The sandbox game is difficult to nail down, spreading across countless genres with disparate mechanics and settings. But all share a common trait: freedom. Whether it’s creating a whole world or building up a gang of criminals across a city, sandbox games leave most of the agency up to the player. They are universes to be experienced at a pace not dictated by developers.
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There needs to be a bit of clarity when looking at what makes a great sandbox game, though. They have, since the days of Elite and Ultima, referred to open world games filled with choice and diversions. But revisionist history would describe them as “games like Minecraft”. For the purposes of this exploration of the best of the bunch, I’m including them all. I support sandbox egalitarianism.
So it’s with no small amount of faffing and second guessing that we’ve assembled together a list of some of the greatest sandbox PC games. We consider them prett tip-top, and think you will too.
Minecraft
