The best sandbox games give players the freedom to play with, explore, exploit, and even break the mechanics of their games. Closely tied to and compared with open-world games, there’s a thin line that makes sandbox games different. While sandbox games let players look into their mechanics, open-world games instead let players explore the game’s world and backstory. Whether you are creating your own mob farm in Minecraft or gaming Terraria’s house mechanics, these are freedoms offered by sandbox games. So, which of these games can you play on mobile? Read on to find out!
Best Sandbox Games to Play in 2022
We have listed 15 of the best sandbox games to play on mobile devices in 2022. To help players out, not only will we add our thoughts on the game, but we will also add some important information about it like the platforms it is on, age rating, prices, and more.
1. Minecraft
Publisher/Developer: Mojang
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, PS4, XBO, Nintendo Switch
Age Rating: Everyone 10+
Genres: Open-world, crafting, exploration
Price: $6.99 (iOS)/ $7.49 (Android)
First officially released in November 2011, Minecraft has since taken the world by storm. It’s one of the best sandbox games and open-world games ever made and it continues to captivate gamers, especially kids. With an average active monthly user base of 140 million in 2021, Minecraft is set to continue chugging along.
Minecraft does not have a plot and is pretty open-ended. This gives players the freedom to set their own goals and explore not just the world, but also how it works. While it can be played single-player, there are a lot of options for multiplayer as well as cross-platform play.
Get Minecraft on the Apple App Store
Get Minecraft on the Google Play Store
2. WorldBox
Publisher/Developer: Maxim Karpenko
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac
Age Rating: Everyone 3+
Genres: God-sim
Price: Free with in-app purchases
WorldBox, which makes you the god of a planet, is a fine example of the God-sim genre made into one of the best sandbox games. What you do with your God-hood, though, is your own. Visually, this game is pretty simple with cute 2D graphics and a nice soundtrack.
You can plop down some rivers and a few trees to help that nearby human settlement evolve and thrive. Or, you can be a vengeful and evil god raining down meteors, lightning, and plagues before flooding the world. Whether to be peaceful and benevolent, wrathful and chaotic or a mix between the two – the choice is yours.
Get WorldBox on the Apple App Store
Get WorldBox on the Google Play Store
3. Terraria
Publisher/Developer: 505 Games
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, PS4, XBO, Nintendo Switch
Age Rating: Teen
Genres: Open-world, crafting, exploration
Price: $4.99 (Android and iOS)
Sometimes called the 2D version of Minecraft, Terraria works on similar ideas, albeit on a 2D pixel world. With the motto “Dig! Fight! Explore! Build!”, it gives players the freedom to do whatever they want inside the game. Do you want to get the strongest gear and beat up Terraria’s myriad bosses? Maybe you want to be a homeowner and get the game’s many NPCs to live with you. You could also just sit and fish all day if you are tired. However way you want to play Terraria, there is probably a chance that you can do it!
Get Terraria on the Apple App Store
Get Terraria on the Google Play Store
4. Godus
Publisher/Developer: 22Cans
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac
Age Rating: Everyone 10+
Genres: God-sim, building
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Godus is a God-sim from one of the brains behind the genre, Stephen Molyneux. The game lets you control the hand of God and tasks you with building a human civilization from just two people. Easy to learn but hard to master, Godus has a lot of depth to it due to the “belief” mechanic that fuels your God powers. It also has a simple visual style with bright and vibrant color tones that you are sure to love. We do have to note that its in-game shop is not present in the non-mobile versions due to being a paid game.
Get Godus on the Apple App Store
Get Godus on the Google Play Store
5. Roblox
Publisher/Developer: Roblox Corporation
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac
Age Rating: Everyone 10+
Genres: MMO
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Less of a game and more of a full-fledged game collection, Roblox is a game creation system that lets players literally create their own games from scratch. It lets users create, upload, and play games made by themselves or others. Written using the Lua coding language, Roblox takes the idea of sandbox games and takes it to the extreme.
Some player-made games on the platform have been working MMORPGs, hero-shooters like Valorant, and even collectible card games. Due to this extensive amount of player freedom, Roblox is hands down one of the best sandbox games ever!
Get Roblox on the Apple App Store
Get Roblox on the Google Play Store
6. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Publisher/Developer: Rockstar Games
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac
Age Rating: Mature 17+
Genres: Action-adventure, third-person
Price: $6.99 (iOS and Android)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (GTA: San Andreas) is one of the most praised and criticized games of all time. This game is a 3D third-person game set in a fictional version of 1990s Los Angeles called San Andreas. While it does have a wonderfully written plot following the story of CJ Johnson, there are a lot of things players can do inside the game. In between missions, players can stroll around the streets of San Andres, San Fierro (San Francisco), and Las Venturas (Las Vegas), causing havoc or just exploring the world.
Get Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the Apple App Store
Get Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the Google Play Store
7. Pocket City
Publisher/Developer: Codebrew Games
Platforms: iOS and Android
Age Rating: Everyone
Genres: City-building
Price: $2.99 (iOS and Android)
Pocket City is exactly what it is named. This game is, quite basically, a city in your pocket. Taking inspiration from the original Sim City, Pocket City puts you in charge of growing a sprawling metropolis. Using the game’s intuitive building system, you start by building roads and designating building areas. You then slowly get to watch as your hamlet turns into a town and evolves into a city. While the game does have a progression system, players are quite free to play around with it and create as they please.
Get Pocket City on the Apple App Store
Get Pocket City on the Google Play Store
8. The Escapists 2
Publisher/Developer: Team17 Digital
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, PS4, XBO, Nintendo Switch
Age Rating: Teen
Genres: Strategy
Price: $6.99 (iOS and Android)
A sandbox game with a simple premise — escape! How you escape, though, is up to you. The Escapists 2 is a sandbox strategy game set in a large prison that gives you a lot of options to win. Some of these options include the ability to craft tools, bribe guards and other inmates, or dig through the walls to help your quest to leave. Another plus for this game is four-player local multiplayer that lets you and three other friends scheme with each other to victory!
