Let’s break down the best games in one of the most replayable game franchises in history as we check out the best The Sims games ever made.
The Sims is a prolific series of life simulation games developed by Maxis Studios, a division of Electronic Arts Studios.
You assume the role of your own custom Sim character, likely an idealized recreation of yourself.
And you can live out the totally foreign experience of “every day life”. Total fantasy stuff.
Wake up, change your clothes, pee, shower, cook breakfast. Wild.
Thank god we have games to give us these kinds of experiences!
But really, if we’ve learned anything from previous best lists… it’s those mundane subjects that tend to result in some of the most enjoyable gaming experiences. And The Sims is no exception to that rule.
Turns out, simulating regular life is one of the most relaxing ways to spend a weekend… isn’t that kind of Inception-easque.
The Sims is also credited as helping establish the chill / cozy / casual video game genre.
So let’s get into it; here are the best The Sims games of all time!
Table of Contents
10. The Sims Bustin’ Out (2003)
The Sims Bustin’ Out was a video game created for the PS2, Xbox, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance released in 2003.
This was the first time The Sims was released on console only.
As the name might suggest, “Bustin’ Out” offers many ways for your Sims to experience life outside of the house.
Unlike the early Sims titles, “Bustin’ Out” also offers mission based objectives that you can complete. Or you can keep it open ended and use the Freeplay mode.
This is where The Sims franchise started to incorporate their version of a story mode. This will become an important part of a Sims game going forward.
Obviously, not the highest scoring on our list, but a vital step in the evolution of The Sims, as we will soon see. So an important game for the list of best The Sims games.
9. The Urbz: Sims in the City (2004)
The Urbz: Sims in the City was another console only addition to the Sims franchise that offered more structured missions and was a continuation of the story introduced in “Bustin’ Out”.
“The Urbz” was intended to be the first console release for The Sims. But a remake of the original game was rushed due to its massive success.
The original “Urbz” team was split into two, and those teams developed The Sims Bustin’ Out and The Urbz: Sims in the City at the same time.
So players got twice as much Sims awesomeness to play; everybody wins.
There were custom music tracks recorded by Black Eyed Peas in the Sims language Simlish, and members of the popular music group also made an appearance in the game.
So you could say that this was the coolest Sims game of the time.
Like with the previous game on our list, it was an important milestone in Sims history, and we will see the format of “Bustin’ Out” and “The Urbz” have a huge impact on The Sims moving forward.
8. The Sims Life Stories (2007)
The Sims Life Stories takes the 8th place in this list of the best The Sims games of all time, a return to PC Sims game play offering the structured story plots that the previous console games introduced.
“Life Stories” uses The Sims 2 game engine, and features a Classic Mode and Story Mode.
The Sims Stories series was developed as a accessible option for gamers, as it was made to perform on laptop computers and did not require a strong graphics card to play.
It was also intended to be an easy entry point in the franchise. And with it being based on the Sims 2 engine, it was a great way to experience The Sims for the first time.
The “Life Stories” series continued with The Sims Pet Stories in 2007, and both entries were ported to the Mac App Store in 2015.
7. MySims (2007)
MySims was a spinoff game title from The Sims franchise developed by EA for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.
Your task is to rebuild a run down town that was recently abandoned by a mysterious character who uses “essences” to keep things in order. So that duty is now left to your Sim character.
MySims combines the character development of previous The Sims games with Nintendo’s Miis characters.
Customization plays a large role in everything you do in MySims. Customizing your character, your home, household items… all using the essences that you collect throughout the town.
MySims sold over 1.3 million copies and is one of the best selling Nintendo DS games of all time, and five sequels were developed in the MySims series from 2008-2010.
One of the most unique Sims titles on our list and an easy addition.
6. The Sims (2000)
As the breakthrough title in the franchise, The Sims (numero uno) is still one of the most exciting titles out of all the best The Sims games.
Of course, The Sims focuses on simulation of daily activities in a regular town full of regular people.
You are (virtually) responsible for your Sim’s income, daily life and relationships.
The artificial intelligence will guide your Sim and create their wants and needs, but it is up to the player to fulfill many of those tasks.
Your Sim literally needs you to use the toilet.
Just keep your Sim alive and try to prevent a house fire and you’re “winning”.
Development of the first The Sims game title was led by Will Wright who was previously known for the SimCity franchise. So clearly he knew what he was doing in the world of simulation video games.
Like SimCity, The Sims was presented in a 2D isometric perspective that gives the illusion of 3D.
And looking back at the game now after having experienced the more contemporary entries.. the graphics, gameplay and features hold up!
The Sims was a smash hit, leading to one of the most successful franchises. It even took a spot on TIME Magazine’s list of the Best Video Games of All Time.
The Sims also had many expansion packs released over the years, adding new characters, items, and features.
