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
MapleStory gears up for its 19th anniversary, launches MapleStory Worlds in Korea
While MapleStory 2 has become a distant memory for many of us, the MapleStory franchise is still going strong in 2024. In fact, Nexon...
Stick and Rudder: So let’s talk about those Elite Dangerous pre-built ships
Over the past couple of days, I've been watching and writing about the fun little tire fire that Elite: Dangerous ignited when it announced...
Star Citizen brings new race tracks and a first look at engineering to alpha 3.23’s Arena Commander
While many of the reveals shared by Star Citizen for alpha 3.23 have been focused on the persistent universe portion of the game, the...
Dune Awakening teases its movable, taxable, base-buildy but cozy player housing
Fans of Funcom's Conan Exiles will eagerly point to the game's building as one of its strongest features, so it's no surprise that the...
Massively Overthinking: Is there a feature or item in MMORPGs you won’t play without?
I was jolted into a near panic earlier this past weekend when I saw a tweet from Lord of the Rings Online in which...
Elite Dangerous provides an elaborate deep-dive on how Powerplay 2.0’s mechanics and rewards will work
Despite the backdrop of Frontier Developments setting Elite: Dangerous players on fire with talk about cash shop ship bundles, the studio came together for...
Kickstarted MMORPG-turned-TCG Genfanad gives up, will sunset April 30
ArcheAge isn't the only MMORPG announcing a sunset this week: Kickstarter success Genfanad is apparently closing its doors too.
Genfanad is a browser-based nostalgia-driven indie...
Seafaring survival MMO Age of Water hits Steam early access, addresses premium perks
After a week-long false start, publisher Gaijin Entertainment and developer Three Whales Studio have brought Age of Water into the roiling and (arguably) crowded...
Elite Dangerous shares additional details on engineering updates and pre-built ship bundles
Yesterday saw Frontier Developments enrage the Elite: Dangerous playerbase when it announced plans to sell pre-built ship bundles in its cash shop, with many...
Kakao’s western version of ArcheAge is sunsetting in June
I'm sorry to report this morning that the western version of ArcheAge is apparently shutting down: While we were sleeping, Kakao announced that it...
Sea of Thieves previews April updates, elaborates on PS5 server woes, and confirms the return of six ship servers
The new and the next are once more available to Sea of Thieves fans in moving pictures form, as the sandbox's latest news digest...
Pax Dei testing wrestles with stability and bugs, Abyss testing adds refinements and dragon attacks
It's been a busy time for the developing sandbox MMORPGs of Pax Dei and Abyss, as both games entered into their respective alphas this...
Perfect Ten: Great MMO April Fools’ Day pranks from back in the day
There are two types of people on April 1st: those who are annoyed and indifferent to the tomfoolery going on all around them, and...
Albion Online has kicked off early headstart for its new European server – no more wipes
There was a bit of a hiccup in getting it off the ground this morning, but it's here now: Albion Online's Albion Europe server...
Elite Dangerous plans to sell ship bundles – including its upcoming new ship – in the cash shop
A new announcement from Elite: Dangerous has lit a tinderbox among its playerbase, as Frontier Developments has confirmed that it plans to start selling...
Black Desert makes life skill benefits account-wide in today’s PC update
In case you haven't noticed, Pearl Abyss is on a massive campaign this quarter to improve the public's perception of Black Desert with one...
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...
