What is The Sims
The Sims is a social simulation game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Designed by Will Wright and released on 4 February 2000, the game lets players create virtual people called Sims, build and furnish their homes, and manage their daily lives. There is no fixed win condition. Players guide their Sims through careers, relationships, and household routines, or watch everything fall apart on its own.
The Sims became the best-selling PC game of both 2000 and 2001. By 2002 it had surpassed Myst as the best-selling PC game in history. It received a Metacritic score of 92 and was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2016.
Expansion packs
Seven expansion packs were released between 2000 and 2003, each adding new objects, social interactions, and locations:
- Livin' Large (2000)
- House Party (2001)
- Hot Date (2001)
- Vacation (2002)
- Unleashed (2002)
- Superstar (2003)
- Makin' Magic (2003)
Hot Date introduced a downtown area for dates. Vacation let Sims travel to Vacation Island, the first time in the series that Sims could stay at a lot other than their home. Unleashed added pets including cats, dogs, and other small animals. Makin' Magic brought spellcasting, potion brewing, and a new neighbourhood called Magic Town.
The Sims Legacy Collection
In January 2025, EA released The Sims Legacy Collection, a re-release that bundles the base game with all seven expansion packs. The collection is updated to run on Windows 10 and 11 and includes higher quality textures on buildings and objects while keeping the original gameplay and visual style. It is available on Steam, the EA app, and the Epic Games Store.
On SimGoodie
SimGoodie covers The Sims with cheats, guides, downloads, and pack references. The hub draws on archived material from the original SimGoodie site alongside newer content for returning players and newcomers exploring the game through the Legacy Collection.