The Sims is a social simulation designed by Will Wright, developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts for Windows on 4 February 2000. Players create Sims and guide their lives through careers and romance. In Japan it came out the same year as Sim People.
Seven expansion packs followed between 2000 and 2003, from Livin' Large to Makin' Magic, and console versions arrived on PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube in 2003. By September 2004 the game and its expansions had sold about 41 million copies, and according to Will Wright almost 60% of players were female.
On 31 January 2025 EA re-released the base game with all seven expansions as The Sims Legacy Collection for Windows 10 and 11.123
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | The Sims | Windows | Feb 4, 2000 | Electronic Arts | 1 |
| NA | The Sims | Mac | Jul 18, 2000 | Aspyr Media | 1 |
| NA | The SimsEurope 31 January 2003. | PlayStation 2 | Jan 14, 2003 | Electronic Arts | 1 |
| NA | The Sims | Linux | Mar 12, 2003 | TransGaming | 1 |
| NA | The SimsGameCube. | Other | Mar 25, 2003 | Electronic Arts | 1 |
| NA | The SimsSame day on GameCube; Europe 4 April 2003. | Xbox | Mar 25, 2003 | Electronic Arts | 1 |
| NA | The Sims Complete CollectionBase game with all seven expansions. | Windows | Nov 1, 2005 | Electronic Arts | 1 |
| EU | The Sims | Windows | Feb 11, 2000 | Electronic Arts | 1 |
| JP | シムピープルShimu PīpuruJapanese Wikipedia gives only the year. | Windows | 2000 | Electronic Arts | 3 |
| WW | The Sims Legacy CollectionWindows 10/11 via EA app, Epic Games Store and Steam; base game and all seven expansions. | Windows | Jan 31, 2025 | Electronic Arts | 1 |
Also known as: シムピープル JP3Sim People JP3ザ・シムズ JP3The Sims Legacy Collection WW1
Box art by region
NA The Sims
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: Wikipedia.
Version differences
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ContentConsoles (2003)
The PS2, Xbox and GameCube versions borrow some features from the later PC expansion packs.1
-
ContentLivin' Large / Livin' It Up
The first expansion is called Livin' Large in North America and Livin' It Up in Europe; Vacation became On Holiday in the UK, Ireland and some other countries.1
-
TextHouse Party (UK English)
A House Party message in the "Jungle Jumble" feature does not work when the game is set to UK English, so only North American players see it.4
Translations
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Spanish Official
Electronic Arts2025WindowsReleased
The Sims Legacy Collection on Steam lists Spanish (Spain) among its 17 languages, alongside French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish and others.2
-
Japanese Official
Electronic Arts2000WindowsReleased
The Japanese edition was titled Sim People (シムピープル), and the expansion packs got their own Japanese "data set" titles.3
Where to play legally today
-
Steam Purchase
The Sims Legacy Collection
Base game with all seven expansions, Windows 10/11
Checked: 2026-10-132store.steampowered.com
How to run it today
The simplest legal way to play today is The Sims Legacy Collection (2025) for Windows 10 and 11, sold on Steam, the EA app and the Epic Games Store; it includes all seven expansions.1
Reception
The Sims was the best-selling computer game in the US in 2000 and 2001 and had sold more than 6.3 million copies worldwide by 2002, overtaking Myst. It scored 92/100 on Metacritic, won Game of the Year at the 3rd Interactive Achievement Awards and entered the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2016.1
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
Spotted a mistake? Write to atlas@old-games.net.