Common Sense Media Review
By Mark Raby
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Freemium sim both enjoyable and playable without spending.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
The Sims FreePlay
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 33 parent reviews
Based on 90 kid reviews
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's It About?
Players choose from a relatively narrow list of personalities to create their Sim, then launch into a series of well-guided goals to earn simoleons, life and experience points, and increase the value of their town. Sims have six basic needs: hunger, bladder, energy, hygiene, social, and fun. To develop "highly inspired" sims, players must meet these needs. The app gives players free simoleons to buy basic things (toilets), but there are numerous opportunities to buy more with real money.
Is It Any Good?
THE SIMS FREEPLAY is a great transition of the ever-popular Sims franchise to the portable world of mobile devices. It is a "freemium" app, which usually means players need to pour in a lot of real money after they've become hooked, but this game actually provides a vast, expansive experience for players without needing to spend a single penny. Although it is only a fraction of the size of its high-end PC game counterparts, this app manages to capture the same level of endless features and options for which the series has become so renowned. The touch-screen control takes a bit of getting used to and the responsiveness is not always perfect, but as far as apps that players can really sink their teeth into, this one ranks at just about the very top.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Help your kids research basic human needs. How does our environment change what we need to survive? What do we need to live in the desert? The Arctic? On the moon?
If your kids enjoy creating sim cities, introduce them to the fields of architecture or civic planning.
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android , Kindle Fire
- Subjects : Math : money
- Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : analyzing evidence , applying information , decision-making , Responsibility & Ethics : fiscal responsibility , making wise decisions , respect for others , Communication : friendship building , Emotional Development : identifying emotions
- Pricing structure : Free
- Release date : October 20, 2012
- Genre : Simulation Games
- Publisher : Electronic Arts
- Version : 3.1.0
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 4.1 or later; Android 2.0 and up
- Last updated : June 23, 2025
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