Though many devoted Sims players argue over which installment in the series was the best, in terms of both gameplay and the expansion packs that came along with it, almost every player can agree that the game would not be complete without the addition of custom content and mods.
Mods are downloaded codes and items made for an established game which gives players the ability to perform actions previously unavailable to them within the game. Since the Sims 4 has been a bit of a let down to date, many players have been flocking back to previous installments. And in spirit with that disappointment fueled nostalgia, this writer has compiled a list outlining some of the best mods for the third installment in the Sims series.
Updated on the 27th of February, 2020 by Anastasia Maillot: Over the years, The Sims 4 has received a lot of criticism for not living up to its original hype. The game was a letdown in many ways after a title like The Sims 3 was released, which provided a ton of freedom and a massive open-world to explore.
At a time like this when The Sims 5 might just be in development and The Sims 4 has grown extremely stale, there's no better opportunity to go back to The Sims 3. That being said, even The Sims 3 has its flaws. Thankfully, the amazing modding community never lets down, which is why we've included five additional gameplay-changing mods.
15 Get More Traits
Traits are really what make or break a Sim. Since people are complex creatures in real life as well, it helps with immersion to ensure that Sims also have as many traits as possible, in order to turn them into actual complex beings.
This mod allows exactly for that. It also helps by assigning more traits automatically to Sims that aren't currently being played. My increasing the maximum amount of traits available for a Sim regardless of age, the player is able to create a more diverse world.
14 Live In A Dynamic World
One of the major issues in many Sims games and in particular in The Sims 3 and The Sims 4 is the lack of true autonomy that Sims have when they're not part of the active household. Sure, they'll still go about their daily lives, but unless they're actually being played nothing too major will happen.
For the sake of realism, the Story Progression mod allows for just that. This mod takes control of any of the inactive households around town and pushes them to complete certain realistic tasks, such as getting jobs. The settings can be customized for each player's needs as well.
13 Play With Realistic Attraction
Realism is one of the major concerns of any life simulation game, including The Sims 3. While the open-world and all the different interactions with it available definitely help with that, it still has a long way to go when it comes to making relationships feel robust and real.
The Retuned Attraction System mod changes the way attraction was implemented in The Sims 3, by making it much more realistic. It tweaks the scoring of each type of attraction that Sims feel towards one another, with some types of attraction increased while others have been decreased in importance.
12 Go Ham With Sliders
Every Simmer dreams of making just the Sim they want, but the game unfortunately imposes a lot of limitations. This is where the modding community usually steps in to pick up where EA is either reluctant or unable to continue going on.
The Master Controller mod allows for the player to fully customize any Sim in the neighborhood. It also increases the range of different sliders significantly, so there's no more restrictive caps in CAS mode when making the perfect Sim.
11 Keep An Eye On Everyone
The Sims 3 is truly a special installment in the franchise, due to the way its open-world neighborhoods work. People are constantly going about their lives, even if some added realism could definitely be used. Overall, however, the town really comes to life.
The Tagger mod allows the player to keep an eye on just about anyone and anything around town. This is super useful when trying to find specific Sims in a town, when they happen to not be at home.
10 Let Overwatch Cleanse The Game
Though the gameplay is much more expansive and entertaining in the third installment of the game, many beloved aspects (such as the open world concept) create a series of unfortunate lags that can, at times, make the game so frustrating that it feels unplayable.
Overwatch is a mod which cleans up players games while they are not actively playing. Between gaming sessions, this mod sweeps the game and turns off errant electrical objects, fixes glitching Sims that are fueling the lag, and cleans out any bugs that need taking care of. Once one installs this mod, they will be unable to play without it.
9 Revolutionize Create A Sim
One of the biggest flaws of The Sims 3 is the fact that the Sims are straight out of the uncanny valley and look like they are made of rubber. But have no fear, because mods are here. Countless mods have revolutionized the “Create a Sim” experience and have allowed players to create the most realistic Sims possible.
Face mask, eye mask, and skin mask mods allow players to remove the rubberized textures from their Sims. Custom hairstyles and clothing allow players to create more modern and realistic looking Sims. And there are even specified mods that increase the number of traits allowed per Sim for each age category in order to make a more well rounded Sim.
