Store worlds are a concept in The Sims 3, where players can buy EA-created worlds on The Sims 3 Store for SimPoints (which in turn are bought with hard currency), or simply directly with hard currency. Some, but not all, of them were also available for sale at retail stores in DVD-sized cases. A total of 11 such worlds were released for sale.
Very often, the worlds include exclusive objects too, though they only began to become a major feature in Hidden Springs onwards. Later on, "Gold" versions of many of the worlds became available too, which were bundled with objects that were also available for sale as standalone objects.
Starting with Monte Vista, various oversights in the game development began to emerge. Among them were festival grounds that had been built but not auto-placed, and local housed residents having 0 traits.
Riverview[]
Available free of charge for people who register a valid The Sims 3 serial code on the The Sims 3 Store.
A bit more flat in terrain and farming-focused than Sunset Valley, but is otherwise reasonably similar.
Barnacle Bay[]
Available for US$19.99, and was previously also sold in retail stores and in compilations.
Very loosely pirate-themed, Barnacle Bay is an island with some cliffs and hills. The downtown area is relatively conventional. The aspects that make the town distinct, include a pirate ship bistro, some old wood buildings, and a graveyard quasi-tomb.
Hidden Springs[]
Available for 2,000 SimPoints, and was previously also sold in retail stores and in compilations.
Based on the general Alps area, primarily Austria, Switzerland, and southern Germany, the lakeside town is considered a spa destination, with a royal family at that. The downtown has a large central square and focus on concrete, with a nearby forest with very dense tree coverage.
Lunar Lakes[]
Available for 2,450 SimPoints.
Takes place on another planet entirely, on what was designed and written to be a distant future, when compared to other worlds that existed at the time. A space colonist ship crashed into a seemingly random planet, and found to their relief that the air was breathable, the temperature comfortable, and the water safe to drink. Eventually they figured out how to use local green crystals as an electricity source as well.
Most of the infrastructure and architecture is futuresque art deco, and most of the rabbit holes are identical warp gates, which are presumed to lead to destinations inside the spaceship-volcano combo structure.
Lucky Palms[]
Available for 2,450 SimPoints; or as a Gold Edition with casino facilities for 3,915 SimPoints.
A city in the middle of a hot desert at a highway exit, with a large lake to keep the population well-fed and the parks green.
On the other side of the highway, is the less fortunate subdistrict of Lakeside Drive, whose lake dried out years earlier. Nevertheless, with what appears to be a tap water supply from the across-the-road lake, they too manage to keep their lives going.
Despite marketing for the world heavily implying the world would focus primarily on gambling and casinos, such objects are only available in the Gold Edition.
Sunlit Tides[]
Available for 2,450 SimPoints; or as a Gold Edition with additional spa facilities for 3,915 SimPoints.
Primarily based on Pacific Ocean atolls. A place the local resident Sims like for swimming, sauna spas, coconut trees (Non-harvestable), and at least one volcano.
Monte Vista[]
Available for US$19.99, and was previously also sold in retail stores and in compilations.
Based on Italy as a whole, seemingly incorporating both south Italy and parts of north Italy. Most of the commerce is based in an old mountain top fort (with the rest based in a small spa district), with the downhill areas used for housing, schools, beaches, and more.
Aurora Skies[]
Available for 2,205 SimPoints; or as a Gold Edition with child/toddler Sim objects for 3,915 SimPoints.
Strongly based on the Nordic countries, with special focus on Iceland. Contains a sharp contrast between a densely packed downtown, a spa lake, and a mostly desolate large grass plain covered by a road passing by the coast.
Dragon Valley[]
Available for US$19.99; or as a Gold Edition with the exclusive Celtic Lands set for US$34.99. The standard edition was previously also sold in retail stores and in compilations.
Based on a loose set of fantasy media, and in turn on 1600's through 1840's Ireland and England. A majority of the population are "elves", which are human Sims with pointy ears and slightly green/blue/yellow skins and hair, a few of whom worked as dragon tamers and/or dragon slayers. The town has been ruled by the human O'Connell family as a minority rule for around a century, though they do have support from a large majority of the other residents; with the remainder fighting to place the Mithrilen family back on the throne.
Despite the local Sims enjoying old-fashioned things like globe theaters and knight tournaments, they are generally also okay with using computers and taxis.
Midnight Hollow[]
Available for 2,426 SimPoints; or as a Gold Edition with toy factory objects for 3,524 SimPoints.
Based on various horror, survival, action, and fantasy media from various decades, the town is most distinct for its extremely dark cloud cover, making it de facto nighttime 24/7, all year round. The trees are also generally leafless and spiky, and the exterior architectures consisting of dreary grey and black palettes.
The downtown is built mostly around demonstrating the Savvy Seller objects that are included with the pack, wherein Sims can own and operate their own department stores and kiosks.
Roaring Heights[]
Available for US$19.99.
Strongly based on the 1920's (Roaring Twenties) United States of America, and a mix of various urban areas that would in real life be spread far apart, including Miami, New Orleans, and Coney Island.
The town strives hard to stick to the 1920's theme: Baseball seems to be biggest sport in town, swimming is a popular hobby, most of the architecture reflects the hottest industry concepts of the time, and electronic objects (beyond cellphones) are borderline non-existent by default.
A lot of marketing for Roaring Heights focused on rollercoasters and theme parks, but those are in fact in a separate set entirely, namely "The Boardwalk".
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