Sandbox games are known for their focus on player agency, often facilitated through expansive open worlds and tools that allow players to get creative. Games likeMinecraftare obvious examples of this, but those games focus heavily on encouraging creativity, leaving little room for real-time action.
Games such asGrand Theft Autoare often a well-balanced combination of action-adventure and sandbox gameplay, though even these games aren’t entirely action-packed. These games, however, all feature sandbox gameplay that focuses on real-time action.
Teardown’svarious missions take place in fully-destructible environments, simulated with voxels. The game features a variety of vehicles, explosives, guns, and other gadgets. Players can then use these gadgets to complete a set of objectives in whatever way they see fit.
Teardown’smissions are heavily focused onpulling off a variety of heists. In order to do this successfully, players will often have to set about destroying everything in their path. While not an action-packed game at all times,Teardown’shigh-intensity escapes and sandbox destruction make it an often thrilling experience that allows players to get creative.
This science fiction action game puts players in the shoes of an alien invader attempting to destroy 1950s suburbia.Destroy All Humansgives players plenty of tools to accomplish their various objectives, and allows them to freely explore the various open environments.
This results in a diverse action sandbox that’sfull of vibrant colorsand ridiculous weaponry. Despite being a mission-based game, rather than a full open world, each level features its own open environment that players can explore as they attempt to complete their objectives.
This sandboxBatmangame features a fully open world that depicts Gotham City with a great deal of respect and loyalty to its source material.Batman Arkham Knight’sopen world is packed with criminals to take down using a variety of combat moves and gadgets, turning Gotham City into an action-packed sandbox.
Gliding around Gotham City and cruising through its streets in the Batmobile provides a remarkable power fantasyfor Batman fansin particular, allowing players to explore the City with ease. The game’s combat isn’t the most challenging, only adding to the power fantasy, but many encounters ask the player to use their tools creatively.
AlthoughMount & Blade: Bannerlorddoes feature elements of diplomacy and trade, much of what players do in the game leads to violent, large-scale battles. These action-packed fights, often with an abundance of combatants, make up most ofMount & Blade’sgameplay.
Outside of combat, players are free to explore and build their army as they see fit, recruiting soldiers from all across the land.Mount & Bladeallows players to command their troops from the ground and get in on the action simultaneously from the perspective of their own character. The sandbox elements ofMount & Bladelargely take place outside of battle, but many of those decisions impact the action directly, and there are still plenty of ways to go about fighting each and every engagement.
As with many games in the franchise,Far Cry 3is an open-world action sandbox game that puts players in an open environment and allows them to explore, taking out enemies in high-octane gunfights often packed with explosions.
Due to its variety of weaponry and open areas,Far Cry 3allows players to approach each combat encounter in their own way. This includes light stealth mechanics,sniping enemies from a distance, or blasting their way in with heavy weapons. This combat-focused sandbox is ideal for fans of first-person shooters and sandbox games alike.
This entry in theMetal Gear Solidentry gives players open-world missions that offer a great deal of player agency. As a result,The Phantom Painis a sandbox combination of stealth and action gameplay. The amount of high-octane action that players experience is somewhat dependent on their play style, but the stealth gameplay is equally engaging.
Metal Gear Solid 5’sopen missions allow players to approach encounters however they see fit. While it’s generally best to begin encounters in full stealth, all-out gunfights aren’t uncommon in more hectic situations.Fans of theMetal Gear Solidfranchisewill likely get more enjoyment out ofThe Phantom Pain’ssandbox than the average consumer, but this impressive entry in the series is remarkably accessible to newcomers.
Ghost Recon: Wildlandsfeatures an expansive open world with plenty for players to do, allowing them to take out swathes of enemies in a sandbox environment.Wildlandshas players completing missions, most of which involve killing a variety of enemies across several regions.
Thankfully, players are given plenty of tools with which to do this. Weapons, gear, and vehicles, as well as the game’s open areas, allow players to take on several unique play-styles. Similarly to games such asMetal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain,Ghost Recon: Wildlandsencourages stealth gameplay. However, it’s almost always viable to go in guns-blazing, if players prefer that style of action.
Parachuting, grappling, and gliding with a wingsuit are all available movement options for players inJust Cause 3. Players can take full advantage of this movement byexploring the open world, wreaking havoc with a broad arsenal of weaponry and a variety of gadgets.
Just Cause 3is solely focused on its visceral, action-packed gameplay, giving players an ensemble of ways to take out the various bad guys.Just Cause 3is essentially a destruction sandbox, giving players a tremendous amount of power that allows them to approach combat in creative ways.
