What are the best Sandbox games on Steam?

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12

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May 29, 2018

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The Best 2 of 12 OptionsWhy?

Best Sandbox games on Steam	Price	Genre	Platforms
92 Stardew Valley	$14.99	Farming Simulation, Role-Playing	Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation Vita
91 Cities: Skylines	$29.99	–	–
-- Terraria	$9.99	2D platformer / Minecraft-like	Windows, Mac, Xbox 360/One, Playstation 3/4, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android
-- Starbound	-	–	–
-- Prison Architect	$29.99	–	Windows, Mac, Linux, PS4, Xbox 360/One, Android

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Cities: Skylines

Top Pro

Lots of mods

The Steam workshop offers a vast amount of mods created by the community. See More

Top Con

Too many mods will slow your game down quite a bit

Experience

Insertish

Great fun to play. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Large scale

At a total of 36 square kilometers of area to use (compared to Sim Cities 4), there is quite a bit of room to build and play. See More

Top Con

Can be difficult to glean what one has done wrong in game

Cities: Skylines has difficulty letting the player know what they have done wrong, which results in a lot of head scratching. See More

Experience

ReasonableMelqart

The most advanced City simulator ever. With Gigantic Workshop support, Unlimited options and gameplay awaits.. See More

Top Pro

Depth of field

There is a depth of field effect that will blur distant buildings, which mimics Sim City's diorama effect. It can of course be adjusted with a slider as to how much or little to use. See More

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10 Other Options Considered

Terraria

Top Pro

2D retro-platformer style

Instead of building a deliberate feeling of suspense, Terraria uses bright palettes and arcade action to provide a fun experience outside of the survival elements. When those elements gradually appear one by one, each is all the more shocking from the contrast. See More

Top Con

Progress can feel slow

Quite often you'll have to collect tons of materials to craft the necessary tools, equipment, and boss summoning items to advance. This can take a really long time, especially if you're unlucky with the items dropped by mobs. See More

Experience

PositiveGleti

Extremely fun to play and to progress in the game, and if we ever get bored of vanilla Terraria, there are tons of awesome mods to add even more to this amazing game ! See More

Specs

Genre:2D platformer / Minecraft-like

Platforms:Windows, Mac, Xbox 360/One, Playstation 3/4, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android

Co-Op:8 Player Online / 8 Player LAN

Controller Support:Android (MOGA / HID), Steam (Full)

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Top Pro

Fun combat

It starts out simple, with you whacking away at slow moving zombies and flying eyes, gradually shifting to more fierce and fearsome enemies such as flying demons, agile lizardmen, and many more. To survive you'll have to be always on the move, dodge enemy attacks, and be accurate when you retaliate. There are also plenty of weapons to choose from. Melee weapons such as swords, hammers, lances, and flails. Ranged weapons such as bows, crossbows, rifles, and miniguns. And various items that allow you to cast spells. Whatever you choose, it feels great to destroy hordes of enemies. See More

Top Con

Gameplay can feel slow

While there is little to show progress in the game over gaining many items and having many structures built, progress overall can be slow due to having to collect every item needed to craft the necessary tool, equipment and materials. This can be time consuming and may turn some people off. See More

Experience

MellowFuamnach

Great bosses, reasonable grinding, and a whole variaty if building materiels. See More

Top Pro

Encourages creativity for all ages

Terraria is like a 2D Minecraft, so you can alter the world around you and craft things, which teaches creativity and critical thinking skills. This is great for children who enjoy building and discovering new ways to tackle ideas just as it is great for adults who enjoy the same things. It also makes for a great objectiveless game where you can do just about anything you want, which allows for less stress due to being able to play at any pace the player likes. See More

Top Con

Low replay value for those who play it as an adventure game

Terraria is a sandbox platform-adventure game, so it partly hinges on beating various bosses. If you play it purely for the sake of defeating all the bosses, you might have little else to do afterwards. Restarting the game won't be as enjoyable either because you'll already know what to expect, causing continued play without a new goal feel mundane or boring. See More

Experience

HonestNehmetawy

Much more depth than Minecraft. Much more combat based however. Best game on steam. Would recommend. If you liked minecraft with mods, you’ll like terraria vanilla. See More

