Sandbox games provide players with open worlds and environments to explore and shape as they desire. These "digital sandboxes" give us boundless creativity, full freedom over gameplay decisions, and plenty of room for experimentation beyond rigid rules or linear storylines.
This level of player agency and imaginative building makes sandbox games highly engaging and endlessly replayable. According to researchers, sandbox gameplay also promotes problem solving skills, spatial cognition, leadership competencies and divergent thinking.
While sandbox games span platforms and genres, some of the very best sandbox experiences can be found in the Nintendo 3DS catalog of games. The portability, touchscreen functionality and 3D display of the 3DS brings sandbox worlds to life in your hands.
To showcase the full creative potential Nintendo 3DS offers, we‘ve identified the absolute best sandbox experiences available from over 10 years of releases. Ranging from adventure epics to arcade playgrounds, here are our top recommendations on 7 must-play Nintendo 3DS sandbox games of all time:
1. LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins
Nintendo Selects: Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins – Nintendo 3DS
Genre: Action Adventure Sandbox
Developer: TT Games
Release Date: April 21, 2013
Our #1 pick for best overall Nintendo 3DS sandbox experience is LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins. As a Lego-themed sandbox filled with humor, puzzles and exploration across a rich open world, this prequel adventure sets the standard for creative freedom paired with engaging gameplay.
Step into the shoes of protagonist Chase McCain, hot on the trail of criminal Rex Fury. Freely roam LEGO City’s urban sprawl by car, helicopter, boat or your own two feet. Pop in disguises to gain special abilities for accessing new areas. Bust baddies with an arsenal of silly moves like spinning tornado attacks. Or take a breather to snap photos in 3D and uncover hidden collectibles.
With its vibrant block-style graphics, laugh-out-loud cutscenes and puzzles that transform environments, LEGO City grants players endless avenues for amusement. Over 15 hours of story alongside nearly unlimited discovery through a city ripe for interaction make this our top recommendation for replay value. Pick up LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins to unlock the pinnacle of creative, humorous and detail-rich sandbox gameplay on Nintendo 3DS.
2. Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition
Minecraft: NEW Nintendo 3DS Edition – NEW Nintendo 3DS
Genre: Adventure / Sandbox
Developer: Mojang Studios
Release Date: September 14, 2017
The ultimate sandbox adventure and creativity outlet arrives on New Nintendo 3DS with Minecraft. This franchise phenomenon allows players to shape pixelated worlds however they envision through mining, crafting and unrestricted building.
Mine dirt with your bare hands, construct tools and turn minerals into materials for designing your dream domain. Craft shelters ranging from quaint huts to sprawling fortresses decked out in furnishings. Terraform landscapes to your liking, planting crops and felling trees. Fend off nocturnal monsters if you dare, or focus creative juices on renovating biomes into lavish odes to your boundless imagination.
With both survival and creative modes catering sandbox gameplay to different interests, coupled with multiplayer expansion potential, this is our top pick for versatile adventure. Lose yourself for 50+ hours crafting your perfect blocky universe molecule by LEGO-like molecule.
3. Terraria
Genre: Arcade / Sandbox
Developer: Re-Logic
Release Date: December 10, 2015
For 2D sandbox adventuring with old-school flair, Terraria soars as our arcade sandbox pick courtesy endless discovery across randomly generated worlds. Often dubbed "2D Minecraft," this journey emphasizes combat and questing over building foundations.
Alternate mining materials with crafting weapons/armor, fending off colossal bosses and uncovering rare loot. Dig elaborate tunnel networks, construct houses with functional furniture, decorate with torches and design towering castles overlooking biomes. Mix in some farming, fishing or potion brewing between delving deeper on challenging quests. With over 1,500 items to wield or create via crafting, options stay perpetually fresh.
Terraria excels at rewarding curiosity, driving players to uncover secrets or solve puzzles for epic gear and combat advantages. Blend that mystique of hidden treasures with sandbox freedom, and Terraria delivers phenomenal value at 30+ hours of adventures per randomly generated world.
4. Shakedown Hawaii
Genre: Action / Sandbox
Developer: Vblank Entertainment
Release Date: September 26, 2019
Our pick for top solo sandbox escapade centers on Shakedown Hawaii, an open-world action adventure all about building criminal empire from scratch. Select from over 60 story missions where business and pleasure mix to amass territory and eliminate rivals vying for control.
