There was a time when a sandbox game was unique. Grand Theft Auto was the king of sandbox games during the PS2 and PS3 eras. So much so that finding other sandbox games that lived up to the level of the GTA series could be difficult.
That all changed during the last generation and into the current generation of consoles. Now, it seems like every game is an open-world sandbox. That makes the task of finding good quality sandbox games substantially more difficult.
To save you time, we’ve put together a list of the top 5 best current-gen sandbox games and ranked them in order.
1. Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 tops our list due to just how awesome it is to explore Night City. The game may have had substantial issues at launch, but developer CD Projekt Red has invested a lot of time in bringing the game up to the level that players expected at launch.
The result? A living, breathing Sci-Fi city with a ton of things to do. You can drop hundreds of hours into Cyberpunk 2077 just by exploring Night City and completing side quests. That’s the mark of a top-tier sandbox game.
With the launch of the Phantom Liberty expansion, Cyberpunk 2077 has been completely overhauled. There’s a new leveling system, a new police system, vehicle combat, new AI, and so much more. Even if you played Cyberpunk 2077 before, if you haven’t played since the 2.0 update, then you haven’t played this version of the game, and it’s well worth hopping back in.
2. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
What’s better than the standout open world of New York City that Insomniac Games created for Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales? Making it about twice the size and adding the New York boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in Spider-Man 2, that’s what.
Spider-Man 2 picks up where the previous two games left off by creating a fantastic version of New York that’s a pleasure to traverse. The two new boroughs feel fresh and live up to the quality of Manhattan from the other games.
It’s always fun to play as Spider-Man, stopping crimes and exploring the city, and that’s never been more true than in Spider-Man 2.
3. Starfield
If you’re looking for an open-world game on a slightly larger scale, then look no further than Starfield. Not content with creating a massive open world like in the Fallout and Elder Scrolls games. Bethesda set out to create an entire galaxy of open worlds, and they succeeded.
Sure, not every world is going to be as densely packed with things to do as other Bethesda games, but the studio absolutely nails the vastness of exploring the universe.
There are big cities, small towns, desolate planets, and everything in between. In short, there’s something for every kind of sandbox connoisseur in Starfield. The only question is, where do you start?
4. No Man’s Sky
If you like the idea of Starfield but want to go even crazier with exploration, then No Man’s Sky could be the game for you. You can take your ship from planet to planet, asteroid to asteroid, and space station to space station, all while flying it yourself.
No Man’s Sky is so ludicrously big that you can literally spend hours flying through space between destinations, not that you need to. That’s what hyperdrives are for.
No Man’s Sky is a sandbox game in its purest form. You can do whatever you want, go wherever you want, and be whatever you want. No two gamers need to play in the same way. If you want to be a space pirate, load up your ship and find some prey. Asteroid miner? Go ahead. Alien zoologist? Help yourself.
The universe is truly your oyster in No Man’s Sky, and the PS5/Xbox Series update made the game better than ever.
5. Grand Theft Auto V
No list of sandbox games is truly complete without Grand Theft Auto. With its current-gen remaster, Grand Theft Auto V has now been released on its third generation of consoles.
If you somehow haven’t played Grand Theft Auto V yet, then now is the time to do so. Even a decade on from its original release, the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S version of the game holds up with anything else released in 2023.
It’s also a great time to catch up. The first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI is imminent, and it might not be long before GTA V finally gets retired for good.
