Finding a good sandbox game is similar to striking gold, as you can potentially spend 100+ hours on it without getting bored. This element makes these games a bang for your buck as well, when compared to other standard games.
While Rockstar may be one of the best sandbox game developers, you will obviously need more than a few games to keep you satiated until GTA 6 comes out.
That’s where I come in by listing and ranking all the best sandbox games that I have played throughout the years, as these games are sure to keep you satisfied for the time being.
8
Saints Row: The Third
Best Alternative To GTA
If I can’t list GTA, what’s better than one of the most straightforward alternatives to GTA? Saints Row 3 is a GTA satire and among the most fun and silly games you can play nowadays. The latter titles are considered more of a Prototype satire, and aren’t really that good in my opinion.
So if you are looking for a premise similar to Rockstar Games and want to explore the big city of Steelport in your supercar and destroy your enemies with the weirdest weapons imaginable, then you should go play Saints Row 3.
Do keep in mind that the world isn’t as detailed as in a Grand Theft Auto game, but we can’t have everything, can we? Enjoy, Playa.
7
Sons Of The Forest
Don’t Lose Your Sanity
Sons of the Forest is one of the best games to play with your friends. It is a survival horror game that places you in the shoes of a protagonist stranded on an island filled with cannibals and secrets.
From the get-go, you can start exploring, crafting, building your base, or messing with your friends if you are playing coop. With a gigantic island to explore, it is one of my base-building games as well.
Be sure to take your time to get the best gear in Sons of the Forest and explore the whole island before you and your friends embark on the journey to find the missing CEO. But then again, there is also a possibility that you might just stumble upon that section while exploring without wanting to.
Fall In Love With The Legend
What if I told you that Kojima’s last game at Konami is also one of the best sandbox games ever released? The Phantom Pain puts you in the shoes of Big Boss as he is awakened from his comma after the events of Ground Zero.
After a very lengthy intro, you are finally let out in its large open world, where you are free to approach every situation however you want. Whether you want to drop your resupply cargo on unsuspecting enemies, creep around the enemy base in a cartbox, or take out enemy soldiers non-lethally and recruit them for your cause, it is all here.
And honestly, the freedom to approach every situation as you will is what’s most addictive about MGS 5. I still remember frantically calling my resupply drop multiple times while fighting the Skulls, not knowing until after the boss fight that I had everything I needed to defeat them in the boss arena itself.
5
No Man’s Sky
To Infinity And Beyond
No Man’s Sky is an endless game as vast as our galaxy itself. With countless procedurally generated planets, you can hop into your spaceship and travel to whichever part of the galaxy you want.
However, so much freedom can get overwhelming quite quickly, as you can get confused about what to do next. Thankfully, No Man’s Sky’s objective mission helps you with just that, and as you progress, you will be introduced to new game mechanics.
Whether you want to build your base or do archeology on different planets and build your own museum, it’s up to you. Once you get hooked, you will easily be looking at more than a hundred hours of playtime in this game.
Old Enough To Be Considered A Classic
This list can’t be complete without at least one of Bethesda’s classics. Skyrim is one of the vast sandbox experiences ever made, with some players investing more than a thousand hours in this game alone.
While the sandbox addiction in this game may be a hit or miss for most players, it is still a fantastic experience in which you can drop hundreds of hours.
Whether you decide to escape with the Imperial Guard or the Stormcloak Rebel after the dragon attack, you are soon let loose into the open world of Skyrim, free to go wherever you want.
You can either head straight to the village to progress further in the story or just venture straight into the woods, completing sidequests, and becoming the overpowered Dragonborne you were born to be.
3
The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
Building Your Own Machines Is Addictive
If you love Breath of the Wild, then you’ll adore Tears of the Kingdom since it’s essentially the same game, but much more expansive, with an emphasis on the sandbox experience. After completing the tutorial area, you are free to do whatever you want. The world is yours to explore.
However, this time, you are given abilities that allow you to build your structures, like cars, flying machines, and even robots. The only limit is your imagination. Everything in this game is designed to be messed with, and the game is surprisingly cool with it as well.
There is also a lot going on in the story this time around. So, if you loved Breath of the Wild, then Tears of the Kingdom is basically the upgrade you’ve been waiting for and an easy contender for the top three on this list.
2
Terraria
Better Than You’d Expect
I was very tempted to put Terraria in the number 1 spot because there are numerous aspects in which Terraria is a better game, but this is a list about which game is the better sandbox.
The premise of Terraria is very simple: farm items, fight enemies, and generally just have a good time in its huge open-world sandbox. However, Terraria puts more emphasis on its dungeons, boss fights, and NPCs, rather than the sandbox element.
But despite that, its sandbox is better than most games, and one you can easily spend more than a hundred hours in. As you progress through the game, you will be introduced to more complex mechanics, but the game never overwhelms you and allows you to progress at your own pace.
1
Minecraft
The Undisputed King Of Sandbox Games
One of the oldest games on this list is also the best sandbox game of our time, as no other title has been able to dethrone it yet. Minecraft offers unparalleled freedom, as you have the option to do whatever your creativity allows.
After punching wood and gaining the basic materials, it is now up to you whether you want to do spelunking to find some rare ores or become a lumberjack and be the cause of unparalleled deforestation just because you want to build your perfect castle.
The game opens up further once you obtain redstone, allowing you to build machines as well. Funnily enough, one player built his own 8-bit computer in Minecraft, which goes to show just how endless the possibilities are.