Dabble in "business ventures" like buying out shops, constructing new lucrative locations then sabotaging competitors through vandalism or theft. Expand wealth and power by purchasing illegal weapons, hiring gangs and bribing public officials to influence the island. Or just cruise in one of 30+ vehicles, soaking up 80s atmosphere through vibrant 16-bit visuals and catchy synthesized beats.
While modeled after classic Grand Theft Auto design embracing controversy and corruption, Shakedown Hawaii adds loads of oddball humor. What other game lets you mow down foes using weaponized drones shaped like pandas or attack investors with weaponry launched from ice cream trucks? Only on Nintendo 3DS will you find sandbox freedom fused with this level of quirky personality.
5. RollerCoaster Tycoon 3D
Rollercoaster Tycoon 3D (Nintendo 3DS)
Genre: Strategy / Simulation Sandbox
Developer: n-Space
Release Date: October 19, 2012
The Nintendo 3DS touchscreen shines while managing amusement park construction and strategy in RollerCoaster Tycoon 3D. Sculpt any park vision by placing over 100 unique attractions, customizing intensity and tweaking dips/spirals on coasters for optimal fun and fear. Expand infrastructure with paths, scenery and concessions to boost guest spending power.
Monitor satisfaction levels to see which attractions draw crowds so you can target investments for maximizing revenue intake. Rival parks via building bigger, better rides and snagging top celebrities for preforming publicity stunts putting your destination on the map. Balance ticket costs, hype marketing and general wow-factor so guests line up itching to throw cash your way.
With smooth coaster design interface optimized for stylus sculpting, streamlined management commands via bottom screen plus tons of custom environmental theming unlocks, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3D stands tall for creative executives seeking strategy sandbox management bliss on Nintendo handhelds. Construct your dreams parks over 50+ hours while utilizing every hardware capability 3DS offers.
6. Cube Creator 3D
Genre: Puzzle / Sandbox
Developer: Big John Games
Release Date: April 23, 2015
Players seeking more relaxed, creativity-driven sandbox gameplay should add Cube Creator 3D into the mix. As the name implies, construct buildings and sprawling villages from colored cubes like virtual LEGO blocks. Layout houses, castles keeps and more by tapping materials from an unlimited supply palette.
Create homes block-by-block, sculpt mountains into the terrain and build upward as high as pixel cubes can stack. Furnish living spaces through crafting essentials like doors, beds, chests, crafting tables and decorative items for displaying treasures uncovered while exploring. Dig below the surface to gather building resources or unearth secrets tucked in underground caverns.
While more constrained than open-ended experiences like Minecraft, Cube Creator makes up for it via presenting players with ever-increasing challenges that unlock new materials and building capabilities. With both Creative and Survival modes, block fans of all commitment levels can sculpt, play and display their masterful designs in relaxing sandbox style.
7. Lionel City Builder 3D: Rise of the Rails
Genre: Simulation Sandbox
Developer: Big John Games
Release Date: January 14, 2016
Rounding out our Nintendo 3DS sandbox elite sits Lionel City Builder 3D for armchair engineers craving model sets brought to digital life. Construct intricately detailed cities by laying train tracks, roads and bridges as more islands unlock. Pick from realistic scaled models of over 35 trains and 100 buildings to create sprawling urban masterpieces.
Send combustion, steam or diesel locomotive encircling the city or country outskirts as you dictate projected paths. Manage fuel needs, meet passenger demands, evolve engines over seven historical eras and handle disasters like earthquakes or monster attacks threatening infrastructure. Build up sleepy rural outposts into booming metropolitan hubs transporting loads of bustling citizens.
While more niche in appeal than sandbox creativity giants, Lionel City Builder impresses model enthusiasts with intricate construction tools for architectural perfectionists. With zen background music and liberating design freedoms focused squarely on elegant worlds, Lionel City Builder 3D takes the crown for best soothing simulation sandbox on 3DS for train aficionados.
Transform Your Nintendo 3DS Into a Creative Sandbox
Part of what makes Nintendo 3DS such an impressive system lies with its versatility catering to all interests and gaming sensibilities. Whether longing for humor-filled adventures through block cities, platforming through 2D tunnels, managing amusement empires or finally building model railways brought to animated life, Nintendo 3DS serves up sensational sandbox environments with specialized physics and graphics to match imaginative visions.
Through the titles above we consider the most compelling sandboxes Nintendo‘s stereoscopic handheld offers players, know that these barely skim the surface of creative potential 3DS holds. Download any of these standout hits, dig in with stylus or thumb stick and transform your portable Nintendo device into a gateway for unleashing endless invention that‘s distinctly your own.
