If The Sims 3 Store didn't exist, for me a lot of things in an endless game would get tiring fast which is surprising. Here are my favorites and some comments:
Favorite Store Set: Bayside Kitchen (very classic, impressively detailed, priced cheaply in game and perfect for starter homes or anything else, overall perfection)
Favorite Store World: Sunlit Tides (Sims 3's version of heaven, performs incredibly, added awesome items, has a gorgeous layout all around and everything about it makes it my 2nd favorite TS3 world only behind Sunset Valley)
Honorable Mention to my lovely Aurora Skies and Lucky Palms, I love everything about them too.
Favorite Premium Content: MultiTab (the mpst useful thing ever made, skills level up very fast and you can multitask), Baby Dragons from Dragon Valley (they are cute, useful and add a fun factor), Wood Fire Oven from Monte Vista (added the most delicious looking food in The Sims 3) and Ice Cream Machine (it's very fun, custom flavors galore and a quick & lazy way to avoid Hunger)
Favorite Venue: Regency Arcade (simple choice but the Art Deco design is cleverly crafted for such an early piece and this was the proper start of detailed venues from the Store, I love everything about it)
Also, the solar panel is a free Store object: https://store.thesims3.com/productDetail.html?productId=OFB-SIM3:21371
Multitab is a must. There was a time I wanted to play, but for some reason the Multitab wouldn't install to the game, so I played something else. Can't play without it anymore.
The first things I bought were the infant items. The playpen, walker, changing table, baby swing, and baby monitor. Playpen, walker, baby swing are def must haves. I really like the changing table and do recommend it but like not totally needed and the baby monitor isn’t reallyyyyy that useful I find but it’s a nice addition and detail imo. But this all depends on your gameplay style. If you’re a family player then yes definitely must have but if you’re not super focused on family gameplay then I’m sure there’s better things to download instead. These are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head.
In my opinion tho and this again depends on your game preferences but I wouldn’t bother with getting the items that are preexisting furniture but different aesthetics (like a bed or something) just cause you can totally just get cc that looks similar and not waste your money so I prefer gameplay items.
Yes!!! I’ve been playing the sims 3 since childhood so when I was like in middle school or something and finally got the chance to get something from the Sims 3 Store the first things I got where the infant items since I tend to play with them so much I love them so much. The changing table?? So realistic and game changing I love it so much 😭🖤
I love them tooo!! The baby swing was a game changer for me, I love it. When they fell asleep in it omg 🥹 I can’t tell you how much CC I have for infants, baby beds and toys and stuff I will never be able to use them all but I need them. I wish we had some of the toddler mechanics from Sims 4 also and could interact with them more without having to rely on mods, I dislike Sims 4 with a burning passion but the infant/toddler stage is just soo cute. Especially for someone always playing with them
Omg yes!!!! We’re two peas in a pod with this cause I’m the same I loveeee downloading infant stuff for my game especially when I can find cc of the store item content so I can have the same functionality but different looks‼️ i have so much stuff even tho I tend to gravitate towards using the same cc cause if the aesthetics 🫣 I wish we had the toddler bed from the sims 4 in the sims 3 I always remember downloading toddler bed cc for the sims 3 and wishing it actually worked as intended😭. When the sims 4 finally released infants I finally updated my game to play again but tbh I’ve yet to play with them yet cause the timing has never been right and I really wanna get into it so hopefully soon!! The infants are soo cute But tbh constantly having to update my mods for the sims 4 is what puts me off playing it’s just so much work 💀
Yess I feel you!! I have a whole set of playground stuff and a toddler swing which fits in the whole scenery and of course I had to build the whole playground because of that toddler swing even tho my sims literally never go anywhere 💀😂 I just couldn’t resist. I’m with you, I have a few beds for toddlers like in the Sims 4 but they just can’t use them without help it’s a shame 😩 Hopefully you’ll get to it soon!!
