Gravestone

An urn or gravestone appears on the lot when a Sim dies. An urn can be placed on the floor or on tables and counters. A gravestone can be placed on the ground outside. At least in The Sims and The Sims 2, whether a grave appears as an urn or a gravestone will depend on whether it is inside or outside; an urn will become a gravestone if it is moved outside, and a gravestone will become an urn if it is moved inside. Sims can "Mourn" over graves or urns. Beginning with The Sims 2: Nightlife, they can be moved to a community lot.

The Sims 2

If a Sim had platinum aspiration when he/she died of old age, a gold gravestone/urn will appear with the dead Sim's aspiration symbol on it. Othsewise, the Sim will get the average, gray gravestone/urn.

If Nightlife or later is installed, players have the options to click on an urn or gravestone and select "Move grave(s)". This moves the grave to a community lot of the player's choice. It is a good idea to make a cemetery if you plan to do this, but there is "Gothier Green Lawns", found Downtown next to the House of Fallen Trees.

In The Sims 2: Pets, pets also have the gray gravestone/urn, but the owner(s) of the pet will get a special memory.

The Sims 3

In The Sims 3, the plaque on the gravestone shows how the Sim died:

• Lightning Bolt: Electrocution
• Hand sticking out of a pool: Drowning
• Flame: Fire
• Hourglass: Old Age
• Fork and Knife making an "X": Starvation
• Sphinx: Mummy curse

There are at least 3 different types of graves in the graveyard that comes with the game, a flat plaque like one, a tall obelisk type and another similar to those in The Sims 2. A Sim can obtain these different gravestones by:

Small Plaque

dying without completing lifetime wish;

Medium Grave

dying after completing lifetime wish and/or after earning 50,000 - 150,000 lifetime happiness points;

Large Tombstone

dying after completing Lifetime wish and/or after earning 150,000 or more Lifetime Happiness points.

The player has the option of whether to keep the grave on the Sim's home lot or to put it into a Cemetery.