The Sims
The Sims is a 2000 social simulation video game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Designed by Will Wright, the game allows players to create and control virtual people called Sims, build and furnish homes, and manage the Sims' needs, relationships, careers, and household finances. Its open-ended gameplay has no fixed win condition.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA, read 5 September 2026.
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- Released
- 2000
- Developer
- Maxis
- Platforms
- 5 systems
- Critics
- Not scored
- Steam Deck
- Unknown
- Download
- Not stated
The record
| First released | 4 February 2000 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Maxis |
| Publisher | Findev, Aspyr, Electronic Arts |
| Platforms | Nintendo GameCube, PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Steam Deck |
| Genres | Simulation |
Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q184816, seeded 30 August 2026.
How long is The Sims? How long to beat it
Total play time for The Sims is about 79.7 hours to do everything, and around 24.9 hours to reach the end of the main story. These are player-submitted times from HowLongToBeat, not our own, shown with the number of players behind each.
| How you play | Hours | Players logged |
|---|---|---|
| Just the main story: straight through the critical path | 24.9h | 34 |
| Main + the extras: story plus the side content most people do | 42.5h | 23 |
| Completionist: everything: 100% the game | 79.7h | 11 |
Source: HowLongToBeat community submissions, read 2026-10-19.
Where The Sims sits on the grid
The grid places every game in the catalogue on measured axes rather than on an opinion. This is where The Sims lands on each map it has the data for, with the share of the catalogue it beats on each axis.
- Year
- 59ahead of 13% of the catalogue
- Reach
- 78ahead of 99% of the catalogue
Percentiles are against the games that carry a reading on that axis, not the whole catalogue: counting a game with no figure as a zero would flatter everything that has one. How the grid works.
What readers say about The Sims
Reviews written by people who have played it. These are separate from the GamingPickz Score and are never averaged into it: that score comes from thousands of Steam reviews with a sample-size correction, and a handful of unverified ratings would distort it rather than improve it.
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Where The Sims appears
The ranked lists and finder pages The Sims qualifies for, from its own genre and platform to what it takes to run.
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Part of the The Sims series
The Sims is one of 4 The Sims games we track. See the whole series ranked by the GamingPickz Score, plotted on the grid, and listed in release order:
The Sims head to head
See The Sims compared side by side, on score, price, specs and more:
Common questions about The Sims
What platforms is The Sims on?
The Sims is available on Nintendo GameCube, PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Steam Deck. It first released in 2000.
Who made The Sims?
The Sims was developed by Maxis and published by Findev, Aspyr, Electronic Arts.
How long does it take to beat The Sims?
about 24.9 hours for the main story, 42.5 hours with the main extras, 79.7 hours to complete everything, from HowLongToBeat's player-submitted times. These are community medians, so your own run may be shorter or longer.