EA's The Sims is arguably the most popular life simulation video game in gaming history, with more than 200 million copies sold worldwide. The game has amassed a huge following since its first release in 2000 and has continued to thrive in numerous other installments for PC, consoles, and, more recently, mobile.
As with any game with multiple entries, The Sims fans— or Simmers, as they often refer to themselves— are constantly debating which version of the life sim exceeds the others in terms of gameplay, features, and graphics. The Sims 3 is usually hailed as the pinnacle of the franchise, but there are others who still prefer the much more modern The Sims 4, which has been going strong since 2014 and remains the most popular in the series with 36 million players as of May 2021.
10 Sims 3: The Open Worlds Were A Dream Come True
Perhaps the biggest and most beloved feature from The Sims 3, the existence of Open Worlds was way ahead of its time. Being able to follow a Sim from one place to another by simply double-clicking on their name was a joy many Simmers recall fondly to this day.
Having one single world load all at once also meant no loading times when Sims traveled around the neighborhood, a feature that many condemned when it returned to The Sims 4. All in all, despite the lag created by the huge graphics load, Open Worlds was an experience like no other and remains a fan favorite.
9 Sims 4: The New Cartoon-y Style Is A Hit
The Sims 4 debuted a completely new style for both the Sims themselves and their environment. It was a huge departure from the doll-like style of The Sims 3, which many still regard as one of the few downsides of the game.
This time, Maxis, the developer behind the Sims franchise, took a different, more cartoon-like approach with features like "clayified" hair, bright colors, and less defined textures. A majority of the Sims community has embraced the look and prefers it over the previous styles.
8 Sims 3: Becoming A Designer With Create-A-Style
Create-A-Style is certainly one of the defining features from The Sims 3 and one that many miss and would like to see come back in future versions of the game. It allowed the player to choose and change the colors and patterns of virtually anything they could think of.
From clothes to furniture, the player could truly customize to their heart's content and even upload their creations to The Sims 3 gallery onto the game's official website.
7 Sims 4: Create-A-Sim Has Never Been This Amazing
Arguably the best upgrade on any Sims game ever, The Sims 4's Create-A-Sim (CAS) is a true gamechanger. Before The Sims 4, players had limited customization options when creating their ideal Sim, usually having to battle it out with the inefficient sliders that are now a thing of the past.
Now, however, it's easy as clicking and dragging a Sim's features to get an even more precise effect. This allows for more unique characters, which is something that Simmers had been asking for, for a while!
6 Sims 3: Story Progression Let Unplayed Sims Have A Life, Too
Though at times producing some of the most ridiculous results, Story Progression was a helpful tool for Simmers who enjoyed the unexpected. Enabling the feature allows the other unplayed Sims in the neighborhood to do as they please, forming and breaking relationships, signing up for jobs, and even having children without the player having to intervene directly.
Gameplay-oriented Simmers who enjoyed playing with families liked Story Progression and would like to see an improved version come back soon.
5 Sims 4: The Gallery Is Finally Easy To Access
Contrary to The Sims 3, which had a gallery that could only be found via web browsers, The Sims 4's gallery can be easily accessed from the game itself. It allows players to download and upload entire Sim families and playable lots with just a few clicks, making the process the most effortless out of any other Sims game yet.
Simmers can also leave comments on other people's creations, and make their own searchable with the use of hashtags and the service is completely free which makes it even better.
4 Sims 3: Cars, Which Are Still Missing From Sims 4
Cars aren't a unique feature to The Sims 3, but most players consider that they were done the best for this version of the game. Having Open Worlds also made the experience of the Sims owning cars much more interesting since players could follow them around the entire neighborhood as they drove.
More than 7 years since its release, The Sims 4 has yet to introduce cars to their roster, which makes sense given their use of loading screens whenever a Sim travels— but that doesn't mean players don't miss having them in-game.
3 Sims 4: Build & Buy Mode Are Now One And The Same
Another of The Sims 4's big improvements came in the form of a better organized and more user-friendly Build & Buy mode, which had been two separate modes in the previous Sims entries.
Many Sims fans love the building features on the Sims games, and this upgrade allows them to landscape, build and decorate all at the same time. Furthermore, Build & Buy mode lets players scale any object with a simple combination of keys, a tool that makes for some interesting design choices.
2 Sims 3: Sims Actually Have Personalities
The Sims of The Sims 3 game are considered to be the best identity-wise, with varied personalities that actually affected gameplay depending on their traits, likes, and dislikes. In total, counting the base game and all the other expansion packs, The Sims 3 has a whopping 99 traits to choose from when creating a Sim.
From the usual traits like "ambitious" and "artistic" to hilariously specific ones like "hydrophobic" and "never nude," the Sims from the third game are brimming with personality. The same can't really be said about The Sims 4, though.
1 Sims 4: Inclusivity On The Forefront
The Sims as a franchise has always stood up for equality, offering same-sex marriages and adoption since as early as The Sims 2 in 2004. This sentiment of inclusivity has only expanded and grown in The Sims 4, the most diverse in the series by far. There's an abundance of culture-specific clothes and food, and pride flags to celebrate everyone's uniqueness. In mid-2016, The Sims 4 introduced gender customization that allows players to create gender non-conforming Sims, and years later celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with a free update full of related items.
Recently, at the insistence of Simmers worldwide, the Sims team also completely revamped the skin tones in the game to include more accurate swatches, particularly of darker tones. Things can only go up from now on in terms of inclusivity.