Summary
- The Sims 3 introduced an open world to the franchise 15 years ago, offering players seamless exploration and endless activities.
- The Sims 4 took a step back by limiting the world, making The Sims 3's open world stand out even more.
- With collectibles, pets, and more, The Sims 3's open world design still provides a rich and immersive gameplay experience.
All the way back in 2009, The Sims 3 was released. Now the third game in The Sims franchise is celebrating its 15-year anniversary. The Sims franchise has gone a long way since 2009, with The Sims 3’s final expansion releasing in 2013, and The Sims 4 releasing in 2014 (which is still receiving regular updates and new content today).
The Sims 3 was a fantastic addition to The Sims franchise, and there is one element that makes the game stand out 15 years later: The Sims 3’s open world feature. The Sims 3’s open world was an entertaining addition filled with fun exploration and plenty of things to do, meaning this open world is still arguably the best in the franchise.
Why The Sims 3 Has the Best World in the Main-line Franchise
The Sims 3 is the Only Main Sims Game That Has a Proper Open World
The Sims 3 could be considered revolutionary for The Sims when it was released in 2009. Previously, players were limited to one area in The Sims, which was usually the Sim's house. Players in both The Sims 1 and The Sims 2 had to go through a loading screen if they wanted to visit another area or another Sims’ house. The Sims 3 changed that by adding an open world to the franchise.
The open world was a great benefit to the player experience of The Sims 3 because it allowed players to seamlessly move around the town map and explore all the nooks and crannies the map offered. Of course, there were still some loading screens in The Sims 3, but players didn’t need to go through it when visiting another location or house within the town map.
The Sims 4 Took a Step Backwards Regarding the Open World
Despite the advances in The Sims 3, The Sims 4 reverted many open world elements. The town map wasn’t an open world anymore, and became somewhat lackluster due to its limited freedom. Players could seamlessly move around within the street that their Sim's house was located in, and visit locations within the street, but in order to go to another street, they had to go through a loading screen.
Due to The Sims 4 taking that step backwards, The Sims 3 comparatively excelled in its open world. Although there is plenty to do in The Sims 4, the open world element of The Sims 3 adds a far more seamless experience to the life simulation franchise. There is plenty to do in The Sims 3 even if it lacks its successor's decade of DLC support.
There is Plenty to Do in The Sims 3’s Open World
The Sims 3 introduced collectibles for players to find that would be scattered throughout the open world, from rocks and gems to butterflies and insects. There were even seeds that players could find, which they could plant to grow some surprise flora in their yard.
As the expansions for The Sims 3 rolled out, more and more collectibles were added to The Sims 3, such as small pets. Players could even go out into the wild and befriend animals such as cats and dogs in The Sims 3 and adopt them. Although The Sims 3 now shows its age, it certainly has a lot to offer. Its use of an open world design makes it a truly spectacular game, and future Sims games could learn a lot from The Sims 3’s open world.
The Sims 3
- Released
- June 2, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
Play with Life.
Create the lives you've always wanted!
Ready to live a freer, more creative life? In The Sims™ 3, you can let your fantasies run wild as you design your ideal world. Start with your Sim, refining each shape, color and personality trait until you get the precise person that pleases you. Design your dream home, but don’t let a grid limit you; place, rotate and stack furniture and walls freely and to your heart’s content. Once the “hard work” is over, it’s time to be a mentor. Guide your Sim’s path through life, developing a career, finding love, and pursuing dreams and desires. Spending time with friends and family is just as important as mastering painting or accumulating knowledge. Take things to the next level and record movies of your Sim’s adventures and share them with the ever-growing and thriving community. With a huge catalog of expansion packs and fun objects to discover, there is no end to the possibilities awaiting you. It all begins here; your adventure awaits!
