My friend, if you love open world video games that set you free to explore and play as you please, PlayStation 4 is home to some of the greatest sandboxes ever created. But what exactly makes a sandbox game? Key traits include:
- Open Environments: Huge, living worlds where you can wander without restraint
- Freedom & Emergence: Choose your own objectives, playstyles – create memorable stories
- Side Activities: Packed with diversions beyond main storylines
- Customization: Tailor the experience to your preferences
As the pinnacle of the 8th generation console era, the PS4 was the first platform with the raw power to make these intricate sandboxes truly immersive. Let‘s discuss 7 sandboxes that exemplify why the PS4 is considered a golden age.
Marvel‘s Spider-Man (2018)
In gaming and beyond, Spider-Man stories are defined by the thrill of web-slinging across New York City‘s skyline. For the first time, players could experience that rush firsthand. Marvel‘s Spider-Man meticulously crafted Manhattan, populating familiar landmarks with criminals to pummel, collectibles to snatch from the air in acrobatic fashion and ordinary citizens going about their days.
Bringing such an iconic setting to life took 5 years and over 200 developers! Their efforts paid off – critics praised the game‘s unbelievably detailed, vibrant take on NYC filled with things to see and do. Combined with combat mixing Spidey‘s signature athleticism and web-based moves, it became PlayStation‘s fastest selling game ever upon launch.
Red Dead Redemption II (2018)
Rockstar Games dominates sandbox worldbuilding, from their pioneering Grand Theft Auto series to 2010‘s original Red Dead Redemption revolutionizing the Western aesthetic in games. Red Dead Redemption II perfected their craft, constructing a historically authentic 1899 American frontier brimming with hidden mysteries. Reviews raved about the most strikingly lifelike open world ever – down to minor details like comment dialog changing daily.
Beyond eye candy, Red Dead II‘s epic 60+ hour story introduces players to the Van der Linde gang with exceptional writing and motion captured performances. Strangers populate the wilderness with their own compelling characterization as well – I‘ll never forget one widow I chose to comfort instead of rob. With so much to get lost in, 25 million of us have explored cowboy life in Red Dead II so far!
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (2015)
Many games boast "open worlds", but totalling 136 km^2 (52 sq miles), The Witcher III‘s medieval fantasy realm delivers adventure around every corner. While galloping across the Northern Realms on horseback, you may stumble on monster lairs, bandit camps, magical artifacts and more. Interestingly, adding content to keep players engaged across such a massive map was a huge undertaking – at launch alone Wild Hunt already contained over 450 unique in-game books you can find!
But more importantly, Wild Hunt realizes excellent depth alongside scale and beauty through expert worldbuilding. Cells littered with remains tell stories without a single word. NPCs grow from acquaintances helping to beloved friends – making even small side quests feel meaningful. Combined with the series‘ signature dark, thought provoking writing and gritty Slavic lore, Wild Hunt casts an irresistible spell earning over 800 awards.
Days Gone (2019)
The Pacific Northwest wilderness has never been more terrifying than in Days Gone. Set years after a mysterious global pandemic, former biker Deacon navigates lush forests and mountains overrun by zombie-like "Freakers" – including massive hordes up to 500 creatures strong. Dynamic weather like snowdrifts and storms make already desperate survival even more challenging.
While zombies games are dime a dozen, Days Gone‘s bold worldbuilding choices make Oregon feel unexpectedly fresh. Exploring the gorgeous environments reveals some chilling surprises about how current dwellers are dealing with apocalyptic tragedy. As Deacon himself says poignantly: "Even if we win this war…we‘ve already lost."
Fallout 4 (2015)
Based on retro hip 1950s sci-fi, the Fallout series sees nuclear war‘s aftermath where humanity blends fantasy and Cold War era Americana. Fallout 4 ambitiously built this post-apocalypse aesthetic from scratch across downtown Boston, Cambridge and suburban neighborhoods – now the "Commonwealth" battlefield between factions vying to shape civilization‘s future.
Fallout 4‘s Staggering Open World Scale
| Fallout 4 Map Size | 3.82 sq miles |
|---|---|
| Side quests | +400 |
| Weapons | 50 base weapons + 87 mods |
| Interactive NPCs | 1,000+ |
An overwhelming amount of content fills Fallout 4‘s world, supported by enhanced customization letting you tinker with nearly every system – crafting, combat, settlements etc. That level of creative freedom combined with dark humor poking fun at pre and post-war jingoism make this sandbox adventure one for the history books!
Horizon Zero Dawn
Many open worlds showcase beautiful scenery, but Horizon Zero Dawn‘s post post-apocalypse stands apart in premise and execution. 1,000 years in the future, Earth is reclaimed by mechanical beasts dominating gorgeous mountain valleys and dense jungles. Protagonist Aloy alone has the tools and courage to discover how our civilization perished to make way for these mysterious synthetic creatures.
Horizon attracted players through trailers showing seemingly primitive bows and spears used to take down hulking mecha-dinosaurs. But in practice, Horizon considered every detail for making encounters with its bestiary entertaining puzzles. Every beast has different behaviors and exposed weak points to identify for strategic takedowns. Each Biome and quest further untangles the mysteries pervading this brave new world. Lead producer Sam Sharma captured the team‘s bold vision beautifully:
"I have not seen any game combine beauty and danger on this scale before."
Assassin‘s Creed Origins
As an historian entranced by ancient civilizations, I relished every moment unraveling the mysteries of ancient Egypt in Assassin‘s Creed Origins. No other fantasy can hold a torch to walking miles in an assassin‘s sandals during the reign of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. Ubisoft meticulously recreated landmarks from the Pyramids of Giza to Alexandria lighthouse alongside tombs filled with hieroglyphic secrets.
While the series always focused extensively on historical settings, Origins‘ Ptolemaic Egypt has an archaeological attention to detail unmatched in the franchise. From actual ancient practices like mummification to moments playing out key events like Caesar‘s assassination, I felt transported back to be the secret blade tip tilting the scales of history‘s most critical inflection points. Combine such well-realized immersion with addictively fluid action combat introduced in Origins, and this assassin‘s sandbox will steal 100+ hours before you even realize!
We‘ve explored how PlayStation 4 enabled sandboxes achieving unprecedented scales and depths of interaction. Rockstar‘s WESTWORLD-esque cowboy frontier, The Witcher‘s monster-hunting medieval fantasy realm or Horizon Zero Dawn‘s beast-infested post-post-apocalypse – these living worlds overflowed with handcrafted activities to make escapism feel so believable.
Looking ahead, with cloud gaming untethering development from console limitations, might we see truly boundless open worlds in the future? Shared persistent online sandboxes supporting thousands simultaneously have already emerged in mega-hits like Fortnite. Based on projects like Elder Scrolls VI and GTA 6 already confirmed to be early PlayStation 5 titles, next generation sandboxes promise to astonish on unprecedented levels. But for now, the PS4‘s vast frontiers offer more magic and adventure than we have time for! Hopefully you have a new favorite or two to embark on after this tour. Let me know what hidden gems or amazing emergent tales you discover out there, my friend!
