Sandbox video games give players the freedom to explore open worlds and interact with tools and environments however they want. While the Nintendo DS didn‘t focus heavily on sandbox games, it still had some good options for fans of the genre.
What are Sandbox Games?
Sandbox games emphasize freedom and lack defined goals and progression. Players explore interactive worlds, build structures and vehicles, collect resources, engage in combat, complete side quests, and shape the environment around them.
Popular sandbox game features include:
- Open worlds that place minimal barriers on where players can go
- Building/crafting systems to let players construct items, buildings, and even entire cities
- Customizable avatars and structures
- Side activities like mini-games and collectible hunting
- Multiplayer so players can explore sandboxes together
Sandbox games let players choose their own adventures, set their own goals, and play as fast or slow as they want. Their open ended nature gives nearly limitless gameplay.
Was the Nintendo DS Known for Sandbox Games?
No. Most DS titles were more linear with defined objectives. However, the DS did see innovative sandbox-style games that offered excellent freedom despite hardware limitations.
Early DS releases focused on touch controls and dual screen features rather than big 3D worlds. But later titles incorporated more sandbox elements through:
- 2D open levels with exploration and side tasks
- Crafting/customization features
- Non-linear quest structures
- World interaction via touch controls
- Connectivity for collaborative play
While no DS title offered an exceptionally large sandbox, many provided as much openness as possible given the more constrained DS hardware.
6 Best Nintendo DS Sandbox Games
The Nintendo DS hosted sandbox-style games across genres from life sims to pet raising games. Here are 6 titles that best captured that open world, play-it-your-way spirit.
6. Spore Creatures
- Play as a customizable creature on an interplanetary quest
- Explore planets collecting parts to evolve your creation
- Dig tunnels, socialize with species, and compete in races
- Share creatures and interact with other players locally
In Spore Creatures, your home planet gets attacked and your sibling kidnapped. To get them back, you traverse alien worlds searching for ship parts and gaining abilities.
It captures the sandbox and customization fun of the PC hit Spore. You freely roam levels finding new body parts and Bio-Powers for your customizable creature. Tunnel through earth, climb structures, socialize with other species you meet, and compete in races and battles.
While graphics aren’t impressive, the open alien worlds and creature editing deliver sandbox enjoyment. And local connectivity lets you show off creations or interact with friends.
5. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
- Classic open world mayhem in DS form
- Huge Liberty City to explore
- 70+ story missions plus side quests
- Mature content like drug deals and gang wars
- Online leaderboards and co-op modes
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars brings the gameplay of Grand Theft Auto titles like Vice City and San Andreas to the small screen. Players dive into the seedy underworld of Liberty City seeking vengeance while taking on jobs from crime syndicates.
Like other series entries, the game lets you explore districts at your leisure, jack cars, get in shootouts, and take on lucrative illegal work. With 70+ story missions, customizable safehouses to acquire, unlockable vehicles/weapons, and online modes, gameplay depth defies DS standards.
It offers an impressively authentic GTA experience considering hardware limitations. The top down perspective also makes Chinatown Wars one of the most approachable series entries.
4. Fantasy Life
- Explore a magical world with 12 playable fantasy jobs
- Seamlessly switch between careers like paladin, chef, and angler
- Customizable house with crafting and pet options
- Lighthearted quests ranging from chopping trees to slaying beasts
Fantasy Life provides a fun RPG sandbox experience for all ages. Pick a starting fantasy career spanning warrior, mage, and crafting jobs. Then freely wander the expansive land taking on quests to help townsfolk, slay creatures, harvest resources, and explore dungeons.
Switch between any of the 12 jobs seamlessly, letting you bounce from paladin quests to relaxing woodcutting. And customize your avatar, house, pet, even the world map with placement options.
With charming graphics and humorous NPCs, it encourages just having fun in a fantasy environment over following a strict narrative. Quest at your leisure while advancing whichever careers suit your fancy.
3. Animal Crossing: Wild World
- Charming life simulator with animal residents
- Build your house and decorate the village
- Collect furniture, fossils, insects, art, and more
- Visit friends‘ towns locally or online
- Dynamic seasons, holidays, and weekly events
The Animal Crossing series defines open ended life simulation fun, and Wild World translates that magic onto the DS. Move into a village of chatty animals and enjoy pure sandbox freedom.
Design your avatar, house, and the town itself by planting trees, flowers, and decorations. Furnish your pad through trading, fossils hunting, and customization. Pop in daily to chat with quirky villagers and participate in special events like summer bug catching competitions.
With dynamic seasons, weeks, and holidays, things stay fresh when you visit. And traveling to other local towns or online towns increases activities tenfold.
Few games replicate Animal Crossing’s creative freedom and lasting daily enjoyment like Wild World.
2. SimCity Creator
- Iconic city builder with sandbox Creative Mode
- Construct cities spanning ancient to futuristic
- Unique structures and disasters for each era
- Share photos of cities with other DS systems
- Two distinct game modes
The excellent city building series SimCity let you construct and manage intricately detailed cities. SimCity Creator brings that freedom to DS, while adding mobile era-themed twists.
Challenge Mode sees you guiding a developing settlement across different historical eras. As you advance ages, new building styles and disasters open to really test your urban planning prowess.
But the big perk is the unlimited Creative Mode with every building material available from the start. Craft unique city layouts spanning medieval to moon colonies! And trade photos of your creations with friends.
With deep construction elements packed on a tiny DS card, SimCity Creator stands as one of the finest sandbox world crafting games on the system.
1. MySims
- Cutesy life simulator with vibrant lands
- Build and customize a whole town
- Local multiplayer mini-games
- Solve problems for eccentric residents
- Lots of furniture crafting and building
The charming and family-friendly MySims delivers a splendid dose of sandbox goodness. Guide a Sim character to a run down town that you rebuild and repopulate by making new friends.
Each of these new residents sports a unique personality and problems for you to solve. Fulfilling requests earns you rewards plus customization options to personalize the town.
With colorful lands filled with furniture crafting materials, you have lots decorate your pad and the villagers‘ houses. Local multiplayer cooking and racing mini-games round out the fun and lighthearted experience.
For creative freedom in designing buildings, decorating interiors, and shaping lands, no other DS title quite matches what MySims accomplishes.
Conclusion
The DS may have lacked processing muscle, but it hosted engrossing sandbox experiences across genres. For open world enjoyment on the go, games like Spore Creatures, Chinatown Wars, and MySims delivered.
And now with the DS library available digitally on newer 3DS models, it‘s easy to download these classics and enjoy sandbox gameplay wherever you want!
