History Main / ShiftingSandLand

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'' has the Yarna desert, roamed by Pokeys (cactus-like enemies from ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'') and divided into a network of paths by rows of cacti that will hurt Link if he runs into them.

** ''VideoGame/MarioKart64'' has Kalimari Desert.
** ''VideoGame/MarioKartSuperCircuit'' has Yoshi Desert and Sunset Wilds.[[note]]The Choco Island tracks from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioKart'' have also retroactively become desert courses for some reason, as they share a tileset and background with Sunset Wilds.[[/note]]
** ''VideoGame/MarioKartDoubleDash'' has Dry Dry Desert.
** ''VideoGame/MarioKartDS'' has Desert Hills.
** ''VideoGame/MarioKartWii'' has Dry Dry Ruins, a desert-themed battle course called Thwomp Desert, and Desert Hills as a [[NostalgiaLevel retro track]].
** ''VideoGame/MarioKart7'' has Shy Guy Bazaar, and Kalimari Desert as a retro track.
** ''VideoGame/MarioKart8'' has Bone-Dry Dunes, and Dry Dry Desert as a retro track.

* Many ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' games feature a desert level, which imposes large movement and sometimes defense penalties for most unit types. It's particularly bad for mounted units, who can be reduced to moving ''one tile at a time''.

* The Hidden Sand Village is a fighting arena in many ''Anime/[[Naruto]]'' fighting games.

** The one in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' even has a pyramid.

** Bikanel Island in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX''.

%%* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'': Agrabah in every game where it appears (which is most of them).

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds'': The Desert of Mystery and its dungeon from ''A Link to the Past'' return, now as an enclosed territory that can only be accessed from [[BubblegloopSwamp Misery Mire]] in Lorule (incidentially, Desert Palace's boss isn't fought there, but in the sandy part of Misery Mire itself).

** ''VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon'' has the Old Clockworks, which [[HailfirePeaks combines]] this trope with EternalEngine, and BigBoosHaunt. Sand can be absorbed with the Poltergust 5000, but there are other dangers to watch for (such as ghosts disguised as mummies). The boss is the Overset Possessor, which takes control of the topmost floor's clock.

* ''VideoGame/SuperLesbianAnimalRPG'' has the Celestial Wasteland, a desert wasteland situated on a [[FloatingContinent floating island in the sky]]. The cliffs are covered in ancient machinery, and the sands are dotted with mechanical cacti and palm trees. The wasteland is primarily populated by [[MechaMooks mindless feral robots]] that attack other beings on sight, in addition to hostile mummies. [[spoiler:But the town of Mumford offers some refuge to adventurers, being a town populated mostly by friendly undead and sentient robots. AS it turns out, the mummies fought before were in fact, the same mummy fought repeatedly. She is a resident of Mumford named Nef who mistook the party for hostile intruders and wanted to keep the town safe from them.]]

* ''VideoGame/SuperLesbianAnimalRPG'' has the Celestial Wasteland, a desert wasteland situated on a [[FloatingContinent floating island in the sky]]. The cliffs are covered in ancient machinery, and the sands are dotted with mechanical cacti and palm trees. The wasteland is primarily populated by [[MechaMooks mindless feral robots]] that attack other beings on sight, in addition to hostile mummies. [[spoiler:But the town of Mumford offers some refuge to adventurers, being a town populated mostly by friednly undead and sentient robots. AS it turns out, the mummies fought before were in fact, the same mummy fought repeatedly. She is a resident of Mumford named Nef who mistook the party for hostile intruders and wanted to keep the town safe from them.]]

** The game has a massive one of these at the southern end of the continent of Kalimdor. It's actually two zones: Tanaris and Uldum (the latter was introduced in the ''Cataclysm'' expansion). Tanaris is littered with bones, while Uldum is Egyptian-themed. Unfortunately, due to poor quest design, both areas are universally hated.

* ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' (both the original game and its remake ''Millenium Girl'') has the Sandy Barrens, a desolate desert with dried, withered flora overrun by monsters and creatures, though it's also inhabited by a reclusive race known as the Forest Folk. Its primary features are spots that warp explorers from one room to another, currents of sand that are impossible to override (thus acting like conveyor belts), one-way junctions through certain walls, and a large area patrolled by F.O.E. and the boss Iwaoropenelep. This stratum returns in ''Etrian Odyssey Nexus'', though the warp points are removed (they now appear in one of the game's mini-dungeons, Illusory Woods). ''Nexus'' also features the MiniDungeon Forest of the End, which has even larger rivers of sand (though here they're pretty useful to dodge the F.O.E., even when they dive under that flowing sand).

[[quoteright:291:[[VideoGame/PaperMario64 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/PMsndlnd_6069.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:291:[-If you can't [[{{Pun}} sand]] the heat, stay out of the desert.-] ]]

*** ''VideoGame/PaperMario64'': The Dry Dry Desert. Oddly, the game got its vulture out of the way right before entering as an optional boss, there's no quicksand, and the Bandits have more in common visually with Shy Guys than the turbaned fellows in Dry Dry Outpost (though they are said to be descendants of thieves, but don't interact with you as such), but the Pokeys will be your hostile animated cacti this evening, and dust devils are an annoyance if you're not trying to get certain optional stuff, since they send you to a random part of the desert.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' has the Gerudo Desert (luckily, no quicksand or mazes here) followed by the Arbiter's Grounds, a sand-filled TempleOfDoom with many quicksand pits that must be waded through, other times crossed with the magnetic Spinner. Switches or objects are sometimes buried in the sand as well, requiring you to dig them out in wolf form.

** The zone of Vol'dun in the ''Battle for Azeroth'' expansion is full of traditional desert things like snakes and foxes, except the snakes and foxes are humanoid and can talk (and are called Sethrakk and Vulpera, respectively). There are also huge ruins (in this case, the buildings are {{Mayincatec}} because that's the style the Trolls use), and spirits, treasures and [[EverythingsBetterWithLlamas alpaca]] [[HorseOfADifferentColor mounts]].

** ''Mario Party 7'': Pyramid Park is a desert with many pyramids built within, in which Chain Chomps live. The board breaks the gameplay style, as the players have to pay the Chain Chomps to steal the rivals' stars (as all players already have them at hand since the start of the party session). Among the things Bowser can do here is to summon a large Tweester to ravage the bridges connecting the two halves of the board, requiring three turns for their repair. There's an oasis in the southwest, where players can collect coins in a moat while avoiding the bites of the local Klaptraps (of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' fame). Lastly, if one reaches a palatial building and disturbs the Bowser Sphinx, he'll perform one of many possible curses (redistributing everyone's coins, swap the colors of the red and blue spaces, or halving the prices to ride the Chain Chomps.