Top Pro

Large community

Terraria has a very large community as it is a very popular game. Released on just about every platform including mobile, PC/Mac/Linux, consoles, it allows for anyone to play no matter their prefered device. This also means that with many players comes many servers to play on as well as tutorials and Let's Plays. So finding content or help or just basic information on the game will be quite easy. See More

Top Con

No tutorial and un-intuitive menus

There is no tutorial to speak of and the menu system can be a bit cumbersome and confusing. See More

Top Pro

Extensive crafting system

The vast majority of items in Terraria can be used to create other items, often requiring specific crafting stations (which themselves must be crafted). This is the core of character advancement, since gear defines nearly everything about your character. See More

Top Pro

Intriguing world

Terraria uses a bright color palette and an upbeat chiptune soundtrack to ease you into its world. However, once you start exploring and spend time in it you'll notice it's not as cozy as it first seemed to be. Blood Moons that rouse the dead from their graves. Goblin armies trying to destroy everything in their wake. Vast and dark cave systems, filled with odd creatures and various dangers. Ancient ruins, teeming with the restless dead and evil spirits. Pockets of decaying land, thriving with misshapen monstrosities. It's really fun to explore and discover something new about the world of Terraria. See More

Top Pro

Multiplayer also an option with up to 8 player online co-op

Up to 8 online players can be invited to join a shared Terraria world, including worlds that are also used in single-player mode. This allows for large co-op or PvP games to be played, for those that are interested, meaning you can choose how you play. Build something big together, or destroy the other guy's base. See More

Top Pro

Allows for freedom of expression for all ages, all at your own pace

Terraria has all kinds of tools and materials you can use to build whatever you can imagine. From housing, to furniture, to weapons, to types of structure, the possibilities are almost endless. This is great for children who enjoy building and problem solving, and for adults who enjoy the same. It also makes for a great objective-less game, where you can do just about anything you want at your own pace. See More

Top Pro

Playing with friends allows for endless scenarios

Up to 8 players can join any Terraria world. You can progress through the game normally, build a race course and compete in it, or split into factions and wage war against each other. The scenarios are endless, you just have to let loose your creativity. See More

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Starbound

Top Pro

Informative and well paced tutorials

Starbound allows the player to go at their own pace while completing the tutorials. By the end of the tutorials the player will have the skills and equipment to succeed in the game and have fun doing it. See More

Top Con

Game feature unlocking is strongly gated

You need a certain metal to unlock a wide range of new armor and weapons, and can't really skip any. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Incredibly deep gameplay

The exploration, crafting and combat are all both very polished and deep in terms of what you can do, especially compared to other games in the genre. This makes the sandbox very fun to play in as you're never really stuck doing the same thing over and over. See More

Top Con

First few hours are boring

Initially the player needs to amass enough coal to fuel their ship, which is a bit of a grind. It's been in Early Access for an entire year. See More

Top Pro

Player appearence

In this game there is plenty of customization for your character, such as races, different armor (depending on your race), hair, start clothes, in-game additional clothes (just for looks), coats and different suits for lighting or being able to breath in water, including that there is two slots - for armor and for looks, and even additional weapon crafts for one race (Novakids)! See More

Top Pro

Descriptions of everything

In Starbound you can see descriptions of everything you see, and they also vary depending on the race player has chosen to play as. You can look at any block, plant or furniture with a special instrument and the character will say what it thinks about. See More

Top Pro

Boss levels

For what is a procedurally generated game, Starbound offers boss levels that once beaten unlock new sectors of space to explore. See More

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Prison Architect

Top Pro

Works great for both long and short play sessions

The gameplay lends itself well to both doing a couple of things around the prison every once in a while or setting up elaborate systems that can take hours upon hours of time. The game can be saved at any time so you don't have to make commitments in one way or another. See More

Top Con

Gameplay is poorly explained

The game does a poor job of explaining all the mechanics to the player when they begin the main game which leaves the player guessing as to what they need to do in order to be successful. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Platforms:Windows, Mac, Linux, PS4, Xbox 360/One, Android

Available on Steam:Yes

Genre :Simulation

Top Pro

Great freedom of playstyle

You can run the prison in the way that you see fit. You can put the wellbeing of prisoners at the top of the priority list by making sure their living spaces are comfortable, that they're well-fed, have the opportunity to educate themselves and often get to go outside in the yard to socialize and exercise or you can run the prison with an iron fist by instituting regular shakedowns, putting CCTVs, metal detectors, K-9 units and armed guards in every corner. Whichever play-style you choose, the game will offer challenges that will keep the game interesting. See More