8 Expand The Culinary Experience
Something that has consistently frustrated Sims players has always been eating and food prep times. The amount of time it takes Sims in the third installment of the game to prepare and consume their food is borderline ridiculous, yet they never stay seated long enough for family dinners to be possible with larger families.
But out of frustration comes innovation as there are mods online that allow players to control meal prep and consumption times. Slowing down consumption times allows players to create wholesome family dinners whilst speeding them up allows Sims to grab a nice meal before heading off to work to prevent starving during their shift.
7 Exotic Pets
The Sims 3 Pets expansion pack was, without a doubt, the best version of the Pets expansion ever created for The Sims series. Horses, reptiles, and rodents galore (not to mention the traditional cats and dogs,) it’s no wonder that the limited Cats & Dogs pack was a disappointment (despite how utterly adorable the pets in Sims 4 are.)
But some players were unsatisfied with the plethora of animals available to them and decided to bring new creatures to the game. There are mods that allow players to bring Jungle and Savannah cats to the game. Lions, tigers, jaguars, oh my.
6 Advanced Careers
It is this writer's belief that The Sims 3 had the best version of careers out of the entire series. In the second installment, a wide social circle was required to advance to higher levels and the constant tasks required for promotions in the fourth installment is cumbersome to say the least (not to mention that The Sims 4 sold basic careers as an expensive game pack.)
However, some players felt limited by the countless careers available and created mods to bring new jobs to the game. Some of these modded careers include marine biology, fashion designer, psychologist, care aid, NHL player, and NFL superstar.
5 Create An Adult Orientated Game
The Sims, though played by gamers of all ages, was often given a Teen rating due to the “Woohoo” interaction as well as some buy mode objects such as the “bubble blower” that came with the university and city themed packs. Though the game plays as a semi-realistic life simulation, some of the grittier aspects of reality were removed from the game. But not all players like to keep things morally upright.
There are several mods which allow inter-age category relationships, illegal substances, violence, the removal of the censor bars, for multiple previously restricted age categories to be able to start a family, and even the combination of the “Try for Baby” and “Woohoo” interactions (which makes it so each and every Woohoo has the ability to result in children.)
4 Maximize The Computers Potential
Though skill building is quite straight forward in The Sims 3, some players found themselves not wanting to force their Sims to read several very expensive books in order to not burn the house down every time they cook Kraft Dinner.
There is a mod available which allows Sims to learn many skills directly from their home computer. Other computer related mods allow for expanded interactions with the device to make the lives of the Sims easier such as online shopping.
3 Combine Sims 3 & 4
Though not without its faults, The Sims 4 did bring some fun and exciting new things to the franchise that make previous installments feel incomplete when players venture back to them. Several mods have been created to combine the best elements of every installment into the third installment, in order to make the greatest game possible.
Some mods include the ability to fill apartments with other people and multiple apartments to choose from, the ability to travel inside stores and restaurants, and increased child specific interactions/ability to build skills (as child Sims can be exceptionally boring without the aid of the Generations pack.)
2 Fill Up Public Lots
Every single time a City living Sim heads to a nightclub it is impossible to tell whether or not it is a hotspot without the notification as they are always relatively empty. This can make certain goals such as hunting a Sim (for vampires) or finding a new beau incredibly difficult as there are never any NPC Sims around to choose from. But this shall be a problem no longer as there was a mod created specifically to fill public lots when one’s Sim is galavanting about town.
Gigs will have more attendance, fairs will be bustling with families, and no one will have to dance alone ever again.
1 Add More Social Interactions
One of the best things about The Sims 4 is the dialogue trees. There are just so many unique and interactive interactions that conversing Sims will never have to worry about boring each other or having to repeat an interaction. Conversely, the third installment in the Sims series contains rather bare and basic conversation topics and children barely have anything to say to one another.
Luckily, there are several mods which bring variety to one’s idle chatter. From expanding small talk to providing more provocative interactions, these mods allow Sims to maintain a more realistic conversation style.