# The Sims 3
**The Sims 3** is a life simulation video game developed by Maxis and published by [Electronic Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/electronic-arts), released for Windows and Mac on June 2, 2009 in North America, June 4, 2009 in the EU, and June 5, 2009 in the UK[1](https://ir.ea.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2009/EA-Announces-New-Ship-Date-for-The-Sims-3/default.aspx) • [2](https://www.simcitynetwork.com/simpedia/the-sims-3/editions/the-sims-3) • [3](https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims-3). It was the first game in the Sims series to use an open-world design, letting Sims move through an entire town without a loading screen, and it replaced the series' points-based personality system with a trait-based one[4](https://www.thesimswiki.com/wiki/The_Sims_3). It became the best-selling physical retail Mac/[PC game](https://www.edgepedia.org/pc-game) in the United States in 2009 and had sold over 7 million copies by 2015[5](https://www.mobygames.com/game/41069/the-sims-3/) • [4](https://www.thesimswiki.com/wiki/The_Sims_3).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Developer / publisher | Maxis / Electronic Arts; Simulation genre, PC and Mac[3](https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims-3) |
| Release | June 2, 2009 (North America), June 4 (EU), June 5 (UK); Steam release June 2, 2009[2](https://www.simcitynetwork.com/simpedia/the-sims-3/editions/the-sims-3) • [6](https://store.steampowered.com/app/47890/The_Sims_3/) |
| Other platforms | Wii, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in 2010; Nintendo 3DS in 2011[7](https://www.thesims3.com/gettingstarted/faq) |
| Signature systems | Up to five traits from a set of 63, lifetime goal, moodlets, Create a Style[5](https://www.mobygames.com/game/41069/the-sims-3/) • [4](https://www.thesimswiki.com/wiki/The_Sims_3) |
| Open world | Full city simulated; Sims travel without loading screens, unlike The Sims 2[5](https://www.mobygames.com/game/41069/the-sims-3/) • [4](https://www.thesimswiki.com/wiki/The_Sims_3) |
| Sales | 1.4 million units in first US week; best-selling US retail Mac/PC game of 2009; over 7 million by 2015[5](https://www.mobygames.com/game/41069/the-sims-3/) • [4](https://www.thesimswiki.com/wiki/The_Sims_3) |
| Reception | 84% critics' average from 88 reviews; 86% positive from 20,572 Steam reviews in the cited listing[5](https://www.mobygames.com/game/41069/the-sims-3/) • [6](https://store.steampowered.com/app/47890/The_Sims_3/) |
| Add-on content | 11 expansion packs (2009–2013) and 9 stuff packs (2010–2013)[4](https://www.thesimswiki.com/wiki/The_Sims_3) |
## Gameplay
The core loop is the series' familiar one: create a Sim, guide daily life, and develop careers, skills, and relationships. What distinguished The Sims 3 was how personality and space were handled. In character creation the player can choose up to five personality traits from a set of 63 sorted into four groups, Mental, Physical, Social, and Lifestyle, plus a lifetime goal[5](https://www.mobygames.com/game/41069/the-sims-3/). EA's announcement highlighted traits such as "Romantic", "kleptomaniac", and "evil" as the basis for millions of unique Sims[1](https://ir.ea.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2009/EA-Announces-New-Ship-Date-for-The-Sims-3/default.aspx). Traits shape behavior in concrete ways: the "work-a-holic" trait makes a Sim enjoy going to work and allows putting in extra hours from a home computer[5](https://www.mobygames.com/game/41069/the-sims-3/). Executive Producer Ben Bell described the Traits and Lifetime Wish features as letting players create Sims with personalities and destinies[1](https://ir.ea.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2009/EA-Announces-New-Ship-Date-for-The-Sims-3/default.aspx).
**Open world.** Unlike its predecessors, the game is not limited to the property a Sim owns with loading times between traveling to other places. Instead, The Sims 3 simulates a full city the player's Sim is free to move around in[5](https://www.mobygames.com/game/41069/the-sims-3/). According to The Sims Wiki, this installment introduced the series' first open-world design: only one lot no longer has to be loaded at any given moment, and Sims can roam and explore a whole town without a loading screen appearing.[4](https://www.thesimswiki.com/wiki/The_Sims_3) Some venues, such as workplaces, the book store, and the hospital, are entered without interior views[5](https://www.mobygames.com/game/41069/the-sims-3/). The game also introduced moodlets, temporary states that positively, negatively, or neutrally affect a Sim's mood, and the Create a Style tool for changing the patterns and colors of objects and clothing[4](https://www.thesimswiki.com/wiki/The_Sims_3). The Steam listing describes building that lets players place, rotate, and stack furniture and walls freely[6](https://store.steampowered.com/app/47890/The_Sims_3/).