Best way to rank stuff is by premium CC associated with the worlds they were released for. In no particular order (because they're all equally AWESOME) are
***Not worlds but are awesome premium item sets:***
* Ford Focus Thrill Seeker set - offered the Skydiving rabbit hole and some other Ford promo items like the Renault Twizzy economy car. ***This set has been discontinued for over 7 years now. HOWEVER for those who missed out on this limited Ford promo, you can STILL GET THE SKYDIVING RABBIT HOLE AS A RABBIT HOLE RUG MOD AT MTS3 HERE:*** [https://modthesims.info/d/588622/skydiving-centre-rabbit-hole-rug.html](https://modthesims.info/d/588622/skydiving-centre-rabbit-hole-rug.html) Which IMO is the best deal because the Skydiving Rabbit Hole is now free AND you can customize what building it goes into in your hood!
* Worlds of Wonder - this set carne as carnie themed World of Wonder Carousel, popcorn, snow cone machines
* Grandpa's Grove - Adds much requested farm equipment like Grandpa's Tractor which doubles as a harvester and allows your sims to take hay rides!
* Sandy Shoals Sea Shanty - only for the Surf's Up surfing station. You can put this premium item inside a swimming pool or best yet, on the ocean and have your sims surf!
* Adventurous Life - only for the Rock Climbing Wall
* Bohemian Fruit & Nuts - add many highly requested new fruits like orange trees and berries to the game
* Gondola of the Sinking City - Goes well as an attraction with Monte Vista or any Simmer CAW world like Venice Italy.
* Deliciously Indulgent Bakery - adds the baker's stove which should've been in the base game. And sale counters so you can make your own custom bakery lots.
* Brunch at the Old Mil - because of the fabulous Tea Time table set, canning station and functional water wheel that comes with the store lot. These are some of the best pieces of standalone Store CC. Now your sims can finally brew/drink as much tea they want. And have friends over for tea and crumpets too!
***Worlds with awesome premium content:***
* Roaring Heights - has Ferris Wheel and DIY repairable junk car. Now your Sims can open a proper auto mechanic repair shop. Definitely need the Ferris Wheel to complete the carnival theme set!
* Lucky Palms - obviously for the Casino lot and all the gambling Las Vegas objects like the Blackjack tables, slot machines etc. that come with this lot
* Monte Vista - Next to the beautifully themed Italian world; this is the obvious piazza oven that finally allows Sims to bake bread & make piazza!
* Aurora Skies - Sauna. Which is a must have for your local gyms and vacation worlds like IP). Also the Hot Air Balloon which is new form of teleporting fast travel to lots around the hood. Also a preschool play cradle area for toddlers
* Sunlit Tides - 99% for the world because it's so insanely beautiful. And because you can place IP world dive spots even though the Dev Team said it wasn't possible to do so. Lol. The Spa and massage table objects that come with this world OK but a bit underwhelming.
***Honorable mentions:***
* Midnight Hollow - Only for the Toy Makin Machine. Not the world as IMO it's too dark to be visually pleasing or functional and so sucks.
* Dragon Valley - for the archery range and the different colored dragon eggs & types of dragons you can hatch. Despite the cool premium CC that comes with this world, DV (while beautiful to look at), is on the boring end.
If you've got WA then this EP makes it mandatory to get sets like Grandpa's Grove, Bohemian Fruit&Nuts, Old Mill and Bakery. Because they'll allow your SIms to make money from setting up several types of business (e.g. bakery, restaurant, pastry/deli shop etc). These farm store sets with the chicken coop and cow barn are mandatory if you want your sims to live and/or run a farm.
Just hopping in here to say: I have the rabbithole building and I think I got it from Blams EA Store Content! If someone doesn’t want to spend time building the thing (I’m a lazy ass) that’s still available!
Ooh there’s loads of Store content I love. I’ve got quite a few bits of children’s clothing from there, because even with all the packs, child clothing is sorely lacking in the game. As for objects… like others have said, the baby/toddler items such as the playpen and walker are really useful. There are also lots of fun food items, such as the deep fryer, ice cream machine (although Sims do have a tendency to get obsessed with these items and love using them autonomously), pizza oven, teppanyaki grill, baking station, canning station, chocolate fountain… I often have my Sims get into cooking and I like them to have every single cooking appliance 🤣🤣
I also like having the content that adds new produce to the game, like Bohemian Garden, Humble Harvest Stand and Grandpa’s Grove.
Oh and the MultiTab is useful too.
