Open-world and sandbox – these terms have become more popular in the gaming community over the last decade. While they refer to different things, they are often used interchangeably. Let’s explore the differences between these two genres and how they intertwine with each other.
Open-World Video Games
Open-world video games present a virtual world where you can approach objectives freely, unlike structured gameplay, where the world is more linear. Since there are no level structures, you can venture anywhere within the simulated world’s borders and other geographical limitations like lakes and mountains.
While the openness of open-world video games is a crucial asset to their appeal, their main goal is to provide you with autonomy, not the freedom to do anything you want in the game. Your freedom is limited to choosing how to approach the game’s challenges in an order of your choosing, but the gameplay rules are still constrained.
A fine example of an open-world game is Red Dead Redemption. You can embark on a litany of epic heists and fights in the game or choose a more relaxed path. For instance, you can indulge in poker in one of several salons, including Tumbleweed, Blackwater, Flatneck Station, and Saint Denis. If you want a taste of the real deal, you can play poker and thousands of other casino games for real money in online casinos in New Jersey. Other notable video games in this category include:
- Grand Theft Auto III
- The Legend of Zelda
- The Witcher
- Red Dead Redemption 2Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Fallout 3
- Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole
The main objective of open-world video games is to offer a simulated reality in which you can immerse yourself to develop a character in the manner and pace you choose. In such cases, the end goal may not be concrete, but a main storyline may exist.
Sandbox Video Games
The sandbox genre features video games that provide a great deal of freedom to interact with a simulated world without any predetermined goal other than the ones you set.
The term “sandbox” derives from the nature of a children’s sandbox, which lets them create almost anything in it. These games’ lack of objective sometimes earns them the name software toys or non-games.
In sandbox video games, the emphasis is on controlling the virtual world rather than just existing in it. The point of the games is to manipulate the elements of their worlds with the provided tools. For instance, you can build, mine, craft, and enchant things without limitations in the open sandbox game Minecraft. More popular sandbox games include:
- Minecraft
- The Sims
- Dreams
- No Man’s Sky
- Space Engine
Where They Overlap
These definitions of open-world and sandbox video games create standards that imply a strict binary categorizing titles.
The distinctions between these two genres make more sense theoretically. In most cases, games are more likely to fit on a spectrum between one and the other. For instance, you cannot change the environment in Saints Row (open world) as in Minecraft (sandbox), but Saints Row has a narrative that loosely follows a storyline while leaving plenty of room for players to influence.
Conclusion
The ultimate takeaway is that depending on what you want to do, you can probably make an open-world game into a sandbox game and vice versa as long as elements of both categories are supported. Keep in mind that the possibilities of video games are only as endless as how resourceful you are.
