I Have Strong Opinions About "Sims 3" Expansion Packs, So I Ranked Them From Worst To Best

From the packs that have you saying "dag dag" to the ones that make you say "sul sul"!

20. Katy Perry's Sweet Treats Pack

Electronic Arts

I honestly appreciate Katy for her love of The Sims franchise (and her iconic Simlish recording of "Last Friday Night"), but when reviewing the content in this pack, it kinda feels like it comes straight out of a Candyland nightmare.

19. Movie Stuff Pack

Electronic Arts

All is not glitz and glam in this pack. Despite giving us a ton of Create A Sim options along with build/buy content, the charm of this pack fades faster than old movie film. It's mostly unnecessary.

18. '70s, '80s, '90s Stuff Pack

Electronic Arts

While it's really fun to play around with colorful, retro content, there are not enough features to beat out other stuff packs on the list. Some items were great solo additions to every day Sim life, though!

17. Fast Lane Stuff Pack

Electronic Arts

The '50s rockabilly theme is an appreciated aesthetic choice, and cars and garages are features that I desperately miss in The Sims 4. Each vehicle demonstrates the developers' attention to detail. However, packs farther down on the list prove to be more of an asset to overall gameplay.

16. Diesel Stuff Pack

Electronic Arts

Diesel Stuff is very useful for those Simmers who like to focus on the young adult Sim. Many of the clothes and furniture are very stylish and add some flair to the existing offerings of Create A Sim and build/buy mode. However, there are still other packs that provide more features and content that place this one lower on the list.

15. World Adventures Expansion Pack

Electronic Arts

The first expansion pack released for The Sims 3, World Adventures offers three new areas to players that feature sprawling new locales and numerous quests for the amateur explorer. However for me it got a tad boring quickly, as most of the tasks were often repetitive. It got especially stale when I received a five star visa, which occurred after only a few visits.

14. Master Suite Stuff Pack

Electronic Arts

This pack is a great addition to any Simmer's collection in order to spruce up your bathrooms and give your bedrooms a much-needed needed refresh — though it didn't provide much more to than that.

13. Outdoor Living Stuff Pack

Electronic Arts

This is one of the best stuff packs out there for The Sims 3, as the furniture and decor allows for a beautiful outdoor oasis in your Sim's own backyard. Add a cozy fire pit, steamy hot tub, or the grilling station of your dreams.

12. Into the Future Expansion Pack

Electronic Arts

This was one of the more glitchy and laggy packs in my experience, but where Into the Future lacks in proper functioning it makes up for in uniqueness. Unfortunately, for me that uniqueness made it a pack used less often. One of the strongest and most innovative features, though, is that your present decisions in this pack affects your Sim's later generations. Hover cars, plumbots, and jetpacks also make it a must for any Sci-Fi lover. And I mean c'mon, you are traveling into the future —that's pretty awesome.

11. Town Life Stuff Pack

Electronic Arts

Once again, the open world concept of The Sims 3 is something I miss in the Sims 4, and Town Life offers endless opportunities to make the town your Sims live in the *exact* dream neighborhood you desire it to be. And this may be controversial, but I liked the introduction of washing machines!

10. Island Paradise Expansion Pack

Electronic Arts

While it's a great looking expansion pack, I often dealt with many glitches and lags that made it difficult to for me to play. And while mermaids were an interesting touch, they seemed more of a hassle than part of necessary gameplay. Though when not glitchy, the additions of scuba diving, houseboats, lifeguarding, and the hotel system made for many hours of new play! This pack also has a strong variety of build/buy and Create-A-Sim items.

9. Pets Expansion Pack

Electronic Arts

Pets expansions have always been extremely popular in the Sims franchise ever since Sims Unleashed. The farm aesthetic is a nice addition and the introduction of horses and horse racing are innovative ideas, but personally pets are only a compelling feature for so long — especially when your cats love to scratch up all the furniture in the house. The pets can become more chore than man's best friend at times. At least it's realistic in that sense!

8. High End Loft Stuff

Electronic Arts

A personal favorite in the Stuff Pack department, High End Loft offers sleek and modern furniture, technology, and decor that were used very often in my Sims' homes. If one had to choose a single stuff pack, this would be the one I'd suggest.

7. Showtime Expansion Pack

Electronic Arts

The introduction of Showtime added a wide variety of professions, traits, and lifetime ambitions for your inner star, as well as some nice villa-inspired homes and decor. However, this pack works best when paired with other expansions, such as Late Night, and thus is generally weak on its own. In addition, Simport bars a number of players from accessing features if you do not play with others. While there is much more to do in this pack than other expansions, it's down the list for this reason.

6. Supernatural Expansion Pack

Electronic Arts

I personally enjoy the magic and occult in the Sims franchise, and I feel that Sims 4 has strayed from that aspect of the games despite the release of Realm of Magic. While I do not always make fantasy-style Sims, I really enjoyed the attention to detail in clothing, hair, and furniture, and was able to incorporate them often in both magical and regular gameplay. The addition of new types of Sims into the third generation from fairy to witch were also a strong addition — save for the content zombie attacks, which hampered some of the fun.

5. Ambitions Expansion Pack

Electronic Arts

Offering a variety of new professions, thanks to this pack one can now participate first-hand in their Sims' jobs, rather than drop them off at a rabbit hole. These jobs satisfy all types of players, from the design lovers in the architecture and stylist professions, to the more quirky and adventurous Simmers with the firefighting, ghost-hunting, and private investigator professions. In my opinion this pack was really strong, though there were other expansion packs that offered more options for the Simmer to enjoy.

4. University Life Expansion Pack

Electronic Arts

This pack did what other sub-neighborhood packs couldn't: it offered social groups, a variety of majors that allowed you to advance your career quickly, many parties and social gathering opportunities. This pack was one of the best in the collection. Its Create-A-Sim and build/buy options were also some of the strongest for the young academics, jocks, and rebels among us.

3. Late Night Expansion Pack

Electronic Arts

This game provided some of the best Create-A-Sim and build/buy content around, as well as the best Sims neighborhood in Bridgeport. Late Night was one of the best additions to the franchise. When playing this, one felt fully immersed in city life with clubs, bars, and celebrities galore. The introduction of vampires also felt like an appropriate, fun twist rather than a kitschy add-on.

2. Seasons Expansion Pack

Electronic Arts

The implementation of a weather mechanic in The Sims 3 was more than enough to put this game at the top of my list. But what made this pack No. 2 on the list is the many other actives only seasons can provide: bobbing for apples, celebrating love on a spring day, or building a snowman during a snow day. This added a sense of realism to The Sims that few other packs could.

1. Generations Expansion Pack

Electronic Arts

The is the one to rule them all. This pack embodies all that The Sims should be. The plethora of content for Sims of all ages makes its replay value and usefulness probably the greatest among all packs. The addition of family trees and a reputation system adds the feel that the Simmer is creating well-rounded, fleshed-out stories for their Sims. It's the little things like bachelorette parties, elders with canes, and prom night that show how well thought-out every aspect of this pack truly was. No other compares.

So, what are your thoughts? Feel free to share your fave pack in the comments below!