[[folder:Platform Games]]
* Stage 2 of ''VideoGame/AladdinVirginGames'' takes place in a desert. In this stage, Aladdin must collect the three pieces of the Scarab, while dodging the palace guards, snakes, and Iago.
* Gobi's Valley in ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie''. Sand doesn't suck the player in, but it's so hot that walking on it is harmful. There are also many pyramids with different traps and challenges.
* ''VideoGame/{{Bug}}'':
** The original game has Reptilia, an American desert filled with cacti, [[ScaryScorpions scorpions]], ''literal'' [[StrongAnts army ants]] that fired grenades, cowboy snakes, green chameleons ([[FridgeLogic don't ask]]), and the ever-annoying {{invincible|MinorMinion}} horned lizards.
** ''Bug Too!'' has "Lawrence of Arachnia", which takes place on the set of the titular film. Scene 2 in particular takes place in the sandy parts of the desert.
* ''VideoGame/ClusterTruck'' has its first world as a desert, except with a whole ton of trucks populating it instead of anything else.
* ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen'':
** In ''Secret of the Oracle'', the 4th EpisodicGame in the series, the north-west section of the World Map consists of a desert. It contains 3 levels, 2 of which are mandatory in order to proceed. Surprisingly, although the same game also features 4 pyramids, they are not located in this area of the map but rather in a forest more to the south.
** In the fanmade Episode 8 (''Dead in the Desert''), Keen is stranded in a desert planet. Many of the levels explored here are set on hot yellow sandy dunes, many of which have a labyrinthic design underground, though there are some levels showcasing other settings (such as LethalLavaLand and DownTheDrain) for variety's sake. Once Keen retrieves the PlotCoupon that allows him to repair his ship and escape, he's betrayed by a creature who was trying to help him, and the climax pits the two in a boss battle. After Keen defeats his enemy, he escapes the planet and the episode ends.
%%* In ''VideoGame/DisneyPrincessEnchantedJourney'', Agrabah is this.
* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'' has Angry Aztec. The main floor hazard here is lots and lots of sand, but it doesn't swallow you up; it just hurts for a slice of melon, complete with {{Knockback}}, if you touch it when you're not {{invincib|ilityPowerUp}}le.
* In ''VideoGame/TheFlintstones1993'', the third level, Desert Drive, takes place in a desert. In this level, Fred drives the Flintmobile across the desert in search of [[StrayingBaby Pebbles]], dealing with such hazards as cacti, quicksand, and cow skulls.
* The Deserts around Spargus City in ''VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander''.
* ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' examples:
** The second stage of [[PalmtreePanic Ice Cream Island]] in ''VideoGame/KirbysAdventure'' and its GBA remake is a desert island.
** ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand3'' has the first true desert world in the series, Sand Canyon, as the game's third world.
** ''[[VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards Kirby 64]]'' also has Rock Star, a [[ShatteredWorld shattered]] desert planet, as the second planet Kirby and company travel to, though the latter levels don't have a sand theme.
** Sky Sands from ''VideoGame/KirbyAirRide'' is a desert track. And not to mention, Top Ride's Sand track.
** ''VideoGame/KirbysEpicYarn'' has Pyramid Sands and Dusk Dunes as sand-themed levels, both located in the second world, Hot Land.
** Raisin Ruins in ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'' also has a fair bit of RuinsForRuinsSake, as the name would imply.
** Yellow Dunes in ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheRainbowCurse''.
** Gigabyte Grounds in ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot''. It also has a few EternalEngine elements to it, owing to the game's "Machinery and Robot" theme.
** Originull Wasteland in ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand''. It's actually a dried-up sea, with shipwrecks and dead marine animals as far as the eye can see.
* ''VideoGame/LittleBigPlanet:''
** The Mexican-themed Canyons from the first game.
** The Egypt-themed Golden Sands from the PSP game.
** La Marionetta from the PS Vita game is circus-themed, but also inexplicably placed in a desert. Downplayed since most of the levels are indoors.
* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' games:
