, and the absurdity of their Sims' lives. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to create hilarious moments, whether through character interactions, unexpected events, or the Sims' unique dialogue. Overall, the game is described as a delightful mix of chaos and comedy, making it a fun experience for players who enjoy lighthearted simulation.

    • “This game is hilarious, especially since I think I'm playing it wrong.”
    • “The greatest masterpiece of life simulator video games with its hilarious style and gorgeous musical background.”
    • “It's funny to watch them fail miserably because it makes me feel better about myself.”
  • monetization165 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has drawn significant criticism, with many players labeling it as a blatant cash grab due to the prevalence of overpriced DLCs, microtransactions, and constant in-game advertisements. Users express frustration over the necessity to spend additional money for content that many feel should have been included in the base game, leading to a perception of greed from the developers. Overall, the aggressive monetization strategies have left a negative impression, overshadowing the gameplay experience for many.

    • “The game is solid enough, but so much content is arbitrarily bundled into DLCs to the point that the base game is just not a satisfying experience, combined with the several GB of additional 'store' content purchased through microtransactions.”
    • “If you can step around all the microtransactions, you’ll find it’s a spectacular game worth your time.”
    • “I love construction and interior design; this game gives me all that in abundance. I personally think if you enjoy this game, don't moan about the DLC; c'mon, what did you expect? It's EA after all, microtransactions are inevitable.”
    • “All the Sims games up to 3 have always held a special place in my heart, meanwhile 4 can go woohoo itself with Malcolm Landgraab with their greedy monetization, expensive DLCs/expansion packs, and severely reduced features from the previous games.”
    • “The game is now absolutely festooned with ads for small points-based transactions for extra items, while the game itself is a good five years old and it just dropped to something reasonable in price for its age.”
    • “The way EA carves up their games and sells them to the consumer bit by expensive bit, and the in-game purchases like clothing truly show how they want to squeeze money from the consumer.”
  • music101 mentions

    The music in The Sims 3 is widely praised for its engaging and nostalgic soundtrack, featuring popular songs reimagined in Simlish, which adds a unique charm to the gameplay. Many players find the music uplifting and memorable, enhancing their overall experience, while some express frustration with its repetitiveness and occasional bugs affecting volume control. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that contributes significantly to the game's appeal.

    • “The music and sound design is fantastic.”
    • “The game also has music from real artists translated into Simlish for the simmer's pleasure.”
    • “An interesting fact about the soundtrack is that many artists and bands actually took their own songs and remade them in Simlish, which is a really cool detail.”
    • “The music is annoying af.”
    • “My eardrums are bleeding from the cancerous and loud music I have ever heard.”
    • “The music gets insanely repetitive and got on my nerves quite fast.”
  • replayability72 mentions

    The game's replayability is frequently praised, with many users highlighting the vast array of complex builds, side quests, and expansion packs that offer endless gameplay options and strategies. While some players find the base game enjoyable, they note that the addition of DLC significantly enhances replay value, making it nearly infinite for those with creative imaginations. However, a few reviews mention limited replayability due to repetitive gameplay mechanics, suggesting that the experience can vary based on individual play styles.

    • “The wide array of complex builds available to tackle the main campaign makes for endless replayability—only helped by the well-designed side quests!”
    • “So much fun, endless replayability, infinite ways to play and strategies to explore.”
    • “The replayability is almost infinite.”
    • “The game has little replay value despite being a simulation game; you end up doing the same thing over and over: eat, sleep, work, and that's about it.”
    • “After playing through it once, I didn't feel there was much more that I could do in the game, so it had a limited replay value to me.”
    • “Since the expansion packs are what previously made this game's replayability so high, overall it's a disappointment and I regret having wasted money on broken expansion packs.”
  • emotional32 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game elicits a strong connection from players, who often find themselves deeply invested in their characters and storylines, leading to feelings of attachment and nostalgia. While many appreciate the wholesome and charming experiences, frustrations arise from technical issues that can disrupt gameplay and erase hours of emotional investment. Overall, the game is described as a blend of joy, heartache, and occasional frustration, reminiscent of a soap opera.

    • “Sims 3 is the only Sims game I come back to, and it's so easy to create a storyline. It's beautiful; I am getting emotional, stop.”
    • “I honestly just love it, and I'm getting too emotionally attached to the characters I've raised since they were babies.”
    • “A wonderful game that is sometimes charming, moving (emotional), and even frustrating; three adjectives that should not exist together in a computer game, but certainly should in a West Coast soap opera.”
    • “The storyline felt incredibly boring and failed to evoke any emotional response.”
    • “I found the emotional depth lacking; it just didn't resonate with me.”
    • “The characters were one-dimensional, making it hard to connect on any emotional level.”
  • grinding26 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often requiring significant time investment to manage various tasks and meters. Many reviews highlight the frustration with microtransactions and the overall monotony of gameplay, suggesting that while the game can be enjoyable, it often feels like a chore, especially without the use of cheats. Overall, the grinding can detract from the experience, making it feel unnecessarily drawn out.

    • “A bit grindy sometimes.”
    • “A bit grindy.”
    • “The entire purpose of the game is that the Sims whine about things and you are supposed to stop the whining by controlling the various bars by performing random tedious and uninteresting tasks.”
    • “Too much grinding and overpriced DLC for an old game.”
    • “The game is tedious to play in my opinion.”
  • character development10 mentions

    Character development in the game is a mixed bag, with players appreciating the extensive options for character design and the unique supernatural elements that influence gameplay. However, some users criticize the character models as unattractive and feel that the transition to real-time gameplay has negatively impacted character development. Overall, while there is a strong emphasis on creativity and customization, the execution of character design leaves room for improvement.

    • “There are so many options on what you could do, between building, character design, and actually playing the game.”
    • “When I first got it, I was very impressed with the variety in character design and the warmth of the scenery.”
    • “I loved the character design and creation; I'm a fan of creative works and everything. I would like a free play mode like creative Minecraft where you didn't have to worry about money or cheating for it.”
    • “The character design is awful.”
    • “Character design: kind of unattractive character models, fixed in The Sims 4 with a new art style.”
    • “The move to real-time now messes badly with character development.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The atmosphere is highly praised for its vibrant and lively environment, despite the lack of a compelling story. Reviewers rate the atmosphere exceptionally well, with scores around 9.5/10, highlighting its immersive quality.

    • “The atmosphere of being in a lively environment is very much present, even if the story is non-existent.”
    • “Atmosphere - 9.5/10”
    • “Non-existent story, but the atmosphere of being in a lively environment is very much there; that's all I have to say.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

83% average critic score

Buy The Sims 3

Play time

136hMedian play time
371hAverage play time
10-542hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 94 analyzed playthroughs

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