Video games have come a long way in recent years, especially since the turn of the century, with technology becoming increasingly more advanced every year. This expansive pool of opportunities and possibilities even spreads to some of the games themselves, with some providing the players with a world and means to explore it, letting them go off and have their own fun.

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These are sandbox games, though the term has been tweaked and added to over the years. Any game with alternative options to the main story or just non-linear gameplay can fall into this category, alongside those that have the more obvious elements like freedom for imagination and creativity. While games like Stardew Valley have these qualities, they started off as indie games with small teams, whereas there are some AAA games out there made by huge companies that have also produced incredible sandbox worlds for players to enjoy.

10 The Sims Franchise Helped To Redefine The Nature Of A Sandbox Game

Spellcaster Sims are brewing potions (The Sims 4: Realm of Magic)

The games within EA's franchise The Sims may not always be received well by everybody, but the fact still remains that they helped to redefine the meaning of what a sandbox game is. The Sims games allow players to create their own characters and then insert them into whatever situations they wish, made even more accessible with the possibilities of cheat codes and mods.

The Sims can then be controlled or left to their own devices as they try to put their life together, at the whims of the player. Various expansion packs and DLC are often introduced to each and every generation of The Sims, adding endless possibilities for how the player wants to proceed.

9 Marvel's Spider-Man Finally Gave An Experience Truly Worthy Of The Superhero

Marvel's Spider-Man web-swinging

Released in 2018, Marvel's Spider-Man was a highly anticipated and much-needed new game for fans of the web-shooting hero. It blew expectations out of the water with the scale of its map, full of interesting routes to take and situations to encounter, offering more variety and choice for progression than any prior Spider-Man game.

Developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Marvel's Spider-Man grew a franchise of its own, with a Miles Morales spin-off following in 2020 and a sequel scheduled for 2023. Marvel's Spider-Man fits the bill for a sandbox game when considering its revised definition over the years, with the player being given a world to explore and countless ways to explore it away from the main story.

8 Bethesda's Skyrim Is A Classic For Its Choices & Many Different Ways To Play

Skyrim — Legendary Dragon

Ever since its release back in 2011, Skyrim has been the go-to fantasy single-player experience for most gamers. Bethesda's masterpiece built on the previous entry in the Elder Scrolls franchise, Oblivion, but went beyond in fleshing out the world and everything in it.

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While there is very much a story to push through, players are free to go where they want or act how they want. They can pursue a life of crime and violence, thieving and assassinating, or they can do everything by the book and only fight monsters. Skyrim is now regarded as a classic in the video game world, and the freedom of its open-world helps to engage players and offers that sense of immersion.

7 Red Dead Redemption 2 Provides Hours Of Western Fun Away From Its Main Questlines

John Marston on a horse overlooking a fort in Red Dead Redemption.

As with the GTA series of games, Rockstar has cemented another pillar of their legacy with the Red Dead Redemption games, taking the chaos to the Wild West, with horses and wagons replacing modern vehicles. Red Dead Redemption offers a captivating main story, but players can spend countless hours simply traveling around the extensive map, doing whatever they want.

The Red Dead Redemption games bring animals and nature into the forefront, allowing for a multitude of new experiences of discovery and wonder away from the hustle and bustle of the GTA chaos.

6 Minecraft Carries The Very Definition Of Sandbox Games

Promotional artwork depicting features from Minecraft's Nether Update.

Minecraft is often considered to be the definition of the sandbox genre due to its nature of building and exploring requiring no real direction or restrictions other than the limit of one's own imagination. It started off as a product of Swedish developer Mojang Specifications, formed in 2009 by indie game designer Markus Persson, with Minecraft being released in 2011.

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The game shot into the stratosphere in terms of success due to its general accessibility and endless possibilities with its gameplay. Microsoft bought the intellectual property of both Minecraft and Mojang in 2014, with Mojang being rebranded to Mojang Studios in 2020. Minecraft has risen from being an indie game into becoming a franchise in itself, with several other spin-off games sprouting from it, and the main game itself can now be considered a AAA title.

5 Assassin's Creed Origins Is The Pick Of The Bunch From A Franchise That Encourages Different Approaches To Scenarios

Assassins-Creed-Origins-Feature

Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed will always have its haters and those who criticize the franchise's deviation away from the classic tales of assassins using simple stealth to hunt their targets. The games have gradually delved through multiple settings and time periods, with the assassin part often becoming secondary to a larger plot and breathtaking surroundings.

However, with every new addition to the series comes even more ways to play the game, from different ways to approach quests, to new alternatives to sink plenty of hours into without even considering the story. Black Flag was the first in the series to feel like a true sandbox game with all the possibilities, but Origins brought it to a whole new level, with the freedom and sheer volume of alternative ways to play through the game.

4 GTA V Provides Considerable Freedom For Players Beyond Its Main Story

Michael running away from an explosion in GTA V

While the idea of sandbox games once revolved entirely around the lack of provided story and total freedom of choice and direction, Rockstar's GTA games helped redefine the sandbox genre's definition, with the storyline being present but not being a necessity for every game session.

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Every GTA game has added to and improved their worlds through every single game and generation, with the latest GTA V being considered the ultimate sandbox to make your own fun, especially with its expansive multiplayer.

3 No Man's Sky Eventually Became The Space Sandbox It Always Wanted To Be

no mans sky origins key art

No Man's Sky is so often remembered for its catastrophic showing upon launch that many forget it has since become a stellar game after multiple huge updates and adjustments. Its procedurally generated worlds and landscapes give it its unique identity as a sandbox in space, but it also caused many of its initial problems.

Made by Hello Games, No Man's Sky was considered an indie game upon release, but it had the backing and investment of a AAA game. The scale of the efforts taken to salvage and improve the game helped save face and restore its reputation. Players can explore a whole host of unique planets and are rewarded for said exploration, allowing for hours of wondrous gameplay.

2 Breath Of The Wild Brought The Zelda Franchise To A Whole New Level & Scale

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild is often talked about as being one of the best ever open-world games, and it is certainly among Nintendo's best. Whether players are dedicated fans of the Zelda franchise or started with this game, its expansive world and the freedom of movement within it are but two reasons why it is so highly rated.

While not every open space is necessarily filled in with something, there is still plenty to do away from the main questlines. Play sessions can easily be spent merely exploring, without doing anything major.

1 Elden Ring Brings The Difficulty Of FromSoftware Games To A Huge & Expansive World

Elden Ring Castle

FromSoftware has always excelled with their games, but never before has there been a game of theirs as well-received as Elden Ring. Released in February 2022, Elden Ring has quickly engrossed players worldwide, whether they were already fans of games like Dark Souls or Bloodborne or if they simply came for the incredible open-world experience.

Elden Ring has its deep lore and story, but the game provides the player with a horse and a map almost immediately, giving free rein to go and explore the huge and intense world. You can discover Sites of Grace as you progress to provide helpful fast travel checkpoints, but other than that, the game tries not to hold your hand, allowing for a better experience of exploration and immersion.

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