Sandboxes are a type of MMO that emphasize player freedom and expression. They frequently include mechanics for building, crafting, trading, character customization and development, roleplaying, destruction, and significant interaction with the world and other players. A sandbox that is dominated by an open-PvP or free-for-all ruleset is sometimes pejoratively called a gankbox. Contrast with the themepark.
sandbox
Massively OP Podcast Episode 466: Elder Scrolls Offline
Justin and Bree discuss PlanetSide 2's new developer, Elder Scrolls Online's rollback situation, the revival of Life is Feudal, and the resurrection of Legends of Aria Classic, with adventures in LOTRO, ESO, and World of Warcraft, plus mailbag topics on Palia, Blade and Soul, Dragons Dogma Online, and MMOs that would work offline.
RuneScape’s latest quest has players tracking down an undead dragon
You know how it's a bad idea to plunge into a dangerous animal's lair? That rule clearly doesn't apply to a massively powerful undead...
Global MapleStory resolves to ‘follow its own direction’ away from Korean version parity
Western fans of MapleStory have some understandable concerns about the future of their favorite cutesy MMO following news from the Korean version, specifically Nexon's...
Bellwright brings its brutal medieval world of multiplayer survival to Steam early access
Will the second verse be different different from the first for developer Donkey Crew -- and more importantly for those who buy in to...
EVE Online’s Equinox expansion brings planetary mining and territory features to nullsec June 11
Tuesday, June 11th, is promising to be "the first step towards a radical re-invigoration of nullsec space" in EVE Online thanks to the launch...
Palworld CEO addresses Tencent-backed ‘clone game’ Auroria and similar Chinese mobile titles
Pocket Pair CEO Takuro Mizobe is seeing what having the shoe on the other foot feels like, as he has apparently taken notice of...
Mabinogi’s latest quality-of-life update lets players enjoy minigames anywhere
The month of April is all about quality-of-life improvements for players of Mabinogi, as the game's most recent patch has offered several things to...
Valheim brings the Ashlands update to its public test server, confirms the game’s nearly full release
After three years in early access and over a year since the update was first announced, the Viking costumed survival sandbox Valheim is finally...
EVE Online brings login rewards and new missions to its April 30 Capsuleer Day anniversary event
It will soon be time for EVE Online to celebrate 21 years of operation, and you know what that means! Capsuleer Day is coming...
Dune Awakening explains why ‘spice is power’ for this upcoming survival MMO
Even those most tangentially aware of the Dune franchise are aware that everyone in that setting is pretty crazy about spice. This resource fuels...
Star Citizen says alpha 3.23’s personal hangars would have made the game ‘literally unplayable’
This past weekend, we reported on the news that Star Citizen had to delay the addition of personal hangars and other related gameplay elements...
The Daily Grind: Are there any standard MMO UI elements you consider ‘optional’?
Back in February, MMO YouTuber MarleMMO reminded me that Ashes of Creation is planning to obscure enemy health bars during PvP - a concept...
The MOP Up: FFXIV recaps its PAX East appearance
In case you missed it in person, you can catch up with all of Final Fantasy XIV's PAX East 2024 developments in a recap...
Whatever happened to Wildcard’s pirate-themed sandbox MMO Atlas?
It might be by design that we've collectively forgotten about Atlas, the piratical survival sandbox MMO by Wildcard substudio Grapeshot Games that was at...
Space exploration sandbox Starship Simulator successfully funds at over $497K
Getting to command, tinker, fix, explore, decorate, and control your own detailed virtual spaceship looks even more promising with the recent news that FleetYard...
The Stream Team: A first foray into Planet Crafter multiplayer
Massively OP's MJ definitely loves sandbox games where she can terraform the land somewhat. But what about when the entire premise of a game...
Past Fate projects early access launch sometime in the third or fourth quarter of this year
Currently, the sandbox MMORPG Past Fate is in a closed alpha state (except for when it deigns to run open alpha tests). It would...
Planet Crafter is a new multiplayer survival sandbox where you geo-engineer an entire planet
Last week, multiplayer survival sandbox were treated to yet another entry in the field: Planet Crafter, a game I've had on my own wishlist...
Star Citizen pushes back alpha 3.23’s new hangars and cargo missions, adds in water physics instead
For the past several weeks, Star Citizen has been talking up the features of its upcoming alpha 3.23, often calling it one of the...
V Rising demos its new Dracula-themed endgame zone, Ruins of Mortium
Vampire survival sandbox V Rising continues its efforts to drum up hype as it seems certain to lap Valheim when it fully releases on...