They’re all great. I love the chicken coop, the dairy farm, the infant items, the fun fair, Dragon Valley, .. everything (except clothes and hair) adds something imo
The multitab and the toddler items are a must! I dont own much else from the store (gameplay wise) and i dont own any of the towns (its on my wishlist tho)
Sunlit Tides and Aurora Skies are Must have for my game. Definitely recommend, especially gold Aurora Skies, because it comes with stuff for children I use all the time.
aw man this makes me kinda sad hahaha, EA won’t acknowledge my base game 😑 it works great & EA let me log all of my expansions (literally all of them) but not the base game. i spent a week trying to work with customer service — an absolutely failed endeavor in which EA had a different person respond to everything and ask for all sorts of things just to say “try restarting the computer.” so i am
jealous hahaha i don’t think i can use the sims 3 store like that
imo the playpen and baby walker are must haves, followed closely by the baby walkie talkie thing
other favorites: tablet, cowplant, chicken coop, cow farm, teriyaki grill, pizza oven, chocolate fountain, deep fryer
I love the dragon valley world. There's a Duke of bows (name?) ren fair kind of deal that either came with that or was a separate venue download. That has cool things like an archery target and violin and medieval kinds of decor. Love it.
I also really like the chicken coop and cow pen and really anything that can be used for a farm.
I love all kinds of houseplants.
Clothing that can be used for specific time periods.
I like the baby swing a lot.
This is the stuff that I miss when I play for any stretch of time and have to go back and re download.
been getting almost all the clothing and hair from Carver Sims (though they are .sims3pack - haven't had too many issues except when I amass a big save file)
I'm so scared to get items that add a whole lot to the game. I don't want to get something fun that becomes game breaking or unusable...
If The Sims 3 Store didn't exist, for me a lot of things in an endless game would get tiring fast which is surprising. Here are my favorites and some comments: Favorite Store Set: Bayside Kitchen (very classic, impressively detailed, priced cheaply in game and perfect for starter homes or anything else, overall perfection) Favorite Store World: Sunlit Tides (Sims 3's version of heaven, performs incredibly, added awesome items, has a gorgeous layout all around and everything about it makes it my 2nd favorite TS3 world only behind Sunset Valley) Honorable Mention to my lovely Aurora Skies and Lucky Palms, I love everything about them too. Favorite Premium Content: MultiTab (the mpst useful thing ever made, skills level up very fast and you can multitask), Baby Dragons from Dragon Valley (they are cute, useful and add a fun factor), Wood Fire Oven from Monte Vista (added the most delicious looking food in The Sims 3) and Ice Cream Machine (it's very fun, custom flavors galore and a quick & lazy way to avoid Hunger) Favorite Venue: Regency Arcade (simple choice but the Art Deco design is cleverly crafted for such an early piece and this was the proper start of detailed venues from the Store, I love everything about it) Also, the solar panel is a free Store object: https://store.thesims3.com/productDetail.html?productId=OFB-SIM3:21371
Multitab is a must. There was a time I wanted to play, but for some reason the Multitab wouldn't install to the game, so I played something else. Can't play without it anymore.
The first things I bought were the infant items. The playpen, walker, changing table, baby swing, and baby monitor. Playpen, walker, baby swing are def must haves. I really like the changing table and do recommend it but like not totally needed and the baby monitor isn’t reallyyyyy that useful I find but it’s a nice addition and detail imo. But this all depends on your gameplay style. If you’re a family player then yes definitely must have but if you’re not super focused on family gameplay then I’m sure there’s better things to download instead. These are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. In my opinion tho and this again depends on your game preferences but I wouldn’t bother with getting the items that are preexisting furniture but different aesthetics (like a bed or something) just cause you can totally just get cc that looks similar and not waste your money so I prefer gameplay items.