## Development and release
EA announced on February 3, 2009 that The Sims 3 PC would ship to store shelves worldwide starting June 2, 2009, and that the game would launch across PC, Mac, iPhone, iPod Touch, and mobile devices in summer 2009[1](https://ir.ea.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2009/EA-Announces-New-Ship-Date-for-The-Sims-3/default.aspx). The game was originally to be released only on Windows; after a delay it shipped on both Windows and Mac OS X, the first time a Sims game was released on both platforms simultaneously[4](https://www.thesimswiki.com/wiki/The_Sims_3). It appeared on Steam the same day as the retail release, June 2, 2009[6](https://store.steampowered.com/app/47890/The_Sims_3/).
Console and handheld versions followed on a separate schedule: the game was released in 2010 for Wii, PlayStation 3, and [Xbox 360](https://www.edgepedia.org/xbox-360), and in 2011 for [Nintendo 3DS](https://www.edgepedia.org/nintendo-3ds)[7](https://www.thesims3.com/gettingstarted/faq). EA's product page lists the game as localized in many languages, including Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal), Dutch, Norwegian Bokmål, Swedish, Italian, and Chinese (Traditional)[3](https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims-3).
## Expansion and stuff packs
Maxis developed 11 expansion packs for The Sims 3 between 2009 and 2013, and 9 stuff packs between 2010 and 2013[4](https://www.thesimswiki.com/wiki/The_Sims_3). The two pack types serve different purposes: expansion packs enhance the game by adding new gameplay, while stuff packs contain themed new items, décor, clothing, and hairstyles; both require the base game[7](https://www.thesims3.com/gettingstarted/faq).
## By the numbers
The Sims 3 sold 1.4 million units in its first week of availability in the United States, making it the best-selling physical retail Mac/PC game in the country in 2009[5](https://www.mobygames.com/game/41069/the-sims-3/). As of 2015 it had sold over 7 million copies, placing it among the best-selling PC games of all time[4](https://www.thesimswiki.com/wiki/The_Sims_3). Critics gave it an average of 84% across 88 reviews[5](https://www.mobygames.com/game/41069/the-sims-3/), and the cited Steam listing recorded a "Very Positive" rating, with 86% of 20,572 user reviews positive[6](https://store.steampowered.com/app/47890/The_Sims_3/).
## Online features and user content
[User-generated content](https://www.edgepedia.org/user-generated-content) was a central part of the game's online design. The Sims 3 Exchange is where players upload and download their creations, sharing objects, households, or Sim families for other players to download and play with; all content on the Exchange is free to download[7](https://www.thesims3.com/gettingstarted/faq). New content was also made available in The Sims 3 Store every week for purchase, alongside player-made creations in the Exchange[7](https://www.thesims3.com/gettingstarted/faq).
**Creation tools.** EA offered exclusive tools, Create-a-Pattern and Create-a-World, allowing users to show off design and urban-planning skills[7](https://www.thesims3.com/gettingstarted/faq). The Create-a-World tool was released in December 2009 so players could create new neighborhoods for their Sims; Create a Pattern followed in 2010, and the tool was criticized by Mac users for being Windows-only[4](https://www.thesimswiki.com/wiki/The_Sims_3). Official feature text also described connecting with other players online to IM, share Sims and memories, and post to friends' walls[2](https://www.simcitynetwork.com/simpedia/the-sims-3/editions/the-sims-3).
## References
1. [EA Announces New Ship Date for The Sims 3, Electronic Arts investor relations press release](https://ir.ea.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2009/EA-Announces-New-Ship-Date-for-The-Sims-3/default.aspx)
2. [The Sims 3, SimCityNetwork.com Simpedia](https://www.simcitynetwork.com/simpedia/the-sims-3/editions/the-sims-3)
3. [Buy The Sims 3, EA official product page](https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims-3)
4. [The Sims 3, The Sims Wiki](https://www.thesimswiki.com/wiki/The_Sims_3)
5. [The Sims 3 (2009), MobyGames](https://www.mobygames.com/game/41069/the-sims-3/)
6. [The Sims 3 on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/47890/The_Sims_3/)
7. [The Sims 3, Official FAQ](https://www.thesims3.com/gettingstarted/faq)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Game genres › Simulation and social games › Life simulation games*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license