Best Sandbox Games on Steam

Unlike generic lists, our game recommendations use a rigorous analysis of Steam user reviews to identify and feature only the best, community-validated sandbox games.

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Space Pirates and Zombies Explore a randomly generated Galaxy populated with factions, enemies, missions, and items providing you with a unique experience each time you play.

Price 9.99€
Rating 8.7
Release 15 Aug 2011
ARMA: Cold War Assault Bohemia Interactive's debut game published by Codemasters as Operation Flashpoint in 2001, became genre-defining combat military simulation and the No. 1 bestselling PC game around the world and has won many international awards, including “Game of The Year” and “Best Action Game”. Over 2 million copies have been sold since its release.

Price -69% 1.59€
Rating 7.8
Release 08 Aug 2011
ARMA: Gold Edition ARMA: Gold is pack of ARMA: Armed Assault and an expansion pack ARMA: Queen's Gambit. ARMA is a first person tactical military shooter with large elements of realism and simulation. This game features a blend of large-scale military conflict spread over large areas alongside the more closed quarters battle.

Price -72% 2.28€
Rating 7.3
Release 13 Jul 2011
Solar 2 Dynamic abstract sandbox universe. Changes and evolves as you do.

Price -91% 0.88€
Rating 8.7
Release 17 Jun 2011
Terraria Dig, fight, explore, build! Nothing is impossible in this action-packed adventure game. Four Pack also available!

Price -50% 4.96€
Rating 9.7
Release 16 May 2011
Dwarfs!? Dig! Dig! Dig! Manage the small underground Dwarf base and make it as rich as possible before they meet their inevitable doom. Purchase before May 11th and save!

Price -98% 0.24€
Rating 7.4
Release 04 May 2011
Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword The standalone expansion for Mount & Blade! With Fire & Sword builds and expands upon the highly regarded combat system from Mount & Blade: Warband. Firearms have been introduced to the battlefield.

Price -80% 2.00€
Rating 8.6
Release 03 May 2011
Cargo! The Quest for Gravity Create crazy, yet functional, custom vehicles to solve missions with your own unique style!

Price -88% 1.28€
Rating 7.6
Release 21 Apr 2011
Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game Developed by a team of experienced modders from the Paradox forum, Darkest Hour is a stand-alone Hearts of Iron game. The game features a mixture of short and in-depth campaigns set across the darkest chapters of the 20th century. Play from the outbreak of the Great War up until the onset of the Cold War.

Price -79% 2.18€
Rating 8.6
Release 08 Apr 2011
Mafia II (Classic) Vito Scaletta has started to make a name for himself on the streets of Empire Bay as someone who can be trusted to get a job done. Together with his buddy Joe, he is working to prove himself to the Mafia, quickly escalating up the family ladder with crimes of larger reward, status and consequence… the life as a wise guy isn’t quite as...

Price 29.99€
Rating 9.3
Release 22 Mar 2011
Assassin’s Creed® Brotherhood It’s time to join the Brotherhood.

Price 14.99€
Rating 8.7
Release 17 Mar 2011
Revenge of the Titans The ultimate mash-up of Real-time Strategy and Tower Defense!

Price -62% 5.65€
Rating 7.8
Release 16 Mar 2011
Atom Zombie Smasher The zombie apocalypse is upon us and it's up to you to evacuate everyone before they fall prey to the undead. Conduct massive rescue operations with a helping hand from snipers, artillery crews, orbital bombardments, and more.

Price -44% 5.69€
Rating 8.6
Release 14 Mar 2011
Men of War: Assault Squad Men of War: Assault Squad delivers a deeply tactical WWII experience, blending large-scale strategy with intense, hands-on combat. Fight across multiple fronts – from European countryside to Pacific jungles and command every unit and every bullet on the battlefield.

Price -94% 0.68€
Rating 8.5
Release 24 Feb 2011
Cities in Motion Manage transportation for commuters in four of the world's greatest cities - Vienna, Helsinki, Berlin, and Amsterdam

Price -96% 0.99€
Rating 7.4
Release 22 Feb 2011
Two Worlds II HD Check out the new Velvet Edition bundle including both Two Worlds II and Pirates of the Flying Fortress DLC.

Price -99% 0.27€
Rating 6.2
Release 03 Feb 2011
The Sims™ 3 The Sims 3: Create the perfect world with full customization at your fingertips. Refine personalities and help fulfill destinies.

Price 19.99€
Rating 8.5
Release 27 Jan 2011
EVE Online Over 20 years of legendary space battles! Explore a massive living universe of danger and opportunity in a challenging and highly rewarding space adventure. Fight, trade, build, and connect with a universe driven and shaped directly by players.

Price Free to play
Rating 7.3
Release 15 Dec 2010
Fallout: New Vegas Welcome to Vegas. New Vegas. Enjoy your stay!

Price -80% 2.04€
Rating 9.5
Release 21 Oct 2010
Lugaru HD Follow Turner, a rebel bunny rabbit with impressive combat skills in his quest to find those responsible for slaughtering his village. Uncover a far-reaching conspiracy involving the corrupt leaders of the rabbit republic and the wolves of the nearby lands. Streamlined Combat: Gone are the days of combo memorization and button mashing.