** In ''VideoGame/TheBugsBunnyBirthdayBlowout'', Stage 2 takes place in a desert.
** In ''VideoGame/LooneyTunes (1992)'', Stage 6 takes place in the desert, where Road Runner is being pursued by Wile E. Coyote, who serves as the stage's boss.
** In ''VideoGame/DesertDemolition Starring [[WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote]]'', Act One of "Red Rock Rondevous" and Act One of "Granite Gulch" take place in the sandy parts of the desert.
* In ''VideoGame/LostHome'', the second world is a desert where the player encounters enemies like buzzards and meerkats, and includes a level where it is possible to die from the heat.
* Several of these are to be found in the ''Franchise/MegaMan'' franchise, usually with Arabian-themed bosses at the end.
** Pharaoh Man in ''VideoGame/MegaMan4''.
** Flame Man from ''VideoGame/MegaMan6'' takes place around in an [[{{Qurac}} Arabian]] temple filled with oil.
** Ground Man in ''VideoGame/MegaManAndBass'' has a temple full of it.
** Commando Man in ''VideoGame/MegaMan10''.
** Overdrive Ostrich's stage in ''VideoGame/MegaManX2''. First part of the level features a sandstorm (albeit one created by a machine). The boss fight zone wraps around, creating a sense of "featureless desolate expanse."
** ''VideoGame/MegaManZero1'' has one which, like some other areas in the game, hosts more than one stage; in fact, it is technically the most-visited area mission-wise, with two missions fully traversing it and two missions requiring you to travel a short distance through it before going underground. This is perhaps intentional, since it's the first game in a series in which most of the Earth is now a barren wasteland. All four times you must deal with [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot fire-breathing camels]].
** ''VideoGame/MegaManZero2'' kicks off in a desert as well, and has you face off against a titanic Scorpion robot.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'' features a desert as well.
* ''VideoGame/OriAndTheWillOfTheWisps'' has the Windswept Wastes, the once-home of the Gorleks before TheCorruption forced them to flee, leaving behind [[BuildLikeAnEgyptian Egyptian-esque ruins]].
* In ''VideoGame/{{Quackshot}}'', Mexico and Egypt both start out as desert-themed levels. Both these levels end at a pyramid with a LockedDoor which Donald needs a key from another level to unlock.
* ''VideoGame/QuestForTheShavenYakStarringRenHoekAndStimpy'' has the Stinking Dry Desert, which serves as the second world of the game. Enemies include cacti that shoot prickles, lizards, vultures that lay eggs, scorpions that act as mirages of lemonade glasses, [[DemBones wildebeest skeletons]], spiders, crabs, and hopping toads. The boss of the world is a spitting cobra.
* ''Quik the Thunder Rabbit'' has Oblivion Desert (Level 2, unsurprisingly), whose sandy ground is host to a strange abundance of [[AllDesertsHaveCacti saguaros]] and palm trees.
* The Planets Aridia and Tabora in the ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank'' series. Tabora is sort of a [[HailfirePeaks double dip]], as the caverns below the desert are filled with [[LethalLavaLand hot lava]].
* ''VideoGame/RaymanOrigins'' has the Desert of Dijiridoos and Grumbling Grottoes which are also [[HailfirePeaks mixed]] with GustyGlade and BandLand.
* ''VideoGame/RocketKnightAdventures'':
** Stage 2 in ''Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2'' ([[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Genesis]]) takes place in a desert. This stage features TempleOfDoom, LethalLavaLand and EternalEngine [[HailfirePeaks elements all within it]].
** Stage 5 in ''Sparkster'' ([[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]]) also takes place in a desert, with a few TempleOfDoom elements as well. Generalissimo Lioness' Wolf Soldiers are even dressed in Arabian garb for this stage. The boss of the stage is a robotic SegmentedSerpent.
* ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}}''
** ''VideoGame/Shantae2002'' has the Men's Desert and the Ladies Desert, deserts filled with ScorpionPeople, {{Sand Worm}}s, and upside-down pyramids floating in the sky.
** ''VideoGame/ShantaeRiskysRevenge'' has the Baron Desert, which has Nagas, Sandstone Golems, and the Ammo Baron's army preparing for their takeover of Scuttle Town.
** ''VideoGame/ShantaeAndThePiratesCurse'' has Tan Line Island, featuring the return of the ScorpionPeople, quicksand, and a FantasyCounterpartCulture of Egypt.
** ''VideoGame/ShantaeHalfGenieHero'': Tassel Town is this as well as GustyGlade and RuinsForRuinsSake, the latter courtesy of a sandstorm that destroyed the town centuries prior. Encountered in the level are cactus-like Spikebugs, BirdPeople [[BombardierMook who drop said Spikebugs from the air]], a bow-wielding AmazonBrigade, and {{Sand Worm}}s, both smaller individual ones, and a giant specimen that chases Shantae in the auto-scrolling tower section [[spoiler: before returning as the world's boss under Lingerbean's command]].

