In the console version, new social interactions may be learned at a particular location. As Sims advance through the game, new areas become accessible. There are various locations Sims may visit throughout the course of the game. Deviating from the 'point-and-click' selection process heretofore used in every Sims title, this version allows the user to control their Sim directly, using the GBA's directional pad. Instead, the player must complete all tasks to unlock new houses. In this game, there are no furnishing objects to unlock. Like the console version, gameplay is objective-based - every time the player completes a series of tasks, the game is allowed to progress.

The Game Boy Advance version puts the player's Sim in a place called 'SimValley' for summer holiday. Bust Out Mode which has mission based gameplay and Freeplay Mode which is open-ended gameplay very much like the original The Sims PC game. As the title suggests, Sims can get out of the house to visit other locations such as Shiny Things Lab or Casa Caliente. Bustin' Out in the fourth quarter of 2003. The Sims: Bustin' Out is the first title in The Sims series for the Game Boy Advance.

For console versions, see The Sims: Bustin' Out. This guide is for the Game Boy Advance version.

The sims bustin out pc