Comparison between The Sims 2 and The Sims 3

The Sims 3 is based on The Sims original base game and The Sims 2 original base game, and therefore contains many of the same features.

Completely new features
These features in The Sims 3 base game have not existed in any game in The Sims series before:


 * Seamless neighborhood
 * Bicycles
 * Universal clock synchronized in all lots—in The Sims 2, time was frozen on the home lot as long as Sims visited community lots. To avoid exploitation of this, Sims weren't able to learn skills or sleep on community lots. In The Sims 3, Sims can do almost everything regardless of where they are.
 * Ability to visit other homes
 * Story progression - non-active households evolve during gameplay (can be turned on or off)
 * Create-A-Sim features:
 * Continuous body shapes (muscular/obese) and skin colors
 * Enhanced facial customization features
 * Completely customizable hair color, the possibility to have separate hair root, base, highlight, and tip colors
 * Independent footwear (was attached to legwear in The Sims 2)
 * Different voice types
 * Traits
 * Moodlets
 * Favorites
 * Create-A-Style
 * Ability to adjust lifespan
 * Ability to turn off aging (possible through cheats in The Sims 2)
 * All Sims, including townies and NPCs, age as the game progresses
 * Many new and more enhanced skills
 * Upgrading ability
 * Recipes
 * Sheet music
 * Skill books at different levels for all skills
 * Unique books and new literary genres
 * Different workout abilities
 * Skill achievements
 * Rabbit holes - elementary, opaque civic buildings
 * Skill classes at rabbit holes
 * Community events at rabbit holes and community lots
 * Maintaining controls over Sims at school or workplace
 * Opportunities
 * Enhanced job features
 * Job performance options
 * Dynamic performance criteria (skills, coworkers, assignments)
 * Raises
 * Branching careers
 * Ghost interaction and playable ghosts.

In The Sims 3 expansion packs

 * Basement tool (basements were made by using foundations and as part of feature in The Sims 2: Nightlife)
 * Laundry
 * Tattoo
 * Fountain tool
 * Breast and muscle definition slider
 * Body hair
 * Controllable pets (possible through cheats in The Sims 2: Pets)

The Sims 2 expansion features in The Sims 3 base game
Many features introduced in The Sims 2 expansions appear in The Sims 3 base game, to some extent.


 * Young adult: Part of the regular life state now.
 * Treadmill
 * Inventory: Each Sim has personal inventory and a family inventory.
 * Cemeteries
 * Gardening
 * Fishing
 * Leftover
 * Journalism and Music careers
 * Jewelry
 * Walking between lots
 * Beaches: Ability for Sims to swim in the open sea reappears in patch 1.42, equivalent to The Sims 3: Seasons.
 * Bug collecting
 * Jogging: Now in the open environment, instead of off-screen.
 * Toothbrushing

Objects

 * Mobile phones: Each Sim that is a child and older now has a mobile phone fixed in their inventory.
 * Guitar: As many games and expansions featured a fixed electric guitar, The Sims 3 has a portable acoustic guitar with a designated guitar skill.
 * Ownable cars
 * Roof objects
 * Activity table: Toddlers no longer gain skill from using it.
 * Jungle gym
 * Ceiling

Lost features
These game features were found in The Sims 2 base game but not in The Sims 3.


 * Cinematics
 * Slacker career
 * Underwear: Underwear clothing style is part of pajamas.
 * Interests
 * Flower beds that require watering and bushes that require trimming
 * The need to buy clothes
 * Body Shop
 * Crosswords in newspapers
 * The picture-in-picture window (also present in The Sims).

Lost skills
Guitar, Painting, and Writing in base game, and additional skills from expansion packs and store including Sculpting, Piano, Bass, Drums, Violin and Laser Rhythm-a-con skills.
 * Mechanical skill: Replaced with Handiness
 * Cleaning skill
 * Yoga secret skill

Lost NPCs
NPCs that were in The Sims 2 base game, but not in The Sims 3.
 * Exterminator
 * Headmaster
 * Hula Zombies
 * Social Bunny
 * Therapist

Lost objects
These objects (with unique interactions) were found in The Sims 2 base game but not The Sims 3 base game:


 * Career rewards
 * Magazine

Changes in Animations

 * Pregnancy
 * Birthday parties / aging up
 * Death
 * Marriage
 * Making out: has been toned down
 * Getting in and out of a vehicle