Top Pro

Developers are releasing free updates and additions to the game

Developers have been updating the game almost every month with new content, improvements and tweaks to the game. See More

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Kerbal Space Program

Top Pro

In constant development

KSP is a shinning example of early release done right. The currently available game is fun to play, and the developers are constantly adding new major additions. See More

Top Con

Steep learning curve

Kerbal Space Program is not really a pick up and play title. There is much to learn before grasping the core concepts of the game, See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Mixed

RECOMMENDED:Processor:Core i5 Memory:4 GB RAM Graphics:SM4 1GB VRAM Hard Drive:6 GB HD space

MINIMUM:Processor:Core 2 Duo Memory:3GB RAM Graphics:SM3 512MB VRAM Hard Drive:4 GB HD space

Top Pro

Teaches orbital dynamics & rocket design fundamentals in an accessible manner

The physics engine does a reasonably accurate job of replicating the fundamentals behind both orbital dynamics and rocket design, so by going through the tutorials and experimenting, you're actually learning some real rocket science. See More

Top Con

Graphics are not the most detailed

The graphics of KSP are not the most detailed but they work non the less. See More

Top Pro

NASA working on a mission pack for the game

While not released yet NASA is working on a mission pack for the game. See More

Top Pro

Fun sandbox mode to experiment with rocket designs

The rocket designer lets you experiment with as many different rocket designs as you can think up. The designer is based on components such as engines, fuel cells, structural elements and various other items such as parachutes. See More

Top Pro

Huge modding scene

There's a plethora of mods available that can change every single aspect of the game. See More

Top Pro

You just can't get bored with it. And you will learn a lot.

A "physics" game about space. Build rockets, space planes, space stations, rovers, landers, probes. Explore planets, moons, capture asteroids. With the addition of mods you can even test warp drive, set up a communications network, colonize a planet, mine for resources and much much more. It can even simulate our solar system (the in-game one is very similiar, although smaller to encourage new players. Learn orbital mechanics. Inspire yourself to learn about space and space travel history of human. This game is not only fun - it is inspiring. The game is under heavy development but is already playable (and gives a ton of fun!). Works very well under Linux (64bit as well). See More

Top Pro

Construction sandbox for building and launching rockets

Kerbal at its core is a rocket building and launching sandbox. See More

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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Top Pro

Huge variety of mods

Bethesda Softworks has upheld a tradition of releasing their internal content-creation tools to the public since Morrowind (2002). Many modders transition to new Bethesda games as they are released, bringing their experience with them and helping newcomers through forums and wikis. As a result, Skyrim's mod selection is outstanding in both variety and quality. See More

Top Con

Combat is too simple

Fights within the game don't have very many options. "Headshots" don't matter, and most combat options in the game are poorly balanced. Few examples: Doesn't really matter if you go mace, sword or axe, fire, ice or lightning, or even two handed vs dual wielding. The options mostly add flavor to your character and little else. Despite the fact that you might have ranged attacks, dragons are impossible to hit while in the air, so you end up fighting them similarly to a melee character. "Twincasting" the first healing spell is actually worse than just casting it once in each hand. Illusion magic becomes useless at later levels, since the spells don't do anything if the enemy is too high level and enemies scale to your level. Enemies are too stupid to make hiding a bad thing. The worst one is leveling as an Alteration mage, which gives you access to the Dragonskin spell, granting maximum armor for 30 seconds and has a 5 second cast time. Or you could just go Heavy Armor, level that up (so it weighs nothing) and have maximum armor ALWAYS without ever having to cast an Alteration spell before combat ever again. Combat comes down to how you leveled, not how you play. See More

Specs

Genre:Action Role-Playing

Platforms:Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

Available on Steam:Yes

Top Pro

Incredibly long gameplay

With 220 hours of story and hundreds more hours of gameplay, you can't simply get bored of Skyrim, or finish it too soon. See More

Top Con

Buggy and crash prone

Skyrim, like all Bethesda in house game engines (GameBryo) is buggy and prone to crashing. Non modded games have plenty of issues, but to then add mods on top is just asking for a crash or corrupt game save. There are still many community mods for Skyrim that try to make the game more stable by addressing memory issues and general buggynes. While the game is not as buggy as it was upon release, there are still many people that have issues with the game crashing on boot or just randomly which is why these mods are still widely used and still very relevant. See More

