Top Five Sandbox Video Games

I love videogames. I have played games since I was a young boy, way the hell back when Intellivison and the Atari 2600 were the big thing. Back then, there was no such thing as a ‘sandbox’ game, which allowed you to explore an entire world.

I love these types of games. Sure, Call of Duty and other first person shooters are fun; Halo is a great SF space opera, and so on.  The issue is that all these games are very limited in their scope. You don’t have an entire world to explore and play in. Thus the sandbox terminology.

This week I will list my favorite five videogames that I have played on my Xbox 360 over the past six or so years.

All of the games I am about to list would make for an incredible tabletop RPG experience. In fact, I can honestly say that many of my Wisdom from the Wastelands issues have been inspired by several of these games!

With the exception of number 1, the rest are in no particular order.

1. Fallout series – The Post-Apocalyptic genre has always been my favorite Science Fiction sub-genre. Ever since I was a youngster, even before I hit middle-school I loved this genre. Blame it on the first post-apocalyptic movie I saw, Damnation Alley. The Fallout series, especially Fallout 3 and New Vegas are my ultimate choice for the perfect Sandbox game. There is a great storyline in each game, but the worlds are HUGE and there are literally tons of side-quests and areas to explore. I love the venerable superscience meets the fifties vibe to the game, the critters, the weapons, everything! I have been eagerly waiting to hear news when the next fallout game is to be made and released but it’s been nearly five years and not a word. 
2. Far Cry – I’ve only played Far Cry three, and I have Far Cry 4 and I’m eager to get into the game. Far Cry three had a massive world (as a series of islands) to explore, with tons of side-missions and quests to participate in. One of my favorite aspects of the game was taking down enemy outposts by using cunning and stealth. The game is, of course, a first person shooter style game, but it’s also wrapped up with an incredible storyline. And who can forget the absolutely insane antagonist Vaas Montenegro? Great villain to have to deal with!
3. Dead Island – I can say that I never played any of the Dead Rising games, so I don’t know just how big a sandbox world they provide to the player. However, I have played Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide.  The whole Zombie Apocalypse is another one of my favorite sub-genres and this game provides you with a huge world to explore. There are also all manner of side-quests that you can take to help other survivors that you encounter during the main mission. If you want a game that allows you to explore a ruined environment while staving off hordes of flesh-eating undead, this is perfect for you. And while I’m at it, check out ‘State of Decay’. Very similar to Dead Island and a hell of a lot of fun.
4. Skyrim – Part of the Oblivion Scrolls series of games, and my favorite of this line. It is fantasy, and it is produced by the same company that made Fallout 3. In fact the game even uses the same engine. A massive fantasy world to explore, where you can jump straight into the main quest or level up using nothing but side-quests. Exchange high tech weapons for magic items and spells, but it is still the same game. The storyline is deep and immersive, and you can even become a monster if that is your sort of thing. One of the other DLC’s allows you to build a massive home and stock it as well.
5. Dragonage – And we come to the last of my choices of best sandbox RPG’s. This game, put out by Edmonton’s Bioware, is an excellent fantasy game. Like the others I have mentioned, this game has a huge world to explore (all the games that have been published thus far!) and you could spend literally weeks just completing side-quests that are available. One of Bioware’s hallmarks is a deeply immersive storyline and history that has been created for the world. If this setting is one you would like to use in an Tabletop RPG, then you’re in luck, as it was made into one.

Chris Van Deelen is the author of the Skirmisher Publishing LLC sourcebook  Creatures of the Tropical Wastes  sourcebook, co-author of its  Wisdom from the Wastelands  game supplement and contributor to the  'Sword of Kos: Hekaton'  Anthology.