The Sims is a 2000 social simulation video game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Designed by Will Wright, the game allows players to create and control virtual people called Sims, build and furnish homes, and manage the Sims' needs, relationships, careers, and household finances. Its open-ended gameplay has no fixed win condition.

Wright conceived the game after his work on the SimCity series. The project drew on architecture and design theory, including Christopher Alexander's A Pattern Language, and began as an architecture-oriented simulation before the development team shifted its focus toward the simulated people themselves. Seven expansion packs were released between 2000 and 2003.

The Sims received widespread critical acclaim and became a major commercial success. In 2002, Electronic Arts announced that it had surpassed Myst as the best-selling PC game at the time, with more than 6.3 million copies sold worldwide; by September 2004, combined sales of the game and its expansions had passed 41 million units. It won several Game of the Year awards and has been cited as one of the most influential video games of all time. It was followed by The Sims 2 (2004), The Sims 3 (2009), and The Sims 4 (2014). Electronic Arts re-released the game for modern Windows PCs in 2025 as The Sims: Legacy Collection.

The Sims is an artificial life game built around simulated characters who respond to needs, objects, and other Sims. Although Sims can act autonomously when free will is enabled, the player usually directs their actions, manages their household, and decides how they develop relationships, skills, careers, and homes. Because the game has no fixed win condition, it can be played indefinitely and has been described as more like a toy than a traditional game.

Sims are influenced by the player to interact with objects or other Sims. Sims may receive guests at their home lot, invited or not, from other playable lots, or from unhoused non-player character (NPC) Sims. If enabled in the game's options, Sims have a certain amount of free will, allowing them to autonomously interact with their world; however, the player can override most of these autonomous actions by canceling them in the action queue at the top of the screen. Unlike the simulated environments in games such as SimCity, SimEarth, or SimLife, Sims are not fully autonomous. They are unable to take certain actions without specific commands, such as paying bills, finding a job, exercising, and conceiving children. Sims communicate in a fictional language called Simlish, which is mostly composed of blowing raspberries and saying nonsense.

The player can make decisions about time spent in skill development, such as exercise, reading, creativity, and logic by adding activities to Sims' daily agenda. Daily needs such as hygiene and eating can and must also be scheduled. Although Sims can autonomously perform these actions, they may not prioritize them effectively and can suffer consequences for neglecting their own needs. In addition, Sims must maintain balanced budgets and usually supplement an income by obtaining a job. Sims may earn promotions by fulfilling skills and maintaining friendships with others for each level, which lead to new job titles, increased wages, and different work hours. Alternatively, Sims may create and sell various artwork and items at home.

Although there is no final objective, several failure states exist in The Sims. Sims can die if their needs are neglected or after accidents, and deaths are represented in-game by an urn or tombstone. Sims can also permanently leave a household after conflict, children can be sent to military school after prolonged poor grades, and neglected babies can be removed by a social care worker.

In Live mode, the player controls Sims directly, while Build and Buy modes pause time and allow the player to construct, renovate, and furnish lots. When the game begins, each family starts with 20,000 simoleons, regardless of its number of members. These funds can be used to purchase a small house or vacant lot on the neighborhood screen. After purchasing a lot, the player may construct or remodel a house in Build mode or purchase and move furniture in Buy mode. Architectural elements and furnishings follow a square-tile system in which items must be placed on tiles. Walls and fences extend along the edge of a tile and can follow the edge of the tile or cross it diagonally, but furniture items cannot be placed on either side of a crossed tile. The base game contains more than 150 items, including furniture and architectural elements.