The Sims 3 (PC Games, 2009)

Critical response was generally favorable, with Metacritic calculating a metascore of 86 based on 26 reviews.[58]

PC Gamer awarded The Sims 3 a 92% and an Editor's Choice badge, calling it "The best Sims game yet".[11][58]

IGN PC awarded The Sims 3 an 8.9/10, stating: "This is simply a better playing Sims experience, and once you experience the freedom to hit the town without hitting a load screen you’ll be hard-pressed to go back to any of the earlier games". The review also said the following: "Blowing up the size of the game was certainly a risk, but it was a sensible and overdue one, and kudos to EA for recognizing that the decade-old formula needed some growth. And while there’s still plenty of room for more innovation, we’ll settle for The Sims 3 for now. It delivers a solid foundation for what should be many more years of Sims sales dominance".[53] However, IGN's 8.9 ranking is slightly lower than previous base Sims games (The Sims received a 9.5 ranking, and The Sims 2 received a 9).[citation needed]

GameSpot awarded The Sims 3 a score of 9.0/10, the review praised the game: "The latest Sims game is also the greatest, striking a terrific balance between the fresh and the familiar".