2024's top sandbox games
Our list of the top sandbox games might assist you in finding a new environment to make your own. There are a tonne of expansive games available on Switch and mobile devices that prioritise exploration. It's now time to put on your comfortable shoes, pack your suitcase, and go on a daring new adventure.
After you're through here and ready for your next massive open-world experience, why not check out our extensive instructions for the massive forthcoming role-playing gameXenoblade Chronicles 3? Everything concerning Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Noah, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Nopon, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Mio, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 heroes, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 amiibo have already been covered.
Now, let's explore our selection of sandbox games for mobile and Switch platforms
Though it should go without saying on any list of the greatest sandbox games, Minecraft is well worth its reputation. Whether it is artists creating famous constructions inside the game or friends banding together to take on survival mode, this game has been entertaining millions of people for more than ten years. You may actually play it as you like, making it the perfect example of the sandbox genre. We don't see it losing any of its appeal anytime soon.
This is pushed beyond by creativity, which has produced some very amazing things done only for amusement. Gamers have meticulously reconstructed the fantastical realm of Game of Thrones, as well as vast recreations of Ocarina of Time and actual locales. The possibilities are endless, which is why amazing inventions continue to be made today.
Swine and Mobile Goat Simulator
This is yet another classic sandbox game, however even more absurd than Minecraft. There is just one Goat Simulator. I've lost count of the number of hours I've spent going about acting like a goat, annoying farmers, and visiting locations where no goat should ever be. It's a lot of fun.
The physical humour of lobbing a ragdoll goat over a rooftop eloquently sells the abundance of things to explore and things to do. It's definitely worth trying this one out for yourself if you haven't experienced that delight yet.
Mobile and Switch Terrara
Terraria is a 2D fantasy exploration and construction game with much more depth than its strikingly simple graphics would suggest. Accumulating resources, building a little hut, and battling adversaries to get more delights is always gratifying.
There's so much to see and do, smooth controls, and an overall sense of perfection here. Since this is a voyage you may never complete, players may be shocked even by how much is available here.
Switch to ARK: Survival Evolved
Now, pay attention. Picture yourself playing an open-world dinosaur-themed game where you can explore and build stuff. What else may work if the lift pitch fails? In the entertaining game ARK: Survival Evolved, players explore a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by dinosaurs and collaborate with them to establish a claim on this desolate planet.
Building up your colony is a lot of fun, and there are many ways to engage with the outside world. Now is a fantastic time to pick it up on Switch since it just received a huge update that makes it operate better than before.
Switch in Dragon Quest Builders 2
HAHA GIRL. Hold onto your hats as I introduce you to Dragon Quest Builders 2, a little game. It is flawless, all-encompassing, a work of art, and most definitely not given enough credit in its day. Builders 2, which is based on the legendary fantasy role-playing game series Dragon Quest, takes that universe and elements of its systems and turns them into the greatest open-world creative (or building) game I've ever played.
Imagine if Minecraft had a narrative so excellent it made you weep, incredible new features that expanded and simplified the use of standard construction tools, and great graphics and music. I implore you all to play Dragon Quest Builders 2, everyone. It is compatible with the Switch and offers an extensive demo that transfers your saved data upon purchase. It is also playable on the PS4 and Xbox.
Breath of the Wild: The Legend of Zelda - Switch
Yes, it is a sandbox game, and I refuse to listen to arguments against it. With a massive open world and a unique physics engine, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild lets you build situations that are solely dependent on the elements and chemical interactions. You can transport an electric charge via many lightning-based weapons, use a metal barrel and lightning to ignite a fire, or use a balloon taken from an Octorok's belly to float a bomb in the wind. Breath of the Wild succeeds due of its epic narrative, stunning graphics, and exhilarating fighting.
It would still be among the greatest games ever produced even if Nintendo only published the resources available here. The fact that players are continuously finding new stuff in this game is amazing, and even more so is the fact that most of these discoveries make sense. Did you know that eggs may be boiled by submerging them in the natural hot springs of Death Mountain? You can, of course. We'll be keeping an eye on the Breath of the Wild 2 release date as we expect to be exploring another open world soon.
Campus Two Point - Switch
Sim fever had swept the globe while I was growing up in the 1990s. Many years after the release of games like Theme Hospital, Sim City, and The Sims, part of the original crew is returning. Two Point Hospital's follow-up, Two Point Campus, builds upon the positive aspects of its predecessor while introducing new elements.
Create and manage your own institution while attempting to satisfy the needs of your many alumni. The Two Point games have a lot of humour, but behind the surface is a really well-tuned management sim game with a tonne of various ways to set up and manage your website. As they say, the devil is in the details.
Townscaper: Mobile and Switch
Townscaper is an excellent choice if you're searching for something a bit more zen than the other selections on our list. This game provides precisely what it claims to. You may create a town as huge and expansive as you like, free from financial restrictions or the need to organise its residents. It's a terrific way to decompress after a demanding or stressful day—almost like an adult colouring book.
Beautiful pastel structures suddenly appear in this desolate blue landscape at the touch of a button or button push. You may construct a charming little town and play about with it as much as you want. Another touch will add another room or a little bridge. Townscaper would be my choice if I were to choose anything to characterise as "lovely." Play it on your mobile device or on Switch.
Tears of the Kingdom - The Legend of Zelda — Switch
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom surpasses Breath of the Wild in terms of both inventiveness and quality, something we never would have predicted. You now have a whole new set of tools to explore Hyrule's open landscape, including the strange Zonai gadgets.
Make and power your own inventions using wheels, balloons, rockets, and a plethora of other materials. Tears of the Kingdom is a game that really encourages you to come up with original answers to problems, which is uncommon in games.
Check out our reviews ofZelda: Tears of the Kingdom Zonai,Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom shrines,Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom koroks, and much more, and read all about it in ourZelda Tears of the Kingdom review.
Switch and mobile in Stardew Valley
Not only is Stardew Valley a fantastic sandbox game, but it's also one of the biggest independent hits of the last ten years of gaming. You are free to play this any way you choose. You may be a successful miner, a powerful farmer, an incredible fisherman, or all three at once. Your own farm, which you are free to utilise whatever you like, is the sandbox element. This place offers so much freedom that it's simple to waste hours on end without noticing.
See our guides to Stardew Valley fish, Stardew Valley farm layout, and Stardew Valley bookseller for some help getting started in Pelican Town. Check out our selection of the topgames similar to Stardew Valley for more of the same.
That's all we have for now, but return soon to see more fantastic sandbox games available for the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices. Seeking for some inspiration to discover another fantastic game to play right now? Check out our comprehensive guide of the greatestSwitch games.