The Sims 3, published by Electronic Arts, introduced an open-world neighborhood system that let players explore and interact across the town without loading screens. Released in June 2009 for PC and Mac, the base game shipped with Sunset Valley as its default world, with Riverview available as a free download. Console versions followed for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and Nintendo DS.
What defines the game
The Sims 3 replaced the personality sliders of earlier games with a trait system. Adult Sims can have up to five personality traits from mental, physical, social, and lifestyle categories, shaping how they behave and interact. Each Sim also has a lifetime wish, a long-term goal tied to their traits. Fulfilling smaller wishes along the way earns lifetime happiness points that can be spent on rewards.
Create-a-Style (CASt) brought deep customization, letting players apply textures and materials to clothing, hair, objects, walls, and floors. Story progression kept non-played households active in the background, so the neighborhood continued to change on its own.
Expansion and stuff packs
EA released eleven expansion packs between 2009 and 2013, starting with World Adventures and ending with Into the Future. The game also received nine stuff packs adding themed objects, clothing, and hairstyles. The Sims 3 Store offered additional worlds, lots, and items as premium downloads throughout the game's active years.
On SimGoodie
SimGoodie's Sims 3 hub collects coverage across all packs, including a look at what EA revealed about Generations before launch and patch notes for the 1.22 update that added lifespan sliders. Browse the sections below for guides, cheats, downloads, and more.