The Sims is a series that has spanned decades, first released in 2000. The premise is simple - manage people living their life in a virtual world, from building their house, their career, and their every meal.

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There have been plenty of spin-off titles as well, including many different stories, time periods, and peculiar characters. This kind of humor is the charm of The Sims, and how it has never taken itself too seriously. Let’s take a look at all of the main Sims games and see how they compare.

Updated on March 17, 2023, by Sam Hallahan: There are plenty of Sims games out there, all varying in style, narrative, and just plain oddities. However, if you're wondering what the best Sims game is, or which one you think you're going to enjoy the most - or if you just want to learn more about them - then here they all are.

10 The Urbz: Sims In The City

How odd can The Sims get? Well, this must be pretty close. The Urbz is a spin-off that focuses on urban life, reputation, and street cred. The home console version of the game had will.i.am greet you and give you a bulldog, so there's that.

The handheld version of the game was vastly different, and in a way, much better. A top-down game where you work your way up in the city, from a tiny apartment and window cleaning, all the way up to penthouses and fancy vehicles. If you're after a strange game that is not quite The Sims while still being The Sims, then try The Urbz.

9 The Sims Online

An unexpected title, The Sims Online - known later as EA-Land - took the formula of the popular PC game and made it an MMO of sorts. A life simulation game all about socializing, but with real people. You may not have heard of it, and you can’t be blamed - the game lacked support and a following, and was not as big as other online options at the time.

This was about what you would expect from 2002, but for its time it was pretty impressive - even if there wasn’t much to do. A very different game from the original, but was a great way to appeal to new fans and introduced a fresh way of playing.

8 The Sims 2: Castaway

This spin-off title saw you take control of a Sim who was stranded on a desert island. Alongside other survivors, you'll be mingling, exploring, and building up this island life until rescue comes. Eventually, you may not even want rescue - after all, your coconut drink and natural shade are quite nice.

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From nothing but sand and a pile of leaves, you can build entire bamboo luxury housing for you and your new friends. It's a little ridiculous, but is an excellent way to take a breather from the usual city life and menial day-to-day tasks.

7 The Sims Medieval

Castles, dragons, and very questionable monarchs - The Sims Medieval takes place in a fantasy kingdom, and is arguably the biggest departure from the usual series. Rather than managing a single family, you manage the entire kingdom as it progresses - or falls.

You start by making the King or Queen, and complete tasks to build things up as you go. Soon after, you'll be creating all manner of characters, from blacksmiths to alchemists, and even Wizards. Watch your Kingdom prosper, or just feed Sims to the pit monster - it's your call.

6 The Sims 4

Potentially low on this list, sure, but The Sims 4 is far from its predecessors. Even though it may lack scale and ambition, and fell short of content at launch, it’s still an excellent game. The introduction of Sim moods made social life all the more interesting, though it took a while for more content to come.

With numerous expansions since, adding fully playable careers and even country life, The Sims 4 is an engrossing experience to dive into - as long as you're willing to buy the numerous DLC packs, and now smaller DLC kits - it is EA, after all.

5 MySims Series

With multiple varying entries under the name MySims, this series of games had all manner of adventures to explore. From kingdom-building to racing, and even secret agent thrillers, there was something for everyone - an unexpected variety series.

MySims was always directed at younger audiences - that said, the games are still fantastic experiences, and are worth considering if you're looking for Sims games suitable for your kids, or something that’s just a bit more simple and fun to play through.

4 The Sims Bustin’ Out

The second in the series that was released on consoles and not on PC, Bustin' Out added what The Sims usually lacked - a plot. You start the game living at home with your mother, and have to earn enough money to move out. While the game does look drastically different from handheld versions and home consoles, the overall experience is similar.

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Once you manage to move out, your character will continue to have aspirations to reach higher things in life - all the while meeting strange characters and learning new skills as you go. It was a refreshing take on the game, and brought the experience to more people than ever before.

3 The Sims 2

As a sequel to the successful original, The Sims 2 had many versions available to fans, across all platforms. Of course, on PC, you had a standard and incredible Sims experience with numerous expansions that added an immense amount of content to the game.

The console versions varied quite a bit. On PSP, you lived in a grove of peculiar characters. On Nintendo DS, you had to manage a hotel, plagued with strangers and aliens. These were also excellent experiences, and are worth a mention.

2 The Sims

Can you really beat the original? Well, it's number two on the list, so probably - but even so, The Sims is a brilliant game that broke new ground, paving the way for an entire series that continues to grow today.

From house building to living life, the original game captivated fans to no end - and many fans of the original are still playing the current entries today, eagerly waiting to see what expansions come next. The Sims was truly a wonderful idea to come out of 2000, and 20 years later it goes strong.

1 The Sims 3

You will likely have your own preferred Sims game, but the success and innovation of The Sims 3 is undeniable - just look at how many platforms the game came out on, albeit with differences and cutbacks depending on the device. Doing away with segmented areas and lots, in favor of a large map that was open to you, The Sims 3 felt like you were living in a city of people - a city that lived on even when you were just at home.

What was a fantastic game at release also then saw many expansions and additional content, making for an overall Sims title that has yet to be beaten in scale. Perhaps the future of the series will follow suit, but for now, The Sims 3 holds its place as the biggest and best game from the series so far.

NEXT: The Sims 4: All The Worlds, Ranked