Open world games like the critically-acclaimed Elden Ring and the recent Horizon Forbidden West have managed to entice players by allowing them to freely explore the game's sprawling environment. But for gamers who want to take their exploration and creativity one step further, they should check out titles that fall in the sandbox genre.
In essence, sandbox games provide players with tools that allow for near-limitless creative possibilities, while freeing them from linear storylines. On the Nintendo Switch, there are a handful of sandbox titles that will be loved by the most inventive and imaginative gamers.
Minecraft
At this point in time, every gamer is aware of the worldwide phenomenon that is Minecraft. Mojang's popular offering has two primary game modes that both allow the player to alter the blocky world as they see fit.
Both survival mode and creative mode in Minecraft enable gamers to be as creative as they want to be. The only difference is that the players will have to source every material themselves in survival mode. Minecraft is such a powerful sandbox game that some players have been able to create a virtual computer using the Redstone element in the game.
Terraria
Released in 2011, Terraria has been ported to various consoles, which included the Nintendo Switch in 2019. Featuring a 2D world, Terraria encourages players to explore, build, craft, and fight with various monsters.
In Terraria, players are tasked with gathering resources like ore, wood, and crystal shards. These resources can be used to build armor that can extend the player's health and mana, create structures, and even craft powerful magic weapons. The game's "journey" mode allows a player to gain an unlimited number of specific resources once they unlock them.
No Man's Sky
From developer Hello Games, No Man's Sky is a sandbox game that offers countless planets that come in a variety of different biomes, from lush grassy paradises to scorching hot worlds. The game has a variety of game modes, but it is in creative mode where gamers can encounter the true sandbox version of the game.
Creative mode protects the players from the dangers of outer space and provides them with all the materials they need to build a base. In the infinite procedurally generated world of No Man's Sky, gamers can fulfill their dreams of being intergalactic explorers and builders.
Crashlands
Crashlands is an RPG sandbox game where players assume the role of an intergalactic trucker who is left stranded on a foreign planet. In order to be free from his predicament, the main character must retrieve his packages, as well as unlock recipes for tools, weapons, and workstations.
In order to get the creative mode of the game, players will first have to complete the story mode in any difficulty. In creative mode, players can easily alter the game's environment by breaking down its resources, as well as have access to the various schematics the game offers.
ARK: Survival Evolved
Combining survival mechanics with sandbox aspects, ARK: Survival Evolved is a game that puts players on a mysterious island and leaves them to fend for themselves against the harsh elements and primeval creatures.
Players will need to collect the resources themselves in order to craft all the items they need to survive in the game. But for gamers who don't want to worry about the menacing dinosaurs and scary sharks that could kill them, ARK: Survival Evolved has a creative mode where they can control every aspect of the game.
LEGO Worlds
It's a no-brainer that the popular brick-building toy also has an accompanying sandbox game. Lego Worlds is a game with procedurally generated worlds where players can build anything they want using blocks from the iconic construction toy company.
Its sandbox mode has an easy-to-use editor that allows gamers to copy and paste any objects found in the game, including structures that are found through exploration and quests. The game is fiercely dedicated to the genre that everything in the world, including the clouds and the dirt, is also made of LEGOs and can be taken apart.
Dragon Quest Builders
The Dragon Quest franchise is one of the longest-running series in video game history. Aside from offering classic JRPGs, the franchise also has Dragon Quest Builders, which is a Minecraft-esque game that features elements from the beloved RPG series.
Dragon Quest Builders separates itself from other true sandbox games by initially offering a finite experience with light role-playing progression. However, the gamers can free their artistic selves in the game's open-ended creative mode called Terra Incognita, which can be unlocked after finishing the first chapter of the game.
Astroneer
Created by indie game developer System Era Softworks, Astroneer is a game about a space explorer who seeks to see everything there is to see in the infinite galaxy. In the game's countless planets, gamers are encouraged to explore and exploit everything they can find, as well as use heavy machinery to extract resources and deform planets.
Of course, the game also comes with a creative mode that lets the players create any object they desire without needing resources, as well as bestow the ability to fly freely. The game's varying difficulty and outer-space environment make it a good game to play before the launch of Starfield, the next original title from Bethesda Game Studios.
TerraTech
TerraTech is a successful Kickstarter project by British game developer Payload Studios. The game's main objective is simple: gamers will need to craft, build, and battle in an alien-filled world. Using the game's mechanical blocks, players can create cars, tanks, and planes that they can use for exploration and combat.
Aside from having a campaign mode, the game also has a creative mode that permits players to go ham on the crafting features of the game. But despite being an inventive experience for RPG and sandbox fans alike, some gamers do have a major complaint with TerraTech, which is that has a block cap of 25,000.
Junk Jack
Originally released for iOS in 2011, Junk Jack is an adventure sandbox game that has been ported to the Nintendo Switch in 2020. In the 2D game, players will need to fight monsters and uncover hidden treasures in a randomly generated world. The game also includes some slice-of-life mechanics, such as fishing and cooking.
Just like other sandbox games, gamers can build whatever they want in the randomly generated Junk Jack planet by turning on creative mode. There's also a "flat" mode in Junk Jack, where players can fully customize the terrain of their planet. For gamers who want a simple and straightforward 2D sandbox game, they shouldn't hesitate to try Junk Jack.