Get The Escapists 2 on the Apple App Store
Get The Escapists 2 on the Google Play Store
9. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Publisher/Developer: Rockstar Games
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac
Age Rating: Mature 17+
Genres: Action-adventure, third-person
Price: $4.99 (iOS and Android)
Another sandbox game from the Grand Theft Auto series, Vice City is a game that came before San Andreas. Vice City follows similar game mechanics and ideas of others in the series as an open-world third-person 3D action-adventure game. There is not a lot to say for this game since it is quite similar to GTA: San Andreas. The main difference is that Vice City is set in the eponymous town patterned after 1970s Florida.
Get Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on the Apple App Store
Get Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on the Google Play Store
10. Stardew Valley
Publisher/Developer: Chucklefish Limited
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, PS4, XBO, Nintendo Switch
Age Rating: Everyone 10+
Genres: Farming-sim, RPG, life-sim
Price: $4.99 (iOS and Android)
Stardew Valley is among the best sandbox games due to the freedom of choice players get in this game. Inspired by Marvelous’ Harvest Moon (now called Story of Seasons) farming simulator series, Stardew Valley takes a lot of cues from its predecessor. Its basic story is simple: tired from the stresses of modern life, you return to your grandfather’s now abandoned farm in Pelican Town. The choice is now yours; do you take charge and revive the farm and the town or do you bring the stresses and corporate leadership of Joja Corp to disrupt this homely piece of land? If you want to learn more about his beautiful game, we have an in-depth beginner’s guide to Stardew Valley.
Get Stardew Valley on the Apple App Store
Get Stardew Valley on the Google Play Store
11. Portal Knights
Publisher/Developer: 505 Games Srl
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, PS4, XBO, Nintendo Switch
Age Rating: Everyone 10+
Genres: Action-adventure, RPG
Price: $4.99 (iOS and Android)
Although it’s one of the many games that were obviously inspired by Minecraft, Portal Knights is a cut above the rest and considered one of the best sandbox games on mobile. This game combines the sandbox nature of Minecraft with RPG elements. It has Minecraft’s building system with four-person multiplayer, player classes, boss monsters, and of course, portals. If you find Minecraft a bit boring, you should try your hand at playing Portal Knights!
Get Portal Knights on the Apple App Store
Get Portal Knights on the Google Play Store
12. Don’t Starve
Publisher/Developer: Klei Entertainment
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, PS4, XBO, Nintendo Switch
Age Rating: Teen
Genres: Dungeon-crawler, rogue-like
Price: $4.99 (iOS and Android)
Don’t Starve is one of the best dungeon-crawler games out there that also has sandbox and rogue-like mechanics. The first thing anyone would notice from this game is its art style, one heavily reminiscent of Tim Burton films. This, combined with its eerie story alongside creepy music, makes Don’t Starve one of the most unique games on this list. Mechanics-wise, the game is pretty simple as all you need is to not starve. You would have to do that inside a grotesque and weird world filled with monsters and other threats that would gladly eat you instead.
Also read: Terraria and Don’t Starve Crossover
Get Don’t Starve on the Apple App Store
Get Don’t Starve on the Google Play Store
13. Townscaper
Publisher/Developer: Raw Fury
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, PS4, XBO, Nintendo Switch
Age Rating: Everyone
Genres: City-building, casual
Price: $4.99 (iOS and Android)
Have you ever seen the unique and distinguished architecture of old European cities? Did you ever want to try to build something like the blocks of Barcelona or the winding hill cities of Italy? Well, Townscaper is the sandbox game for you! Compared to the earlier Pocket City, Townscaper gives players even more freedom to just build and create. While Pocket City has things like statistics, graphs, and charts, all you need in Townscaper is your own imagination. You can create whatever cityscape you wish on this cute diorama-like game.
Get Townscaper on the Apple App Store
Get Townscaper on the Google Play Store
14. Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic
Publisher/Developer: Atari Inc.
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac
Age Rating: Everyone
Genres: Building, tycoon
Price: $5.99 (iOS and Android) with in-app purchases
One of the games that started the entire tycoon game genre, Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic has stood the test of time and is still much loved by gamers. This game lets you build your own theme park from scratch and lets you focus on rollercoasters. Gigantic metal creations with death-defying loops, curves, and falls, you can create the rollercoaster of your dreams! Or you can play around with the game mechanics and create your own version of hell with literal heart-stopping rides.
Get Rollecoaster Tycoon Classic on the Apple App Store
Get Rollecoaster Tycoon Classic on the Google Play Store
15. Goat Simulator
Publisher/Developer: Coffee Stain Publishing
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PS4, XBO
Age Rating: Everyone 10+
Genres: Action-adventure, third-person
Price: $4.99 (iOS and Android)
This game is one of the best sandbox games for PC that broke the internet when it was first released in 2014. Goat Simulator answers a simple question, “what do goats normally do?” This game gives its own weird and wacky answer to that question by letting you control your own goat in this Goat Simulator. Cause immense havoc by ramming your way through someone’s garden. Find out what happens when a goat goes on carnival rides. Cause a helicopter to crash by abusing the game’s mechanics to make yourself fly. The world is your oyster — sadly, you are a goat!
Get Goat Simulator on the Apple App Store
Get Goat Simulator on the Google Play Store
Takeaway
There you have it — some of the very best sandbox games you can play! If that does not tickle your fancy, you might want something more laid back like some of the best restaurant games. For those who want to expand their game library, though, a few Mahjong apps might make their way in.
