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
‘Infinite’ sandbox MMO DreamWorld unveils a gameplay trailer and runs an open playtest until March 16
Four years ago we first started covering Kickstarted game DreamWorld, a so-called "infinite sandbox MMO" that made some sky-high promises and hung its hat...
Pantheon Rise of the Fallen introduces the Druid class and applies several fixes and adjustments
It's time to get all nature wizard up in Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen as the sandbox MMORPG has officially released the Druid class...
The Stream Team: Backseat Streaming rides shotgun for more Elite Dangerous space combat
MOP's MJ and Chris are riding shotgun in the cockpit of a big internet spaceship once more for tonight's Backseat Streaming. That's right, it's...
MMOs You’ve Never Heard Of: QANGA, Urban Dead, Voxile, and Cyborg Immortal
Welcome back to another roundup of MMOs and MMO-adjacent multiplayer games you've never heard of!
QANGA
QANGA is a new-to-us multiplayer sci-fi survivalbox from iolaCorp Studio...
Black Desert is promoting a Korea tourism package inspired by Land of the Morning Light
Black Desert's Land of the Morning Light and Land of the Morning Light: Seoul expansions have been a beacon of historical transmedia synergy over...
Pax Dei adds more features to its Discord chat system, including voice chat and chat bubbles
Pax Dei's switchover to a Discord chat client last November is about to get a substantial upgrade with the game's next patch.
The studio announced...
Brighter Shores says combat updates are on schedule as testing continues
The tuning of combat in Brighter Shores that Fen Research has been talking about for a couple of months is now updating behind the...
Star Citizen details updates to character item recovery arriving in alpha 4.1 and beyond
The penalty for character death in Star Citizen is going to get a fresh new wrinkle, as CIG has begun to test item recovery...
Elite Dangerous pauses new colony establishment to address an unspecified ‘important issue’
The first week of system colonization's open beta in Elite: Dangerous has passed, and it's been an extremely active week, with over 8,000 systems...
The Daily Grind: Why are people reacting so strongly to Stars Reach?
Ever since Playable Worlds fully unveiled Stars Reach, we've seen a huge wave of conversation and interest rise around this sci-fi sandbox MMO. This...
Massively OP Podcast Episode 508: Stars Reach fires up crowdfunding
Justin and Bree discuss Stars Reach's Kickstarter, LOTRO's U43 and server transfers, Jake Song departing ArcheAge Chronicles, Dauntless' sunset, and Monster Hunter Wilds' debut, with adventures in LOTRO, WoW Undermined, and SWG Legends, plus a mailbag topic on the Elder Scrolls Online difficulty situation.
Fractured Online boss says he’s signed a ‘big deal’ to secure the future of the MMO
Kickstarted MMORPG sandbox Fractured has either had a terrible year or a startling year, depending on how you look at it. In January, the...
The Quinfall promises better comms, dupe rollbacks, and avoidance of wipes as it adds a new anti-cheat
It's been a pretty bumpy ride through early access for survival sandbox MMO The Quinfall, particularly in recent weeks when a coin duping exploit...
APB Reloaded has finally reopened its test server after nearly a month offline
APB Reloaded and Fallen Earth are finally on the verge of restoration after nearly a month of struggles.
Readers will recall that both Little Orbit...
RuneScape is getting a new boss as Jagex CEO Phil Mansell is stepping down
On the heels of RuneFest, we're witnessing a changing of the guard at Jagex: CEO Phil Mansell is stepping down. Mansell has served as...
The Daily Grind: What MMO gameplay feels like ‘homework’ rather than fun?
One of the reasons I've been enjoying Guild Wars 2 so much for the the last seven months is that it doesn't assign me...
Apogea is a developing sandbox MMORPG that relishes challenge and a stated lack of direction
If you decided to blend RuneScape and Tibia together with the sensibilities of the more "hardcore" MMORPG lovers, then what you might end up...
Pixel-y multiplayer survivalbox Tinkertown confirms a launch on Nintendo Switch March 10
Over the past little while, Tinkertown has resurfaced to make some major reveals including a full release in 2023 and arrival to Xbox consoles...
Monsters & Memories dates its next open playtest for April 11, firms up its early access launch plans
Monsters & Memories has had open test weekends a few times along its development track, so hearing about a new one isn't necessarily a...
Stars Reach’s Kickstarter broke half a million dollars already, deep-dives the fishy princess Hansian species
Less than a week into its whirlwind Kickstarter - remember, we didn't even know there'd be a Kickstarter two months ago! - Stars Reach...