Top Pro

The longest-running RPG-FPS franchise, with world lore rivaling classic fantasy literature

The Elder Scrolls series stretches back 20 years and has always focused on providing a rich world to explore. Skyrim inherits the stories and world-building of over half a dozen previous games. See More

Top Con

Immersion can be broken due to game limitations

While the game offers players many choices some of these choices are not reflected in the game accurately. There are instances where NPCs should know who your character is or what classes they belong to but due to the limitations of the tech used in the game it is unable to "remember" these things and so NPC text will often break immersion in the game by saying the wrong things. See More

Top Pro

Unrestrictive skill-based RPG system

Skyrim has no concept of character classes, and there are no restrictions on what equipment or magic a given character can use or learn. A character's capabilities are defined by skills (e.g. heavy armor, marksman, enchantment) which automatically improve as they are used. Levels are gained by increasing skills, and each level grants one perk -- a passive, secondary effect which further enhances a particular skill -- and increases an attribute of your choice (Magicka, Stamina or Health). See More

Top Pro

Moral choices that can affect gameplay

Things like stealing (and getting caught), fighting or killing in towns will change how the game plays as now those people or towns will be angry with the player, which makes things much more difficult. There are also many moral choices in game such as if one should betray the person who gave then their quest by keeping the treasure they were hired to return. All of these things will change how the game plays and how NPC's react to the character making for a simulated real world of consequences. See More

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Garry's Mod

Top Pro

Tons of community made add-ons

Garry's Mod has a wide variety of community made add-ons, which deeply extends the games content and versatility. Pretty much, if you can think of it, someone has probably already made it. See More

Top Con

No tutorial, nothing to help you on your way

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Sandbox

Co-Op:Yes

Controller Support:No

Top Pro

Many game modes to choose from

Sandbox, Trouble in Terrorist Town, Murder Mystery, Roleplay, DarkRP, Battle Royale, and Prop Hunt, to name a few. See More

Top Con

Previously free to download

Garry's Mod used to be a free download but it is now a paid game on the Steam store. See More

Top Pro

Ridiculously funny gameplay

You can do some really crazy things in this game thanks to all of the community mods available as well as the built in, in game tools. Pretty much any scenario can play out in the game, if you so desire. Of course the winning combination of funny tends to be when players are just goofing around. See More

Top Pro

Very affordable

It may not be free, but $9.99 beats many of the games on this list. See More

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Grand Theft Auto V

Top Pro

Online multiplayer

GTA V has included an online multiplayer mode where up to 30 players can play at the same time in the online world. See More

Top Con

Forced Rockstar Social Club online registration DRM scheme

Rockstar Social Club is a forced online registration and DRM platform that will not allow one to play the game without first logging in to it. No internet connection, no play. Forget the password to the account three times, get locked out. All hindrances to paying customers that in no way will stop the piracy of this title or effect pirates in any way shape or form. See More

Specs

Genre:Action-Adventure

Publisher:Rockstar Games

Top Pro

First person mode

The entire PC game version has had an engine tweak that allows it to be played in first person view, making for the first time in the series run that this option is available for the full playthrough. See More

Top Con

Population density slider in the options does not make much of a difference

The population density option in the PC version does not make much of a difference in the game, while it does have more people and cars than the console counterparts, the increased number is not by much. See More

Top Pro

Improved graphics over every other version

The PC version of GTA V is the optimal experience when it comes to graphic quality. Improved lighting and anti-aliasing make a big difference over the games XBox One and PS4 counterparts. See More

Top Pro

Game saves can be imported from console versions

Players that have game saves on their console versions can import the save to the PC version, this way they will not have to start the game over from scratch to enjoy it on PC. Rockstar has a support page specifically to transfer the saves. See More

Top Pro

Well optimized

There were many reservations as to how well Rockstar was going to optimize the game for PC, as some of their past games had a lot of trouble in this area. Luckily it looks as though the game has been optimized quite well with the specs being quite reasonable in order to achieve 60FPS in 1080p on the best settings. See More

Top Pro

Rockstar editor

The included Rockstar editor allows for user to create their own Machinima and gameplay videos. The tools are very robust allowing for many different day, weather and character options. See More

