Sandbox games are a different kind of fun from other types of games. Instead of relying on a story to guide players, it gives them an open world to explore and enjoy with a story they can engage when they want to. There are a few interesting choices for sandbox fans on Android and here are the best Android sandbox games.
Aralon Sword and Shield
[Price: $4.99]
First up is Aralon Sword and Shield and this is a sandbox game mixed with an RPG. It features three races, four classes, and several mounts along with a big world to explore and a story that delivers around 30 hours of game play. The graphics are pretty decent and they come with some fun effects like a dynamic night and day switch. It’s $4.99 which isn’t a bad price and it’s a good mix of sandbox and RPG.
Bad Nerd
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Bad Nerd is an action RPG that features an open world and a chance for downtrodden nerds to vent some frustration. You go on 50 quests to beat up bullies and there is even an online multiplayer mode that is in beta testing right now. The developers have promised more updates that will bring more quests and more action. It’s also free to play with in app purchases so it won’t cost you anything to try it out.
Block Story
[Price: Free with in app purchases]
Block Story is very similar to Minecraft in basic mechanics. You build things and enjoy a world that is made almost entirely of large blocks. There is a large open world for you to engage with, bad guys to defeat, and of course all of the building that you can do. You can even ride a dragon and that’s always a good thing. It’s free to try with in app purchases so you can see if you like it before you spend any money. It’s also cross platform between PC and mobile.
Delver
[Price: $1.99]
Delver is a dungeon crawling RPG with 8-bit style graphics and some interesting game play mechanics. You can use the permadeath mode where you lose the game if you die and you get randomized levels so you never play the same game twice. Dungeon crawling is one of the archaic sandbox genres and it’s still fun for many people today. This one runs $1.99 which isn’t a bad price.
Grand Theft Auto (III, Vice City, and San Andreas)
[Price: $4.99, $4.99, and $6.99 respectively]
One of the premiere sandbox games to come out in the last decade is also on Android and we’re talking about the Grand Theft Auto series. You can pick up III, Vice City, and San Andreas on Android. As you can expect, the newer it is, the better it seems to work but all three are pretty solid games. You can shoot people, drive around, do side missions, and there is the story line to attend to. They’re a little more expensive but give that San Andreas was $60 at one point, $6.99 is a good price comparatively.
Minecraft Pocket Edition
[Price: $6.99]
Having a sandbox games list and not having Minecraft is borderline blaphemy. This game has more iconic value than you can shake a stick at and it has millions of players worldwide. You can build things, fight bad guys, mine for resources, craft items, and engage in a large world of your own design. There is also a huge culture around Minecraft that you can become a part of to give you ideas about stuff to do. It’s $6.99 which is a little pricier but there aren’t a lot of people out there who don’t think it’s worth every penny.
Ravensword: Shadowlands
[Price: $6.99 with in app purchases]
Ravensword has a reputation for being a pretty good game and it fits right into the sandbox category. It’s an open world RPG where you wander around as a hero and do quests. It features a huge world to explore, above average graphics, and it is optimized for Tegra devices. Fans of games like Dragon Age and Skyrim may be able to get into this. It’s a tad expensive so make sure you try it inside of the refund time to make sure you like it.
Solar 2
[Price: $4.00]
Solar 2 is a different kind of sandbox game. Usually the open world is a planet that you can explore and enjoy. In this case the open world is actually the universe and you play with planets instead of playing on them. It’s a bit of a unique concept and it can be a lot of fun if you’re into this kind of stuff. There are sandbox and strategy elements involved. It’s $4.00 but thankfully there is a demo that you can try by clicking here.
Wrap up
If we missed any great Android sandbox games (and we probably did), let us know in the comments!
To see our full list of app lists and games, click here!