** Desert Dodge in ''VideoGame/SegaSonicTheHedgehog''
** Sandopolis Zone in ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic The Hedgehog 3]]'', and Desert Palace Zone in the 2-Player mode.
** Yellow Desert in ''VideoGame/SonicBlast''.
** Sand Hill in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure''.
** Wild Canyon, Hidden Base and Sand Ocean in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''.
** Mirage Road in ''VideoGame/{{Sonic Rush|Series}}''.
** Dusty Desert in ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Sonic '06]]'', of the SandIsWater variety.
** And the first level of ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheSecretRings'', fitting for a game based on the Literature/ArabianNights.
** Shamar in ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed''.
** Oil Desert Zone in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4''.
** Desert Ruins in ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld''.
** Mirage Saloon Zone in ''VideoGame/SonicMania'', with a couple of [[TheWildWest Wild West]] vibes.
** ''VideoGame/SonicForces''' GreenHillZone appears to be mixed with a desert, because of Eggman's industries taking over the area. The [[SandIsWater waterfall is sandy]], too.
* In ''VideoGame/SongsForAHero'', an Egyptian-styled desert is the fourth level, divided into three acts: [[PunnyName Lühnee Dunes, Pyramid Skeeme and Ottoh Tomb]], though this trope is more present in the first one. The enemies are vultures, giant sand verms and walking cactuses, and the Hero can suffer hallucinations from the heat and get stuck in moving sand.
* ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon'' has an assortment of desert levels in the first three games, complete with an unusually sensible distribution of cacti (no clearly non-American style desert has them). The majority of the Peace Keepers world is arid/desert (with little actual sand); Scorch in the second game is Arabian-style with sloping hills of sand acting as the level borders; the third game's Desert Ruins is a (presumably Egyptian-style) ruin half-buried in the sands of the desert, and Dino Mines in the third game is Wild West in concept.
* ''VideoGame/StriderArcade'' has a desert camp stage exclusive to the UsefulNotes/PCEngine version, where it is (optionally) inserted between the original first two levels.
* The ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' games frequently include a desert world with pyramids and [[AllDesertsHaveCacti Pokey]], usually as the second world in the game:
** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' has Worlds 2 and 6. In addition to classic features like quicksands, sand-dwelling enemies (including the debut of the living cacti known as Pokey) and an overall arid environment, these worlds have various caves and dungeons where Mario and his friends have to dig through sand. And since there are many enemies patrolling the inner parts of the sand, the holes the dig leaves will make them fall under and approach the characters, potentially harming them.
** In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'', World 2 takes place in Desert Land. Some levels do have oasis with water where Mario and Luigi can swin in, while others have pyramids (and one of them can be explored from the interior). Fire Snakes, Chain Chomps, Fire Bros. (only present in a hidden part of the map) and the Angry Sun are first seen here as well.
** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand'' has Birabuto, one of Sarasaland's kingdoms. Uniquely for a ''Mario'' game, it is the ''first'' world. It is based on real-life Egypt, and many pyramids can be seen on the background. The boss is King Totomesu, a living sphinx that breathes fire.
** ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'': The TropeNamer is Shifting Sand Land, the eighth world. It is a relatively flat location packed with hazards like instant-death quicksand, Fly Guys, Pokeys and a pyramid full of traps (and home to the level's boss: Eyerok). A small oasis is located here as well.
** ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros'': World 2 in all games in the subseries (called Layer-Cake Desert in ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosU''). Besides bringing back features seen in previous games' desert levels, these worlds also introduce geyser-like streams of sand that elevate Mario and his friends towards higher spots, including Star Coins that would be unreachable otherwise.
** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' has the Dusty Dune Galaxy, while ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'' has the Slipsand Galaxy. In both games, the nonstandard gravity makes sand move and behave in unique ways (sometimes working in Mario's favor, sometimes not).
** ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DLand'': Desert stages are scattered throughout the worlds, such as 3-1 (a large sandy terrain which has a tall tower where the level's exit lies at the top, and is home to the sand-dwelling Sandmaargh), 5-1 (a sandy DeathMountain that has to be climbed while dealing with enemies like Pokeys and Boomerang Bros.) and 6-2 (the interior of a pyramid filled with dunes that rise and lower periodically).
** ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'': The map of World 2 is desert-themed, but only the first level (Conkdor Canyon) is actually set in a desert; the sandfalls located in certain spots can be used to reach high places. There's also Plessie's Dune Downhill in World 8, where sand sculptures modeled after Bowser can be found.
** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'': Tostarena in the Sand Kingdom is a desert with ruins, a Mexican-inspired town, and sombrero wearing sugar skull inhabitants. It's the third world (followng up the Cap and Cascade Kingdoms), and is unique in that the desert is initially ''cold'' (to the point some ice crystals are formed), though this is reversed later when the heat is restored. Outside this kingdom, and as an EasterEgg, [[spoiler:at the ''very'' edge of the grasslands surrounding Peach's Castle you can see a desert, a reference to how desert worlds often come after grass ones in the ''Mario'' series.]]
** In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker2'', this is one of the added settings for level making and playing, being available in four of the game styles (including the one based on ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'', which didn't have any explicitly themed worlds at all). The excluded style is ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'', which instead receives a level theme based on Chocolate Island (a DeathMountain world). When played in Night mode, wind will blow (its direction and rate will depend on the game style).
** ''VideoGame/MarioAdventure''[='=]s seventh world is ostensibly this, but it functions more as a MinigameGame of sorts.
* In the ''VideoGame/TinyToonAdventures'' LicensedGame for the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem, Stage 2-1 takes place in a desert. In the first half of the stage, you have to deal with [[QuicksandSucks quicksand]], and in the second half, you find an oasis.
* In ''VideoGame/WackyRaces1991'', Stage A-2 takes place in a desert, with giant armadillos, [[ScaryScorpions scorpions]], and [[QuicksandSucks quicksand]]. The boss of this stage is Sgt. Blast and Private Meekly in the Army Surplus Special.
%%* ''VideoGame/WarioLand'':
%%** Desert Ruins from ''VideoGame/WarioLand3''.
%%** Arabian Night from ''VideoGame/WarioLand4''.
%%** Pecan Sands from ''VideoGame/WarioWorld''.
%%** Whoopsy Desert and Disturbing Tomb from ''VideoGame/WarioLandShakeIt''.
%%* The Wasteland levels in ''VideoGame/WonderBoy1'' and ''VideoGame/AdventureIsland'' series, where [[WizardNeedsFoodBadly food]] [[DroughtLevelOfDoom is scarce]], unsurprisingly.
* There is World 2 in ''VideoGame/YoshisWoollyWorld'' which combines this with LethalLavaLand.

