The Sims 3 is a real-time simulation game where the player controls the lives of one or more people in a family, including their work life and social activities. At the start of the game, the player creates one or more characters on the character creation screen, which has been expanded since The Sims 2 . The player also chooses five personality traits from a set of 63, sorted into four groups, as well as a lifetime-goal. These traits influence how the Sim reacts to each event in the game.
The lifetime goal is similar to wishes but requires more work to achieve. While granting wishes can be simple, one lifetime goal requires the player to make their Sim a CEO of a big corporation, which cannot be done overnight. Fulfilling a lifetime goal grants the player a large amount of lifetime points, which are used to buy forms of relief, such as making the Sim immune to hunger.
In The Sims 3 , the game simulates a full city where the player's Sim is free to move around and do what they want, including working and socializing. The Sim can also visit places like bookstores, hospitals, and workplaces without being able to see inside. However, the player can influence how their Sim interacts with others at work, which affects happiness and job performance.
With the money a Sim starts with and earns during the game, they can buy pre-created lots or build their own house from scratch. This time around, players can place objects in 45° angles.
The console versions of The Sims 3 introduce karma powers, where players receive godlike powers to influence the life of their sims for better or worse.