Sims 3It's over ten years old now, but it's still very prolific in the Sims community. There are semi-regular Steam sales that price the entire series (ie every DLC) at a discount, and there's also a strong community of Sims 3 gamers, content creators, and avid gamers who keep the game alive.
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However, The Sims 3 is not without its flaws. Admittedly, the graphics are a bit dated in places and there are a lot of lags and stutters. This is where mods come in: while some mods add completely new elements to the game, others build on existing features to make them more complete, fun, and better. From standard swaps to new gameplay and interactions, here are the must-have mods for The Sims 3.
Updated by Jacqueline Zalace on March 14, 2023:Although The Sims 3 is not the latest Sims game, it is still very popular. That's why we've added more fashion entries to the list. Additionally, you can now find links that will take you to each mod.
How to download mods in The Sims 3
Before you can actually install the mods, there is some preparation to be done. First you have to use the program calledFrameworkSetup.zip-fil.Download this file and extract it to yourDocumentation > Electronic Arts > Sims 3folder on your computer (this path must be the same for Origin and Steam downloads). There will now be a new "Mods" folder in your Sims 3 folder with "cover"i"combined" folder. Your mods live in these folders.
You can now download mods - just be sure to read the instructions for the mods you download to make sure you put them in the right place.
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14 the ultimate career
The Zerbus Ultimate Careers mod makes the careers in The Sims 3 Rabbit Hole more similar to the active careers in The Sims 4 or The Sims 3: Ambition. When you assign a career or school to a relevant community space, your Sims can now interact with objects in that space while under your control. Certain objects increase or decrease your performance depending on the demands of your role, but other objectives, such as emotions and relationships, still apply.
Custom classes are also supported, and the mod can be configured to customize all of its settings to your liking. Rewards for work-related life aspirations are supported, but unfortunately, work-related options are not.
13 Like Like Like How to build and buy
The Sims 3 has a lot of items, and while there are many ways to search for items, it's inevitable that something will get lost in the shuffle. TizerisT's Like For Build and Buy Mode overrides Build and Buy Mode's "by feature" sort filter to group similar items together; all other classification systems remain unchanged.
The mod does not take costs into account when grouping objects; instead it groups items of a similar type (TizerisT uses beds as an example - single > bed > double > double with canopy > special bed - for the demo category). It also unlocks almost all debug items in the game, all properly categorized and sorted. There is one morehistorical version, which ignores electrical items, making it perfect for the medieval world.
12 Reset the attraction system
Fentonparkninja has tweaked the Sims 3 attraction system to be more detailed and comprehensive. Basically, the system is now more selective and you can customize what you want to contribute to the attraction system by choosing from a handful of "flavors" of mods.
There are variants covering zodiac signs, rewards, traits, emotions, plus a taste for variety and purity; Diversity combines all of the above when it comes to appeal, purity encourages Sims to be loyal to their friends even if your active Sims don't understand them. Purity and variety also come in simple variants that lower the bar a bit.
11 NRAAS Overwatch
Any NRAAS mod is undoubtedly a must-have for Sims 3 players, but Overwatch is a great place to start. Overwatch allows you to change many settings in the game, but the best feature is the daily cleanup. These cleanups reduce lag and stuttering, and fix broken game elements that might otherwise break over time. There are quite a few settings you can tweak, but some notable additions include stopping self-adopted pets,Automatically enable cheat test, turn off the stereo and TV and disable the full moon lighting - note that this only disables the lighting effects, not the zombies;You need a Returner.
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You can also do a full reset of your city if you've been playing in a save for a long time. This is basically the same as resetting the SIM card. If your game freezes for a second, don't panic - only the mod works! It will take a minute or two for everything to update, but then your storage will be clean and tidy.
10 NRAAS story development
NRAAS's story replaces the vanilla story system and adds a bunch of new story settings. It takes into account the Sims' traits to determine what they theoretically want to do or not want to do. But more importantly, it also breaks down story progression into categories, giving the player more control over how it works. Unlike the vanilla system, where story progression can only be fully turned on or off.
In this mode there are Lot, Household, Sim and even Caste level settings (Castes are groups of Sims that players can create and define so that certain settings can be assigned to certain groups). You can also turn story progression on or off for specific Sims, households, or parties. The mod also comes with a number of additional modules that make it fully customizable.
