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The Sims 3

Moderate overall intensity
Highest flag: Dark themes — intense

What's in it

Substances depicted
Moderate

Sims can drink alcohol and smoke, with effects like drunkenness and addiction modeled.

Dark themes intense
Moderate

Death, divorce, and abandonment are story elements; Sims can die and leave the household, leaving an urn or tombstone.

Gambling simulated gambling
Moderate

Casinos offer chips that can be won or lost, but real money gambling is not present.

Violence cartoon/stylized
Low

Sims can die from accidents and illness, represented by an urn or tombstone; characters can be arrested for crimes such as theft or vandalism.

Nudity revealing/suggestive attire
Low

Characters wear clothes and there is no nudity or partial nudity.

Crime & lawlessness crime depicted
Low

Sims can commit theft, vandalism, and other minor crimes, leading to arrest and jail time.

Spending cosmetic purchases
Low

Players buy and build items using an in-game currency; the core game includes microtransactions for downloadable content.

Sexual content suggestive
Low

Sims can date, kiss, and become intimate, with a 'romance' meter; sexual acts are implied and not shown.

Who can reach your kid

User-created contentReal-money spending

What it is

The Sims 3 is a life simulation game where players control virtual characters, guiding their daily lives, relationships, and career paths. Gameplay centers on building homes, furnishing interiors, and managing a household's needs and desires. Content includes romantic relationships, alcohol and smoking, addiction, depression, and the possibility of characters dying from accidents or illness, which is depicted through an urn or tombstone. The game supports user-created content and downloadable content, and players can make in-game purchases. There is no online multiplayer or voice/text chat with strangers.

How it's framed

The game frames its content as a consequence-driven simulation where choices have realistic outcomes, presenting addiction, mental health issues, and death as potential results of a Sim's lifestyle and decisions rather than glorifying them.

Details

Developer
The Sims Studio
Publisher
Electronic Arts
Released
Jan 27, 2011
Metacritic 86critic score (third-party) · out of 100

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