Best Early Access Sandbox Games On Steam, Ranked

The sandbox genre is expansive and all-encompassing. Games with vastly varying styles and themes can all fall under this genre, generally described as games that contain base-building, an open world, creative freedom, or any combination of these traits. Above all, sandbox games allow players to do as they please, often through some freedom to create or explore.

Related

10 Best Cozy Sandbox Games

Wrap up warm and relax with one of the following cozy sandbox games that are sure to put your mind at ease.

Steam early access is a useful tool for developers to receive practical feedback and funding for their games as they develop them. Many unique and up-and-coming games can be found through early access, with developers often allowing players to shape the way the game turns out through feedback. Any gamers who are fans of the sandbox genre should stay up to date with Steam early access in order to find the latest releases.

7

Space Engineers 2

A Ship Engineering Sandbox

Space Engineers 2 is the long-awaited sequel to Space Engineers. It is an open-world space sandbox title that allows players to build and destroy fully functional spaceships. The game features incredible precision construction tools as well as improved UI, visuals, and controls, making it a worthy sequel to the original Space Engineers.

Space Engineers 2 is a great sandbox title for any fans of spaceships or space as a whole. Players can construct intricate ships, all of which can dynamically break in a realistic manner. Space Engineers 2 is currently in a very early access state and currently only has creative mode, placing it a bit lower on this list than the other entries. However, for fans of tinkering with ships in a sandbox environment, Space Engineers 2 is the perfect experience.

6

Aloft

A Sandbox Survival Game Set Among The Clouds

Aloft is a cozy survival sandbox title set amidst the clouds in a fantasy setting. Players can explore various islands in the sky, even claiming an island as their own that can be used as an airship. The game has a series of wind-based mechanics, creating a unique core wherein players must use windmills and sails to achieve a lot of their goals.

Aloft is a unique sandbox that allows players to build upon and pilot islands. In true sandbox survival fashion, players can plant crops, rear animals, and freely explore the open skies. Aloft is a unique approach to a somewhat saturated genre, offering a forgiving and rewarding survival sandbox experience in a unique setting. It’s earned a place here on the list for its compelling concept, though its lower placement is influenced by its numerous bugs in the current iteration. This, however, does not detract from the potential of Aloft and its position as a solid and compelling early access sandbox title.

5

WorldBox – God Simulator

Be A God

Worldbox – God Simulator

Systems

Released

September 24, 2021

Developer(s)

Maxim Karpenko

Publisher(s)

Maxim Karpenko

WorldBox – God Simulator is a unique sandbox game that allows players to take on the role of a god, giving them full control over a landmass that can be populated with various races. WorldBox is equal parts simulation and sandbox, as the world is entirely simulated and civilizations will operate independently, with or without player input.

Related

10 Best Medieval Sandbox Games

Medieval sandboxes make for some of gaming’s best experiences, letting players forge their own epic legends.

WorldBox is a sandbox in the truest form. Players are given entirely free rein over the world. They can create, destroy, summon natural disasters, or even control a giant crab. The world is truly living, and players are given entirely free input over how the world is formed and exists. WorldBox places at number five due to its somewhat niche genre, offering a different approach to the sandbox formula. Despite this, for players who enjoy sandbox and simulation on a macro scale, WorldBox is a great experience.

4

Palworld

A Monster Catching Survival Sandbox

Open-World

Shooter

Survival

Systems

Released

January 19, 2024

Developer(s)

Pocket Pair, Inc.

OpenCritic Rating

Fair

Publisher(s)

Pocket Pair, Inc.

Palworld is an open-world survival sandbox title with a core that relies on monster-catching. Palworld is not so subtly inspired by the likes of Pokemon, as players must collect pals of various types in the open world. Palworld, however, has a much darker theme, with players using the pals they collect for varying means, ranging from mining, growing crops, building, breeding, and harvesting other materials — even armed defense of player bases.

Palworld is a compelling open-world sandbox with a plethora of content that makes it a largely fleshed-out experience. Players can build bases, collect pals, set up production chains, craft gear, and fight challenging Tower bosses across the Palpagos Islands. For players who enjoy the monster-catching formula alongside survival sandboxes — with a hefty dose of firearms thrown in — Palworld is a great choice. It places at number four on this list for being an all-around solid survival sandbox, but some players may be put off by the similarities to Pokemon.

3

Manor Lords

A Medieval City Building Sandbox Experience

Systems

Released

April 26, 2024

Developer(s)

Slavic Magic

OpenCritic Rating

Fair

Publisher(s)

Hooded Horse

Manor Lords is a sandbox city builder that allows players to build their own medieval town. It also features strategic Total War-style battles, meaning the game blends multiple genres on top of its base as a sandbox city builder. The game blends management and sandbox perfectly, allowing players to build realistic medieval towns, inspired by the art and architecture of late 14th century Franconia.

Related

Best Sandbox Strategy Games

Packing a combination of sandbox creativity and freedom with strategic challenges, these games are the ideal mix of both worlds.

Manor Lords also features a sandbox mode, should the management aspect become too tiresome. This allows players to freely build their town as they please, using the game’s intricate building systems to create a very realistic town. The landscapes and general aesthetics of the game allow for an immersive and authentic sandbox experience. Manor Lords might not be for everyone, but it offers a very compelling city-builder, with the option for an entirely sandbox experience.

2

Enshrouded

Fantasy Survival Sandbox

Enshrouded is an open-world survival sandbox that is set in a vast fantasy realm. This fantasy realm is packed full of magic, monsters, and all sorts of interesting secrets. Enshrouded is a multiplayer survival sandbox that includes extensive base building alongside the expected gear collecting, combat, and exploration fans can expect from this type of game.

Enshrouded is one of the more content-rich sandbox titles currently on Steam early access. Players are given a massive landmass to explore with tons of secrets hidden throughout, all while they are given the tools to build large and impressive bases. The building is, of course, one of the crucial elements of a survival sandbox, and Enshrouded offers an intuitive building experience. The game is a great sandbox that offers many ways to play, whether players want to spend their time building a castle or freely exploring a mysterious fantasy realm, venturing into the poisonous Shroud to uncover the world’s secrets.

1

Necesse

RPG Meets Sandbox

• Platform(s): PC
• Release: 12th December 2019
• Developer: Fair Games ApS

Necesse is a fantasy sandbox RPG, partially aesthetically inspired by games like Rimworld, with clear RPG inspiration in its design and progression. In Necesse, players can freely explore a procedurally generated open world, collecting new resources and equipment while fighting off enemies and completing quests.

Of course, given that Necesse is a sandbox game, there are plenty of opportunities for building. Players can grow a settlement and recruit settlers to work and live in whatever settlement the player chooses to build. One defining feature of Necesse is that it is multiplayer, both in co-op or through the establishment of a dedicated server. This means that players can truly explore the sandbox elements of the game, building up a series of settlements and branching out all over the open world. Necesse tops this list as it is the most content-rich and fleshed-out sandbox early access titles on Steam, offering plenty of playtime.

More

6 Sandbox Games With The Most Replayability

The best sandbox games out there have incredible replay value, offering dynamic gameplay experiences whenever you’re in the mood for something fresh.