Are you tired of the high-stress world of goal-orientated games? Need a break from spending hours trying to beat a level? Or, maybe you just need some downtime from real life. Sandbox games provide a creative space for you to play around in, expressing yourself in new ways through the game’s mechanics.
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Sandbox gamescome in many different forms. Some sandbox games have optional story elements, while others are focused on simply giving you the space to unleash your creativity. From building tiny towns all the way to exploring outer space, here’s a list of some of the best sandbox games.
14Marble World
Marble World opens you up to a whole new world…of marbles. It is all in the title, really. In this game, you may create intricate contraptions and racetracks for your marbles to roll through. Using physics and some carefully placed objects, the only limit to the mechanism you can make is your imagination!
Everything in the game is customizable. You can paint on the things you build, change the colors of your marbles, and you can even give them names!
13APICO
What is that buzzing sound? Why, it’s coming from some bees! In APICO, you play as a beekeeper working on the family farm to take care of the bees. Breed your bees to grow your farm, collect things like honey, and explore the tree-covered farmland.
There is an in-game journal for you tokeep track of the beesand other insects you come across through gameplay, acting as a laid-back and un-timed goal to work through.
12Astroneer
Everything is better with friends, especially space travel. InAstroneer, you (and up to three others) set out to explore several different planets with the ability to reshape them however you see fit. Beware, as many of these planets have conditions that may be more challenging than relaxing.
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Ultimately, the tools in the game, as well as the ability to enjoy the environment with friends, make Astroneer the perfect sandbox to play in. You can take each planet down to an empty canvas and build them back up, providing hours of gameplay.
11Cloud Gardens
Nature will always find a way, and in Cloud Gardens, nature’s way is presented in carefully crafted, intricate dioramas that are built by you! Cloud Gardens is a world of abandoned structures for you to repurpose as a garden, planting seeds and greenery over the buildings however you please.
There are no necessary goals in the game, but you can play through a chapter-based campaign that will guide your plant placement a little more. If not, plant with reckless abandon!
10Super Build
What do a medieval castle, an old western village, and a dock perfect for a pirate ship have in common? You can build them in Super Build. Piece-by-piece, down to molding mountains and laying out the grass, you can create the world of your dreams. There are over 1,000 items to choose from and no goals to fret about.
Some characters, like villagers and horses, can be placed in your world. But they’ll be just fine taking care of themselves while you work towards building new areas for them to explore.
9Wobbledogs
Wobbledogs are strange little creatures thatyouget to play with! Build an expansive habitat for your Wobbledogs to enjoy, and watch as they evolve into new forms. Some will change colors, maybe they’ll grow a new tail, and others may get wings–each Wobbledog will be a unique creature based on how you care for it.
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You can interact with the Wobbledogs or simply watch them as they explore. With how cute they are, it’ll be hard to resist giving them a few pets!
8Zen Trails
While other sandbox games are easy to wind down with, this one may be a bit of a challenge. The biggest aspect of the game, the hardest thing you’ll have to do: draw lines. That’s right, the only goal of Zen Trails is to draw lines that will create mesmerizing patterns.
Once you learn the simple mechanics of the game, the pattern possibilities are practically endless! Set up your lines, put on your favorite chill music, and watch your pattern appear before your eyes.
7SuchArt: Creative Space
Are you tired of looking at boring white walls everywhere you go? Don’t you wish you could whip out a paint gun and create a beautiful mural anywhere you want? In SuchArt, you can! You have access to your own art studio stocked with tools that will allow you to paint masterpiece after masterpiece.
You will also be able to sell your art to clients, earning revenue to stock your studio with furniture–that you’ll also be able to paint.
6Starbound
After fleeing your home planet, you find yourself lost in space. You make an emergency landing on a nearby planet, and what happens next inStarboundis up to you. Explore everything the planet has to offer, meet new people, and build a home in this new world.
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You have your choice of gameplay, from tracking down forces of evil to exploring new worlds. You can trekthrough treacherous minesor furnish a home to rent out. There are truly so many different ways to enjoy this game, making each playthrough unique.
5SPORE
Life begins as a single cell and grows into breeds of colorful monsters you control. Isn’t biology crazy? In SPORE, you oversee the life of your creatures from the very beginning, watching as they change forms and enter the open world surrounding them.
You create every aspect of the world your creatures will inhabit, placing buildings and vehicles for them to use. Your creatures may fight, but that’s all just another part of life.
