Europa Universalis IV vs The Sims 3
Europa Universalis IV is a sandbox simulation game from Development Studio (2013) while The Sims 3 is an RPG sandbox game from Maxis (2009).
Quick answer: Europa Universalis IV rates higher, 8.0 to 7.9 on the GamingPickz Score, and The Sims 3 is the cheaper at $19.99.
What each one is
Europa Universalis IV is filed under Sandbox and Simulation. In contrast, The Sims 3 under RPG and Sandbox.
Rule your land and dominate the world with unparalleled freedom, depth and historical accuracy. Write a new history of the world and build an empire for the ages.
The Sims 3: Create the perfect world with full customization at your fingertips. Refine personalities and help fulfill destinies.
Story, characters and reception
Reception
Reception Europa Universalis IV was met with very favourable reviews, receiving a score of 87/100 on aggregate website Metacritic . Critics praised the improvements from Europa Universalis III , especially the new mechanisms and graphics. T. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reviews Reception Response from critics and gamers alike were generally favorable, with Metacritic calculating a score of 86/100 based on 75 reviews. PC Gamer awarded The Sims 3 a 92% and an Editor's Choice badge, calling it "The best Sims game yet". IGN awarded the PC version of The Sims 3 an 8. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Europa Universalis IV | The Sims 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.0/10 | 7.9/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (88%, 137,275) | Very Positive (86%, 34,337) |
| Critic aggregate | 87/100 | 86/100 |
| Price | $49.99 | $19.99 |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | unsupported | unsupported |
| Released | 2013 | 2009 |
| Developer | Development Studio | Maxis |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Europa Universalis IV vs The Sims 3, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Europa Universalis IVSandbox simulation gameThe Sims 3RPG sandbox gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Europa Universalis IVGrand Strategy, Strategy, HistoricalThe Sims 3Life Sim, Simulation, Character CustomizationThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Europa Universalis IV ✓Score 8.0 · 88% on Steam · 87 criticThe Sims 3Score 7.9 · 86% on Steam · 86 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Europa Universalis IV137,275 reviews · 33 add-onsThe Sims 334,337 reviews · 19 add-onsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Europa Universalis IV$49.99The Sims 3 ✓$19.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Europa Universalis IVUnsupportedThe Sims 3UnsupportedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 1 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueEuropa Universalis IV and The Sims 3 on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Mobile
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The cheaper right now: The Sims 3 ($19.99)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Europa Universalis IV (137,275 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
StrategySimulationReplay ValueSandboxModdableSingleplayerMultiplayer
Where they differ
Grand StrategyHistorical4XAlternate HistoryMilitaryWargame
Life SimCharacter CustomizationBuildingCasualFunnyRomance
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Europa Universalis IV is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. The Sims 3 is relaxed, easy to pick up.
System requirements, side by side
| Europa Universalis IV | The Sims 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | Nvidia® GeForce™ GTX 460 / AMD® Radeon™ HD 5850 | 128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0 |
| Minimum CPU | Intel® Core™ i3-2105 / AMD® FX 4300 | (XP) 2.0 GHz P4 processor |
| Minimum RAM | 4 GB | — |
| Install size | — | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Europa Universalis IV · The Sims 3.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Europa Universalis IV and 0 for The Sims 3. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Europa Universalis IV and The Sims 3 in scope?
Europa Universalis IV has drawn 137,275 Steam reviews and ships 33 add-ons. The Sims 3 has drawn 34,337 Steam reviews and ships 19 add-ons.
Is Europa Universalis IV or The Sims 3 better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Europa Universalis IV rates higher (8.0 to 7.9). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Europa Universalis IV or The Sims 3?
The Sims 3 is cheaper right now at $19.99, against $49.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Europa Universalis IV or The Sims 3?
Europa Universalis IV rates higher, 8.0 to 7.9 on the GamingPickz Score, and The Sims 3 is the cheaper at $19.99. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.