[[folder:Puzzle Games]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Meteos}}'' has three {{Single Biome Planet}}s that fit this. Anasaze has a WildWest motif, Dawndus is in perpetual twilight due the atmosphere bending the sunlight it recieves (which leads to it's city-dwelling citizens to become insomniacs who fake sleeping), and Forte is a meteor-ravaged wasteland where it's denizens live inside the planet's giant cracks.
* World 3 of ''VideoGame/PuzzleAndDragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition'' breaks the ''Mario'' tradition of the desert world being World 2, due to [[UndergroundLevel a cave world]] being World 2 instead.
* ''VideoGame/TheWitness'': The northwest portion of the island contains a desert and sandy cliffs, complete with a temple.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Racing Games]]
* ''VideoGame/BanjoPilot'':
** Jinxy's Dunes, which serves as the second track of the Honeycomb Cup.
** Gobi's Valley, which serves as the fourth and final track of the Jiggy Cup.
* Sand Ocean from VideoGame/FZero.
* Every ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' has had a desert race starting with ''VideoGame/MarioKart64''.
** ''VideoGame/MarioKart64'' has Kalimari Desert.
** ''VideoGame/MarioKartSuperCircuit'' has Yoshi Desert and Sunset Wilds.[[note]]The Choco Island tracks from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioKart'' have also retroactively become desert courses for some reason, as they share a tileset and background with Sunset Wilds.[[/note]]
** ''VideoGame/MarioKartDoubleDash'' has Dry Dry Desert.
** ''VideoGame/MarioKartDS'' has Desert Hills.
** ''VideoGame/MarioKartWii'' has Dry Dry Ruins, a desert-themed battle course called Thwomp Desert, and Desert Hills as a [[NostalgiaLevel retro track]].
** ''VideoGame/MarioKart7'' has Shy Guy Bazaar, and Kalimari Desert as a retro track.
** ''VideoGame/MarioKart8'' has Bone-Dry Dunes, and Dry Dry Desert as a retro track.
* ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed: Hot Pursuit 2'' has three[[note]]six if you count the [[LevelInReverse reversed levels]][[/note]] tracks that take place in a desert.
* ''VideoGame/PokemonDash'' has a lot of desert areas. Along with slowing Pikachu down, they occasionally feature a sandstorm which can slow down even more.
* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** ''VideoGame/SonicDrift 2'' has Desert Road, which serves as the fifth track of the Purple GP, and the the first track of the White GP. The former requires you to race three laps, while the latter is a linear course.
** ''VideoGame/TeamSonicRacing'' has two examples. Boo's House takes place in [[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sandopolis Zone]], and Sand Road takes place in [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure Sand Hill]]. The latter plays the trope straight, while the former [[HailfirePeaks mixes it with]] BigBoosHaunt.
[[/folder]]

* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'': The Desert in ''[[VideoGame/MonsterHunter2004 Monster Hunter 1]]'' (old) and ''[[VideoGame/MonsterHunter2Dos 2]]'' (new). In ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter3Tri'', the Sandy Plains takes this role, while the Wildspire Waste does in ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterWorld''. During day, certain areas are so hot that the player will continuously lose HP unless a Cold Drink is consumed. During night, those same areas will be instead very cold, and decrease the player's stamina unless a Hot Drink is consumed. And various large monsters happen to love lurking in them (especially if their names are Nibelsnarf, Sand Barioth or Diablos). ''3'' also introduces the BossOnlyLevel Great Desert, the battlefield of Jhen Mohran and (in ''4'') Dah'ren Mohran. While ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter4'' itself doesn't have a regular desert area, both its expansion ''4 Ultimate'' and the follow-up ''Generations'' bring back the desert of ''1'' as a NostalgiaLevel. ''Generations Ultimate'' both brings back the desert of ''2'' and introduces the Forlorn Citadel, another boss-only area, and is where Ahtal-Ka is faced. ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterRise'' brings back the Sandy Plains in a revamped form, and this time it's no longer required to consume drinks (they're not present in the game anyway).

** ''VideoGame/MarioParty3'': Spiny Desert is a board located in a sandy desert inhabited by Pokeys, Kleptos and a Chain Chomp. It's designed with a day/night dichotomy in mind, as the southwest half takes place during the hot day and the northeast half takes place during the cold night (you can even see the reflection of the moon in an oasis moat). There are two Millenium Stars in the board, but only one of them is real while the other is a mirage.

** ''VideoGame/MarioParty3'': Spiny Desert is a board located in a sandy desert inhabited by Pokeys, Kleptos and a Chain Chomp. It's designed with a day/night dichotomy in mind, as the southwest half takes place during the hot day and the northeast half takes place during the cold night (you can even see the reflection of the moon in a oasis moat). There are two Millenium Stars in the board, but only one of them is real while the other is a mirage.

** ''Mario Party 7'': Pyramid Park is a desert with many pyramids built within, in which Chain Chomps live. The board breaks the gameplay style, as the players have to pay the Chain Chomps to steal the rivals' stars (as all players already have them at hand since the start of the party session). Among the things Bowser can do here is to summon a large Tweester to ravage the bridges connecting the two halves of the board, requiring three turns for their repair. There's an oasis in the southwest, where players can collect coins in a moat while avoiding the bites of the local Klaptraps (of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' fame). Lastly, if one reaches a palatial building and disturbs the Bowser Sphinx, he'll perform one of many possible curses (redistributing everyone's coins, swap the colors of the red and blue spaces, or halves the prices to ride the Chain Chomps.

* ''VideoGame/MarioParty'': Western Land in ''2'', Spiny Desert in ''3'', and Pyramid Park in ''7''. Western Land breaks the trend of desert levels in ''Mario'' games in that it has Wild West motifs instead of Middle East ones. The latter two are thematically more familiar in this sense, but while Spiny Desert plays like most boards in the series (its only oddity is that, despite its name, it doesn't feature any [[TheSpiny actual Spinies]]), Pyramid Park breaks the gameplay style by featuring Chain Chomps paid to steal the rivals' stars (as all players already have them at hand since the start of the party session).