Simulation · January 27, 2011

The Sims™ 3 (2011)

extension19 DLCgroup1M–10M ownerstrending_up1.3k peak concurrentrecommend30.3k recommendations
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! Key Features Customize Your Sim: Mix and match a vast range of facial features and body types to get the look you want. Infuse your Sim with personality traits and help realize their dreams. Stage Your Own Extreme Makeover: Decorate your Sim’s home however you want, neat or messy. Use odd angles, create tall stacks of items, and apply your favorite self-made pattern to the walls and floors. Range From the Home: Get out of the house and explore the lively and entertaining neighborhood for the first time. Be a part of the larger online community!

Position in Simulation

MetricThis titleGenre position
Review volume32.9k Steam reviewsTop 15% in Simulation
Positive rating87% positiveGenre average: 79% — this title sits in top 38%
Metacritic86/100Genre average 75 — top 12% of Simulation titles
Concurrent peak1.3k playersTop 16% in Simulation by live player count
Engagement hours76 h averageTop 20% for session depth among Simulation

Community Tag Signals

Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.

  • Life Sim · 1.9k
  • Simulation · 1.6k
  • Character Customization · 1.0k
  • Building · 850
  • Sandbox · 842
  • Singleplayer · 800
  • Casual · 620
  • Funny · 438
  • Moddable · 432
  • Romance · 362
  • RPG · 343
  • Family Friendly · 327
  • Comedy · 292
  • Adventure · 272
  • Replay Value · 268

Peer Simulation titles

Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.

Reception Metrics

Steam community

87%Very Positive · 32.9k reviews

28.6k positive · 4.3k negative

Metacritic

86/100 critic aggregate

Open Metacritic page

Metacritic user score

7.8/10

Curator recommendations

30.3k

Peak concurrent players

1.3k

Localization Coverage

Interface / Subtitles (12)

  • Czech
  • Danish
  • Dutch
  • English
  • Finnish
  • French
  • German
  • Hungarian
  • Italian
  • Korean
  • Norwegian
  • Polish

Release & Availability

Release dateJan 27, 2011
DeveloperThe Sims Studio, Maxis
PublisherElectronic Arts
Base price$19.99
DLC / Add-ons19 released
PlatformsWindows
Estimated owners1M–10M
External linksOfficial site · Metacritic page · Support

Engagement Profile

All-time avg

76h

substantial (40–100 hours)

Median

15h

Typical completion time

2-week avg

7h

Current engagement

Editions & Packages

  • Buy The Sims™ 3