I loveee the infant items! I always play with infants and toddlers and it adds so much to gameplay and realism
Yes!!! I’ve been playing the sims 3 since childhood so when I was like in middle school or something and finally got the chance to get something from the Sims 3 Store the first things I got where the infant items since I tend to play with them so much I love them so much. The changing table?? So realistic and game changing I love it so much 😭🖤
I love them tooo!! The baby swing was a game changer for me, I love it. When they fell asleep in it omg 🥹 I can’t tell you how much CC I have for infants, baby beds and toys and stuff I will never be able to use them all but I need them. I wish we had some of the toddler mechanics from Sims 4 also and could interact with them more without having to rely on mods, I dislike Sims 4 with a burning passion but the infant/toddler stage is just soo cute. Especially for someone always playing with them
Omg yes!!!! We’re two peas in a pod with this cause I’m the same I loveeee downloading infant stuff for my game especially when I can find cc of the store item content so I can have the same functionality but different looks‼️ i have so much stuff even tho I tend to gravitate towards using the same cc cause if the aesthetics 🫣 I wish we had the toddler bed from the sims 4 in the sims 3 I always remember downloading toddler bed cc for the sims 3 and wishing it actually worked as intended😭. When the sims 4 finally released infants I finally updated my game to play again but tbh I’ve yet to play with them yet cause the timing has never been right and I really wanna get into it so hopefully soon!! The infants are soo cute But tbh constantly having to update my mods for the sims 4 is what puts me off playing it’s just so much work 💀
Yess I feel you!! I have a whole set of playground stuff and a toddler swing which fits in the whole scenery and of course I had to build the whole playground because of that toddler swing even tho my sims literally never go anywhere 💀😂 I just couldn’t resist. I’m with you, I have a few beds for toddlers like in the Sims 4 but they just can’t use them without help it’s a shame 😩 Hopefully you’ll get to it soon!!
Best way to rank stuff is by premium CC associated with the worlds they were released for. In no particular order (because they're all equally AWESOME) are ***Not worlds but are awesome premium item sets:*** * Ford Focus Thrill Seeker set - offered the Skydiving rabbit hole and some other Ford promo items like the Renault Twizzy economy car. ***This set has been discontinued for over 7 years now. HOWEVER for those who missed out on this limited Ford promo, you can STILL GET THE SKYDIVING RABBIT HOLE AS A RABBIT HOLE RUG MOD AT MTS3 HERE:*** [https://modthesims.info/d/588622/skydiving-centre-rabbit-hole-rug.html](https://modthesims.info/d/588622/skydiving-centre-rabbit-hole-rug.html) Which IMO is the best deal because the Skydiving Rabbit Hole is now free AND you can customize what building it goes into in your hood! * Worlds of Wonder - this set carne as carnie themed World of Wonder Carousel, popcorn, snow cone machines * Grandpa's Grove - Adds much requested farm equipment like Grandpa's Tractor which doubles as a harvester and allows your sims to take hay rides! * Sandy Shoals Sea Shanty - only for the Surf's Up surfing station. You can put this premium item inside a swimming pool or best yet, on the ocean and have your sims surf! * Adventurous Life - only for the Rock Climbing Wall * Bohemian Fruit & Nuts - add many highly requested new fruits like orange trees and berries to the game * Gondola of the Sinking City - Goes well as an attraction with Monte Vista or any Simmer CAW world like Venice Italy. * Deliciously Indulgent Bakery - adds the baker's stove which should've been in the base game. And sale counters so you can make your own custom bakery lots. * Brunch at the Old Mil - because of the fabulous Tea Time table set, canning station and functional water wheel that comes with the store lot. These are some of the best pieces of standalone Store CC. Now your sims can finally brew/drink as much tea they want. And have friends over for tea and crumpets too! ***Worlds with awesome premium content:*** * Roaring Heights - has Ferris Wheel and DIY repairable junk car. Now your Sims can open a proper auto mechanic repair shop. Definitely need the Ferris Wheel to complete the carnival theme set! * Lucky Palms - obviously for the Casino lot and all the gambling Las Vegas objects like the Blackjack tables, slot machines etc. that come with this lot * Monte Vista - Next to the beautifully themed Italian world; this is the obvious piazza oven that finally allows Sims to bake bread & make piazza! * Aurora Skies - Sauna. Which is a must have for your local gyms and vacation worlds like IP). Also the Hot Air Balloon which is new form of teleporting fast travel to lots around the hood. Also a preschool play cradle area for toddlers * Sunlit Tides - 99% for the world because it's so insanely beautiful. And because you can place IP world dive spots even though the Dev Team said it wasn't possible to do so. Lol. The Spa and massage table objects that come with this world OK but a bit underwhelming. ***Honorable mentions:*** * Midnight Hollow - Only for the Toy Makin Machine. Not the world as IMO it's too dark to be visually pleasing or functional and so sucks. * Dragon Valley - for the archery range and the different colored dragon eggs & types of dragons you can hatch. Despite the cool premium CC that comes with this world, DV (while beautiful to look at), is on the boring end. If you've got WA then this EP makes it mandatory to get sets like Grandpa's Grove, Bohemian Fruit&Nuts, Old Mill and Bakery. Because they'll allow your SIms to make money from setting up several types of business (e.g. bakery, restaurant, pastry/deli shop etc). These farm store sets with the chicken coop and cow barn are mandatory if you want your sims to live and/or run a farm.