9 Zoom in on the CaS camera
Between sliders for individual body parts and color wheels for creating styles, The Sims 3 has some amazing customization options. But unfortunately, you can barely zoom in on your Sims' faces to use them.
Shimrod101's Zoom-In CaS Camera is exactly what it sounds like: it lets you zoom in on a simulated person's face so you can actually see the changes you're making. This mode is also great for taking a closer look at accessories, such as belts or jewelry. Plus, it's much easier to drag patterns or colors from one garment to another because you can scale them appropriately.
8 no (or less) automatic memory
Memories in The Sims 3A charming addition to the Generations Expansion Pack, they're nice to have in a lifelong scrapbook. However, most players agree that a trip to the park isn't necessarily worth mentioning in the scrapbook next to the wedding photos. Velocitygrass's No (or Fewer) Automatic Memories already does this, so your Sims can have no automatic memories at all, or they can have fewer automatic memories to focus on life milestones. There's also a downloadable customization tool that lets you control exactly which memories you want your Sims to automatically acquire.
You can only use one version of this mod in your game at a time, but you can easily switch files whenever you need a change.
7 CAS inspection
The Sims 3 is cursed with shiny clothing textures everywhere (even jeans look like they're coated in plastic). But carversims saves the Sims mod by default, replacing every item of clothing in the game — yes, every pack — and a bunch of clothing sets from The Sims 3 store. The content for each DLC is packaged individually, so it's easy to add and remove only the clothes you already you have a.
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If you're unsure about the graphics in The Sims 3, this is one of the best ways to make the game look better while still maintaining maximum connectivity.
6 Blue sky and solar lighting Mod
The Sims 3 world and environment already look beautiful, but sometimes the real-time lighting effects aren't as good as they should be. Blue Skies & Sunshine is one of many brntwaffles light mods that make the game brighter, clearer and with less weird shadows.
Both indoor and outdoor spaces look better, but Sims benefit the most as each Sim's unique features shine through better lighting. There are also several different water options so you can decide what kind of world you want your Sims to live in.
5 Moore Interactive
-Cropped.jpg "The Sims 3: 14 Basic Mods (11)")
Buzzler's Moar Interactions adds new interactions to The Sims 3 and tweaks some existing interactions to make them more detailed or complex. Most of these new interactions are social, but communities also add functionality. Sims can now try to buy ingredients at restaurants, participate in group shows and games, and work overtime or part-time in individual teams wherever jobs are offered.
Many of these actions are autonomous, which is great for gameplay - be careful when uninstalling this mod, though. Buzzler says to make sure no sims are doing those interactions when you save the game.
4 cancel vacation
Disconnecting from the real world can be a blessing. While going on vacation in The Sims 3 is nice, it can prevent you from achieving certain goals and earning Simoleons. This simple mod will solve all your problems! Now you can easily cancel your vacation directly from your phone. You can also adjust the number of days you want to cancel.
This is handy if you have a Simica that recently gave birth. While spending quality time with babies can be wonderful, it can start to drag on, especially if your Sims are close to aging again.
3 Sid ned
The Sims never seem to sit in one place for too long. You can stand and eat, or you can stand and talk at the table. Instead of living a standing life, download FloTheory's Just Sit mod. With this mod, your Sims can now sit for up to two hours without accidentally deciding to get up.
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Having the ability to take down Sims comes with a lot of responsibility. If you command a Sim to sit on the couch, he'll stay there no matter how he feels. Be sure to keep an eye on your Sitting Sims, you don't want them to starve to death on the couch.
2 clean user interface
The Sims 3 user interface is charming, but it may not suit all styles. With Justmiha's Clean UI mod, you can play games with minimal UI. This mod doesn't change the game, but it could make the actual look of the game a little smoother.
If you play knockoff nuclear games, this is a great mod to pick up. Now it matches your dream cabin instead of letting the stark blue interface throw you out of the game.
1 Additional fee upon request
Finally, we need to add an arbitrary batch size. In general, the lot size for The Sims 3 is quite large, especially compared to The Sims 4. In the last game in the series, the lot size is predetermined and cannot be changed. While this batch customization can be great, some places require specific batch sizes and you may not find them on the Sims 3 batches tab.
You can customize any batch size with this mod. This allows you to do a lot with your world. Now you can build a unique city full of buildings of different shapes!
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