This is a three-way comparison of the 3 base games in The Sims series; The Sims, The Sims 2, and The Sims 3 and do not include features included in expansion or stuff packs unless otherwise stated.
| The Sims | The Sims 2 | The Sims 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Released January 31, 2000 | Released September 14, 2004 | Released June 2, 2009 |
| 7 Expansion packs, no Stuff Packs | 8 Expansion packs, 9 stuff packs | 2 Expansion packs, 2 stuff packs. |
| Isometric perspective | Fully 3D | Same as The Sims 2 |
| Neighborhood is pre-designed |
3 pre-designed neighborhoods (Pleasantview, Strangetown and Veronaville) which may be (to some extent) tweaked by the player, and terrains may be imported from SimCity 4. Additional neighborhoods built from scratch may be created and added to the menu screen. Seasons, FreeTime and Apartment Life each include an additional pre-designed neighborhood. Pre-designed neighborhoods may add as sub-neighborhood into one neighborhood (Downtown or Suburb) are included when you installed SimPE.[clarification needed] Sub-neighborhoods include shopping districts, downtown, university. |
1 pre-designed neighborhood (Sunset Valley) in retail shipment. Another - Riverview - available by download. Twinbrook introduced in Ambitions. Downloadable Create a World tool can be used to create custom neighborhoods. |
| 3 life stages (baby, child, adult) | 6 life stages (baby, toddler, child, teen, adult, elder. Young adult stage added with University) | 7 life stages - young adult added from start. |
| Only babies age, other lifespans are indefinite. |
All Sims age and eventually die. Aging can be shut off using the cheat window.
|
Lifespan can be regulated. Aging can be shut off in game options. |
| 6 skills | 7 skills, 2 hidden skills | 10 skills, 6 more from expansion packs |
| Only Adults gain skills | Toddlers and older can gain skills | Children and older can gain skills |
| No aspirations | Teens and older have one of 5 aspirations (additional 2 aspirations are added with Nightlife). Toddlers and children aspire to Grow Up. | No aspirations - wishes are affected by traits |
| No wants or fears | All Sims except babies have 4 wants and 3 fears (Additional 2 wants [if Sim finishes college] and 1 fear [if Sim is expelled from college], requires University) | Wishes and promises. No fears |
| No days of the week, weekend, or days off work or school (Sims would not be fired for skipping work provided they did attend the following day). Sims cannot quit a job unless they get fired or get a different job. | 7-day week with different days off depending on job. Children and Teens have the weekend off from school. Able to call in sick to work, or call work to quit. Elders can call in to retire. | Same as The Sims 2, except Sims cannot call in sick to work, but can still miss work at the expense of work performance. With some patches, you can take up to 5 unpaid days off work. |
| Sims do not collect memories | Sims collect memories | Same as The Sims 1 but Sims can gossip to other Sims about what they've witnessed/heard/read. |
| Bills delivered once every 3 days | Bills delivered on Tuesdays and Thursdays | Same as The Sims 2 |
| PlumbBob colour reflects precise mood: optimum is green, worst is red | PlumbBob colour represents approximate mood: optimum is platinum, worst is red | PlumbBob colour reflects precise mood: optimum is green, worst is red |
| No pregnancy, babies can simply appear after user says yes to random "Should we have a baby?" prompt after romantic interaction, no genetics passed down. | Try for baby may lead to 3 day pregnancy for female Sim, genetic traits passed down from both parents. Alien abduction may lead to 3 day pregnancy for male Sim. | Same as The Sims 2, except Alien pregnancy. |
| Household accounts screen can be accessed, showing income and expenditure over past 3 days and current day | No such screen | No such screen |
| Buildings limited to 2 floors. Basements, foundations and lofts not possible. Variable roof pitches. | Buildings limited to 5 floors, or 4 with foundation. Buildings with foundation can have basements incorporated into them. Lofts theoretically possible. Roof pitch fixed, but can be changed using the cheat window (before Mansion and Garden Stuff, where a roof pitch changer is added). | Buildings limited to 4 floors and 4 floor stages as basement. Different sorts of roofs. |
| Children with failing grades are banished to Military School and never return. | When a child in the family has failing grades, all children are taken away by a social worker (unless they're at school), and other families may adopt them. | Same as The Sims 2 |
| Random phone calls pranking or giving out money. Other Sims never call. |
No prank or money calls, but friends and acquaintances may call at random. Following the Nighltlife EP, Sims that you've met from gatherings can tell other Sims about how fun your night was, thus random contacts may call up to ask your Sim out. Sims with less than 2 Nice points can make crank calls. |
Friends may call at random, skill opportunities also come via phonecalls. |
| Chance cards forcing career change for top level of career | Chance cards at all levels of career, causing gain or loss of rank, skill points, etc. | No chance cards. Replaced by opportunities. |
| Many NPCs not interactive | All but a few NPCs (drivers, Rod Humble, social workers, etc.) interactive | Same as The Sims 2 |
| Child Sims can only go Elementary School. | Child and Teen Sims go to Public/Private schools. Teens can apply for scholarships and move out to a University and gain the 'Young Adult' life stage [with University expansion]. | Same as The Sims and The Sims 2, with the exception of college (College is replaced by classes in rabbit holes) |
Differences in Create-A-Sim
| The Sims | The Sims 2 | The Sims 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Last name is the same for all Sims. | Same as The Sims, except in the University Create-A-Sim, where different surnames could be given to each Sim in the household. | Each individual Sim can be given a different last name |
| Head Style determines hairstyle, head shape, hair color, eye color, facial hair, etc | Head style determines only the shape of the Sim's heads | Same as The Sims 2 |
| Hair Color determined by the Head Style | Hair (and eyebrows) color determined by user, with preset colors | Colors no longer preset |
| Sims have light, medium, or dark skin | Sims have 4 skin tones ranging from light to dark | Sims have a range of skin tones with a slider determining exact color |
| Body type dependent on types of clothes worn by the Sim | Thin, Fit, and Fat body types possible, with Thin or Fat types available in Create-A-Sim | Independent sliders for muscle tone and body fat |
| Sleepwear, swimwear, and formalwear are chosen automatically | Sleepwear, swimwear, formalwear, underwear, exercisewear and (later) outerwear are chosen in Create-a-Sim. Maternity outfits are chosen automatically. | Same as The Sims 2, with the exception of merging underwear and sleepwear into one category. Players can select more than 1 outfit per category [with the updated version of TS3]. |
| Jewelry, shoes, glasses, etc. not customizable, determined by the Sim's body or head style | Glasses may be taken on or off, other accessories are determined by Sim's outfit. Bon Voyage (and every EP after) introduces user control of jewelry. Shoes come with pants and are uncustomizable. | All accessories, jewelry and shoes may be customized |
| Sims' personalities determined by 25 Personality Points placed in 5 different categories | Same as The Sims | Personality Points and Aspirations no longer used, replaced by traits and lifetime wishes |
| No Family Tree |
Relationships between spouses, siblings, and parents/children can be established in Create-a-Sim
|
Same as The Sims 2 |