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
 * Time passes on all lots on the same time - in The Sims 2 it was frozen on the home lot as long as Sims visited community lots. To avoid exploitation of this, Sims could not 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 turn on or off)
 * Variable lifespan
 * Create-A-Sim features:
 * Continuous body shapes (muscularity/obesity) and skin colors
 * Enhanced facial customisation features
 * Independent footwear (was attached to legwear in The Sims 2)
 * Traits
 * Moodlets
 * Favorites (food, color and music)
 * Create-A-Style
 * Ability to adjust lifespan
 * Ability to turn off aging (possible through cheats in The Sims 2)
 * New skills: guitar, painting and writing
 * New Upgrades
 * Recipes
 * Sheet music
 * Skill books at different levels for all skills
 * Different painting motifs
 * 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, such as plays, concerts, games and spa treatment (Bon Voyage had on-screen massage and saunas, though conceptually different)
 * Opportunities
 * Enhanced job features
 * Job performance options
 * Dynamic performance criteria (skills, co-workers, assignments)
 * Raises
 * Branching careers
 * New music and TV channels
 * Ghost interaction

In The Sims 3 expansion packs

 * Basement tool (Basements were made by using foundations in The Sims 2)
 * Being able to sing songs from other countries
 * New skills: (Martial arts, Nectar making photography, inventing and sculpting)
 * Laundry
 * Fountain tool (adds ability to create custom fountains)
 * Breast Slider in CAS.

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 adults (University): This life stage was for college years. Now it is a regular life stage.
 * Mobile phones (University): Each Sim that is a child and older now has a mobile phone fixed in their inventory.
 * Treadmill (University)
 * Libraries and Gyms (University, Open For Business and Free Time): Player Sims in The Sims 2 cannot normally build skills on community lots (see above). Students in University can do this, because their semester clock always ticks down. In Open For Business, Sims can run a venue with bookshelves and gym machines for townie Sims. Hobby lots in Free Time allows this exploit.
 * Personal inventory (Nightlife) - now limited to vehicles and portable objects
 * Cemeteries (Nightlife)
 * Gardening (Seasons) - expanded
 * Fishing (Seasons) - expanded
 * Storing and eating leftovers (Seasons)
 * Journalism and Music careers (Seasons)
 * Jewelry (Bon Voyage) - though many kinds of jewelry (such as face piercings) are left out without the addition of custom content
 * Walking between lots (Bon Voyage)
 * Beaches (Bon Voyage), no beach swimming, though
 * Bug catching (Free Time): See collecting.
 * Jogging (Free Time): Now in the open environment, instead of off-screen.
 * Toothbrushing (Apartment Life): As it was featured in The Sims base game.
 * Influence - combined with Charisma skill

Objects

 * Guitar: As many games and expansions featured a fixed electric guitar, The Sims 3 has a portable acoustic guitar with a designated guitar skill.
 * Private cars (Nightlife)
 * Fish tanks/bowls (Pets) - can be used for caught fish
 * American football (Free Time). Was an action in Free Time with no object needed, but appears as an object in TS3.
 * Activity table (Free Time): Toddlers no longer gain regular skills, but certain activities can give skills as they grow up.
 * Playground structures (Apartment Life)
 * Ceilings (Apartment Life)
 * Roof Objects

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


 * Cinematics
 * Aspiration - replaced by lifetime happiness
 * Slacker career - replaced by part-time jobs
 * Fears - much because of the coward and brave Sim traits, and negative moodlets
 * Underwear styles - though underwear can be used as the pajamas style or added in custom content
 * Private school, there is only one School which is public. return as boarding schools in The Sims 3: Generations
 * Visible retail stores - replaced by "rabbit holes". Retail stores reappeared in The Sims 3: World Adventures and subsequent expansion packs.
 * Interests - only favourites now
 * Memories (although moodlets act as temporary memories) Will return in The Sims 3: Generations
 * Aliens, alien abduction, alien pregnancy. In CAS there is a green skin tone that can be adjusted to the yellowish green that the Aliens from TS2 had. This along with changing the shape and color of the eyes, nose and ears allows the user to create a sim that looks very close to an alien.
 * Environment and comfort needs (replaced by moodlets)
 * The ability to create new neighborhoods. replaced by Create-A-World
 * Illness
 * Inheritance returns in The Sims 3: Generations as a Lifetime Reward
 * Photo album - Screenshots are uploaded to TheSims3.com where stories are created.
 * The need to buy clothes - your Sims already have everything.
 * Cockroaches - Although they can be collected. See collecting.
 * Dreaming during sleep (re-added in patch 1.5/1.6)
 * Body Shop
 * Crosswords in newspapers
 * Astrological signs (re-added in The Sims 3 Late Night)
 * Influence (re-added in The Sims 3 Late Night)

Lost skills

 * Mechanical skill - replaced by Handiness
 * Cleaning skill - much because of the neat and slob Sim traits, and the "Fast cleaner" lifetime happiness award
 * creativity skill - replaced by several other skills: Guitar, Painting and Writing in TS3 base game, and Inventing, Sculpting, Piano, Bass and Drums skills in expansion packs.
 * Yoga
 * Meditation - re-added in The Sims 3: World Adventures as a special ability that a sim will recieve upon reaching level 5 of the Martial Arts 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
 * Gardener
 * Nanny (replaced with babysitter)
 * Shop assistant: Re-added in World Adventures at the markets, and in Ambitions at the Consignment Shop.
 * Bartender (Re-added with Sims 3 Late Night but now called Mixologist)

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


 * Aspiration rewards - replaced by lifetime happiness rewards
 * All TS2 careers have career reward objects (sandbag, hydroponic garden, obstacle course, etc.), but only a few TS3 careers do. The Sims 3: Ambitions contain decorative reward objects.
 * Piano - Returned in The Sims 3: Late Night
 * Pinball Machines
 * Diving board - though swimming pools remain
 * Hot tub - Returned in The Sims 3: Late Night
 * Retail objects - cash register, shelves, etc.: Cash registers are added in WA for markets and stores. Shelves are added in Ambitions for the cosignment store (but they are only for decoration).
 * Farstar e3 Telescope - the simple telescope remains
 * Specialised weight machines - the game now has only one combined weight machine.
 * Magazines to change interests - though there are non-interactive "decor" magazines.
 * Wedding arch (returns in The Sims 3: Generations)

Changes in Animations

 * Pregnancy
 * Birthday parties / aging up
 * Death
 * Marriage
 * Make Out (Has been toned down, possibly for ratings)
 * Getting in and out of a vehicle (Sims now spawn in and out of vehicles).