The Sims 2: Open for Business adds the ability for Sims to own and operate businesses.
Like the previous two expansion packs, Open for Business introduces a new expansion neighborhood: a shopping district, meant to represent the main street of the area. Sim-owned businesses are not restricted to the shopping district, and may be opened in the base neighborhood (both in the same residential lot as the business owner and as separate community lots) or in the downtown destination expansion neighborhood introduced in The Sims 2: Nightlife, though the game manual suggests that shopping district lots are more expensive and have higher foot traffic.
The main change to the core game introduced by Open for Business is a new neighborhood type - the Shopping District, the default one being named Bluewater Village. A number of Sims live here, such as a toymaking family, a woman who owns a home-based flower shop, a family bakery, and a rich tycoon who owns a nightclub and an electronics shop.
Community lots are made more flexible now, removing many of the gameplay restrictions that were present on them in the original game. Players can now save the game while their Sims are visiting community lots. Reloading their household automatically takes the player to the community lot where the Sims are located. The downside of this ability is that Sims can now die on community lots, but only on ones that the player controls.
Like the previous expansions, new Wants and Fears and interactions were added, including a new Lifetime Want and several new interactions for children. Some changes to items from the base game are also present, for example, doors are now lockable (to allow only one Sim, the whole family and/or employees entrance).
Several features from Nightlife and University, such as turn ons and turn offs, are available to players without those expansion packs.
The entire new concept of running businesses is the game's main new feature, and a new direction for The Sims, as it now includes elements of a tycoon game. The game allows the player to control various aspects of running a business including picking which products to sell, hiring and firing employees, and running a home business. The game also rewards the player for meeting several predetermined goals; also, a mystery shopper may visit the business and critique it.
Open for Business adds new functionality to a Sims' productivity around the house. Sims are able to craft new items, including toys, flower arrangements or robots. Additional items include those aimed specifically at enhancing the business setting, like Cash Registers, Beauty salon chairs, child-oriented toys, and Mission Style furniture. Also increasing efficiency around the house is the addition of the Servo, a household robot, which can perform banal tasks and function like a Sim in regards to Social interaction. Some new items, called "Bots" in general, aim to increase productivity on a lower scale than Servo's operation, usually performing one task, such as cleaning the floor or watering plants.
Open For Business adds more functionality to Build Mode. Open For Business adds Elevators to the game. Elevators both open a new possibility for a public WooHoo and create a risk for fatality by plummeting. Domed, conical and octagonal roofs in different sizes are now available. Players may also build split-level floors and add Awnings. Doors may now also be locked by a home or business owner, to either the selected sim, family or employees only.