Unlike real humans, Sims will always be there for you! (joking… joking)
The Sims is still one of the best selling PC games ever created at over 11 million copies (it’s number 11 on the list).
5. The Sims 2 (2004)
As the followup to the ultra popular game, The Sims 2 took everything great about Sims and upped the ante.
Like the first game, The Sims 2 has no true end game and is entirely open ended. What happens in your Sim’s world is up to you.
But now there is so much more to aspire to, including a male character being abducted and impregnated by an alien. What?!
But really, many improvements were made in The Sims 2: from changes in the AI and lifespan of your Sim to the new full 3d graphics that allow a 360 degree perspective within your Sim’s home.
Like its predecessor, The Sims 2 was a massive commercial and critical success. It’s considered one of the best video games ever created and further confirming that we had a hit franchise on our hands.
And with tons of DLC content and options for creating your own custom characters, skins, items, etc… this gives you infinite reasons to keep coming back to The Sims.
4. The Sims FreePlay (2011)
If there’s anything better than The Sims, it’s free Sims.
The Sims FreePlay is a simplified version of The Sims 3 developed for mobile devices.
Players can earn in game currency by completing various tasks, or… like in many “freemium” game titles: you can also purchase perks using real money.
The Sims FreePlay features real time events and tasks that must be complete within a certain period of time. These events have received updates as recent as this month (September 2022).
So it is cool to see EA keeping Sims content current and giving players reasons to stay active in their Sims neighborhood.
The Sims Mobile is another free mobile Sims game that was created in 2017, and its engine was based on The Sims 4.
This game title is also quite enjoyable, but due to their similarity, and The Sims FreePlay having more favorable reviews and a longer history of content… we give it the edge.
Plus, this won’t be the last we will see for free Sims content.
Don’t sleep on free games. The Sims FreePlay is truly one of the best The Sims games out there, and we are happy to include it on our list.
3. The Sims Medieval (2011)
The Sims Medieval is a fun turn for the Sims franchise, allowing players to build their kingdom in medieval times through a quest-driven storyline.
This entry to the Sims series incorporates elements of role playing and action adventure in ways we have never seen before or after in The Sims.
In this game, the hero quests throughout the The Sims Medieval story. Players encounter many dangers and threats to their mortality.
So it is possible to die or fail, something that is much less familiar in Sims games.
The Sims Medieval is a truly unique entry on our list of best The Sims games. It has its own unique art style and the world has unique detailing not really possible in previous games.
An expansion, Pirates & Nobles, was released in 2011 and featured a ton of new content for the game. It was also included in the deluxe version of The Sims Medieval.
2. The Sims 3 (2009)
The Sims 3 is truly the most content rich of the franchise, and easily takes a high spot on our list of the best The Sims games.
The Sims 3 introduces a more open-world format, allowing players to wander around their neighborhoods without loading screens.
There are many elements of community and neighborhood in the game, and there are tons of NPCs to interact with and build relationships with.
All characters within your neighborhood live their own unique lives and the world feels very realistic and natural.
Like in past games, you control your Sim characters daily activities, personal and living space style, career ambitions, relationships, and family.
Customization is as important as ever, and your player can be adjusted in age, build, physical features, style, skills and personality.
The Sims 3 featured a massive amount of subsequent DLC content over the years. Eleven expansion packs, nine “Stuff Packs” and six editions of the game have been sold through 2013.
The game has ports for Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Android, iOS, and Blackberry.
At over ten million units sold worldwide, The Sims 3 is currently the #17 highest selling PC game of all time.
It was a tough battle for the number one spot. And admittedly, we may have gotten it wrong, but we made our choice.
The number one The Sims game is…
1. The Sims 4 (2014)
This is one of those situations where we just have to give credit to the newest and most polished game in a franchise.
Like in my article of the Best Mortal Kombat Games, it is just hard to ignore the improvement made over time and the amount of content and features that have been integrated in the Sims series.
Customization of your Sim characters are the most in depth of the entire series. Everything from skills, aspirations, physical appearance, gender expression, age, race, species (human, alien, animal). A little bit of everything.
And my favorite part of The Sims is the Build Mode. The systems for building your home and customizing it as as feature rich as ever. You can get quite detailed with the layout of your home.
True story; I literally designed my real life home (that is due to be built next year in Thailand) using The Sims 4 Build Mode.
Since 2014, we have had twelve expansion packs come to The Sims 4, as well as twelve “game packs” and 18 “stuff packs”.
The Sims 4 is set to go fully free-to-play in October 2022, which is just over a week away. So if you have yet to experience the joy of The Sims 4, there’s never been a better time to jump in!
The Sims 4 is the best The Sims game of all time, and my own personal favorite. So you know I had to give it the number one spot on this list.
If you’re a fan of simulation games, we also covered the 10 Best Theme Park Games of All Time, some of the most entertaining simulation out there.
