With The Sims 3 is now well over a decade old and not getting any younger. It's as good a reason as any to revisit one of the franchise's most ambitious titles and see how well it has aged in the intervening years.
The game won a legion of fans in 2009, but there are some complaints about the game that have only grown more noticeable over time. From its enduring performance issues to unfavorable comparisons with The Sims 4, these are some of the frustrations of replaying The Sims 3 today.
Sims 3 Character Models Don't Look Great
Everyone has their own preferences, and some don't appreciate the more cartoony visual style of Sims 4, but it's impossible to deny that there isn't a jarring gap in visual appeal between character models in the two games. Although some players did complain about Sims 3's somewhat unfortunate attempt at more realistic character models at the time of its release, it's even more noticeable now.
It's far from a game-ruining detail, but it can be particularly frustrating for players that like to spend a lot of time in the Create-A-Sim menus getting their Sim to look as good as possible. At its worst, Sims 3 characters can look downright terrifying in bad lighting.
Sims 3's Open World Was Never That Good
When comparing Sims 3 to its successor, one of the first things that those who prefer the older game point out is that Sims 3 went for an ambitious open world which Sims 4 lacks. Although it's fair to consider this a positive, there are a couple of issues with it that make it less of an advantage than it initially seems.
One is that, like the worst open worlds, Sims 3's map can end up feeling empty and lifeless at times whereas that's rarely an issue with Sims 4. Furthermore, Sims 4's load times between areas really aren't that obnoxious especially compared to some of Sims 3's loading times, meaning it might actually be better off for having not been open world.
Hairstyles Are A Minor Annoyance In Sims 3
Slightly ugly character models can be forgivable if there's at least the large range of customization options that Sims is famous for when creating them and, for the most part, this is the case with the Sims 3. Unfortunately, the hairstyle options have aged a lot poorer than most in the game, and it's hard to ignore its shortcomings when replaying now.
That may be partly because fashions have changed and also partly because it's impossible not to compare it to Sims 4's options in this area but there just isn't that much choice and the choices that are there are lackluster. Although mods can help in this area, it's still a source of annoyance.
Sims 3 Has Some Performance Issues
By all s, a game from 2009 should not have issues running on a modern PC, but Sims 3 is such a heavy game, particularly with all the expansions included, that players are still having problems with it. Whether it's long load times, framerate issues, crashes, or bugs, performance issues just seem to be part of the Sims 3 experience a lot of the time.
When Sims 3 does run well, it can feel like playing an entirely new game but this is so rarely the case in practice. It's a testament to just how ambitious of a game it was when it was released all the way back in 2009, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating to deal with.
Sims 3 Is A Little Overloaded With Content
The Sims games have always been huge and full of so many features that a lot of Sims players won't ever discover a lot of them, but Sims 3 is the only title that arguably takes things a little too far. For every activity and every area, there's a treasure trove of options and features, and that's not even mentioning the DLC content.
On its own, Sims 3's incredible amount of content is an amazing thing but, after a little while away from the game, it's easy to yearn for the simplicity of other games and particularly for Sims 4's slightly more streamlined approach. It's impossible to fault the game for ambition but too much can be overwhelming.
Sims 3 Lacks The Community Of Sims 4
There are one or two things that it's easy to get used to when playing Sims 4 and a big one is the game's massive community that continues to provide tons of help and inspiration to players of all experience levels even now as well as some fantastic mods. For players that have gotten used to an endless supply of fan content, going back to Sims 3 can be hard.
There's still a good amount of it out there, and it would be untrue to say that Sims 3 has no community at all, but the lack of a thriving fan base does mean there's less reason to keep playing. It's an inevitable side effect of being an older game, but it's a shame nonetheless.
Sims 3 Has Features That Sims 4 Badly Needs
Among the huge range of features that Sims 3 possesses and its successor lacks are some absolutely game-changing ones. Between the game's Memories system and that all-important color wheel that made adjusting everything to the right shade one of the most satisfying activities, there are some huge reasons to play Sims 3 over Sims 4.
That might not seem like a bad thing on its own, but it is for any player intending to go back to Sims 4 or intending on playing Sims 5 when it finally comes out. Sims 3 has some gratifying and downright ingenious features that make the fact it's an older-gen game a lot more painful to accept.
Sims 3's UI Is Hard To Use After Playing Sims 4
One of the greatest improvements Sims 4 made over its predecessor was with the design of the Interface. From interacting with the map to navigating build menus, almost everything has been organized and streamlined in a way that makes the game more intuitive and satisfying.
That's why returning to Sims 3 inevitably feels a little clunky in comparison. Everything takes a little longer to understand and is at least somewhat more difficult to navigate, which detracts from some of the best parts of the game. It's another way that Sims 3's "more is more" approach had its drawbacks.
Some Of Sims 3's Mods Feel Essential
Fan content has been a huge part of Sims for a long time and most players wouldn't have it any other way. With that said, they're at their best when they make up some fun bonus content to add to the game, particularly after the base game has started to get a little stale over time.
That's why it's a slight frustration that some Sims 3 mods almost seem essential at this point. From the must-have NRAAS mods that can help the game run smoother and Create-A-Sim overhauls to expanded Sim interactions, it hardly feels worth attempting to play the base game without at least some mods.
Building In Sims 3 Just Isn't As Satisfying As Sims 4
Like many of the harsh realities of playing Sims 3, this one stems from inevitable comparisons with Sims 4 after players have had nearly a decade to get used to the newer game. Essentially, the issue is that building in Sims 3 just isn't as intuitive and easy to pick up as building in Sims 4.
Though it's one of the smallest details, it's still one of the biggest ones that make it easy to turn off Sims 3 and boot up Sims 4 instead. Sims 4's build mode has a level of polish that's simply unrivaled and fans have been spoiled by it. Sims 3 is just unfortunate for coming across as worse in comparison.