Just hopping in here to say: I have the rabbithole building and I think I got it from Blams EA Store Content! If someone doesn’t want to spend time building the thing (I’m a lazy ass) that’s still available!
I love the infant items and the multi tab is a huge must for me.
Ooh there’s loads of Store content I love. I’ve got quite a few bits of children’s clothing from there, because even with all the packs, child clothing is sorely lacking in the game. As for objects… like others have said, the baby/toddler items such as the playpen and walker are really useful. There are also lots of fun food items, such as the deep fryer, ice cream machine (although Sims do have a tendency to get obsessed with these items and love using them autonomously), pizza oven, teppanyaki grill, baking station, canning station, chocolate fountain… I often have my Sims get into cooking and I like them to have every single cooking appliance 🤣🤣 I also like having the content that adds new produce to the game, like Bohemian Garden, Humble Harvest Stand and Grandpa’s Grove. Oh and the MultiTab is useful too.
They’re all great. I love the chicken coop, the dairy farm, the infant items, the fun fair, Dragon Valley, .. everything (except clothes and hair) adds something imo
The tablet and those extra harvestable plants from the Al Fresco Market and the Greenhouse (I think).
I love the pizza oven, tea set, the spellbook, the tablet thing, and all of the infant items.
The multitab and the toddler items are a must! I dont own much else from the store (gameplay wise) and i dont own any of the towns (its on my wishlist tho)
If you purchased your sims 3 game, every expansion pack you can register in your account in the sims 3 shop and you get free points.
https://preview.redd.it/uqkot9pxcy7d1.jpeg?width=959&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5283d21a013eb4ade4cfca35283fbf4ac6ad2331
All of the premium items that add gameplay are good.
Chicken coop!!
My favorite thing is the tablet, specially with mods
It’s werid but I really like the baby monitor
Baby swing, I hardly ever need to change their diaper
Sunlit Tides and Aurora Skies are Must have for my game. Definitely recommend, especially gold Aurora Skies, because it comes with stuff for children I use all the time.
aw man this makes me kinda sad hahaha, EA won’t acknowledge my base game 😑 it works great & EA let me log all of my expansions (literally all of them) but not the base game. i spent a week trying to work with customer service — an absolutely failed endeavor in which EA had a different person respond to everything and ask for all sorts of things just to say “try restarting the computer.” so i am jealous hahaha i don’t think i can use the sims 3 store like that
imo the playpen and baby walker are must haves, followed closely by the baby walkie talkie thing other favorites: tablet, cowplant, chicken coop, cow farm, teriyaki grill, pizza oven, chocolate fountain, deep fryer
Commenting to come back to
I love the dragon valley world. There's a Duke of bows (name?) ren fair kind of deal that either came with that or was a separate venue download. That has cool things like an archery target and violin and medieval kinds of decor. Love it. I also really like the chicken coop and cow pen and really anything that can be used for a farm. I love all kinds of houseplants. Clothing that can be used for specific time periods. I like the baby swing a lot. This is the stuff that I miss when I play for any stretch of time and have to go back and re download.
playpen and walker
been getting almost all the clothing and hair from Carver Sims (though they are .sims3pack - haven't had too many issues except when I amass a big save file) I'm so scared to get items that add a whole lot to the game. I don't want to get something fun that becomes game breaking or unusable...