Sandbox games generally offer players a great deal of freedom in how they approach gameplay. This is usually facilitated by loosely defined goals (or, more commonly, no primary goals of any kind), as well as diverse tools, simulated elements,and immersive mechanicsthat allow players to express their creativity.
While it’s true that games such asFactorioorRimWorlddo give players a certain degree of direction, their simulated mechanics allow players to approach their objectives with a diversity of methods. These games always encourage creativity, rewarding players who think outside the box.
Factorioputs players on a planet populated by aggressive creatures and tasks them with building and automating a factory while defending it from the dangerous wildlife. The end goal may be to launch a rocket, but the freedom thatFactoriooffers players in creating and optimizing their factory allows for a great deal of creative thinking.
The more the player drains the resources of the planet, however, the more aggressive its native inhabitants become. Thankfully,Factoriogives players a variety of ways to defend themselves againstthe alien threat— and even take the fight to them directly.
Battle Brothersisan open-world sandboxRPG that puts players in control of a mercenary company, fighting brutal turn-based battles in exchange for cash. The primary goal inBattle Brothersis as simple as keeping the company running — and preferably keeping everyone alive. Combat isn’t the only form of mission inBattle Brothers, but its various tactical encounters are frequent.
Although there aren’t many opportunities to express creativity inBattle Brothers, the game features deep character customization that allows players to be creative in devising unique strategies and builds. Furthermore, the game’s sandbox nature allows players to roam the map as they see fit, taking sides with the factions of their choosing and pursuing higher-tier contracts along the way.
WorldBoxis apixel-art god-gamethat leans heavily on sandbox gameplay and focuses on simulated elements. This results in an experience that encourages experimentation and allows players to create (and control) their own civilizations.
WorldBoxdoesn’t feature much in the way of gameplay mechanics that the player interacts with directly. However, the variety of tools for manipulating the terrain and the people who live in and around it are diverse. This allows players to have deep control over the creation of their world, but leaves enough room for emergent situations to occur.
This side-scrollingopen-world survival gametasks players with collecting resources and crafting items while building and expanding a base.Terrariais incredibly focused on creativity and sandbox play, giving players the tools to construct all manner of structures.
Terrariaalso features a heavy emphasis on exploration, tasking players with delving into deep and dangerous caves to retrieve valuable resources. The game’s variety of bosses, meaningful exploration, andintuitive base-building mechanicsallow for a truly diverse and frequently engaging sandbox experience. Furthermore, the game can be enjoyed in online co-op.
Tasking players with plotting out, building, and effectively managing their own prison,Prison Architectoffers a deep and complex management puzzle that can be played in a variety of ways. At its heart,Prison Architectis a creative sandbox that allows players to build and manage their prison in whatever way they see fit.
Prison Architectallows for sandbox gameplay by giving players full control over how they run their prison, and the intuitive build controls allow for easy development. The game’s 2D, top-down visuals may be simplistic, but they offer extreme visual clarity that makes it easy to blueprint new ideas and manage the ever-expanding prison.
Giving players very little in the way of direction (other than to survive),RimWorldis a colony-sim and management game that’s frequently tough as nails. The game’s variety of simulated systems and frequent enemy raids constantly test the player’s management and planning skills, leading to an often unforgiving but wholly rewarding experience.
RimWorldallows players to approach their colony’s survival from all manner of directions, giving them the freedom and opportunity to devise their own plans and build colonies in their own way. Furthermore, despite being anunforgiving experience,RimWorldfeatures customizable difficulty settings that make it relatively accessible to all players.
Historically inaccessible,Dwarf Fortressmay not look like much on the surface, but its mechanical depth and the diversity of gameplay that it offers players is near unparalleled. The game’s deep systems and simulated elements make it a notoriously hard game to learn, but with its release on Steam in 2022,Dwarf Fortresshas become somewhat more accessible to modern audiences.
Dwarf Fortresstasks players with building andmanaging a colonyof the titular dwarves in a simulated,procedurally generated world.Dwarf Fortressis a difficult and complex game, but its complexities and construction mechanics allow players to have a great deal of freedom over how their colony develops.
