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
Sign up for Black Desert’s closed beta, if you want
Want to play Black Desert's closed beta? Well, you could pre-order. But that would be insane, and you're not insane, right? Good, I didn't...
Infiltrate Anti-Santa’s camp to save RuneScape’s Christmas
RuneScape's notorious Anti-Santa is back and plotting another war on Christmas festivities. It's up to players to infiltrate his camp in a new seasonal...
Eco’s alpha was successful; here’s what’s next
Strange Loop says that Eco's alpha was a success, thanks mainly to lots of players giving the dev team "tons of feedback, suggestions, and...
Massively OP Podcast Episode 40: Gnome Huntarz
Justin and Bree discuss WildStar, GW2, WoW, The Repopulation, Devilian, Marvel Heroes, and Dogma: Eternal Night, plus mailbag questions on finding time to play and whether EverQuest Next is vaporware.
EVE Online adds in dirt and kill marks to ships
A factory-fresh ship in EVE Online should not look exactly the same as one that's been through countless corporate wars. There should be some...
Black Desert Korea adds bounty hunting and jail
With Black Desert on its way to the west in 2016, it's not a bad idea to be giving more attention to what's happening...
The Daily Grind: What makes a really great MMO community manager?
When Funcom hired new community managers a few weeks ago, some readers questioned why we'd cover it. Big whoop, community managers are glorified retweeters,...
Shards Online is hosting a pre-alpha 3 livestream on December 12
Shards Online is hosting a livestream on Saturday, December 12th, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST. What's the occasion? Well, it's the beginning...
Vendetta gets prettier on the Oculus Rift
Did you know that Vendetta Online was the first MMO to support the Oculus Rift virtual reality device? And did you know that Vendetta...
Albion Online’s PvP zones and flagging explained
As Albion Online's development has progressed, Sandbox Interactive has utilized player feedback to refine the PvP system, acknowledging that for all the hardcore PvPers...
Spatium is a space sandbox survival MMO on Kickstarter
Spatium is a new MMO thing on Kickstarter, and while MMO Kickstarters are a dime a dozen these days, this one might just stand...
Shroud of the Avatar newsletter looks at arena building and more
Did you miss Shroud of the Avatar's Friday update? I did; I was too busy stuffing my face with leftover turkey and dressing to pay...
Grab a Wild Terra early access key from MOP and Juvty Worlds [All gone now!]
If you missed out on our giveaway for survival sandbox Wild Terra back in September, then today marks a second chance.
Juvty Worlds has granted...
Star Citizen approaches the $100 million funding mark
Numbers are kind of funny. The total amount of Star Citizen's funding doesn't really mean anything, per se; $100 million is just a significant...
EVE Evolved: Three EVE mechanics that need an update
With over 12 years of development under its belt, EVE Online has now revamped, rebalanced or replaced practically every part of its gameplay at...
Massively OP’s holiday gift guide for EverQuest franchise and Daybreak fans
It's that time of year again: when you realize half-way through your indulgence of in-game festivals that you totally forgot to go out and...
One Shots: The rowsdower abides
One of my most prized physical MMO possessions is my WildStar rowsdower plushie. It always sits there, looking at me as though it's accusing...
Tree of Life changes towers, locks, and more in its latest patch
Fantasy sandbox Tree of Life got a patch this week, which included a number of building system changes designed to make it easier to...
The Game Archaeologist: Ultima X Odyssey
I think any MMO veteran has a private list of prematurely canceled games that he or she deeply wishes had been completed and launched....
Gloria Victis releases its full alpha patch
The bad news for fans of Gloria Victis is that the most recent patch brings with it a full server wipe, forcing everyone currently...