Price -98% 0.26€
Rating 7.5
Release 08 Oct 2010
X: Beyond the Frontier The Human Race had advanced to the point where we could travel among the stars, we developed giant automated machines to help us colonise other worlds, but there was a fault in their programming and they turned and attacked. Forcing us to lay a trap to protect Earth and exiling the Human race to stay on Earth once again.

Price -84% 0.81€
Rating 7.0
Release 08 Oct 2010
Dead Rising® 2 The sequel to the million-plus selling Dead Rising, Dead Rising 2 takes the zombie survival horror to Fortune City, America’s latest and greatest entertainment playground.

Price 19.99€
Rating 7.6
Release 27 Sep 2010
Victoria II Carefully guide your nation from the era of absolute monarchies in the early 19th century, through expansion and colonization, to finally become a truly great power by the dawn of the 20th century. Victoria II is a grand strategy game played during the colonial era of the 19th century, where the player takes control of a country, guiding...

Price -90% 2.08€
Rating 9.0
Release 30 Aug 2010
The Guild II Renaissance For centuries Europe has been dominated by the church and nobility. On the shoulders of ordinary people the servants of god and the noble families justified their power and wealth. This was the incontrovertible, divine world order. A truly dark era… In the 14th Century the world order is beginning to transform itself.

Price 9.99€
Rating 8.0
Release 28 Jul 2010
SimCity™ 4 Deluxe Edition SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition includes the bestselling SimCity 4 and the all-new SimCity 4 Rush Hour Expansion Pack. Create the most massive region of cities ever, with a farming town, bedroom community, high-tech commercial center, and industrial backbone.

Price -90% 2.04€
Rating 8.0
Release 20 Jul 2010
Moonbase Alpha NASA has once again landed on the lunar surface with the goal of colonization, research, and further exploration. Shortly after the return to the Moon, NASA has established a small outpost on the south pole of the moon called Moonbase Alpha.

Price Free to play
Rating 8.8
Release 06 Jul 2010
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead Three years after the conflict in Chernarus, portrayed in the original Arma 2, a new flashpoint explodes in the Green Sea Region. Coalition forces led by the US Army are deployed to Takistan to quickly restore peace and prevent further civilian casualties.

Price -95% 0.85€
Rating 9.0
Release 29 Jun 2010
The Guild II The Guild 2 is the shining successor of the ultra successful medieval life sim, Europe 1400. The Guild 2 is a unique mixture of RPG and life simulation in an immersive middle ages scenario. The player and his party become part of history and can even change it in real-time. Go back to the dark middle ages and found a new dynasty!

Price 9.99€
Rating 6.8
Release 24 Jun 2010
Mount & Blade: Warband In a land torn asunder by incessant warfare, it is time to assemble your own band of hardened warriors and enter the fray. Lead your men into battle, expand your realm, and claim the ultimate prize: the throne of Calradia!

Price -78% 4.42€
Rating 9.7
Release 31 Mar 2010
Just Cause 2 Dive into an adrenaline-fuelled free-roaming adventure with 400 square miles of rugged terrain and hundreds of weapons and vehicles.

Price -97% 0.56€
Rating 8.9
Release 23 Mar 2010
Assassin's Creed 2 An epic story of family, vengeance and conspiracy set in the pristine, yet brutal, backdrop of a Renaissance Italy. New low price!

Price 9.99€
Rating 8.8
Release 04 Mar 2010
Supreme Commander 2 Includes 47 Steam achievements, leaderboards, and stats!

Price -91% 1.20€
Rating 8.6
Release 01 Mar 2010
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat is the direct sequel of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. As a Major Alexander Degtyarev you should investigate the crash of the governmental helicopters around the Zone and find out, what happened there.

Price -59% 8.28€
Rating 9.4
Release 11 Feb 2010
Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition Prepare for the Future™ With Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition, experience the most acclaimed game of 2008 like never before. Create a character of your choosing and descend into an awe-inspiring, post-apocalyptic world where every minute is a fight for survival.

Price 19.99€
Rating 8.0
Release 17 Dec 2009
Gothic® 3 A nameless hero becomes a legend! Myrtana, a world in upheaval: overrun by orcs from the dark lands in the north, King Rhobar is defending Vengard, the former stronghold of the humans, with his last troop of followers.

Price -96% 0.95€
Rating 8.0
Release 02 Dec 2009
Gratuitous Space Battles The first ever auto-battler game, from way back in 2009Who needs backstory? Who needs resource-gathering? Diplomacy is so last year. Gratuitous Space Battles cuts right to the chase of sci-fi strategy games, and deals with large, completely unjustified space battles between huge opposing space fleets.

Price 14.79€
Rating 6.9
Release 16 Nov 2009

Most played sandbox games


23,840 players

206,216
4,301
Rating 9.7

23,696 players

1,122,546
37,161
Rating 9.6

10,446 players

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Rating 9.4

8,105 players

4,910
1,660
Rating 7.3

5,154 players

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Rating 9.4

4,371 players

121,084
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Rating 9.4

1,553 players

8,849
663
Rating 9.0

1,365 players

28,544
4,366
Rating 8.5

1,310 players

47,391
2,731
Rating 9.3

958 players

17,195
2,937
Rating 8.4