Top Pro

Supports up to 4K resolutions

GTA V supports resolutions all the way up to 4K on the PC version. See More

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Conan Exiles

Top Pro

Extensive crafting system that encourages player interaction

Crafting in Conan Exiles is essentially the name of the game. There are hundreds of items available to craft, and even though it may seem a little daunting at first, the process is very intuitive. You're able to do most things right from your inventory screen with no added help, and other things are deliberately pointed out as needing other amenities to be able to craft them. As you level up, you acquire "knowledge points," allowing you to learn how to craft new things. However, one person can't possibly know how to craft everything in the game. This system is perfect for making players either raid others for the goods they need, or team up and work with people to get further in their quest for survival. See More

Top Con

Not suitable for younger players

Conan Exiles contains nudity and a lot of gore. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Mixed

Genre:Survival, Sandbox

Platforms:PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows

Top Pro

Exploring the world is fun

There are several different biomes in Conan Exiles. Barren wastelands, harsh deserts, sparkling rivers, and haunted forests are just a few of the ones you'll encounter, but you'll want to get out there and really explore the environment. Every biome holds different secrets to discover and, more importantly, different materials so you can craft new stuff, which is always satisfying. Exploring also lets you scout out enemies that you plan to attack, find new areas you want to settle, or even make new friends to cohabit the area with. You'll have to explore whether you want to or not, but Conan Exiles makes it very enjoyable by making sure it's a rewarding experience. See More

Top Con

Joining a server for online play can be problematic

If the multiplayer servers are full, then you're out of luck. So far, there's no user-friendly functions like queues or notifications to help you out. You're stuck with spamming attempts to join a server or rejoin if you get kicked out for whatever reason. It would have been nice to have some helpful features to ease this process along. See More

Top Pro

The developers are very interactive with the community

The developers of Conan Exiles do their best to maintain regular and transparent communication with the players, actively seeking feedback, requests, and ideas in order to make the game better. See More

Top Con

The game feels unfinished and unpolished

Even though Conan Exiles is no longer in early access, there are a lot of flaws here and there that add up over time. You have plenty of freedom to roam around, but there's no real sense of progression or a focused storyline. Some areas in the open world just have a bunch of enemies to kill for the sake of killing them. You may also lag a lot, with your character warping around as you try to move. On their own, these things wouldn't be such a big deal, but they really do become a pain as the problems start to stack up. See More

Top Pro

A great deal of fun to play with your friends

In Conan Exiles, you're able to team up with people and build cities, or even empires if your group is large enough to make it happen. You're also able to do things that simply couldn't happen as a solo player, like waging war on enemy cities, pooling resources to expand your territory quickly, or making group expeditions to find rare resources. As much fun as the game is by yourself, it really shines when you've got a few friends to team up with to take on the world. See More

Top Pro

The combat is fast-paced and brutal

In Conan Exiles you play as an exiled warrior, so it's no wonder that you know how to fight. You play in first-person and wield a large array of weapons in order to destroy your enemies. Combat often ends quickly, with decapitations, limbs flying everywhere, and blood spattered on the ground. You can even sacrifice your enemies to the gods in order to gain power if you want to. If you like brutality, Conan Exiles has it in spades. See More

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ARK: Survival Evolved

Top Pro

Tribal aspects

Users can form a tribe with other online users to for a community. This community can now band together in order to build and grow as well as team up against other tribes. This makes for a fun experience with friends and other players as it requires teamwork in order to be successful. See More

Top Con

Early access

Ark is an early access game meaning it is basally in an Alpha or Beta state. Bugs are easily found and many areas of the game lack polish. While t may not cripple the gameplay this is something to consider when purchasing as there is n guarantee the game will ever be finished. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Mostly Positive

Genre:Action-Adventure, Survival

Platforms:PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, Android

Top Pro

Good character creation

When starting a new game the player is allowed to choose between a man or woman, from there is a plethora of option for making a character with a personalized or individualistic look. See More

Top Con

Anti-cheat issues

ARk has started using an anti-cheat tool called Battleye, this has so far broken Linux and Mac support for using official servers. Battleye has also had some issues with banning legit users and does not have a very good reputation. These issues add up to many angry players who paid for the game but now can not play it. See More

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